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Double Bass Dust control in workshop

G

George700DL

Jan 9, 2009
540
4
Maryland
#1
I sort of touched upon this in a separate post, but I feel that this topic deserves its own thread.

How do you all handle dust in your workshops?

Here is my scenario:

When it comes to power tools, I have: a table saw, band saw, drill press, lathe, belt/disc sander, portable belt sander, and a few other tools that generate plenty of dust. I've had an air filter unit from Delta that's supposed to recycle all air in the room within 15 minutes, but I'm a little doubtful. With that one, I assume the focus is the smallest dust particles in the air, not the pile of dust that collects around my table saw.

Unless I forget, I always wear a dust mask (more like a gas mask) when doing anything that generates dust. But the little crap still gets in my nose, even through the mask.

At the end of each session, I try to vacuum the bulk of the dust with a shop vac.

And periodically, like once every few months, I will put a mask on, open the door to the outside, grab my leaf blower, and blast the crap out of every area of the workshop.

The other day I sawed up a few black locust logs to get them ready for drying, and that stuff pretty much smells like fresh sour vomit when cutting it. It's supposed to be a little toxic from what I've read.

Considering the fact that my grandpa, a lifetime woodworker, died from a lung illness, I don't take these things lightly.

What do you all do/how serious are you with dust control?
 
#3
Here's another vote for the dust-suckers! They work like a charm.

If you want to invest a little more, you can build an entire system that runs off a single (large) suction unit, and has pipes going to every shop tool. You only open the ports to the one(s) you are using at the moment.
 
#4
Michael Eisenman said:
How about dust-control attachments on your power tools that can be hooked up to your shop-vac? Pretty inexpensive way to catch a good deal of it.
Click to expand...

Holy Deja Vu, Batman! I literally just had this conversation with my neighbor an hour ago after complaining about all the sheet rock powder I've been encountering sanding drywall compound in my basement studio this week. Even wet sanding doesn't help, and he informed me of attachments you can get for a belt sander to hook up to a shop vac. Wish I knew that a week ago! I'm already on my final compound coat now, but this is something I'm definitely looking into.
 
#5
1st Bass said:
Here's another vote for the dust-suckers! They work like a charm.

If you want to invest a little more, you can build an entire system that runs off a single (large) suction unit, and has pipes going to every shop tool. You only open the ports to the one(s) you are using at the moment.
Click to expand...

I've looked into it, based on a bunch if ideas from Shop Notes. Time to give it a serious thought.

My band saw and sander have ports for shop vac attachments. But the biggest offender is my table saw. I built a table for it, which is basically a plywood box with a port in it that serves as dust collection unit. The second biggest offender is my portable belt sander. Then comes the lathe:)

No matter how I slice it, I have dust flying around in the air.
 
#6
a dedicated dust collection system is a real life saver any way you look at it. if you are still getting dust in your nose while wearing a mask then you need a new/better mask. head to a local bodyshop supplier and tell them what you are looking for, they will even help you get the correct size mask.
i was in the collision repair industry for a short 15 years and now i am 100% disabled even though i wore a mask more than anyone i had worked around.
the newer silicone mask bodies are very comfortable and seal well. if that is too much for you 3M makes a mask designed for welding that uses smaller, lighter, changeable filters. the filters look like a fuchsia colored pancake.
if you need help PM me and i will get you part numbers and info.
 
#7
A portable barrel mounted dust collector will hook up to most stationary tools. You can also create a positive air flow with a fan in a window with an open window at the other end of the shop. If I am doing lots of sanding and/or routing I will position myself next to the fan. Belt sanders now come with dust bags which are essential. Dust masks are useless, a respirator is what is needed. I use the Comfo Classic Invalid Link Removed is made from silicon, super comfortable and you can get chemical filters for doing finishing work - I used to spray lacquer while wearing one and I couldn't smell the wet finish. They also make powered/positive air flow respirators too. Sanding tables with down drafts and filters are nice for flat panel sanding, not sure they are all that useful to luthiers.
 
#8
In the swedish schools (or at least both elementary schools I attended to), the workshops (where the kids learn to hammer nails and build key-lockers, etc.) always, probably by regulation, have a huge central vacuum unit that blows the filtered air outside. Several hose runs through the shop, connecting to each tool, such as the table saw, etc. Since all air around the cutting process is sucked away and after filtering is blown outside, the dust is minimal.
 
#9
A two stage cyclone system is best. But I don't have room for one so i have built my own two stage cyclone system with a karcher shop vac. Way better, but I'm stuck with a single 1.5" pipe which can get blocked with bigger chips etc. I'm rebuilding it soon in a heavier box to cut down noise and make it closer to my main bench.

