Another dust collector question? - Woodworking Talk

BHOFM · 01-26-2009, 06:18 PM

I have never worker with a dust collector system.

A buddy was over and we were talking about them,
and he said the get the dust, not all the shavings
chips.

Is this right?

Then maybe my shop vac is doing what it should
when I hook it to my tools.

I still get a lot of stuff around the tools, but it
may be getting the fine stuff??

Mo' info needed.

Geoguy · 01-26-2009, 06:29 PM

I would guess my dust collector captures 90%-95% of dust and chips. It also depends on which tool - some tools shoot chips farther or outside the machine. Actually, mine works great on plannar and jointer, moderately well on table saw, and not so good on miter saw. There's no way I could use a shop vac to capture chips from the plannar - I can fill up a 30-gal trash can in about 30 minutes.

BHOFM · 01-27-2009, 12:33 AM

My miter saw is the worst. the little bag is a joke.
The vac does some good.

It does fair on the band saw.

My table saw has it's own dust collector and it
works good.

I guess it is doing about what it should.

I am going to build a system for the drill
press because I use sanding drums a lot
on it.

I did the 3"X4"X36" piece for the mast, planed all
four sides and had to take it down about 3/16 over
all. then cut a 3/4X3/4 rabbit on all four corners.
Between the planer and the dado saw, I had 15
gallons of shavings.

The hand held power planer is the chip blaster,
it shoots stuff 15 to 20 feet.

smitty1967 · 01-27-2009, 08:28 AM

BH: I have a built-in d/c, plumbed to all my machines. I would say 75% is a fair assessment of the chip recovery. I still get a good amount off the top of the table saw, from the outfeed side of the planer, and of course from the miter saw.

On the shaper, sander and bandsaw, and especially the jointer, there is virtually no dust that the d/c doesn't capture.

System or portable tool...there's always going to be some dust floating around, methinks....

regards,
smitty

LarrySch · 01-27-2009, 09:31 AM

My band saw is the worst for me - router table -about 95% of the dust is collected by my collection system for that as well as the rest of my machines - but try as I might - even with a jet filtration system - I still have that very fine dust all over the place. Just shows you why you should wear something to protect your lungs - we only have two of those - and they are not replaceable.

woodnthings · 01-27-2009, 09:45 AM

You buddy was right...dust is the "killer" and if your shop is in the house, even worse...it gets in everything. My suggestion get a Jet, or Grizzly dust collector $200-$300, with a 5 or less micron bag...30 isn't fine enough. You can't breath in the heavier chips, so the table saw and mitre saw and drum/belt sanders are the big dust makers. A shop vac works well for off the mitre saw and above the blade on the table saw with the dust collector on the bottom. With all 3 running it's a bit noisy, the shop vac is usually the loudest. Sears and HD has shop vacs for $50. Get more that one if you can afford it. Listen to it first ....cheaper does not always mean louder. My system uses a combination of metal, "dust collector specific" and PVC fittings....because nothing attaches to anything else... 4" in pvc is not 4" in Dust collector specific...follow? I use 4" flex hose between the DC and the tools and use quick change fittings so I can plug and unplug in seconds rather than dedicated or fixed hoses. I find the shorter the hose the better the suction, so long runs didn't make sense to me. My DC's are on wheels as well. I also have a 24' dual drum sander...talk about a dust maker! For the dust in the air there are units from Delta, Jet Grizzly at around $300, but you can make a room air filter box with a pleated and fibre glass prefilter with a 3 speed furnace blower usally for the asking from an old furnace. I find dust masks are a nusinance so I don't wear them if possible. I made my own over the blade dust collector for the table saw from PVC and a $50 shop vac. You'd be surprised how much dust comes off the top of the blade when ripping. It also acts as a blade guard. So if you get creative you can do it! You said your table saw has it's own dust collector..?? did you mean the dust port on the back or does it have a built in vac? The newer saws..Bosch 4000 has the blade shrouded and a port off the back. Way to Go! Again I had to be creative and make my own blade shroud for my old 12" Powermatic. The cabinet doesn't fill up with dust that way..as least not as often! Best of Luck, Bill

David Freed · 01-27-2009, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BHOFM

I have never worked with a dust collector system.

A buddy was over and we were talking about them,
and he said they get the dust, not all the shavings
chips.

Is this right?

No. Shavings and chips are easy to catch. The fine dust needs high air volume and a fine (5 or less micron) filter or bag.
It boils down to the old saying; " You get what you pay for". A good cyclone with a good filtering system is best. A dust collector with a pre-separator and good filter would be next. The worst is an "economical" collector with the factory dust bag. Companies that make these usually dramatically exaggerate their airflow capabilities. They may catch a lot of the chips, but the fine harmful dust just fills your workshop.

Handyman · 01-27-2009, 11:52 PM

You need to get one of these. It changes the air in my shop so fast it will pop the front door open.

woodnthings · 01-28-2009, 10:44 AM

The post from Handyman in La in not worried about heat loss from his shop as I am here in Michigan.(Notice uninsulated steel roof showing above unit and changing out all the air quickly)
For those in cold climates, like Michigan, we need to filter the shop air rather than remove it otherwise heating bills would be astronomical. Ark. may not require that, I don't know, but the idea is similiar just without the filter box. Just thought I'd throw that in. Bill

Handyman · 01-28-2009, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodnthings

The post from Handyman in La in not worried about heat loss from his shop .... Bill

Bill whats a heated shop look like?

In the coldest part of the winter here it gets around 40, but normal winter days or more like the 50s.

LOL I knew when I posted the pic is wasn't going to help any northerners, But I just had to show how good life is in the deep south.

gharvey · 01-28-2009, 11:58 AM

I have a Jet 1200 cfm I use for my planer and router lathe. I also have a Jet air cleaner which works well for fine dust, as long as I remember to keep the filter clean. For everything else I found that the closer you can put a collector to the source, the better. I use a lot of shop vacs, 1 gal. and a 16 gal for the Steele City table saw, line them with garbage bags and when they are full, use it as mulch or throw out the bag. The only thing that works on a miter saw is a 1 gal vac hooked to where the bag is, as close to the blade as possible.

Gharvey