Basic needs dust collection contraption.

[Ty.]

Im starting to get more into wood working and im getting sick of just spraying dust all over my garage, and my shop vac is kind of a pain to empty all of the time. I have looked at several plans on line for 35 gallon garbage can based cyclone extractors, and as long as it works good i think im going to try to build one.

My biggest problem with all of this is that i don't really want to have to drag out the garbage can cyclone, hook up the shop vac, then connect it to whatever tool im going to use. My idea was to build some sort of stack or tower which puts these two into basically the foot print of the shop vac I already have. my other idea was to add some sort of floor suction similar to an in house central vac base board suction unit so that when i am sweeping up I could just wheel the vac tower over and sweep the junk into it without having to get out the hose.

Im sure i can build this fairly easily, but I need help with how to get the floor suction unit to work, and how to switch between the suction hose and the floor suction.

I know i would be better of with a dedicated dust extractor unit with piping running everywhere, but right now I don't have room for a system like that as im still trying to figure out what the hell im doing.

thanks for the help yall

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Pipe your inlet with a PVC three way diverter valve. One position selects the floor pickup, the other selects the hose.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001I7HZ20/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Tommy

 

[bullnerd]

I made my gates out of 1/4 luan plywood and a hot glue gun! LOL.

Most have been in use for over 20 yrs. one broke when the cat knocked a large piece of wood off the saw onto the hose.

My system is all done with the thin wall pvc tube that slips together. Do it, you'll love it.

 

[Ty.]

I made my gates out of 1/4 luan plywood and a hot glue gun! LOL.

Most have been in use for over 20 yrs. one broke when the cat knocked a large piece of wood off the saw onto the hose.

My system is all done with the thin wall pvc tube that slips together. Do it, you'll love it.

I would love to plumb everything in hard pipe, but in my 26x30 garage everything gets shoved to the sides so my cclb f350, my crappy four wheeler, and the old ladys excape can stay out of the snow.

I like the idea of luan gates, cheap and simple. Did you make it so that there is one slide that will switch both lines, or just a shut off on each side of a pvc wye so you would shut off one outlet and open the other?

 

[bullnerd]

Yeah, one gate for each tool. I went all out! LOL!

Don't think you can make them any cheaper or wimpier than these!

Mine is in my basement. I didn't do a floor sweep though, I thought about it. Should be pretty easy.

If you look at the slip together tube, its pretty easy to setup. And with flex hose here and there, you can probably still do it.

I'll try to get a pic or two.

 

[James-W]

I have a similar one of these and it works VERY well. I think the nicest feature of this thing is, instead of running ducts around the shop I can just wheel it to where I need it.

http://www.rockler.com/supermax-1-1-2-hp-dust-collector

 

[DenisG]

Matthias Wandel has built several dust collectors from scratch, but this moveable mini dust collector is one that looks particularly appealing to me and one that I plan to try building:
https://woodgears.ca/dust_collector/mini_2.html
I like the fact that it is much quieter than a shop vac

 

[James-W]

Those mini dist collectors are pretty nice, I may have to make one for my floor model 6 inch belt/disc sander. I am currently using my large dust collector on it but it is a bit of overkill. A mini dust collector would do the job just as well and I could attach it directly on the sander stand. Thanks for those photos, they were really nice.

 

[ez-duzit]

JW--a full size shop vac easily handles that belt/disc sander.

 

[bullnerd]

I'm not a fan of the portable ones that you have to move machine to machine. When I get going I sometimes have multiple machines going and step back and forth between them. Plus, I know I would just end up saying eff it and running it without taking the time to set up the vac.

The little dedicated one is nice though.

 

[bullnerd]

Glue gun champion! Haha! Don't know why I used the glue gun, I was already an expert with wasting epoxy at this point! It may have been to add a little thickness to the "housing" part, so the slide actually slides. Like I said, I don't know how, but these have been in use for well over 20 yrs. This on is on the end of a run over my bench. I just slid off the coupling. I use this as a vac over the bench. I can also attach a smaller hose to the end of this hose that fits my hand sanders. Drill press has a mag base duct that has basic dryer hose going to it so I can position it for drum sanding. I just band sawed out the cutout, works fine.

 

[bullnerd]

Home made dust collector.
Company I was working at threw the motor away. Thank you!

 

[James-W]

JW--a full size shop vac easily handles that belt/disc sander.

I know, the big shop vac system handles the belt/disc sander dust collection easily. But using the big dust collection unit to handle the belt/disc sander is like using an elephant gun to shoot a gopher. I was just thinking that a mini dust collection system that would mount to the stand of the belt/disc sander and turn on whenever I use the belt sander or the disc, would be a really nice thing to have.

