JR,
I can cook just about anything. :) My favorite stuff usually goes on the BBQ. Your machine is really coming along. I love the dust foot. Post some more pictures of stuff you have cut when you get a chance.

For you guys making the dust foot ride with the z-slide; Do you realise the schlep of adjusting the height? Let's say you are cutting a sign and need a 1/2" cutter for the hogging and a 1/4" for the detail. Difference in cutter lengths is 1" or more. After hogging, the dust foot must be raised for the shorter cutter.

Or, you are making 4 passes with a 1/2" cutter in thick material to get 2" deep at the end - at least 2 foot height changes.

Those flexible PVC skirts can take little variance in foot height. The brush skirts are not much better - the bush bristles get sucked up the pipe after tangling around the cutter.

I am not meaning to sound negative about all of this - it is just that nobody is ever happy with every aspect of the design of a dust foot. I am trying to play devil's advocate and make folk aware of the issues that may still arise.

We did run into exactly that situation when we switched between a short little V bit for engraving text and a long spiral downcut spiral for cutting the part outline. The soft vinyl that we used seemed to take it all in stride and offer a good compromise. As we all get more experience and share ideas, the perfect combination will bubble to the top.

heres an idea in little different direction, what about mounting ductwork at the side of the bed for the vacuum and running low compressed air perhaps from a fishtank pump through the cable chain down the z and angled to blow the chips toward the ductwork? It atleast would'nt interfere with the bit changes and depth of cuts.

This could be useful:

http://www.blastgateco.com/index.php