General Question/Comment
I have noted a lot of discussion about DC and bags/filtration etc. My question is, why do you want to collect the dust and chips? I realize that everyone does not have the room I do but consider this.
I have a vacuum system mounted in a sound proof (egg carton foam) “dog house” outside of and just behind my shop. The four inch pipe goes through the shop wall to the unit. It sucks up the stuff and blows it onto a pile. My mother-in-law uses it in her garden. I just scoop up a bucket full with the tractor and dump it where she points. I use the big shop vac on the grinder, drill press etc. where there are things generated that we don’t want in the garden.
The power unit has a ten foot piece of 4″ pipe then the low tech muffler. It’s just a 15-20 gal blue plastic barrell. It’s got a large hole cut in the bottom, a hole in each end (offset from each other) and is held down to the ground with two wooden stakes and a piece of rope. It’s a three HP unit and the muffler is so effective that you can stand next to it while it’s running and talk in a normal tone of voice. If it plugs up (never has) you untie the rope, pick up the muffler, shake it out, tie it back down and you’re back in business. I used the muffler because the exhaust points right at my neighbor’s house across the road.
I know there are folks that are in the city that can’t just pile their dust but I think it’s worth considering for many.
Happy Day!
Mack
Replies
You make some really good points. For many people blowing things into a pile would work great. You'd also have no suction losses from the filter, so you'd get more consistent results.
The only concern I can think of is that some woods are toxic to certain plants. I believe walnut contains some natural herbicides and shouldn't be used in a garden, but most woods would be fine. I'd also be hesitant to toss lots of MDF and plywood dust onto a garden because of the glues they're made with.
Your muffler sounds like a great low tech solution to the noise issue.
Great suggestions, thanks for sharing.
BILLYG,
I have given the glue issue some thought and when I do significant cutting of those types of materials I switch over to my big shop vac.
Thanks for response!
Mack
Mack, Sounds great but doesn't it also suck all of the heat (or cool air) out of the shop? I had thought about exhausting to the outside but I read about the heat loss and decided not to.
IAN,
I heat with a wood stove with a large box fan in the ceiling pointing down at it. I know that on paper I'm loosing heat but the reality is that I don't even notice the difference. I do live in the NW where we don't really get the extreme cold.
Regards!
Mack
Mack
I use the same idea here in Vermont for the warm weather.
But, at between 20 and -20 my heater won't even come close to warming
my shop with the DC going.
My solution is a y with blast gates, one to inside filter the other to outside.
Jeff
Filter it is what us in cold climates do. Heated air is the thing we are saving. I guess you could have a heat exchanger but the warmed air needs be preserved.
In the summer I have a 14 dollar box fan mounted in the window blowing out. Never an issue for me then. Chips are easier to scoop up and pitch rather than listening to the whine of a motor.
As I have always said there are different solutions to different problems.
I have a south facing 5'x7' door and a north facing door of similar size. In the summer I can leave both doors open and the 11mph avg wind blows everything out the doors.
George,
That must be pleasant! If I could do that, which I can't, I'd probably have horizontal rain with a breeze like that!
Regards,
Mack
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