Dust collection

Hi TJV,

I’currently have a Delta single stage collector(650 cfm). It does a good job with one machine at a time. I plan to build a cyclone seperator for it in the near future because it tends to plug up during my planing operations. The suction has two pieces of metal that cross to protect the impeller from a large piece of wood, etc from entering into it. If you are planing to have multiple machines hooked up and running at the same time, I would suggest going with a cyclone type set up. I just built a 20 X 30 shop unattached from the house with a ten foot ceiling. My original plan was to have a cyclone seperator type system, but I was blessed with the Delta for a Christmas present, so I’ll make it work for now.

I’m sorry, but I can’t make any comment on the dust getting into your house with a forced hot air heating system. Maybe a shop filtering system running while your creating dust along with the central systems air filter and the cyclone system running will keep the saw dust from entering into your home. I guess I did make a comment, didn’t I.

I wish you the best!

-- Jesus is Lord!

Thanks for the info., I’m told if I put a filter on the air return in my shop, it should help.

-- Tom, "I love the smell of sawdust"!

Hey TJV: when I was trying to figure out how to fix up my shop, I bought the little booklet called “Dust Collection Basics” from www.rockler.com. This book gave me the theory that I needed to understand. I also bought the plastic barrel top that makes a single stage system into a two stage system. Then, I removed the metal screen that protects the fan blades from chips. I have never had a plug associated with the system working.

At one time I had a Harbor Freight 110V single stage system I bought, and I thought it worked ok. Then a friend bought a Grizzly 220V single stage system and gave it to me, and wow, it really “sucks” much better than the old one I have. So, I gave my old one to my dad who didn’t have a dust collector.

When I have a big day of planing and jointing, I will empty the barrel once or twice. It doesn’t keep everything out of the filter bags, but I only have to wrestle the bags out of the system after 6-7 barrels being emptied. If I shut down and empty the barrel before it gets all the way to the top full, I can go longer before dumping out the filter bag.

I don’t know what to do with all shavings, so I just dump them out a little here, a little there, around my trees, in low spots in the yard, and things like that. I live in the country, so I don’t have any neighbors to be concerned with, so I just use it like mulch, but not around the house, as I don’t want to draw any termites to the house.

Now, with all that said, to work in the basement, you are going to need more than the dust collector. I have two air filtration systems that hang from the celing, and they pull out all of the small floating dust when I turn them on. I get so worn out at times listening to them run above my head making so much noise, that I often opt not to turn them on. But, I would recommend one of those for the space you are working in.

Also, I’m thinking that you will want to either shut off the return air vent for the basement when you are working in there, or build a filter a box that allows you to put two or three furnace filters on the return air vent to allow you to catch the dust in the air before it heads through the furnace blower and to the whole house.

Another option is to convert most of your woodworking over to hand skills. This would sure change what I build, and how I build it, but it would create a lot less dust, and maybe it would for you also. Just a thought.

Even with all of those steps, I am guessing that you are going to get dust in the house. Seems that with all of the steps I have done to keep dust to a minimum, and catch it at it’s source, and filter it while it’s floating around, the next morning, when I go out to the shop, there is always a light layer of dust that fell and lays on everything. If you figure out a system that works for you, let us know, as the rest of us sure could use what you learn.

-- Mark DeCou - American Contemporary Craft Artisan - www.decoustudio.com

I have a 1.5 hp Jet dust collector that I have in another room because of the noise and have two of the filtering tubes that I don’t use. I found a squirrell cage moter and fan from a air handler that I made a wooden box for with a place on each side to hold a 20 X20 filter and put a grill on it . I mounted it at cieling level and blows over the shop. You can buy all kinds of filters for it from the $.99 to thr micro mesh. I run mine all the time, I live in Fla. next to Tampa.so I can do that. I have sprayed in the shop after I ran the fan for a coulpe of hours with good results. The reason I chose the 20X20 was I reciycle mine from my AC. in the house. The dust collector doesn’t pick up all the dust. I use my leaf blower to blow out the dirt, while running the collector and fan and it gets out most of the dirt. Wear a mask and eye protector and hearing plugs. Blow yourself off outside. Ha Ha Kep on keeping on.

-- Morris Wallace Seffner Fl. www.woodwork@tampabay.rr.com

Tom,

I don’t have unlimited resourses to purchace everything I want so I took an old 20” box fan and made a air filter. I went to an air conditioning supply house and purchaced a roll filtration foam and a can of filter spray (mint, nice). I made a simple frame and screwed it over two layers of the filter foam to the intake side of the fan and sprayed it with the slightly sticky filter spray. I just put the fan anywhere I have room that day and point it away from me.

It must be doing something because I have to vaccumn off the filter every day or two.

Make Dust,

Bill

-- Make Dust

I no of no one who knows more about this subject than Bill Pentz. His web site has (if you will pardon the pun) exhaustive information on dust extraction. There is more well documented information on his site than you will find on most books on the subject. Pay particular attention to the diameter of the ducting and the power of the DC unit that he recommends.

Speaking from experience, there is usually a tendency to undersize both of these components which results in inadequate performance and efficiency. If you can afford it – install a cyclone.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/