Hello Kyle,
I wanted to send a few first impressions of your dust boot (shoe). If you are like me, you are always looking to learn and as a result, improve. I hope that you take the following impressions in this positive light.
I have not installed it yet, so I cannot comment on its performance (I will send a message after I’ve had a chance to put it through its paces).
My first impression is that it is well thought out and designed. The plastic appears to be tough enough to take on the task for which it is designed. Again, time and use will confirm or refute this impression. I will comment after a thorough testing.
What struck me most is the MUCH larger dust shoot within the boot itself. Without even using it I can tell that it MUST be better at pulling dust and shavings off of the workpiece. For those reading this, the opening is MUCH - MUCH larger, and frankly impressively so. If you have had trouble with clogging in the stock boot - as I have - you will appreciate this. Again, time and use will deliver the final verdict, but first impression is - kudos!
Now for a few suggestions for possible upgrades / new versions
#1: consider making the pipe to which the hose attaches 8" longer/taller. As currently designed, the boot attaches at the base in the designed location, but the top connection point holds the hose via a Velcro strap rather than the boot itself, which being plastic is more rigid. If the pipe was 8" longer/taller, the Velcro could be eliminated, and a snap clamp (not sure if that is the proper term) similar to the one that comes stock could be used - (albeit in the 2-1/2" size). There is a clear advantage to this clip, that being ease of install/deinstall, as well as rigidity. This should in no means be viewed as a design flaw, having the pipe at its current length is not a major drawback, only that if that pipe were 8" longer/taller I believe that it would be an improvement.
#2: taller/longer “broom” at the bottom. One of my complaints to the X-Carve Pro approach to dust collection is that it is stationary to the work surface, rather than tracking the spindle (up and down). YES, I am fully aware that there are clear advantages to this current design in terms of dust collection, in that it is always in contact with that from which it is collecting dust. The most glaring disadvantage to this design however is the fact that there is very little clearance for clamps. I have torn the boot off of the bracket more than I can count as the boot comes too close to a clamp, even though there is ample clearance for the bit. There is a metric ton of epoxy on that clamp from the myriad repairs (yes, an exaggeration, but still…)
I have often thought that the simplest solution would be to double the length of the nylon “Broom” at the bottom, and then just mount the boot higher on the bracket). I have considered more than once buying the material and retrofitting, but with the massive ‘to-do’ list in front of me, this has never made it to the top of the list.
Enter your boot. It has an even lower ‘broom’. This I believe to be a step BACKWARD from the stock boot design. Again, I have not yet put your boot through its test runs yet, but at first glance, I REALLY, REALLY wish that the nylon 'Broom" at the bottom was triple even quadruple the length as it currently is so as to provide more clearance over and around clamps (perhaps there is an advantage to this shorter design, but at first glance, I cannot see one).
#3: please consider adding either carbon to the plastic to make it conductive (I do not do 3-D printing, so I do not know what that would do to the strength) or consider imbedding some coper wire into the plastic, to which the wire of the collection hose may be attached for grounding purposes.
One of the MAJOR design flaws of the stock dust collection set-up is its lack of grounding. Anyone who has used the stock system for more than a half hour knows the high voltage static that is generated. For safety’s sake, this MUST be rectified. I ‘fixed’ this problem the first week after installation/set-up, by wrapping the hose with bare copper wire, and running two parallel pieces of bare copper wire into and down the dust boot.
For anyone that does not know about the dangers of high-voltage static electricity combined with fine wood dust combined oxygen - AKA carburation (HIGHLY flammable / explosive) need only watch a few videos of wood shops burning to the ground to realize that this is SERIOUS.
I have a high-pressure / low-volume central dust collection set up connected to my X-Carve Pro, and as I could not find all metal 2-1/2" piping, I used PVC HOWEVER, I grounded it thoroughly with dual wires running inside the pipe AND wrapped the pipe with bare copper wire. Grounded at each connection and every end, as well as at the collector. Thus, the dust boot is the weak link. I will be doing to your boot that which I did to the stock boot, which is to say, properly grounding it.
Again, I do not know if embedding carbon is possible, but as you were able to embed the magnets for the front skirt, I suspect that with a little thought, it would be possible to add some coper wiring to help bleed off the generated static electricity.
With all of this said, I want to close with the comment that at first glance, I am convinced that your design is vastly superior to the stock boot/shoe, so I hope that you do not take the above suggestions/comments to be negative feedback, quite the opposite. If I thought the boot/shoe was junk, I would simply have said so and returned it and/or thrown it away.
One final note, As I have not had a chance to put it through its paces, I cannot say if I yet value two of the other upgrades that you incorporated into your design, but I suspect that I will. These being #1 the smaller bit opening at the top. I have often considered making a set of replaceable rings to fit into that opening on the top of the stock boot to reduce suction ‘waste’. Clearly you too have thought of this. I still wonder if replaceable ‘rings’ might be even better, but clearly your boot will have more waste which MUST improve suction.
#2 the removable front skirt. Until I can get a chance to use it and find out how useful it is, I cannot say with clarity, but I suspect that this will be helpful for bit changes. How nice will it be if I discover that I can change bits without having to remove the boot/shoe??? I will report back after having had a chance to use it for 30+ days.
NOTE: I purchased the 2-1/2" hose design. I did so purely because I already had my high-pressure / low-volume collector plumbed to the CNC. At some point in the future, I may run a leg of my High-volume / low-pressure collector to that area of the shop, in which case I will buy your 4" model and give it a go. I suspect that is the better of the two options, but did not want to wait until I found the time to run more dust collection piping.
Thank you again.
All my best,
Joe
