My Version of a Dust Shoe

I never liked the job that the dust shoe I bought from Probotix did in collecting dust while the machine was running so I decided to modify their design (most of which I liked) to suit my needs. The majority of what I didn't like was that the hole for the vacuum attachment was offset by a few inches which in my opinion is not the best position for optimal dust extraction. So I set off on the search for the best ideas people out there had and I really liked what YouTube user 'Bjorn Makes' came up with. I was all set to make his version when I thought why not combine the Probotix design with Bjorn's design and see what I get. The result can be seen pictured below.

I made adjustments to the design to make it fit on the lowest point I could on my 2.2kw spindle and used set screws to mount it there so as to make sure the magnets in the top half stayed in the same positions and matched perfectly with the magnets in the lower half. I also made the hole on the other end smaller to match up with my Festool vacuum hose which is what I use (along with a cyclone bucket) for dust extraction. I then pulled the brush seal out of the Probotix dust shoe and cut it to fit in the bottom circle of my design and trim off the bottom inch or so since this version sit lower on the spindle than the other did. Got the magnets from Amazon and the hardware from a local hardware store.

If you plan on making this yourself you will need:

1. A drill press and drill index for drilling the set screw holes and to drill the other holes for final size. My CNC didn't do the best job maintaining the sizes I choose in my drawing program which is what I mean by final size (such as the magnet holes).
2. One sheet of 1/2" thick acrylic glass measuring 12"x12"
3. Two 3/8" long 10-32 thread set screws
4. Two 1/4" long 10-32 thread socket head screws
5. Eight 3mmx8mm (3/10"x1/8") magnets
6. The brush seal from your old Probotix dust shoe or equivalent.
7. Some way to press or beat your magnets into the holes
8. Adhesive for keeping the brush seal in its groove.
9. 10-32 thread tap and tap handle

After I got done making this I tested it out and it worked great. So much better than what I had before. I curious to hear what people think so please leave a comment below if you like it or see improvements that can be made. The file I created in Aspire will be attached, just make sure you make adjustments to the toolpaths to suit your own cutting tools. Personally I use Amana tools (51410 and 51404) and I use G-wizard to come up with the feeds and speeds. Good luck.

Special Thanks to Bjorn Makes over on Youtube for the inspiration I needed to make it all come together.

View attachment My Dust Shoe Design.zip