Bought a $40 coolant filter for my Tormach and it's been a mixed bag

I got tired of the chips clogging up the pump, so I picked up a basic magnetic paper filter unit. It does catch a lot of the fines, which is nice, but the paper cartridges clog way faster than I thought. I'm going through one every two or three jobs, which adds up. Anyone have a better setup they like for a small mill, or should I just stick with the settling tank and skim it more often?

3 comments

3 Comments

lilyfisher19h ago

Is it really that bad though? I mean, a clogged pump is annoying but changing a filter every few jobs sounds like a five minute thing. Maybe it's just me but I'd take that over having to skim a gross tank all the time. That filter is probably saving you a bigger headache down the line.

stellabennett19h ago

Yeah but it's that whole cheap fix now, big problem later thing.

thompson.finley19h ago

Man, my buddy skipped the filter for a quick job last year. His pump sucked up a tiny piece of plastic wrap, right? Thing got past the basket and wrapped tight around the impeller shaft. He spent half a day taking the whole pump apart instead of five minutes with a filter. @lilyfisher, that clogged pump was way worse than skimming. Cost him a service call and a new impeller.