Written by Graham
I am using this on my 3020-PRO MAX. It’s not just a dust shoe for the 3020-PRO MAX, but a dust shoe for a 52mm diameter spindle motor. It really makes no difference on what machine your motor is mounted on; if it’s 52mm in diameter, this should fit!
What You Get
4 pieces:
- - 1x Top plate with mounting bracket and hose mount.
- - 1x Middle bit (I will call it the shroud).
- - 1x Bottom plate with 40mm bristles.
- - 1x Bottom plate with 20mm bristles.
All the pieces are connected by magnets, making them simple and easy to take off and re-attach. They are surprisingly strong, so they won't detach during use. I had some problems taking the photo as the pieces tried to magically attach themselves if they were too close.
Mounting
The aluminum clamping collar on the top plate slides over the motor. You will need the motor to extend down from the motor mount by 20mm, and two grub screws are tightened to hold it in place. The grub screws push a spring steel collar into position rather than boring into the motor surface, making it firmer!
Before tightening, rotate the motor in the mount to position the dust shoe. If your router has side plates fitted, the vacuum attachment should be at the front to avoid fouling the side plates during X-axis movement. If not, it can be fitted with the hose mounted at the front, left, right, or anywhere in between.
Versatility
There is already a dust shoe for the standard 775 motor, which fits a 44mm diameter motor with two mounting holes at the bottom. Unfortunately, the 44mm brushless motor does not have mounting holes. This is the same dust shoe, but with a 52mm mounting bracket fitted. This can be unscrewed, allowing the dust shoe to fit a standard 775 motor. Useful if you have both.
When the 3018 dust shoe was introduced, there were complaints that the bristles were too long and could get tangled in the cut, depending on the bit and the cut being made.
SainSmart listens; this one comes with two sets of bristles, one 40mm long and one 20mm long, allowing you to select the length most suitable for your bit and cut parameters.
The 20mm bristle is also sold separately and will fit this dust shoe and the 3018 Dust Shoe.
Attaching a Vacuum
You will need a vacuum, which can be anything from a domestic vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment to a dedicated shop vac.
The mounting for the hose is designed for a 38mm inside diameter hose over the top or a 32mm outside diameter hose slid inside. My vacuum hose is 35mm inside diameter, so an adapter is needed. In my case, the tool attachment part that came with the vac fits perfectly. If this is not the case, you will need an adapter to suit your hose, which are freely available for sale or as 3D printed models. A UDTA can always be used (Universal Duct Tape Adapter).
Mounting the Hose
It is sensible to secure the hose to the router to keep it out of the way of the bed. I have attached mine to the outside of the left-hand gantry upright using a UETA (Universal Electrical Tape Adapter; duct tape was too wide!). This keeps it out of the way of the bed as it moves backwards and allows stock to overlap the bed. It also prevents the dust shoe and spindle assembly from having to support the weight of the hose all the way to the floor. Ensure there is sufficient flexibility and length of hose left to allow free movement of the spindle at the limits of the Y and Z directions.
Mounting a Bit
To mount a bit, first remove the bristles and shroud sections to access the spindle and collet nuts. Depending on the bit, select the 40mm or 20mm bristles as appropriate.
Mount the bit as normal; ideally, the tip of the bit should be level with the bottom of the bristles when they are refitted. When mounted like this, the ends of the bristles will just touch the top of the stock at Z zero. This is a bit stickout (bit tip distance from the bottom of the collet) of about 31mm if using the 40mm bristle bottom plate or 11mm for the 20mm bristle bottom plate. The picture shows the bit about 2mm too low using the 40mm bristles, but that position would still work well.
If the bit is mounted too high, the bristles will be compressed against the top of the stock when cutting. It is best to avoid this, especially with larger bits or deep cuts, as the bristles may get caught on the sides of the pockets and dragged into the path of the bit. This shouldn’t interfere with the cut, but you might lose some bristles.
If this is a problem, I recommend leaving off the bottom of the dust shoe. Even without the bristles, a lot of the dust and debris will still be removed, depending on the power of the vacuum attached, of course.
Setting Zero Positions
Remove the bristles section of the dust shoe for visibility. Set the X, Y, and Z zero positions as normal. Once set, jog the bit up to give about a 7mm clearance between the bit and the stock, then refit the bristles section of the dust shoe before starting a cut.
Using as a Dust Extractor
I am currently surfacing slate coasters using a 50mm diameter sanding disk. Obviously, the bottom part of the dust shoe cannot be fitted when using a 50mm diameter bit; however, it works very well as a dust extractor even without the bristles fitted.
My Overall Rating
5 stars! Fits easily, well designed, and works well.
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1 comment
On the 3020 Pro Max V2, the 52 mm Dust Shoe interferes with the small bar on the Z axis that supports the 2 limit switches. It looks like a flat will need to be machined on the side closest to the Z axis assembly. Has anybody else run into this problem? Thanks,