We discussed the Multicam CNC boot that surrounds the bit and houses the vacuum hose. I think everyone in attendance and anyone who has used the machine agrees we need a bigger boot. This allows you actually lower the boot enough for the vacuum to work. This is especially important when using a larger bit. The discussion was to buy a bigger boot or have someone 3-d print one. I’d like to make sure we move this along. I’m happy to help research or do what is needed to help. I know when I flatten slabs of wood the mess I make is insane, and with a bigger boot I think the vacuum could actually contain a good % of that mess. @Team_Woodshop what are the next steps?
The hardened steel rods on the current boot are bent. I suspect anything plastic on that area of the Multicam is going to, in the best case, get quickly destroyed or, in the worst case, become shrapnel.
Valid point, I believe the proposal may have involved 3-d printing just the boot that could be secured to the current steel rods. I just want to see something big enough that I could use a 3" or 4" flattening bit and the machine could actually still surround and pick up the chips and dust to some extent. That and the current boot is just a POS.
Agreed! Thanks for bringing this up!
What are your thoughts about making one similar to this one:
The parts list is featured on CNC Router Parts.
http://www.cncrouterparts.com/universal-cnc-dust-shoe-p-396.html
The magnets for removing the lower frame is cool! I could get some dimensions off the MultiCam to make our own and make sure it fits.
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MultiCam sells other boots for our machine. I recall there being three options (update: there are five).
- Pressure Foot - This is what we have. I like it because it puts downward pressure on the stock. This one uses a 2" hose.
Under Dust Collection Hoods they have…
- Dust Boot Dust Collector
- Pull-up Dust Collector for ATC Spindle
- Dust Collector for ATC Spindle
- Pantleg Dust Collector
All of those use a 4" hose. The ATC variants are unlikely to be useful to us relative to the cost. The Pantleg is meant to be used with a C-axis (whatever that is).
Which leaves one option (excluding what we have): Dust Boot Dust Collector. It does not float which, I assume, means that it is possible for the boot to collide with the stock if the end-mill is too short. It requires a 4" hose.
We may be able to have both ready-to-use. It looks like the Pressure Foot is mounted on the spindle housing and the Dust Boot Dust Collector is mounted on the back-plate.
The section of interest is “Chip Removal Options” starting about page 226 in Router_User_Manual.pdf.
Do you see any of these on their website or for sale online? I can’t seem to find them.
Until someone bumps the boot into their stock releasing the lower frame into the 18000 RPM spindle.
You do understand that machine is capable of tearing the current metal boot into little bits of shrapnel? And that it has done just that on at least two occasions?
No.
I think that would be less likely to happen if the bristles were longer on the boot. I suppose in order to have longer bristles the boot also needs a larger diameter so the bristles don’t get eaten by the router. Also, it would be good to get/make a boot with an exaggerated exterior taper, so if it does run into the work piece it can just ride up and over the piece like it’s supposed to. I didn’t look at the multicam web site, so disregard if there current boots address these issues.