Replies

1. 
   Ricks503 | Mar 14, 2006 08:46pm | #1

   The seeming expert on Dust Collection is Bill Penz

   http://www.billpentz.com/main.html

   I would go with the 1 micron bag no matter what else you do.  Remember - plans change in light of needs and budget.

   1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go        4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
2. 
   forestgirl | Mar 14, 2006 11:13pm | #2

   "...use cheaper 30 micron bags if I open a side window and blow outside air past my collector and out my shop? "  A risky way to handle it.  The problem is, the dust that hurts you the most in the long run is the stuff you can't see.  There's no way for you to know how effective your air-flow approach is.  Bad enough that we don't really know how effective the 1 micron filters/bags are, LOL.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   

3. 
   aaronb | Mar 14, 2006 11:22pm | #3

   My approach to tools in general while building up my shop is to think about what i would like in the long run and that generally means getting the best tool that i could possibly find (within reason) to fit into my idea of what my finished shop would be. The times i went with some thing smaller and cheaper thinking it would work and save myself $50 or $100 has long since been junked and probably cost me more in the long run. DC is no exception. While I did purchase a 2-1/2 hp collector with 1 micron bag i now wish i had gone with a cyclone right from the start.

   The last poster indicated a good source for DC info read through it and think it out. There is a tremendous expense in setting up a good DC system for any shop and i think unless you want to limit your self to single machine set ups It really is one of those tools that if your shop is going to grow needs to be large enough to handle all of the tools you may have 5-10 years from now. Also dovetail machines are difficult ones to collect. for me it is still one area where my broom works the best.

   Oh yea go with the 1 micron bag and study what it takes to collect dust from the many emission points you will have!

   Aaron

4. 
   cadiddlehopper | Mar 15, 2006 12:14am | #4

   I read the previous posts. Porter Cable makes a router with a handle to which a vacuum cleaner may be attached. I am supposed to be getting one, but I doubt that it will collect much dust when dovetailing.

   In fact, my 3-hp collector doesn't collect enough of my dust. In the past I have placed dust collection boxes or bags at or under my tools with results that were much better. They were easier to empty than my huge dust bag because they were smaller. Just releasing the lower bag creates a cloud! My smaller collectors did not. I have one of those "cyclonettes" on one branch of my system. It helps, but most dust goes all the way to the bag.

   I can't say how much better a cyclone system is, but that does not change the fact that a huge amount of dust remains on top of saws and planers. There is still a lot of dust which has to be swept or vacuumed from tools and the floor.

   If you are working in a garage, height may be a problem with a cyclone collector. With any collector you must have good access for bag changing. I don't have good access myself. I also have to carry the dust a great distance to dump it in a plastic bag for disposal. Learn from my mistakes!

   Cadiddlehopper

1. 
   PhilWillems | Mar 15, 2006 01:08am | #5

   I appreciate all these posts.

   What I don't see discussed much is the merit of rapid air cycling for dust control.  With my garage door open, I am working in a shop with only three walls.  With a side window open and a 2500CFM fan in it, my shop air gets refreshed every three minutes or so with clean outside air (the garage is detached).  If the dust collector stands in front of this fan, aren't the micron sized particles going out the window too? 

   As for testing the efficiency of the air flow scheme, can't you hold a lit cigarette where you want to test the airflow and watch where the smoke goes?  The invisible particles have to follow the visible ones, after all.

   Phil

1. 
   cadiddlehopper | Mar 16, 2006 12:12am | #8

   We really didn't answer the right question! I hinted that you probably don't even want a dust collector. You may get by with a few bags or boxes at each tool. If you must have a dust collector, my guess is that thirty micron bags may make you happy. If they don't, a retrofit is usually possible. Frankly, I am disappointed with dust collection in general. I worked wood for 30 years without it and, frankly, fooling with it is a pain in the anatomy somewhere. If I sweep any less, I can't quantify it.Cadiddlehopper

5. 
   Buster2000 | Mar 15, 2006 01:49am | #6

   Why not just move the collector outside?  As per your later post you are working with the garage door open, running it outside away from the window or garage door would probably be the best solution of all.

   The problem I see with your suggested setup is that unless the air is still outside the shop your likely just to blow it back in...

   Good luck, and stay healthy.

   Buster

1. 
   Germey | Mar 15, 2006 10:14pm | #7

   I have been doing a lot of reading on Dust collection (spent way too much work time at Bill Pentz's site) and I belive that your proposal will work well. Bill himself says that the simplest solution is to work outside, which is kind of what you are doing. Some dust will probably cycle back in, but most should stay out. Some time after you stop producing dust, it should all be gone.
   As soon as I am able, I plan to invest in some real dust collection, but for the time being I have started simply using a couple of $20 box fans to move the air out of my open garage. I turn them on when I start and leave them running for a couple hours after I finish. Since starting this, I have completely eliminated that fine dust layer that forms on still surfaces a day or two later (This is the dangerous stuff according to Bill.). My wife is so much happier with my hobby now. If my little fans do that, your system should be much better.

1. 
   Buster2000 | Mar 16, 2006 01:45am | #9

   The Bill Pentz site is filled with lots of really solid information about dust collection.  But it's easy to become lost in the information.  I can see many people being paralyzed trying to create the perfect dust collection system.  As woodworkers we have to except that we will be exposed to some amount of dust.  It's a fact.

   I still have must dust worries.  I'm using a 2HP collector with a cartridge type filter.  My stationary machines are clustered in such a way that I haven't required ducting yet.  Currently I don't have an overhead collector on the table saw, which is a problem as well.

   However by far my biggest producers of dust are my hand power tools.  The router and obviously my sanders.  As a rule I always use a mask with these, in the summer I move out onto the driveway when I can.  My next dust collection upgrade will be to my shop vac, I'll put in the fine filters.  I have some plans for some air filters to use after I leave the shop as well.