# Knee Mill Chip Management



## Ceej0103 (Feb 25, 2022)

Show me your chip management solutions for you knee mills, please  Whether it's a purpose-made / commercially available option or a homebrew, I'm interested to know how you keep the chips contained.  I'm tired of it looking like a metal glitter bomb went off in my garage.


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## Janderso (Feb 25, 2022)

I made some plexiglass screens without magnets. They keep the chips contained!


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## Ceej0103 (Feb 25, 2022)

Janderso said:


> I made some plexiglass screens without magnets. They keep the chips contained!



Nice, simple concept.  What about the front?  Am I just doing it wrong because I get obliterated by chips coming straight at me (mostly when using my 2" indexable face mill).


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## mmcmdl (Feb 25, 2022)

Ceej0103 said:


> Nice, simple concept. What about the front? Am I just doing it wrong because I get obliterated by chips coming straight at me (mostly when using my 2" indexable face mill).


If you feed from right to left , your chips are going to go towards the machine column . Left to right , they're coming towards the operator .  

Start at the rear of the material .


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## Ceej0103 (Feb 25, 2022)

mmcmdl said:


> If you feed from right to left , your chips are going to go towards the machine column . Left to right , they're coming towards the operator .



That's probably it, I conventional mill right to left with a heavy pass and then take about 1/2 the depth coming back climb milling as to take advantage of traveling back to the right. Maybe I need to just stop doing that. 

I swear that I still get chips coming at me when conventional milling.  Maybe it's when the inserts come back around and make that pass on the back side of the cutter?  You would think there shouldn't be much being cut, if anything, on that pass though.


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## davidpbest (Feb 25, 2022)

Milling machine chip guards
					

I find magnets to be a real PITA. This method works for me. I also made a quick no nonsense storage rack on the side of the mill.




					www.hobby-machinist.com


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## Winegrower (Feb 25, 2022)

For chips on the floor, a broom and dustpan are the management strategy.   For chips in the face, I mounted a polycarbonate sheet on a (cheap) import version of a Noga holder, and the magnetic base lets me position it as needed, setting base location, angle and tilt to deflect in a safe direction.


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## Braeden P (Feb 25, 2022)

mmcmdl said:


> Left to right , they're coming towards the operator


Found that out the hard way on my uncles bridgeport and go blasted in the face and neck with 400 degree chips not as bad as when I got a red hot steel chip in my nose from my lathe that one hurt.


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## mmcmdl (Feb 25, 2022)

A bunch of new dance crazes have been created when hot chips have gone down operators shirts in the past . I know first hand .


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## Braeden P (Feb 25, 2022)

I could have probbaly done some good guitar riffs when my hands gets covered in chips.


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## NCjeeper (Feb 25, 2022)

mmcmdl said:


> A bunch of new dance crazes have been created when hot chips have gone down operators shirts in the past . I know first hand .


I was doing the funky chicken a few days ago myself.


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## Ceej0103 (Feb 25, 2022)

Winegrower said:


> For chips on the floor, a broom and dustpan are the management strategy.   For chips in the face, I mounted a polycarbonate sheet on a (cheap) import version of a Noga holder, and the magnetic base lets me position it as needed, setting base location, angle and tilt to deflect in a safe direction.



Great idea...I have an few extra magnetic bases 'stuck' to various metal surfaces in the shop waiting to be used.  I like this.  I don't have the luxury of a spaced out shop (2 car garage using 1 side so my 67 Firebird can have the other) so managing chips flying left and right is also useful to me so they don't land on my lathe (left) and toolboxes/bins (right).  Maybe I use the idea above for some left/right control and then your idea to control anything that may want to fly at me. Left/right can remain in place throughout the operation and the mag-mounted screen can be easily moved aside when needing to change tooling or check on surface finish/etc.


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## Ceej0103 (Feb 25, 2022)

davidpbest said:


> Milling machine chip guards
> 
> 
> I find magnets to be a real PITA. This method works for me. I also made a quick no nonsense storage rack on the side of the mill.
> ...



WOW...that thread is gold.  I laughed a little at the shower curtain, but that's actually freakin' brilliant.  Nothing to manage/move on the table surface itself.  Thanks!!


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## Ceej0103 (Feb 25, 2022)

Braeden P said:


> Found that out the hard way on my uncles bridgeport and go blasted in the face and neck with 400 degree chips not as bad as when I got a red hot steel chip in my nose from my lathe that one hurt.





mmcmdl said:


> A bunch of new dance crazes have been created when hot chips have gone down operators shirts in the past . I know first hand .





Braeden P said:


> I could have probbaly done some good guitar riffs when my hands gets covered in chips.





NCjeeper said:


> I was doing the funky chicken a few days ago myself.



