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I have made it a top priority to eliminate the dust that seems to settle on anything and everything in my shop.

The major tools now have 4" dust collection tubes connected to them and that part of the battle is won. Where I need some help is in the collestion of dust from the small tools like the ROS, the table saw, the planer, and building a sanding table for hand sanding things.

 

My first question, is how do you connect the smaller tools to the vacuum system? I will be connecting to a 4" steel tube vacuum system, and so far I havent found a header with ports as small as the toold require....in general, 1 1/4" to 2 1/4" ports. If anyone has a supply of these, please let me know where I can get them. Of course, I need some super flexible plastic tubing to connect the tool to the header as well... short pieces of tube in several different sizes.

 

Next, I need help designing and building a sanding table. I would like for it to be about 4' square, but I really dont have a clue what size is best for luthier work.  I saw in one active post that it looked like the top was just some standard peg board. how do you brace that so that it allows for dust collection but at the same time remains stiff enough to sand on? Is there some better way? How about a point to clamp work?

As I said, I can use some good ideas and would appreciate the input from all of you. Pictures are appreciated too!

Thanks

Ken

_________________
Reguards,

Ken H

hey ken, i guess i just have a small bit to contribute here. first of all, what kind of dust collector are you using? that is going to make a big difference in how well you collect from some of these machines. a big planer is going to require alot more air flow than a ROS. in my experience, table saws are really difficult to collect from. i have a cabinet saw hooked up to a 2HP cyclone collector and dust still settles in the bottom of the cabinet and usually all over the table and everywhere else, especially with a zero clearance insert. ive tried all sorts of stuff to improve it, but to no avail. nowadays i dont even turn the collector on with my table saw, i just vacuum up later (and use a good respirator). a shop vac works great for a ROS in my opinion. even with a decent dust collector, ive just come to terms with the fact that there is going to be dust in my workshop. i guess that doesnt help you much does it?

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sweat the small stuff.

Ken, do you have an ambient air cleaner (dust filter) in your shop? Now this will help clean the air but not really collect any dust at your tools. I made one from a furnace fan and the replacement fitler from Lee Valley and it works really well. If you don't have you, it's a good idea as dust collectors don't always get all the fine dust anyway. If you do have one forget the above

As far as reducers goes, have you checked HD in the H-Vac section. Most heating and ventilation shops will be able to get you reducers from 4" down. Don't know about getting as small as 1-1/4" though. You could go to Lowe's or some auto shop and get reducers for exhaust pipes.

You may just have to use a shop vac for the smaller tools with the smaller discharges, they generally don't require the CFM of the big machines.

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Ken,

I built a sanding table of sorts, using pegboard for the top. It's basically a flat box with the pegboard top sliding into slot cut on the table saw. It's tall enough to take a 4" dust port, and about 2ft x 3 ft. Not as large as I'd like, but I figured I could easily go too big for my Jet 1.5 hp 1100 cfm dust collector. It's not a 100% solution, but it does help a lot. I use baffles if I'm sanding a small piece to cover the holes around the perimeter, which improves its effectiveness. For bracing, I have a couple of pieces of 1 x 2 running across the width of the box, positioned to miss the holes. Works pretty well overall, helps a lot, but could be better. A higher capacity DC would help too. Next time I'll try a taller one that will take a 6" hose.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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Oh, yeah, ditto what Rod said about the ambient filter. I got a Jet AFS-1000SB along with the Jet DC. It gets 85% of particles 1 micron or larger and makes a huge difference. It has a remote and timer, so I can leave the shop with the filter running for a few hours without having to come back to turn in off. Also, I have a 1 micron bag conversion kit on the DC.

If you haven't already seen Bill Pentz's site, be sure and have a look here.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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Lee Valley's book has reducers- 4 to 3, 4 to 2.5, 2.5-1.25.  They also carry different size hoses.  I don't know if they would work on metal pipe, though.  Duct tape it!

Thanks for all of the input!

I havent got an air filtration system yet, but that is on the horizion. Thanks for the suggestion on the sanding table too. I'll give it a try and see where it leads me. Ive got to do something bcause everything is beginning to get a good coating of fine dust.

_________________
Reguards,

Ken H

I'll play Mario here,

Ken the other thing that is most likely getting a good coating of fine dust is your lungs.

A Dust collector AND air filter are important shop tool if you want to be doing this for a long time.

The air filter will collect a lot of that fine dust before it settles, it's a very important part of the dust collection system and I'd say if you want the fine dust to diminish, you have to get an air filter.

Mario Out <bg>

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

For my downdraft bench,I used a piece of 3/4" mdf & drilled 3/8" holes in a 2" grid pattern. The box is 3 1/2" deep & one end is removable so I can retrieve small parts & vacuum out the corners. My bench is 2' X 5' & my 2 HP collector labours a bit sucking through the benchtop. To ease the back pressure, I partially open the blast gate on another nearby tool.
The bench works OK, but when you are sanding, airborne dust is a fact of life. Hooking a shop vac to your ROS works well, but I don't like dragging the hose along with the sander, so I don't use it except on big (non delicate) operations.

ill second the fact that dragging a hose behind a ROS is a pain.

hesh, could you tell us more about the shop vac air cleaner?

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sweat the small stuff.

I'd be concerned for Hesh and my other fellow OLFers with the Shop-Vac Air Cleaner, as it filters only as far down as 5 microns. Those are potentially the most harmful particles. The potential hazard is worse since this device is likely to keep those particles circulating in the air as long as it's in use.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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Thanks for all of the tips everyone! The points are well taken. I'll start looking for an air filtration system for the shop right away.

I think I have what is necessary to begin work on my sanding table too. I'll make some posts as I get the time to build it.

 

I know there is a way to connect the ROS and other small hand power tools into the vacuum system or at least a good shop vac. I havent found the connectors or a super light and flexible hose for these yet though. The sanders are where I feel that most of my problems are coming from and why I want to address that area first.

 

 

_________________
Reguards,

Ken H

When the weather is fine, (not often on the stormy west coast of Canada) I do much of my sanding out doors. Saves a bunch of cleanup. Still have to wear a respirator though.
Whenever we get a really good storm, I open all the doors & windows in the shop & give the compressor a good workout, blowing dust out of all the nooks & crannies.

Ken a question for you,

Do you have a designated bench where you do your sanding? The reason I ask is this. If you do, maybe you can run a 4" tube down to the bench and just cut a 1-1/2" hole in it and add a flange to hook up the ROS to. Make sense?

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

I do have a bench that I do my sanding on, but it is not dedicated only to sanding. It is my only work bench. I suppose I could add a closed in space under it, drill a bunch of holes in it, and run the 4" dust pipe to it, but it would be easier to just build another bench that is dedicated to sanding and built especially for that purpose.

Which ever way I go, it will get a 4" vacuum line ran to it.

_________________
Reguards,

Ken H