I have the AltMill 2.2KW ER20 Spindle & Clear Cut Dust Shoe Kit and have installed it per the instructions-7. Wiring and Spindle - AltMill CNC
However, I have noticed that mine appears to be mounted higher than what I see in the instructions. Unfortunately, I have discarded the packaging so I have no way to check the method outlined in the instructions. It would be nice to know the dimension from the mounting collar to the bottom of the housing. I measured mine and it is 1.250". Can someone confirm for me what the correct dimension should be, please?
The reason this has come up is because I am concerned that when I mount the dust boot and try to machine a 48" wide board, I will suffer a crash of the dust boot into the side of the machine. The Altmill 4x4 has a cutting area of 1265 x 1251 x 174 mm (49.8 x 49.25 x 6.8″) but I am unable to find a reference if that is with or without the dust boot attached.
@mpo881 l think that my spindle sticks out like yours. But there are times when you will have to remove the dust shoe and deal with the dust some other way. Getting close to the edges is one such occasion.
The spindle projection must not be too important if we are relying on a piece of packaging to obtain it It would be nice if there were actual dimensions provided.
I have 14 sheets of Baltic birch to machine for some shop cabinets. That is going to make a mess! I am hopeful for an alternative.
@mpo881 I usually follow the spindle with a good ol’ vacuum hose. One day, I’ll get myself a 3D printer and design some kind of holder for my vacuum wand attachment. It would be mounted to the front so the spindle could get close to the sides without the attachment hitting the rails. It won’t catch all the dust but better than nothing.
@mpo881 You only need enough space to mount the dust shoe. But I’ve had to move it up a few times to get enough clearance when using a long roughing bit on 3" thick material. Couldn’t use the shoe in this case either.
@Chucky_ott As you know CO, I have a long mill, not an altmill. I gave up some time ago on the Sienci offering for dust shoes. I’m on version 4 of my home-made ones and I think this one is a keeper. It takes way 1/4" of each side of the X travel, uses a 4" dust collection hose, is uglier than sin, and sucks up darn near everything.
I want the record to show that @Jens asked for this. As I told @Chucky_ott, this is ugly and eminently functional. I tend to favour function over form.
This is a Z independant dust shoe. The AutoSpin moves up and down within it. It does not move.
The horizontal bracket members are baltic birch plywood cut on the LM. The vertical rails are thin aluminum angle, attached to which are thin pieces of steel flat bar. It is these aluminum angles that hold the wooden members in place and vice-versa.
The shoe is a mix of acrylic, MDF and a 3D printed magnetic hose connector. The magnets on the brackets shtick to the steel flat bars on the bracket.
The 4" hose end has magnets that shtick to those ont the shoe. This makes removing the hose very easy.
That’s it. Remember, I did warn you all.
3 pics in this post. 2 more in the next post.
Yes, I asked for it knowing full well that you were not exactly proud of the overall look. I appreciate that you posted the pictures anyhow !
I am not 100% happy with my setup so I like to see what other people have come up with …
@Jens I was just goofing around, Jens. And, actually, I truly do not care what my machine and its add-ons look like. I am all for function. If they happen to look good, too, fine. If not, no worries.
I tried several different versions of home-made dust shoes. I also tried 2 different ones from Sienci. I didn’t like losing so much X travel with the Sienci one. Also, it would not take the 4" hose. My previous versions didn’t take the 4" hose either. This one takes the 4" hose and I only lose 1/4" of X travel.
I’ve only been using this one for a couple of months now, but so far, I’m happy with its effectiveness and setting it works well. Like you, though, I always like to see what is available to see how I can improve.
It would be nice if there were actual dimensions provided.
As I told 
