Dust collector

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David2011
Posts: 178
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2019 3:18 pm

Re: Dust collector

Post by David2011 »

Harold, have you solved your dust collection dilemma?

I have a good Shop Vac with a Dust Deputy cyclone for small tools and a 2 HP Jet dust collector with a Super Dust Deputy for the cabinet style table saw, jointer and thickness planer. The Jet has a large pleated filter that is very effective. The cyclones keep dust from getting to the filters. Prior to getting the cyclones the filters in both machines were constantly clogged with fine dust. Since getting them the filters stay clean. The big DC filter is about $300 so protecting it was a priority. Virtually no dust or shavings escape from the planer or jointer. A little escapes from the table saw but the vast majority is collected.

Miter saws are a real challenge. The most effective solutions are cumbersome; typically a box that encloses the saw and closely fitted to the front portion of it. I don’t have the room for a big permanent enclosure so I hung a Rikon air filtration system from the ceiling and resigned myself to cleaning up the mess. I use the table saw as much as possible when it can make a cut that could also be done on the miter saw. There are some collapsible hoods for miter saws but they’re pretty spendy IMO.

It’s tempting to vent a dust collector to the outside or put it in an adjacent room but I quickly realized that there’s a problem with that idea if the shop is heated or air conditioned. At 1200 cfm the dust collector would remove all of the heated/cooled air from my shop in about 3 minutes. The DC needs a return air path to put the conditioned air back into the shop. I have a mini-split system that runs most of the year to keep the cast iron machinery from rusting. I’m just a few miles off of Galveston Bay on the Texas coast so the humidity is pretty oppressive.

I’ve given up several square feet of floor space for dust control but for the first time in my life I have a shop that I can keep fairly clean. No regrets.
David2011
Posts: 178
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2019 3:18 pm

Re: Dust collector

Post by David2011 »

One more thought. Rockler makes a system of hoses and fittings for dust collection that includes adapters to attach to each tool and a nozzle that plugs into them. It eliminates any need for piping and blast gates. At the current prices on PVC pipe and fittings permanent piping can get expensive in a hurry.
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Harold_V
Posts: 20231
Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2002 11:02 pm
Location: Onalaska, WA USA

Re: Dust collector

Post by Harold_V »

David,
Thanks for your comments. No, I have not addressed the dust issue as of this date. It's a low priority for me, as I work wood only if I make patterns and I'm still engaged in the construction and alteration of the melting devices. I will have to do something in the near future, however.

I like the Rockler approach and will investigate their offerings. Because my equipment is stored out of the way until needed, permanent ducting would not be my approach. Theirs seems to be a great solution.

I'm familiar with the cyclonic separators, as the Vacuflo built in vacuum system I use has one. Very impressive!

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
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Greg_Lewis
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Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2003 2:44 pm
Location: Fresno, CA

Re: Dust collector

Post by Greg_Lewis »

David mentions the Dust Deputy. Here's a pic of mine on a cart I made. I saw a photo of the cart on the net and put this one together with one sheet of plywood. I don't have the large woodworking machines mentioned above but this works well all around the shop. It's most frequent use is for the Horrible Fright beadblast cabinet, but I can also plug it into the old Craftsman table saw or the 6-inch jointer or 12-inch planer. The cyclone won't catch all of the dust but it does extend the life of the filter exponentially. When I sense a loss of vacuum I can pull the filter and blow it clean with the air gun. I already had the grey metal can under the cyclone but a plastic bucket would work just as well.
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Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
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