I can hook it up to my bandsaw, and I am building a shallow sanding table.

I try to sand ebony using a mineral oil lubricant to keep the black dust down but some dry sanding is inevitable. I use a cheap dust mask and hate it; a new better one is on the way.

But the best dust reduction is to keep tools sharp and use hand tools more than sandpaper and routers etc. Blades produce shavings, and good rasps produce wood particles, not dust.

Small shops can use something like this [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] which is very efficient. Sort of what my system does but without all the fancy plastic.

or you can buy just the separator and make your own. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#10
In my machine room I have a Delta dust collector with an accordian-type hose that gets moved from machine to machine. It picks up most of the chips and dust, and is a bit of a pain in the butt moving it around, but I need the bending and twisting to help keep me in shape. I've also got a ceiling mounted Jet air filter which does a little bit. And we wear the soft surgical-type masks (the ones with the elastic bands that go around your ears), which filter pretty well and are good on bearded faces. Yet I still worry, as there is always some dust present throughout the workshop.
 
#11
Michael Eisenman said:
How about dust-control attachments on your power tools that can be hooked up to your shop-vac? Pretty inexpensive way to catch a good deal of it.
Click to expand...

Something like this new wonder from Lee Valley and Veritas tools?

(BTW folks, if you don't know, the Lee Valley people do a little joking around every April Fool's Day...)
 
#12
arnoldschnitzer said:
In my machine room I have a Delta dust collector with an accordian-type hose that gets moved from machine to machine. It picks up most of the chips and dust, and is a bit of a pain in the butt moving it around, but I need the bending and twisting to help keep me in shape. I've also got a ceiling mounted Jet air filter which does a little bit. And we wear the soft surgical-type masks (the ones with the elastic bands that go around your ears), which filter pretty well and are good on bearded faces. Yet I still worry, as there is always some dust present throughout the workshop.
Click to expand...

+1 on a good dust collector. Fortunately my table saw has a built it attachment. I do a lot of metal polishing, which creates dust probably even more hazardous than ebony. Instead of trying to collect it properly, I have moved the work outside to my balcony, and wear Invalid Link Removed when working. It's more comfortable and cheaper than a proper respirator, but still does the job.
 
#15
i have come to the conclusion that the biggest dust problem is the one i create by hand at my own bench, 90% of which is bridge work removing toolmarks,light sanding etc, and it builds up in the carpet that is installed on the top where i work.... that said, the (tool room) has a remote collector that serves all the power tools with a manifold system that empties into a cyclone/filter/bagging arrangement (IN THE BUILDING!). i have been around sawdust,shavings,chips etc. for 25yrs in the lumber/milling industry, and have suffered more in the stringshop than any sawmill i was ever associated with. last week dust fell from the ceiling for 2 minutes (after the firecracker exploded). it will only be a short time before i take that scripted fender bar stool i sit on and heave it through the double glazed window i work at, i will then fire up the backpack blower and clean house! starting to get really pi$$ed off.
 
#17
Robo, it's a joke. Do you have the April Fool's Day tradition in Germany? On that same page there's a HUGE link with the text "Click here for more information..." -- the page linked there spells out the joke and the joke policy.

With people like Veritas, who are coming out with new stuff all the time (some of it perhaps a little...<cough>... silly, let's say?), it's hard to tell quickly whether they're serious with a thing like that. But they assuredly are not.

Personally, I love plane shavings and I like to keep them around as long as possible, to admire their scent and especially their incredible gossamer thinness.
 
#18
Damon Rondeau said:
Robo, it's a joke. Do you have the April Fool's Day tradition in Germany? On that same page there's a HUGE link with the text "Click here for more information..." -- the page linked there spells out the joke and the joke policy.

With people like Veritas, who are coming out with new stuff all the time (some of it perhaps a little...<cough>... silly, let's say?), it's hard to tell quickly whether they're serious with a thing like that. But they assuredly are not.

Personally, I love plane shavings and I like to keep them around as long as possible, to admire their scent and especially their incredible gossamer thinness.
Click to expand...

;););)Ya got me! No we don't have that here. Germans don't really joke like that. But I am American, and have pulled off some excellent ones in my lifetime. This one is outstanding however. I bow in awe:)
 
#20
I worked in a furniture making shop for years, the bench area was separate from the machine room. All the really messy, noisy jobs were done in the machine room which had a dust collection system and a big fan in a window. Hand work, joinery, gluing/fitting was done in the bench room. Sanding was also done in the bench room - every bench was near a window with a fan. Everyone wore respirators sometimes all day.
 

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