# Rail Sweep - Good Idea or Waste of Time?

**URL:** <https://community.inventables.com/t/rail-sweep-good-idea-or-waste-of-time/30910>\
**Category:** Assembly\
**Created:** [December 3, 2016, 4:54am UTC](https://community.inventables.com/t/rail-sweep-good-idea-or-waste-of-time/30910 "2016-12-03T04:54:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![RayMacke](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex009/user_avatar/community.inventables.com/raymacke/32/85452_2.png) [@RayMacke](https://community.inventables.com/u/RayMacke)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2016, 4:54am UTC](https://community.inventables.com/t/rail-sweep-good-idea-or-waste-of-time/30910/1 "2016-12-03T04:54:38Z")

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Finished with my new 1000mm assembly but waiting on the X-Controller. Using the time to make a dust shoe and a few other minor mods. As I was fabricating side dust shields was looking at the V-wheels and rail. I assume the dust shields are used to prevent debris from building on the rail/wheels. I wondered if a sweep for the rails would be of any value? Have a similar setup on the tires of my band saw and they work well. This is what I have in mind.

Worthwhile or worthless?

 ![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex009/uploads/inventables/original/3X/4/5/452aa2150e163d80d823f623d522e3f5feaa9def.jpg)

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**Author:** ![RyanRoberts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@RyanRoberts](https://community.inventables.com/u/RyanRoberts)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2016, 11:48am UTC](https://community.inventables.com/t/rail-sweep-good-idea-or-waste-of-time/30910/3 "2016-12-03T11:48:02Z")

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I never had an issue with any build up of dust on the rails. I would use the same type of brush you have there and trim the bristles to 1/4"or so and just brush the rails now and again. But…after I got the dust shoe I rarely need to anymore at at all

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**Author:** ![RayMacke](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex009/user_avatar/community.inventables.com/raymacke/32/85452_2.png) [@RayMacke](https://community.inventables.com/u/RayMacke)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2016, 2:13pm UTC](https://community.inventables.com/t/rail-sweep-good-idea-or-waste-of-time/30910/4 "2016-12-03T14:13:09Z")

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I appreciate the input. It appears the dust shoe is the definitive answer and I am working on one similar to Phil’s. Prototyping it now the old school way and plan to use it until I can learn enough to cut it on the X-Carve. Hopefully by next weekend I will have the X-Controller and get to fire things up. Anticipation is killing me!