Dust collection debate

[Koanalu]

I was over at another woodworking forum and there are some serious debates going on about dust collection. I realized dust control was important, but I didn't realize it was such a hot topic. Now it's made me think twice about the kind of system I'll have to implement in my shop. Right now I have the old shop vac system set-up and it's definitely not doing much good. It does something, but not much of that something that's for sure.

Anybody check out Bill Pentz's website on his dust control saga?

http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm

Pretty interesting reading if you have the time. His system is nice if you have the money or the time to make it, but for a part-time woodworker like me who doesn't make his money out of wood, something like that will have to wait.

[Sonny Edmonds]

Yeah it gets a lot of attention, once somebody gets into woodworking, makes an ungodly mess everywhere, and starts picking particle board boogers when they've only ever cut solid wood in their shop.
Truths are, we make the mess, we need to control it. One guys idea of dust control was to use a leaf blower at the end of the day and blow the shop clean out into the yard. That's one choice of "Dust Control".
Most thinking persons realise there needs to be some sort of dust control, and do the best within their means.
The only "right" DC system is the one you will use. Personally, I think you need three levels.
1. A shop vac.
2. A main dust collection system.
3. And an air filtration unit for the fine stuff you can see, and NOT see.
If you are going to make the mess, you need to control it. Not just for your own good, but for those around you who don't desirve to be exposed to your dust and fumes. (Like second hand smoke, or farting upwind of somebody.)
Your shop vac isn't the best way to control your shop's dust. But hey, beats the crap out of a neighbor who just blows the junk out into the trade winds, now doesn't it?
Typically, bacteria is ~2 microns in size (so I've been told). My final filter is 0.5 micron in filtration. Based on that alone, the air in my shop would be more sterile than the air outside or in my home. And yet, farts and vapors of finishing can get through it.

Just do your part, do the best you can doin your part, and always fart on the downwind (Mainland side) of your Island. :o

:D

[link:home.att.net/~paul.edmonds/|Sonny Edmonds ]
"Precision Firewood Specialist"
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[h1]Welcome to the Forum![/h1]

[bobha8]

You were cheating on us on another forum?:)

Bob

[JCCLARK]

No, he was spying for us (LOL)

Jim C.

[Sawduster]

Hey, that's me, and it's once a week, not once a day, and then only during yard work season.:)

Actually, I've got a shop vac I hook up to my big sander (which seldom gets used anymore) and to my table saw when they're in use. I rigged up a method to install a filter bag in the vac as well as the big filter that's in there. One of those portable DCs services the planer bandsaw and the lathe when I'm sanding there. My shop built router table fence has a port built in to connect the vac and I hook the shop vac up to my ROS when I'm gonna be doin any amount of work with it.

My antiquated tailed jointer doesn't have DC capacity, so I'm experimenting with clamping a large plastic refuse bag beneath the frame to see if that captures more than did the cardboard box I set across the leg braces before.

So, mostly the stuff that gets blown out of the shop is handplane shavings and ribbon shavings from the lathe. Then they get sucked up with the yard blower/vac along with grass clippings and what-not from the yard. Off season I just sweep.

A buddy who lives in the boondocks is thinkin of just eliminating the collection bag from his DC System and just exhausting it out through a back wall.

[stretch2187]

I've got a wet/dry canister filter on my shop vac that does a wonderful job. Cost me about ten bucks at the hardware store. When it gets clogged you can wash it and it's good at new.

[Sawduster]

My problem with the filter by itself was that it would clog and reduce flow to almost nothing when I had less than two inches of "stuff" in the cannister. The bag solves that and I get good vaccuum right up to the time that the bag is completely full.

[tbragsdale]

Small shopvac with the hose hooked to the blow port. That's me.

I would like to get something, really just to make the wife happy. I don't want to spend the money, or have all that tubing run all over the place, but something is in the future.

Ss for the worst offenders, the lathe has displaced the planer as the biggest mess maker. After turning a cane for my neighbor this weekend, I was standing in a 4" deep pile of chips. That's before sanding. Talk about wood boogers.

TBR

[RionM]

There are bags available in addition to the canister. They do make a big difference.

http://www.shopvac.com/dept.asp?id=21

[Super Ry]

I've just finished with my redesign. I start by reading all of Bills site - took me about a month! I also had quite a bit of good info from Sonny and others around these parts. The latest round came when I decided to run all 6" S and D pipe from each machin to the DC. I also have a couple of Shop Vacs (one with the good filter and one without). Last comes my Air Filter. It not a bad set up and the only thing I really have to celan up from anymore is the hand plane :)

My DC goes down to 2 mic - and I believe the Air Filter hits .5 (it might be 2, somehting I'll have to check). I had hoped to get some pics up in Just Talking, but the baby is gettign ready to be born and I still have to build a changing table!!!!!