That sure looks correct.
I always setup Z0 by placing a sheet of copy paper between the stock and the end of the cutter and go down until the paper doesn’t move then go up until I can get the paper out.
This means the Z0 is actually slightly above the stock top… but for this applications such exactness isn’t called for.
Could you please zip up the “.nc” file? I’d like to see the G code.
mark
There was another issue involved and Jorge took care of it. Running the brush plate now and about halfway done…runs like a champ!
Thanks for the how-to! I can’t wait to get this on my Nomad and hook it up to the Festool…no more shavings!!
Keep us informed how you decide to hook up the tubing to the case. Assuming you have a non-modified chassis?
I just got my parts today for this project as well.
Any one trying to build this can post or PM me. I’ll be happy to help.
mark
I’m almost done running the parts. I have the two plates done and I’m running the two brackets as I type this. I have a day job, a wife, and two small children so it’s been a little slow getting started. I have everything I need to make this sucker and will take pictures once I’m done and post them here. I plan to route it through the back. I haven’t looked, but I’m curious if there is a right angle adapter that I could put on the back of the machine to plug the Festool hose into (I’m certain it exists, I’m just too lazy to look it up at the moment).
@mbellon I’m curious why you don’t mass produce already made kids and make a few bucks? Seems like there would be enough demand to make a few dollars from the project. I’m certain that we all appreciate your willingness to come up with the design, the list of materials, and post instructions for us (I know I’m highly appreciative).
@mbellon I’m curious why you don’t mass produce already made kids and make a few bucks?
As a teacher, my job is to work myself out of a job. I’m more than happy to give this kind of things away… I can move onto other projects and give those away too! 
I haven’t looked, but I’m curious if there is a right angle adapter that I could put on the back of the machine to plug the Festool hose into (I’m certain it exists, I’m just too lazy to look it up at the moment).
That Festool host is a bit hard to find fittings for and right angle I’ve never found. If someone finds them, let me know. I do my fittings “in line”… like this:
mark
Finally completed my dust collection system. Now it is kind of a shame I don’t have something queued to be milled so I can test it without just wasting materials. I decided to run the tube through the back, seems to work.
I also made a water trap system for ~14 dollars. Hopefully it works, doesn’t leak air if nothing else.
will the ball mill which comes with the nomad work for this ?
or does it have to be a square mill.
You could theoretically get it to work with the ballmill with some modifying, but you’ll be far better off using a square endmill.
My nomad came with a square endmill, as well as a ball endmill, did yours not?
will the ball mill which comes with the nomad work for this ? or does it have to be a square mill.
The Necessary Tools section clearly states that a 0.125" square end end mill is required.
A ball end end mill is a waste of time since all of the surfaces and edges are not rounded. Also, MeshCAM currently has a (reported but not yet fixed) bug that will cause the brackets to be gouged if a ball end end mill is used.
mark
Finally finished up the dust head this morning. I had everything finished a couple of days ago, but I had to find a coupler to attach to the Festool.
The Nomad 883 Pro case doesn’t leave much room for routing properly, even when going through the back. I would much rather go through the side, but I simply could not find a position where the hose inside wouldn’t contact the door. I may end up building a custom case for this thing like @mbellon did (BTW, do you have a buy list for the case that you made, I’m intrigued).
As I mentioned previously, I would much rather have the hose exit the Nomad case through a right angle adapter but I just wanted to get this thing working first.
Now for the photos of the finished project:
Nicely Done!
I found things so tight that I build my own Nomad enclosure. That opened the door to considerably better noise reduction.
The fit is tight but I really like what you did.
Yes, a right angle on the side would be really nice. I never found a fitting (this doesn’t mean there isn’t one) that I like and that contributed to my choice of a different enclosure.
mark
I hate to say it, but I ran my first job after installing the dust head and I’m unimpressed with the results…maybe it has something to do with the vacuum created in the stock Nomad enclosure (maybe not enough vacuum) or possibly the material I was milling.
I wanted to just run a really quick and easy test so I grabbed one of the Home Depot floor sample freebies (laminate flooring type), fired up Carbide Create, and just put in some text and told it to cut 2/3 of the way through the floor sample. I’m not sure that even 10% of the chips made it into the Festool, and that was with the CT26 turned on at maximum suction.