 

[James-W]

I'm not a fan of the portable ones that you have to move machine to machine. When I get going I sometimes have multiple machines going and step back and forth between them. Plus, I know I would just end up saying eff it and running it without taking the time to set up the vac.

The little dedicated one is nice though.

I definitely get what you are saying and there is a lot of merit in it. But for me woodworking has become, more or less, just a hobby and I do it at my own pace. I still do jobs for people, but if someone is in a big hurry they can take it someplace else. So for me, having to move the dust collector around isn't a big deal. But for the serious woodworker who does it for a living, I can certainly see why having ducts with a connection to all your equipment would be of great benefit.

 

[ez-duzit]

...for the serious woodworker who does it for a living, I can certainly see why having ducts with a connection to all your equipment would be of great benefit.

Some of us serious woodworkers just let the sawdust fall on the floor where we can easily sweep it up at the end of the day.

 

[James-W]

Some of us serious woodworkers just let the sawdust fall on the floor where we can easily sweep it up at the end of the day.

Agreed, but the fine dust floats around in the air and I breathe it in and it causes me discomfort. That's why I find it necessary to control the dust as much as I can. I can't totally eliminate it, but I can reduce it by quite a bit and it all helps.

 

[CSRPenFab]

If space is at a premium look into a wall mount collector. I love mine. Pair it with a Rockler 25' expanding "dust rite" hose system and you can quickly switch between machines, bench brush, and a floor sweep. It's a hell of a lot quieter than a shop vac too! $300 all in and you can set this system up. Mount it up high, out of the way, and use a cheap Christmas light remote to turn it off/on.

 

[carol palmer]

I use festool CT22 to an electric saw or shrouded grinder inside. I have the Bosch dustless floor grinder and hooked upto CT22 which captures 99% or better

 

[Angelfire]

Before you invest too much time and effort into this, you might want to read Bill Pentz's website: http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/ He designs cyclones which sound to be larger than you're interested in but he's got a lot of info on there about dust collection in general. I'm relegated to just a shop vac as well, at the moment, and it picks up the chips pretty well but the fine dust, the stuff that floats around and lands everywhere needs a different animal to collect. I have a garbage can cyclone and as I said, it does pretty well, but isn't collecting the fine dust. I also have a dust filter hanging from the ceiling and it works pretty well although by the time the dust leaves the tool, there's no way it's going to capture all of it.

 

[Jackfre]

Look at Oneida's Dust Deputy. They are short money and very effective.

 

[bimmer1980]

Look at Oneida's Dust Deputy. They are short money and very effective.

I have been wanting to buy one of these for awhile.....

Can you post pictures of your setup?

 

[redmondjp]

Some of us serious woodworkers just let the sawdust fall on the floor where we can easily sweep it up at the end of the day.

If you are a serious woodworker, and also serious about your long-term health, you already know how hazardous to your health it can be to breathe fine dust particles from any source. I used to laugh this off myself as no big deal, until doing some online reading on the topic by woodworkers who got lung disease.

My neighbor died from COPD this past Thanksgiving evening - we had seven emergency vehicles in our cul-de-sac. It's not a pleasant way to go, when you can no longer breathe. Now if you're retired and figure that something else will kill you first, then let er' rip!

 

[ez-duzit]

...My neighbor died from COPD...

Plenty of stuff to be skeered of.

But there are other, cheaper ways to deal with sawdust than installing a central dust collecting system. A dust mask, shop vac, good ventilation...

At 73, I guess I'm lucky to still be breathing. Bad breath is better than none at all.

 

[Gerald O]

... I have looked at several plans on line for 35 gallon garbage can based cyclone extractors, and as long as it works good i think im going to try to build one.

My biggest problem with all of this is that i don't really want to have to drag out the garbage can cyclone, hook up the shop vac, then connect it to whatever tool im going to use. My idea was to build some sort of stack or tower which puts these two into basically the foot print of the shop vac I already have. ...

Build your mobile 'stack' with a Dust Deputy and a 5gal pail.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5151131&postcount=7
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88204

 

[Angelfire]

Plenty of stuff to be skeered of.

But there are other, cheaper ways to deal with sawdust than installing a central dust collecting system. A dust mask, shop vac, good ventilation...

At 73, I guess I'm lucky to still be breathing. Bad breath is better than none at all.

