Tried to use a shop vac to clear chips from a deep pocket and it sounded like a dying robot

I was running a long aluminum part with a 0.25 inch end mill and the chips were packing in, so I figured I'd just hold the vacuum hose right over the cut. The second I turned it on, the suction grabbed the coolant stream and pulled it straight into the motor, making this awful gurgling screech that had the whole shop looking over. What's the weirdest fix you've had to do to get chips out of a tricky spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

robinc6628d ago

Shove a rag in the hose end first, just leave a little gap for air. That cuts the suction way down so you don't suck up everything including the coolant. @paigec14 is right about the air gun but sometimes you need to pull the chips out instead of blowing them deeper into a pocket. I keep a cheap Harbor Freight vac just for this kind of thing with a smaller nozzle taped on to fit tight spots. Did the motor survive or did you have to tear it apart to dry it out?

paigec143mo ago

Honestly that sounds like a job for an air gun, not a vacuum.

kevin_flores3mo ago

So you basically waterboarded your shop vac. Did it survive, or is it now a very expensive paperweight?