Dust collector

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Harold_V
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Dust collector

Post by Harold_V »

Hey, any wood workers here who might be able to provide a little guidance in the way of procuring a dust collector for use with my 12" planer and 6" Jet jointer and sliding miter saw? I just got finished with making some 1½" slabs of wood from some maple logs, all relatively short (about 2' long). I'll use the resulting wood, once dried, for making patterns for castings. Maple machines quite nicely.

The dust created was not acceptable. I have only one shop, and it contains my machine tools as well as my few woodworking tools, so a collector is pretty much mandatory. Trouble is, I've never used one and have no clue.

Any advice on what to buy, or what to avoid?

H
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rmac
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Re: Dust collector

Post by rmac »

It kind of depends on what your goal is. If mostly what you care about is corralling the amazing stream of material that 12" planer sprays out, that's one thing. On the other hand, if you're trying to protect your machines and your lungs from microscopic airborne particles, that's another deal all together. Another question is whether or not you're willing to fool around with hoses and such whenever you move from one (woodworking) tool to the next.

I personally use a largish shop vac to generate the suction, with a homemade separator ahead of it to eliminate clogging of the shop vac's filter. This setup works great with my planer. It also works well with my table saw, but mostly because of the saw's design. I almost never hook it up to the jointer because the jointer seems to produce big chips that just fall to the floor rather than take flight. I don't have a miter saw.

To manage the dust that does manage to escape, I keep my mill and lathe happy by covering them when not in use, and I keep my lungs happy with a respirator when appropriate.

If I had more room, I would consider a real dust collector with dedicated ducts to each tool just for the convenience. But I don't, so I put up with the hassle of moving the vac/separator gizmo from tool to tool as needed and don't know much about the real systems.

-- Russell Mac
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liveaboard
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Re: Dust collector

Post by liveaboard »

A shop vac will do ok for the miter saw, maybe even for a table saw if it's set up right, but for a planer or jointer you need to move a lot of air.
That takes a 1 HP fan with a 6 or 8" duct, a big filter and bag.

A lot depends on the design of your machines, newer ones are better for this.

The older collectors have a simple bag filter that catches large particles but lets fine dust through. Newer types have a fine filter.
The large diameter ducts and hoses are cumbersome; long runs need to be electrically grounded because wood dust can create static discharge and explode.
That's what I'm told anyway.

I bought mine at a specialist shop for professional woodworking machinery, people who know their stuff. I was working inside a tight space and although I'm a guy who always seeks out bargains, I never regretted spending the money on the big dust extractor.

Some larger chips from my planer still escape, maybe 10%. But it seems to catch most of the dangerous fine dust very well.
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rmac
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Re: Dust collector

Post by rmac »

liveaboard wrote: ... but for a planer or jointer you need to move a lot of air. That takes a 1 HP fan with a 6 or 8" duct, a big filter and bag.
I won't dispute this statement when it comes to the jointer, but I have certainly had no problems using a shop vac with my little 12" planer. In fact, the dust port on my planer fits a shop vac hose exactly. I take that as a hint that using the planer with a shop vac is--if not ideal--at least acceptable. I'm wondering if your planer is simply much bigger than mine (and probably Harold's).
liveaboard wrote: A lot depends on the design of your machines, newer ones are better for this.
Agree. I think this is mostly why the shop vac works adequately with my particular table saw. Whoever designed the saw was clearly thinking about dust collection.

Here's a pretty good video that explains all the basics pretty well. It talks about the difference between high-pressure-low-volume systems and the other way around, and also explains the use of separators with shop vacs. It also makes the point that the size of the dust port on any particular tool is a good hint about the type of collection system appropriate for that tool.

-- Russell Mac
Last edited by rmac on Sun Jan 30, 2022 1:42 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Jon W
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Re: Dust collector

Post by Jon W »

A rarely discussed approach is to use a dust collection fan but to exhaust it directly outside. I have a 1hp dc fan serving a tablesaw, vertical belt sander, chop saw, drill press, sanding station, and bandsaw. It’s a bit of a headache in that each piece of equipment has a blast gate, but only pulling air in at one location at a time helps the exhaust volume and velocity a lot. 5” diameter galvie duct, run first though a trash-can cyclone separator, through the fan, and then out the back wall.

My issue was fine dust collection, and an efficient filtered return into the shop was such a high hurdle that I decided to accept the fact that by venting outside I’m shoveling heating-oil dollars out the window in the colder months. My hobby-shop use is sporadic enough that it’s not that much of an issue. In addition to sawdust collection, it also does a great job of clearing the very fine particles out of the air. Definitely NOT a good approach if your shop shares space with a furnace or anything that exhausts up a flue.

I have a similar planer to yours, but haven’t used it indoors since installing the dc system. If I was to try it, I’d probably use as short a length of flex directly into the dc fan to minimize static pressure.
Jon W
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NP317
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Re: Dust collector

Post by NP317 »

Source for purchasing and viewing options:
https://www.grizzly.com/dust-collectors
RussN
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Bill Shields
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Re: Dust collector

Post by Bill Shields »

I use a shop vac and play musical hoses since it is what I have and does what I need without spending $$

And ear muffs..
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
RONALD
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Re: Dust collector

Post by RONALD »

I have a Powermatic Sawdust Collector that I have used for several decades, Chinese of course, but it does the job.