And those items you listed don't get the harmful dust. That's the problem....we are easily able to go after the visible dust, it's the smaller stuff that's barely visible if at all, that is harmful to one's health. Hence the requirement that dust collection needs to be well thought out and much larger than most understand. Commercial shops largely exhaust their dust outside where it's collected (mostly)....even then the incidence of health problems from the workers inside is multiples of those that don't work in the industry. But I'm a DIY'er who only works with wood every now and again? The problem with this attitude is you're also not exhausting the dust outdoors and are being exposed at many times the rate of commercial woodworkers. So a day of woodworking for the average DIY'er is probably along the lines of months of working in a commercial environment. Read Bill Pentz's stuff I linked to earlier....he came down with respiratory issues and that's what got him looking into dust collection. He does a much better job of explaining the long term hazards than I can as well as the technical requirements to remove it.

In saying all this, I'm still just a guy working in my own garage with no real dust collection set up other than my ceiling mounted filter and small garbage can cyclone. Largely because I haven't had the time, space, or money to do any better. When I finally get my shop finished up, I will be turning to a dedicated, hard plumbed set up.

 

[ez-duzit]

...I'm still just a guy working in my own garage with no real dust collection set up other than my ceiling mounted filter and small garbage can cyclone. Largely because I haven't had the time, space, or money to do any better...

This is about the same problem many of us have. Add that a shop is a dynamic thing, with machines being added at irregular intervals, and often requiring a complete rearrangement of the shop in order to accommodate the additional machinery.

 

[bullnerd]

Build your mobile 'stack' with a Dust Deputy and a 5gal pail.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5151131&postcount=7
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88204

That's what I was thinking...should **** good!

The slip together tubing makes making a full "system" not a big deal. Mine is hung with string and DW screws.

 

[Pen & Wrench]

You might look at a Grizzly 1.5 hp portable dust collector. I bought the 2 hp version about 25 years ago, used it for maybe 20 hours a week the first few years I owned it, not so much now but it still works just like new. You can get the 1.5 hp for about $400 delivered, 1300 cfm. You can put a hepa bag on it to trap the smaller particles.

 

[beakie]

And those items you listed don't get the harmful dust. That's the problem....we are easily able to go after the visible dust, it's the smaller stuff that's barely visible if at all, that is harmful to one's health. Hence the requirement that dust collection needs to be well thought out and much larger than most understand. Commercial shops largely exhaust their dust outside where it's collected (mostly)....even then the incidence of health problems from the workers inside is multiples of those that don't work in the industry. But I'm a DIY'er who only works with wood every now and again? The problem with this attitude is you're also not exhausting the dust outdoors and are being exposed at many times the rate of commercial woodworkers. So a day of woodworking for the average DIY'er is probably along the lines of months of working in a commercial environment. Read Bill Pentz's stuff I linked to earlier....he came down with respiratory issues and that's what got him looking into dust collection. He does a much better job of explaining the long term hazards than I can as well as the technical requirements to remove it.

In saying all this, I'm still just a guy working in my own garage with no real dust collection set up other than my ceiling mounted filter and small garbage can cyclone. Largely because I haven't had the time, space, or money to do any better. When I finally get my shop finished up, I will be turning to a dedicated, hard plumbed set up.

actually a good mask WILL get the harmful dust, and for much less $$, effort, room, noise, etc.

however they can be annoying for some, and/or combersome to wear all the time (sweat, vision, talking, etc) myself included as I am saving up for a proper Oneida 2-3hp system and all machines ducted in place.

in the mean time a good mask can be had for <$100.

 

[beakie]

That's what I was thinking...should **** good!

The slip together tubing makes making a full "system" not a big deal. Mine is hung with string and DW screws.

these "****" good, but for woodworkinf they fill quickly, and they only get the larger chips that you can easily see.

the fine dusts that you see floating around minutes after cutting, and the particles even smaller than that, are the harmful ones.

you need high velocity AND high CFMs to get everything, and it's beneficial to leave running for 5inutes afterwards to continue filtering the air around you.





for the OP, as mentioned, find a used 1.5 -2+hp dust collector, add a 1micron canister filter to it (improves flow & filtering over a "bag" filter and use as big a hose as possible to the machine in use.

 

[Slate Concepts 4x4]

Figured i'd post here, instead of starting a dedicated metal shop air scrubbing thread.
I do a lot of steel plate work for offroad applications, and my wife is adoment (sp?) about me getting some sort of air cleanser. We own our house, so any modifications to walls and so forth is ok.

I have a 30x30 shop, and my grinding, slag, you name it can go anywhere and everywhere in the shop. Even wearing respirators, i still get pure black boogs.

What would you guys suggest for my application? I'd love a vacuum system or whatever the proper wording is, to collect steel dust while i work? I feel like something posted above might work. something floor level that is constantly drawing vacuum.

