Bridgeport mill chip pans

[OccupantRJ]

I decided to improve chip control on my Bridgeport mill, so came up with this solution. I bought two 10x15” shallow baking pans from Walmart (gasp) and fitted the end of each pan with basically a sheet metal chute to direct chips into the pan as much as practical. Cardboard Aided Engineering was used to obtain a pattern to conform the chutes to the sides of the vise when attached to the pans. The four 8-32 screws in the bottom of each pan attach short pieces of drilled and tapped 5/8” rod to act as locators in the table slots. The pan through holes are drilled slightly oversize to allow precise adjustment for the rod spacing relative to the slot spacing. A right and left brushing of chips places the majority of them into the pans rather than everywhere else, and the pans lift off easily for dumping.

 

[Grant Gunderson]

thats awesome! well done!

 

[Firebrick43]

Nice job. We always bent them up on a brake but that is cheap and effective to use baking sheets as well!

And it definitely helps keep chips out of the slots which drastically reduces cleanup time. I think more importantly it keeps the table clear of damage from people setting things up on the table such as tools and parts in a manner that they shouldn’t.

Unfortunately it doesn’t keep large face or fly cutters, or even high speed endmills from throwing chips on the floor. But shields can be made or purchase that put the majority into the pans.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Nice job. We always bent them up on a brake but that is cheap and effective to use baking sheets as well!

And it definitely helps keep chips out of the slots which drastically reduces cleanup time. I think more importantly it keeps the table clear of damage from people setting things up on the table such as tools and parts in a manner that they shouldn’t.

Unfortunately it doesn’t keep large face or fly cutters, or even high speed endmills from throwing chips on the floor. But shields can be made or purchase that put the majority into the pans.

I thought about bending up pans but wanted the nicely rounded edges the baking pans provided. I had an extra proper size pan around the shop as I often pick them up at thrift stores to use as mechanical teardown trays, but it was thin, had been heated, and wanted to oilcan enough to not suit me. I went to Walmart and found theirs stiffer and more suitable. I already have a flex arm shield system to use for chip deflection when needed.

 

[larry_g]

I have a couple of baking pans that reside in the chip pan of my lathe. Never thought about using one on the mill. I will now consider that.

lg

 

[OccupantRJ]

I have a couple of baking pans that reside in the chip pan of my lathe. Never thought about using one on the mill. I will now consider that.

lg

Larry, I also use a baking pan in the lathe.

 

[BigMike782]

Nicely done!
I have a friend that did maintenance in facilites for very large package delivery company and he gave me some scrap belting from the package lines.
It works really well.

 

[RMERR]

You should know I patented that back in July @OccupantRJ . You'll be hearing from my lawyer

The repurposing thread

Old scrap garden hose to the rescue. Decided to refurb a 30 yr. old courtyard pond. Over the decades it got overgrown w/ water lillies & all the river rock used ended up just filling it in. Project started this summer when I unwinterized it and it would drop 4” water height in a 1/2 day. After...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[danielbuck]

I used leather to cover the on the cross slide lead screw of one of my lathes, mostly because it is up against a wall, and I can't have a rigid cover there because it will hit the wall and not let me move the cross slide in far enough. the leather just folds down when it gets to the end.

 

[Lwel9226]

Larry, I also use a baking pan in the lathe.

That makes 3 of us....
I thought I was being slick.... Turns out I am not alone....

LynnW

 

[Jay H 237]

Not a bad idea, I like it! Most stuff that'll work well. Tougher when you have 2 or 3 vices on the table though.

 

[dutchgray]

Not a bad idea, I like it! Most stuff that'll work well. Tougher when you have 2 or 3 vices on the table though.

Would not work for me, im always mounting other fixtures or parts directly on the mill table.

My lathe chip pan is probably 10 square ft so I just use an ash shovel to clean it out when needed

 

[phred]

Well I’ll be stealing this idea shortly!

 

[dr_clyde]

Do you guys not ever use the rest of the table or the tee slots?

Seems like this would only work if you only ever do vise work and never move the vise.

I'm constantly changing around vises, chucks, tables, indexers or just clamping work to the table in weird ways.

 

[Firebrick43]

Do you guys not ever use the rest of the table or the tee slots?

Seems like this would only work if you only ever do vise work and never move the vise.

I'm constantly changing around vises, chucks, tables, indexers or just clamping work to the table in weird ways.

I, nor the tool rooms i maintained the machines in, did much clamping to the table other than the Kurt vise to the table. I would say only they would need to move the table chip trays less than 3 percent of the time.

It’s been a while since the vise on my milling machine has been moved. Even pivoting the vise itself or the head I try to avoid and use angle blocks or sine plate clamped in the vise if I can help it.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I, nor the tool rooms i maintained the machines in, did much clamping to the table other than the Kurt vise to the table. I would say only they would need to move the table chip trays less than 3 percent of the time.

It’s been a while since the vise on my milling machine has been moved. Even pivoting the vise itself or the head I try to avoid and use angle blocks or sine plate clamped in the vise if I can help it.

Exactly. Same here. Most of what I did at work for 30 years and what I normally do at home is in the vise except for a few things. If the table area is needed it is mere seconds to remove the pans as they lift right off.

 

[gregs]

I’m all over the place. This was yesterday. It was a “riggin”.