I’m somewhat confused as to which method of dust collection is best, which hoses are best to use, and honestly, if a DC system is necessary. I’m currently using a shop vac for most of the smaller/portable tools, like the sanders and miter saw. For the larger tools, like the TS, jointer and planer, I either clean up the mess they create or funnel it to a trashcan–I have a flex hose running from the planer to the trashcan. Since these larger tools create larger shavings, is there a problem with not having a system and cleaning it up by hand? My thinking is that he smaller tools, producing finer dust particles, are the ones you want to have on a system, like a shop vac. Wearing a NIOSH approved mask or respirator gives you a second like of defense as well.
Does a 4″ aluminum coil hose, similar to a dryer vent hose, qualify to use with a shop vac or a DC system?
Is a 1 HP DC a good solution if my above comments aren’t adequate/correct for use with one machine at a time?
Thanks for the advice, Brett
Replies
bbobo I can't comment knowledgably on the health aspects but I decided I needed a dust collector when I realized I was spending more time cleaning up than using the jointer/planer/etc.
I use DC, shop vacs, air filter, and dust masks, and still waste too much time cleaning up.
I started much like you. I tried to make the shop vac do more and more. Now I have a cyclone with large diameter duct work installed. Efficiency and safety made this a requirement for me. I wanted to finish my projects faster and clean up less.
All noobs to dust collection on this board will eventually be directed here: http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/Index.cfm Good information, and lots of it.
If you are serious about protecting your lungs, then you will need to redirect your tool funds to a serious dust collection system AND a comfortable respirator. Forget about the Al air hose. If you have the time to move a DC unit from machine to machine, that'll work, but you'll still have quite a bit of fine stuff in the air due to the inefficiency of those bag type machines.
Go to bill pentz and READ. You'll want to know about dust hazard...and you NEED to know about dust hazard.
"My thinking is that he smaller tools, producing finer dust particles, are the ones you want to have on a system, like a shop vac." You're running off bad logic there, methinks. The fact that you see alot of larger bits of sawdust in your table saw or planer doesn't mean there isn't a significant amount of super-fine dust spread in the air also. It doesn't take much, when accumulated over a period of years, to set the body up for emphysema or other lung problems. I can't tell you how much the air improved in my shop after setting the planer up with DC. And I had previously thought the big shavings were all that came out!
Glad to hear you mention respirator though.
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