My other problem is, i have an apartment above the shop that i just installed a furnace in (running the shop and apartment) If i were to run an exhaust from the vacuum out of the back of the shop, will my clean air return for the furnace be compromised? (exhaust from vacuum and inlet for furnace could likely be close to each other.

thanks!

 

[Angelfire]

actually a good mask WILL get the harmful dust, and for much less $$, effort, room, noise, etc.

however they can be annoying for some, and/or combersome to wear all the time (sweat, vision, talking, etc) myself included as I am saving up for a proper Oneida 2-3hp system and all machines ducted in place.

in the mean time a good mask can be had for <$100.

Are you referring to a respirator? When I hear dust mask I think of the little 3 for $10 jobs that attach with a rubber band....and yes, I don't think these work all that well. A respirator, if that's what you're thinking of, will definitely work (use one myself).

 

[Angelfire]

these "****" good, but for woodworkinf they fill quickly, and they only get the larger chips that you can easily see.

the fine dusts that you see floating around minutes after cutting, and the particles even smaller than that, are the harmful ones.

you need high velocity AND high CFMs to get everything, and it's beneficial to leave running for 5inutes afterwards to continue filtering the air around you.





for the OP, as mentioned, find a used 1.5 -2+hp dust collector, add a 1micron canister filter to it (improves flow & filtering over a "bag" filter and use as big a hose as possible to the machine in use.

Exactly. The key is to have enough CFM/velocity at the tool to keep the fine dust from ever getting airborne. Shop vacs have the velocity but no where near the CFM requirements to keep the dangerous dust from becoming airborne.

 

[bullnerd]

Figured i'd post here, instead of starting a dedicated metal shop air scrubbing thread.
I do a lot of steel plate work for offroad applications, and my wife is adoment (sp?) about me getting some sort of air cleanser. We own our house, so any modifications to walls and so forth is ok.

I have a 30x30 shop, and my grinding, slag, you name it can go anywhere and everywhere in the shop. Even wearing respirators, i still get pure black boogs.

What would you guys suggest for my application? I'd love a vacuum system or whatever the proper wording is, to collect steel dust while i work? I feel like something posted above might work. something floor level that is constantly drawing vacuum.

My other problem is, i have an apartment above the shop that i just installed a furnace in (running the shop and apartment) If i were to run an exhaust from the vacuum out of the back of the shop, will my clean air return for the furnace be compromised? (exhaust from vacuum and inlet for furnace could likely be close to each other.

thanks!

There was a couple good threads about this a while back. Your going to have to search, I cant remember the names. There are some more dedicated to metal systems and ideas out there. Try searching dust or fume collectors?

 

[Slate Concepts 4x4]

There was a couple good threads about this a while back. Your going to have to search, I cant remember the names. There are some more dedicated to metal systems and ideas out there. Try searching dust or fume collectors?

thanks! unfortunately, i didn't even know what to search for. just know that i need the steel dust to be minimized. thanks for the advice

 

[bullnerd]

I found one of the ones I was thinking of. Look at erodz post, look up the company in his link, tons of ideas. There is another company that sells all sorts of attachments that would be easy to DIY also, but I cant think of the name, its in one of the threads.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180522&highlight=smoke

 

[redmondjp]

Figured i'd post here, instead of starting a dedicated metal shop air scrubbing thread.
I do a lot of steel plate work for offroad applications, and my wife is adoment (sp?) about me getting some sort of air cleanser. We own our house, so any modifications to walls and so forth is ok.

I have a 30x30 shop, and my grinding, slag, you name it can go anywhere and everywhere in the shop. Even wearing respirators, i still get pure black boogs.

What would you guys suggest for my application? I'd love a vacuum system or whatever the proper wording is, to collect steel dust while i work? I feel like something posted above might work. something floor level that is constantly drawing vacuum.

My other problem is, i have an apartment above the shop that i just installed a furnace in (running the shop and apartment) If i were to run an exhaust from the vacuum out of the back of the shop, will my clean air return for the furnace be compromised? (exhaust from vacuum and inlet for furnace could likely be close to each other.

thanks!

You raise a lot of valid concerns. I'm sure that you are probably familiar with welding fume hoods and snorkels that are typically used in a production environment. If you can't filter effectively, you can at the very least ventilate, with your exhaust located on the downwind side (when considering the prevailing wind direction) of your structure. You definitely don't want to be drawing that air into your living space.

And it sounds like your respirator isn't sealing against your face properly - do you have facial hair? When I am cutting/grinding/painting (which is not that often), I wear a body-shop respirator with both particulate and solvent filters on it - yes, it's uncomfortable, but it keeps me breathing clean air.

 

[Repsolracer22]

go to GRIZZLY tools website. they got lots of options