How often do you clean up the swarf on your lathe/Mill

GaryK

GaryK

In Memory
Rest In Peace
Joined
Dec 13, 2012
Messages
466
I'm just curious when you guys clean up after yourselves.

After every time you use your machine, never, only when it gets overwhelming, just the main stuff leaving the small stuff....

How do you clean it up? By hand, vacuum, air hose then sweep it up...

Just a fun little informal survey.

Gary
 
Constantly at a medium level -before, during and after a project. I don't worry about tiny details or slight messiness but the floors, equipment etc is kept relatively swarf free. I see no point in making a lathe or mill squeaky clean every time it's used. I woulnd't get anything done. Do I vacuum and wipe it down? Heck yes -constantly. Do I worry about a handful of chips in the tray? Heck no.

I never use compressed air for cleaning. Just use vacuum, (3 in the shop for easy access) broom (3 in the shop), whisk broom (one at every machine) and heavy paper shop towels. Mop the floor once a week. Once a year, I devote a couple days to a thorough organizing and cleaning/inspection of the machines with oil changes etc.
 
Clamping area: I brush this off thoroughly every time I take the work piece off the vise. Otherwise, when it gets in the way of seeing what I'm doing. But I have only made small pieces so far, I think I would clean up more often if I made more chips.

Where I stand: When it gets crunchy underfoot.

Walt
 
On the lathe, I brush them off the ways after each heavy cut with a 2" or 3" paint brush. I use the one's that you used to get at HF in bulk. Wipe down the ways and oil before use each day if used, sometimes twice a day if starting to show "black" crud. Shovel the shavings from the chip pan once a year, sometimes sooner, just when the shavings get deep in the pan. This is on my 13" Sheldon lathe. 9" SBL stays clean all the time and ways wiped dwn and oiled before use. Both lathes stay covered when not in use.
 
Anytime it needs it. Now for the real world, when I can and depending on the project. Take the 1830 project. Gearbox is made from solid barstock 7075. 5.250 dia, 5.750 long. When completed to final shape it will weigh 1/3 of it's beginning weight. Looks lik I will be cleaning more than working. :lmao:

"Billy G" :whistle:
 
I clean up swarf pretty often. A pet peeve of mine is walking on chips.

I have a wet/dry vac within reach of every machine.

John
 
I use a brush and clean as I go but not fastidiously.
I am uber jealous of all the photos of immaculate machines with work on them that look as if they are in the showroom.
Mine never looks like that.:whiteflag:
 
big piles of chips on a new mill look so kewl but i clean up before starting anything new or too deep and pluging t-slots and drains. I never use a blow gun just vacuum and rags to keep swarf out of where it dont belong.
steve
 
Oh come on....get out your air gun and blast those chips under those ways....don't clean it after each use, especially when you're machining cast iron. I love it when I get a call to come look at a machine that is worn out. It's great seeing that oil and cast iron lapping slurry all under those scratched ways.


When I go into a shop and see a air hose hanging on the machine I smile and Think YES you made my day! Wear Baby Wear! It's also so cool when I see the lube pumps empty and when I ask the operator "when is the last time you pumped the lube pump"?...and when he says "what pump"? YES what a deal $$ Cha Ching more scraping needed. Please never wipe off the machine or use a paint brush to clean the ways. Squirt the ways off with 120 PSI air pressure. Maintenance manuals, Heh, who needs those? No need to have them... I need the work and money, SO Please Never Clean your machines, Help me and the other machine rebuilders out. Thanks again for never following the maintenance manuals. :nuts:
 
Richard King said:
Oh come on....get out your air gun and blast those chips under those ways....don't clean it after each use, especially when you're machining cast iron. I love it when I get a call to come look at a machine that is worn out. It's great seeing that oil and cast iron lapping slurry all under those scratched ways.


When I go into a shop and see a air hose hanging on the machine I smile and Think YES you made my day! Wear Baby Wear! It's also so cool when I see the lube pumps empty and when I ask the operator "when is the last time you pumped the lube pump"?...and when he says "what pump"? YES what a deal $$ Cha Ching more scraping needed. Please never wipe off the machine or use a paint brush to clean the ways. Squirt the ways off with 120 PSI air pressure. Maintenance manuals, Heh, who needs those? No need to have them... I need the work and money, SO Please Never Clean your machines, Help me and the other machine rebuilders out. Thanks again for never following the maintenance manuals. :nuts:
Click to expand...


your not promoting your business here are you?
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

steve
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top