Depends on your dust collector. Mine is an Oneida Dust Gorilla with a 7" inlet and my downdraft table is right next to the collector. I used pegboard too but there was not enough airflow through the 1/4" holes so I drilled the holes out to 3/8" which works great. The pegboard sits on top of 1/2" plywood for strength.

We work in a very toxic environment. If you are serious about this craft and plan to do it for a long time buying the best possible dust collection and air filtering equipment is really important. I skimped early on and it was a mistake.

Here is a link and some pics of a downdraft table that I built back in '09. I used a shelf from one of the plastic storage shelf packages that you can find at Lowe's or Home Depot. It worked well and I had no problems with it. The plastic had a hard surface and material would slip if you didn't use a small piece of foam immediately under your material to act as a friction agent. The table worked so well that my son talked me out of it when I began to back down and is now using it in his cabinet shop.

viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=23946

Here’s my take on it.

It’s handy if the holes are large enough to collect routing spoil as well as sanding dust. I think mine are 3/8” chased by an 1/8” round-over. It also does a descent job of work holding during sanding operations.

Best, M

I really like that idea (looking at the binding jig mounted there too!)
And nice collection of colt routers:)


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I love looking at pictures of other peoples' shops. Is that paneled wainscoting on the walls? Nicer than my house. :^) I remember the motorized sanding disk from another thread. Very nice design. And are those willow switches up there near the ceiling? Basket making? Rustic inlays? Inquiring minds want to know. :^)

I mean, I’d be thrilled if my shop looked like that...

Yes, it’s very poorly executed wainscoting. It took 5 tubes of caulk and 3 coats of paint to make it look somewhat presentable. The guy we bought the house from had “HGTV poisoning” and no skill to back it up. He was going for English Pub. There was a kegerator when we first moved in. Everything about the finishes are terrible and will be stripped back to the studs if we decide to repurpose the space. That said, it is perfect for a shop!

As for the “Spirit broom” (don’t really know what else to call it), I was given to me by a client who saw it and thought of me . They are a return customer so unfortunately I’ve got to hang onto it until one of us dies...

Cheers, M

Oh yeah. I have a house like that. The previous owner thought he could do all kinds of cool stuff, like make built-in bookcases and cabinets (you start with a bunch of crooked 2x4s and some 1/2" sheathing plywood and lots and lots and lots of 23 gauge pins for your new pinner...), wiring (just wire-nut those suckers together and use a couple rolls of electrical tape 'cause you're going to plaster over that hole in the wall and nobody will see it anyway), plumbing (compression fittings are cool inside walls, right? Just make sure you crank 'em down really, really hard). The realtor told me he had moved out of the state and started his own business as a house inspector. Aye aye aye.

Got started today

Still need to make the box underneath and walls and such but it’s a good start ... I think


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