Even if you’re careful about monitoring the dust level in your collection canister, in the heat of planing a pile of lumber it’s easy to forget. And before you know it, the canister is overflowing. When you finally pull the overfilled canister out from under the packed cyclone, the chips cascade from the cyclone and scatter on the floor of the shop. Aaargh!

The Oneida Dust Sentry makes this mess a thing of the past. It combines infrared sensing technology with a blue strobe light that flashes when the dust piles to within a few inches of the top of the canister. The strobe is bright enough that you won’t miss it.

Installation is dead simple: drill a 3/4-in.-dia. hole in the lid of your dust canister about 2 in. or 3 in. from the inlet, adjust the detection distance of the sensor by turning a small setscrew on the sensor body, install the sensor in the lid, mount the light, plug the unit into an outlet, and you’re set. The light has a 6-ft. cord so it’s easy to mount it high enough to see anywhere in the shop.

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