Yes, I did screw it directly. I countersunk all of the screws for when I have to resurface it.

Sorry, I don't understand what you are trying to ask.

@@x3cnc479 How do you check your board is perfectly on the table

My first CNC had a Hurricane Vac system on it. Several of those motors had gone bad over the years, and they were basically the exact same motors. They were 240v and these are 120v... I've had no problems with them so far.

@@x3cnc479 thats amazing. ive been looking at the hurricane but they want $3k for that thing! where can i get motors like the ones youre using?

You can find them on both eBay or Amazon. Just make sure that you price shop... they can vary greatly from seller to seller.

www.dropbox.com/s/acs6b8lp8jh61i4/vacuum%20table%20grid%20and%20port%20holes%20-%20aspire%2010.crv3d?dl=0

@@x3cnc479 Thank you

MDF is porous if you remove the skin from either side. This allows air to pass through it. It's really not a solid with its finished skin removed. So the vacuum passes through, holding your material down to the spoil board. Hope that helps explain it.

Well, it's a CAMaster cnc, so I use the Recoil X-3 X to A Inch. But in the job setup, I choose the Y Axis for the Orientation. I also do most of my toolpathing in Aspire. But Vectric should have drivers for most machines. Thanks for watching.

Good luck... You've got this! I'd like to see pics or video when your done.

Well, I asked the same question years ago.... Please allow me to explain. I am using MDF as a spoil board.... MDF when purchased will have a "skin" on the top and bottom of the sheet. This skin is made during the manufacturing process to give you a nice surface to finish. But, if you remove that skin on both top and bottom, the core of the material will allow air to pass through. While it seems like a solid, it actually isn't. It is like a sponge with tiny holes and gaps between fibers. So it is key that you remove this skin and it also helps if you seal the sides (thin sides) to stop your vacuum from escaping through these side while trying to hold down a piece of material. I hope this helps.

@@x3cnc479 You should make a video dedicated to this concept. I was lost and your video helped me understand even in the world of Google. It was in fact too much information everywhere that was making it hard for me to find this answer. I was trying to find a spoil board that was slot and cut to allow air to pass through. Watching your video, I realize I don't need to do that.

Clinton, Thanks for watching. To answer your questions, I paid about $150 per vac on ebay and truthfully since I made the whole thing, I have only used two vacs. I think four may have been a bit of overkill. But if you make it yourself, you can make it as I did, but just cap some of the vac ports incase you want to add more later. I think by segmenting the spoil board the way that I did and sealing the edges, it greatly improved the hold. I think all in all, I spent about $800 for everything. I hope this helps.

The Hurricane Vac certainly was beneficial.... I realized how simple of a system it really was. While mine is not all self contained, I'm happy with the results.

@@x3cnc479 Paul, when I looked up the Xpower B24, the specs showed a 150 cfm rating. I will have a small shop with a Grizzly G0671dust collector (got a good deal). Could you use a similar manifold system but use the Dust collector to provide the vacuum? Do you think the G0671 would be enough to use as a chip collector off the main spindle shroud and also the vacuum table? I believe the G0671 is a 4HP motor rated at 3552 CFM with a static pressure of 13.5 at 0 CFM. thoughts?

Cela fonctionne très bien. J'ai quatre moteurs d'aspirateur et n'ai vraiment besoin d'en utiliser que deux.

Hey Jeff, thanks for watching. They are 2" squares and I went 3/8" deep, but if i were to do it again, I would cut them 1/4" deep.

Hey Greg, exciting time for you. I hope time flys by for you. To answer your question, when I first started I used MDF from the big box stores, I only stepped up to the 1 1/2" boards because I tend to resurface more often then most probably do. It's just easier for me. Again, I used it and had no issues. You should be fine. Good luck!

@@x3cnc479 when you show screwing in the SB to the vacuum board, you use screws, did you use inserts. I like the 1 1/2 in as that makes sense to me also. I loved how you tested it, so I am following your lead.

Greg, sorry about that... I answered your question in my head, it just didn't make it into the reply. The answer is, no. I did not use inserts, I just used deck screws. I have them countersunk down where they are clear of any potential mistakes that I may make. Hope that helps you out.

@@x3cnc479 Thank you very much - I really like what you did. I will be making this SB this weekend, getting ready for my machine. Thanks again for taking the time. Very kind of you.

No problem. If you have any questions, I will try to keep an eye out for them.

Greg, thanks for watching. I actually wanted the vacuum table and all of the plumbing, but I didn't want the Hurricane Vac.... I ordered it wrong.... I didn't catch the oversight on my part until I took delivery of it. So, I had to make my own. It wasn't too bad. I think it comes with the MDF table as standard for them... not 100% sure though.... Hope this helps. Have a good one.

@@x3cnc479 thanks - keep cutting, I am learning alot :)

I can, but it will take me a few days. Check back in a few days. Thanks for watching.