What am I missing here? Maybe I need to think about that custom case sooner rather than later. FWIW, the the chips did stay (mostly) within the boundaries of the stock instead of flying everywhere, but they really didn’t get sucked up into the tube as I had expected.
Air must be able to come into the enclosure as much as it is being pulled out.
When you try to open the enclosure while it is running, how hard is it to open? If it is a fight, more inflow is necessary.
I experimented with my Festool CT26 and had to turn things up a fair ways to get good pick up. You may have noticed that I use a 50 mm hose for all of the tubing until I get to the enclosure. I have much less resistance in the tubing that using the standard tubing.
Also, remember that we don’t have the rear done yet. That will help a bit.
mark
Where did you get your 50mm hose from for the CT26?
The front door is pretty easy to open when running, even with the Festool turned all the way up. I can tell it has some vacuum, but it doesn’t take much effort at all to open it. My downfall may be using the hose that came with the Festool (I figured after paying $600 on a vacuum cleaner after forking out $$ for the Nomad that I would try to spend as little as possible until I start making some things with it).
I mostly got the Festool to mill PCB after hearing horror stories about the junk that gets thrown around during the process.
Where did you get your 50mm hose for the CT26?
Remember that I design enclosures and vacuum systems for people.
One of the principals is use the largest tubing/piping one can for a long as one can; even so keep the run as short as possible. Another is to avoid bends and when a bend is necessary make it as gentle as possible; also avoid transitions and, when necessary, make them as smooth as possible.
So I went searching the Festool sites to learn of the available tubing options and discovered the largest diameter, shortest tubing they offered:
Pricy, but serious air flow is possible.
The front door is pretty easy to open when running, even with the Festool turned all the way up.
That’s not a good sign… 
I can tell it has some vacuum, but it doesn’t take much effort at all to open it.
Dust collection is about vacuum AND air velocity. We need air speed to get things going and going well. The standard tubing is good but may not be enough (I’ve never tried it). If you look at my enclosure, I have a 2.5" fitting that also happens to fit the 50 mm Festool tubing. Only there does the size drop.
Avoiding bends is also important. When necessary we want then as gentle as possible.
My downfall may be using the hose that came with the Festool (I figured after paying $600 on a vacuum cleaner after forking out $$ for the Nomad that I would try to spend as little as possible until I start making some things with it).
There are definitely issues with smaller tubing and good dust collection. If you did go for a custom enclosure, we can discuss a modification to use larger tubing. Without the constraint of the Nomad enclosure, more options become available.
I mostly got the Festool to mill PCB after hearing horror stories about the junk that gets thrown around during the process.
Garolite and FR4 produce some of the nasty stuff that affects for your lungs. It’s really important to handle it properly.
You’re mostly there! A few tweaks…
mark
P.S.
If you run the tubing out the front and make it as straight as you can, does this affects things? If so, how much?
P.P.S.
You can find pictures of the fittings I use and how I run things through my enclosure here:
50 mm hose has been ordered. I’ll let you know how things go with the larger hose!
Notice the difference between the two tubing choices. The 50 mm tubing is essentially twice the diameter and half the length of the standard one. This reduces air friction considerably.
The diameter of the tubing inside the Nomad enclosure was chosen to be the largest that could easily fit and have sufficient flexibility. It is a tradeoff; it’s always a tradeoff.
With my alternative enclosure, it’s possible to alter the dust head design slightly and use even larger tubing. This is because I have the height to enter from the side and have a very short run (I could have come from the top; personal choice).
Lofting is a complex combination of vacuum (how hard the pull is) and velocity (how fast the air can be made to move). The Festool has plenty of both, it just has to get to the job site.
mark
Also, looking at your photo, you want to eliminate that near 90° right at the dust head. All hard angles are generally bad.
Also, looking at your photo, you want to eliminate that near 90° right at the dust head.
This is one of the reasons I went with my own enclosure… I had much more freedom to run the tubing and avoid hard angles. The Nomad 883 Pro enclosure is very tight when tubing is introduced. The original Nomad 883 enclosure was much more forgiving.
All hard angles are generally bad.
They sure are. I posted a summary of the rules for running vacuum tubing here:
mark
