[Sparrowhawk120]

Hi, I'm a hobbyist looking to get a small 3018 CNC router which I plan to use mainly for PCB milling and small wood and aluminum jobs. I was wondering whether I ought to get a shop vac along with the machine to clean up dust, or whether putting a bit of cutting oil on the part will be sufficient to prevent chips from flying everywhere?

Thanks,
Sparrowhawk

 

[Sparrowhawk120]

You mention that I should get the largest shop vac I can find, but do you know what is out there at a good, reasonable price? I'm only 15 and I don't want to break the bank with a super expensive vac, the CNC is already $200! Also, if I do go for a shop vac, how should I go about mounting it to the CNC? Specifically the Sainsmart Genmitsu 3018 DIY kit (i can't post a link I don't have enough points)

 

[Sparrowhawk120]

Welcome to the forum! Add your first name to your signature line so we'll know what to call you.

I don't think you're going to be very successful at pulling chips out if there's oil involved. At the very least I think your hose will begin stopping up with oiled pieces and performance will drop drastically. You may have better luck with compressed air blowing at the bit although you'll still have a mess to clean up around the table.

Oh, and we do like photos so show us your setup when you're able. You can post photos now if they're on your computer.

David

Hello thanks for replying! I have done the signature thing. Hmm, I hadn't thought about that. I guess I could try setting up an acrylic barrier of some kind around the machine to catch a mess from errant chips, although I don't think getting a vac, air compressor, and oil is in my parent's pockets best interest lol. And I don't have the machine just yet, I was planning to buy it during a Black Friday sale so no photos, sorry!

Hi, a little more. I have seen shop vacs at second hand and thrift stores. But your setup is small and you probably could get by with a 4 gallon unit. With that you could get by just fine with the Home Deput orange top model. You need to be careful to make sure the hose fits the separator lid. You can use some aluminum duct tape to seal any small difference between out vs in hoses and ports. Check the sizes, open the boxes and bring the orange lid to the shop vac section to make sure hoses fit. The Bucket is a standard 5 gallon HD bucket, often on sale.

Really glad you're on here. We could use some young blood around here, and everyone here is very happy to be helpful. At age 15 you are getting an early start in a new technology, one that could easily provide you with a great living over the years.

I've attached a short article on making a living with a CNC. Yours is a little undersized for some things, but you could probably use some of the ideas to fatten up your wallet. it's a pdf so you can save it for later if you want.

So I'm guessing it wouldn't be practical to just have the vac, I would need a dust separator as well? Are these something that can be 3D-printed? Also for now earning money isn't my main priority, I just want something that can support my extensive projects and to compliment my 3D printer. I'll take a look at that PDF though!

 

[Sparrowhawk120]

@DesertRatTom please note making money is not my intention, I want the machine so I can work on projects I am interested in such as custom-milled PCBs, and any other things I can't print or need specifically in wood or metal. Making money would be a nice thing to accomplish, but I'm not the most entrepreneurial of people, and don't come up with original ideas often lol. I suppose custom-made PCBs are a market, but it's not something I can do cheaply enough to make an effective profit.

Aside from that, thanks for all the feedback! I'll look into a shop-vac/dust collection combination.