@@x3cnc479 no hurry, thanks

www.dropbox.com/sh/z0h6xf2irr3rxx6/AAAGPQqmHxDvZOy2Qkvlnrfwa?dl=0

@@x3cnc479 Thank you!

Actually, this is my second CAMaster... this one is almost identical to my first one. This one I bought with the lathe attachment. I only got rid of my first one because of downsizing my shop, so I kept the newer one. I ran my first machine hard... and hardly had any issues with it, besides the normal maintenance of wear and tear. Great machine. I would buy another before any other brand.

I would recommend buying replacement gears for the rack and pinion... they were really the only part that wore down after a year of heavy use. Gantry is a lot stronger then you may think. Stepper motors are perfectly sized for the machine.

@@x3cnc479 thank you for the reply :)

@@x3cnc479 what spindle did you pick. thanks

CAMaster Stinger III with the X3 head and rotary attachment.

Thanks for watching Richard. I use to have a Hurricane Vac System on my previous CNC. I had to replace the motors quite frequently in it, as I used in a commercial application. I had previously done quite a bit of research on the different motors and because it was a pain to keep replacing the motors I had looked for alternative solutions. While looking for motors I stumbled upon these and they were pretty much so equivalent to the hurricane (my opinion) and, I think they were slightly cheaper too. And now as more of a hobby CNC environment, they won't be used nearly as much, I thought they would work perfectly... and they actually out performed my expectations. Some people don't understand what I was doing, but they are just a housing for the same type of motors in other systems. As far as the noise, compared to the Hurricane Vac, it is comparable. The only difference is that I can use as many or as few as I want. The Hurricane was 2 or 4 at a time. I have not muffled them yet, but my old Hurricane, I ducted with 4" pvc to the outside and while it just shifted the noise to outside it did drastically reduce it in the shop. I left it open because I didn't want to restrict the air flow with a muffler because these type of motors rely on the passing air to cool them. Learned from experience, that is after the smoke cleared.... lol ( I was freaking at the time... looking back now... kind of funny ) Good luck! Thanks for the question.

Each dryer is on its own switched circuit. So I can turn one on at a time. Saves power and noise level.

@@x3cnc479 thanks for the info. Also, did you consider adding t track to the plenum table so you could remove one of your flow through spoil boards and use hold downs. Trying to come up with a solution for both vacuum for panels and for smaller pieces. Thinking I could put another removable table with hold downs on top of spoil boards and screw it down temporarily when I want to do small parts. Would you be willing to sell/ share your plenum an spoil board cut files? I am building a 4x6 Avid machine and could modify to fit. Thanks again for your series. Keep them coming.

Hey Ian, The valves are necessary on my setup as all of the vacuum motors into a shared plenum so then I can have the force of 4 vacuum motors on a single area if needed. And yes, I purchased 10 PVC valves from Amazon as well and two of them are trash because I couldn't turn them at all. Good luck with yours.

I prefer to screw it down because if I need to replace it, which I use to do about every two to three months, it just makes it easier. I dont want to have to surface it all the way down and then replace it. I just think its quicker. I've seen a lot of people on KZbin do that and I didn't really understand why. Its not great for servicing it if needed. But, to each their own, right... lol Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. Have a great day!

@@x3cnc479 what do you guys make that you run that machine that much

Its a great machine. This is my second one. I purchased my first one back in 2014 and this one. I used and abused the first one and it ran 8-10 hours a day, five days a week, for about two years straight. Great machine! Thanks for watching.

Hey, thanks for checking us out. We are in Harleysville, PA

Thanks for the comment. The table top board is 3/4" thick. I used a 3/8" bit, so the channels are that width, and I should have gone 1/4" deep, but I had my depth set to 3/8" and I didn't catch it in time so I just let it run. And since I am putting a spoil board on top, it shouldn't matter much. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for the question. I cut it all up so I could seal the edges. By sealing the edges, it helps reduce vacuum loss in that particular zone. So I can focus the vacuum into a particular area if I am working with smaller materials. If it was all one board, the pull from the vacuum would not only be from top to bottom, but it would pull sideways from anywhere along the board. So I am trying to reduce that loss. And, secondly... I will be able to replace single areas if I ever (or when I) miscalculate the depth of the cutter and take out a huge chunk of the board. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for the comment. Yes, MDF has that hard skin on either side but once removed it becomes like a sponge, allowing air to pass right through. You bring up a good point about smaller material sizes. I should have displayed that as well, but to answer your question, yes, it will hold smaller sized materials. It doesn't have to cover the entire zone. I will try to put something together to further explain this spoil board. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for following... I have based what I have created here off of the Hurricane Vac system. I had that on a previous machine of mine. I have had to replace several motors in the Hurricane and this is what they had used. While being 220v motors, and these only being 120v it shouldn't be too much of a difference. In the next video, I will be adding a spoil board and will demonstrate how well it actually works. It really all comes down to losses in vacuum, and trying to minimize that. Thanks for the comment! And thanks for watching.

Thanks! I appreciate the comment. Thanks for watching