I use it on a 20" Powermatic Bandsaw, a 10" Delta Table Saw, a 22" Rotary Sander, and anything else that makes wood/plastic dust; NOT for metal.

It will be used on my new MillRight CNC Router when I get it assembled.

In the second photo, it is just behind the observation car, have no decent photo of it.

Have to buy the best you can afford to do the job right!
Screen Shot 2022-01-30 at 7.03.03 PM.png
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Harold_V
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Re: Dust collector

Post by Harold_V »

Hey, Ron!
Interestingly, the worst mess came from my DoAll bandsaw. Once I had squared up the logs (chainsaw and jointer, which was done outside) I used the DoAll with a four pitch skip tooth blade to rip slabs. That worked exceedingly well, but In spite of the logs being rather damp, the dust created was unbelievable. My entire shop was coated with a fine layer.

In thinking about this subject, something akin to what you use would be acceptable. If I can keep the fine dust down, I have no objections to cleaning up the larger particles, especially considering they tend to accumulate in a small area. No big deal, really.

It would be impossible for me to make any kind of permanent setup, as I have to move each machine to a position to be operated. My shop, in spite of being 30' x 52' in size, has almost no floor space that isn't being used. Something that can be easily moved and attached would be desirable.

Thanks to all for your comments. Keep 'em coming if you have something of interest to report or discuss.

H
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rmac
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Re: Dust collector

Post by rmac »

Harold_V wrote: In thinking about this subject, something akin to what you use would be acceptable.
Harold, I'm just curious about a few things:
  1. Who's "you" here, and which of the ideas suggested appeals to you?
  2. Does your bandsaw have a dust collection port on it already?
  3. How is this now just becoming a problem? Just never used your bandsaw to cut much wood before?
My 14" wood-cutting bandsaw has a tiny dust collection port that evacuates the housing that surrounds the lower wheel. It sorta works, but an awful lot of dust still escapes from just under the table before it ever has a chance to enter that housing. I've never done it, but I've seen guys who have tried to improve the situation by surrounding the area just under the table with some kind of homemade shroud. I imagine that would help, at the expense of more hassle when changing the blade.

-- Russ
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liveaboard
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Re: Dust collector

Post by liveaboard »

My dust extractor and bandsaw.

the bandsaw throws the dust around so much that this machine doesn't get it all.
I don't use the wood machines often, so I just move the hose around as required.
dust extractor.jpg
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Harold_V
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Re: Dust collector

Post by Harold_V »

rmac wrote: Mon Jan 31, 2022 11:57 am
  1. Who's "you" here, and which of the ideas suggested appeals to you?
The "you" in this instance is Ron. Perhaps I should have been a little more explicit. Sorry 'bout that! :wink:
[*] Does your bandsaw have a dust collection port on it already?
No, it does not. However, when I've needed to collect dust, like when I've cut up asbestos board, I've used a hose cuff with a slot in it. The cuff mounts with a hose clamp on a small hand bent bracket that is below the table. I do not have a shop vac, but there is a large (two motor) built in vacuum cleaner that serves my shop and the house. It has a cyclonic separator and discharges out-of-doors without the use of a fine particle filter. I am not fond of filters, as they clog and reduce air flow.
[*] How is this now just becoming a problem? Just never used your bandsaw to cut much wood before?
The problem was mostly self-induced. Because the logs were not dry, I figured that it wouldn't be much of a problem. I was wrong. By the time I realized what was happening, there would be no benefit in stopping, as I already concluded that I must clean the entire shop. My good wife suggested she'd help. She's like that.
My 14" wood-cutting bandsaw has a tiny dust collection port that evacuates the housing that surrounds the lower wheel. It sorta works, but an awful lot of dust still escapes from just under the table before it ever has a chance to enter that housing. I've never done it, but I've seen guys who have tried to improve the situation by surrounding the area just under the table with some kind of homemade shroud. I imagine that would help, at the expense of more hassle when changing the blade.
I strongly suspect that if I make an attachment that fits the chip discharge slot, which is located on the front of the saw below the bottom wheel, by using a collector that moves a lot of air, I should be able to reduce the amount of dust that escapes, if not eliminate it completely. The low pressure created in the saw body will keep air flowing inward, so it should work quite well. Ingress of air would be directly below the table, which should eliminate the problem you described. Any dust that followed the blade to the upper portion of the saw could be troublesome, however.

My saw is a WWII V36, circa 1944, if memory serves. To my knowledge, none of the DoAll saws of that era had dust collecting capability, as they were primarily intended for use in cutting metals. Fortunately, they have a high-speed range which lends itself perfectly well to sawing wood, and blades of all description can be made from blade stock, as the saw has a built-in blade welder.

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
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