I haven't had any real burn trauma from milling/lathe work yet, but I did learn my lesson about proper footwear in the shop when doing some MIG welding recently. Forgot to turn on my gas so the weld just spattered and dropped off a pea-sized drop of slag.  Melted right through the top of my "work shoes", which are just some old tennis shoes, and sock and came to rest on the top of my foot. Talk about a dance.  Lacing up the skates for my multiple weekly skates with the boys was pretty painful for a bit after that.  I wish someone would have warned me that molten metal is hot and you should probably wear leather boots when working around it.


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## Jim F (Feb 25, 2022)

The shop I work in, plexi with a slot cut in the bottom, slide over a bolt on  the back of the movable jaw on the Kurts.


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## Aukai (Feb 25, 2022)

I was on my back welding, and a cherry dropped and landed where my jacket was open. I landed below my belly button, and rolled down to my belt, the pain was intense when it stopped there. I lifted the belt to get relief, but where it rolled to after that was just as painful, and quite a bit more concerning.

Anyway, my poor mans back shield ~18gage galvanized sheet, shaped by using 2 5gal buckets one inside the other to get the curve, and a door edge protector.


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## Suzuki4evr (Feb 25, 2022)

Janderso said:


> I made some plexiglass screens without magnets. They keep the chips contained!


Jeff I like your idea. It is simple and effective. I am wondering what is the material thickness of tge plexiglass, it looks about 1/4" thick? I need to make chip guards of some sort. I am sick off drilling chips flying all over and it is a REAL PITA to sweep that up.


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## projectnut (Feb 25, 2022)

I for one manage to get chips just about everywhere.  I've had them in my hair, stuck on my face, stuck into my fingers, in my pockets down my shirt, shorts, and in my shoes.  I've even managed to get them in places I didn't know I had. 

I built an attachment that holds the end of a shop vac tube in proximity to the spindle head.  Like most thing it works fine, but I'm just too lazy to install it each time I use the mill.


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## Dhal22 (Feb 25, 2022)

mmcmdl said:


> A bunch of new dance crazes have been created when hot chips have gone down operators shirts in the past . I know first hand .




That and slag from a torch dropping in your tennis shoes between your toes.   Very unusual dance.


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## keeena (Feb 25, 2022)

Quite a few folks have these movable acrylic guards. They work fairly well and pretty cheap. 

Also in the pic: stainless chip shields & tray (Babin Machine Tool), way covers (for an Acer mill; you can find the kits on eBay), and hardboard table covers to keep chips out of the slots.




Davidpbest made a U-shaped curtain rod w/ heavy curtain to wrap around the back and sides...really good idea. Link (see the rest of the thread too for other ideas)


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## Janderso (Feb 26, 2022)

Suzuki4evr said:


> Jeff I like your idea. It is simple and effective. I am wondering what is the material thickness of tge plexiglass, it looks about 1/4" thick? I need to make chip guards of some sort. I am sick off drilling chips flying all over and it is a REAL PITA to sweep that up.


It's .204". I got it at Lowes. Must be a metric size? It's perfect. I milled the blocks so there is a snug fit.


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## Suzuki4evr (Feb 26, 2022)

Janderso said:


> It's .204". I got it at Lowes. Must be a metric size? It's perfect. I milled the blocks so there is a snug fit.


Then it should be about 5mm,calculated it is 5.18mm. Thank ypu Jeff. How are finding retirement? You did just retire right?


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## Janderso (Feb 26, 2022)

Suzuki4evr said:


> Then it should be about 5mm,calculated it is 5.18mm. Thank ypu Jeff. How are finding retirement? You did just retire right?


How am I finding retirement?  It’s tough duty man but I’m holding out great.
It takes a while.
This is the end of my seventh week. That doesn’t seem possible.
Yeah, I like it.


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## Janderso (Feb 26, 2022)

Suzuki4evr said:


> Then it should be about 5mm,calculated it is 5.18mm. Thank ypu Jeff. How are finding retirement? You did just retire right?


I think I used a 3/16 end mill and side stepped until I had my dimension.


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## jwmay (Feb 27, 2022)

I use cardboard. It doesn't look pretty, but I seem to have a never ending supply of it showing up on my door step. It's easy to cut. I've made chip trays out of it too. I sometimes just hang it with duct tape. I've even considered painting it, just for aesthetics. Anyhow...cardboard...free, functional, and free, and easy to cut, and free.


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## Batmanacw (Feb 27, 2022)

I'm sure my set up won't be popular but the closer the chip shields are to the work the smaller they can be. 

The X shields are just sitting on the table. I just set them off to the side while setting up and I only use them when I can, which is pretty often. 

The Y shields are simply slipped over the bolts on the vise. I use them when it works with my set up, which is pretty often. 

The biggest complaint from people I've shown this is that you cannot see through the shields but I am 6' 2". I can see over them easily. I don't need to see 4 ft wide area. 

I can remove all 4 pieces with little effort and time. I only use for running insert end mills and face mills that are throwing nasty chips.


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