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Re: Cover for Cross Slide and/or Ways

 

Kydex(R)? is an inexpensive thermoformable plastic much beloved by DIY sheath makers.? (A square foot of .080" sheet costs around $6 on Amazon.)? It forms nicely in hot (375°F) air from a hobbyist heat gun or a corn popper.??

Put your taper attachment down on a flat surface with a few magnets stuck to it and carefully duct-tape a sheet of Kydex over it so no air can get under it except via a single 3/8" or 1/2" tube hooked up to (e.g.) your vacuum cleaner.? Pull a gradual gentle vacuum under the Kydex, apply hot air to the top, and it will deform under atmospheric pressure until it conforms to the taper-attachment-plus-magnets.? Use the heat gun to control and "encourage" the area of deformation.? When it fits closely enough, disassemble the vacuum rig and trim the Kydex to size (I usually resort to my Dremel). Finally, epoxy the magnets into their vacuum-formed recessed on the underside of your Brand-New Taper Attachment Cover.? It snaps on, sheds swarf, and looks intentional ;) without actually requiring application of precision measurement tools ... although now's a convenient moment to use a similar set-up to make little nests for your calipers and mics and collets and chucks, etc.? -- Just sayin'.??

In the boatyard where I grew up, we always reminded each other to be careful not to let the Yacht Owner see how low-tech we actually were, for fear it would make him indisposed to pay our exorbitant rates.? Well, if we'd had Kydex in those days we would have built his dinghy out of it and never told him how it was really done -- but we would have charged plenty, you betcha, and pretended it was all done by Controlled Molecular-Level Engineering.? Those were the days ...

On Dec 28, 2023 00:25, Mike Poore <mpoore10@...> wrote:
I did something similar on another lathe using a rubber mat. The downside was chips stuck to the magnet, but not a big deal.

Never heard of Kydex until your reply, so I learned something regardless. Is that the material they use for cutting boards? Is there a cheap item commonly sold made of it that I could experiment?

On 12/27/2023 11:43 PM, Lou wrote:
Sheet Kydex, heated and shaped and cut to suit, with three or four rare-earth magnets artfully glued to it where they will match to the taper attachment? Or sheet acrylic, if you want transparency...?

Yes. I know, it's quick and dirty but it will keep the debris off and you won't be heartbroken if it falls on the floor ... oh yes, and it isn't likely to scratch the ways :)

Yes, I have several shields I made this way and I still love them.? :) :)


On Dec 27, 2023 21:45, Mike Poore <mpoore10@...> wrote:
I have a SB9A with taper attachment. I would like to fashion a cover for the cross slide and taper attachment as it seems like the most time consuming area to clean. There does not seem to be an obvious way to attach covers without some hole drilling, which I prefer as a last resort. The cross slide screw is most annoying to clean, but the taper attachment as a whole is a pain. Removing it when not using the taper attachment is the obvious solution, but I would like to avoid that as well.

Does anyone have photos of how they deal with chip control?



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