Thread: Record Power dust extraction - are they a viable alternative???

They are basically a vacuum cleaner with a bigger than usual hose.
The claimed flow rate is 123 CFM which is nothing special and will not be enough for fine dust control from a table saw which needs two simultaneous collection points - under blade and above blade.
The moor (1kW) is quite small so I suspect it will struggle to retain the claimed flow rate one the filters get clogged
Even though it claims to filter to 0.5 microns there's no efficiency rating at that particle size provided.

I appreciate your problem of space but they are not a general wood dust solution.

Whatever you buy you should consider locating, or enclosing and venting, the extractor outside.

If you can move the DC outside then I would spend the $700 on a 3HP dust extractor.

Thanks Bob, your advice, as usual, is spot on but I can't put the unit outside. I have a 2 and 1/3 garage. The 1/3 is my workshop. A 2 or 3HP DC would constantly get in the way. So is there anything out there that's a reasonable compromise between space and performance? Is a glorified vacuum cleaner of this type better than nothing or should I simply put up with constantly moving (I know they're are on wheels) a "proper" DC.

What do people with small garage type workshops do?

What kind of space do you have above the garage? A reasonably high attic might be a good place for a collector depending on access.

Pete

Pete, my garage has a normal 8'6 plaster ceiling like the rest of the house. Here's a piccie.

20160715_140423[1].jpg

Sorry upside down. Even though its right way up on my computer. Either stand on your head or turn your computer around

Here you go.
Nice tidy 1/3rd shed BTW.

I can clearly see your space problem.
What's in the ceiling space?

With garage door and those windows open you should st least have good ventilation.
Looks like you have plenty of room on that veranda for a DC

Shed.jpg

Ceiling space which is part of the main roof line is your usual roof space with insulating batts and about 1.5 m high in the middle but directly above the table saw there is basically no room. The verandah is directly opposite my neighbors and has my wife's gardening tools. If I put a DC there I would not only get divorced but I'd be arrested as well. I simply can't put it there. To the left of the TS is a movable bench which also doubles as an outfeed table for my TS cutting long stock. Also to the left of that is a home made router table. They could be moved to the right side of the garage and a DC put in place but it would still lead to constant moving. One of those smaller DCs (vacuum cleaners as you said) could fit behind the TS, that's their appeal but if they don't do a good enough job then I might have to keep researching.

Originally Posted by barri

Ceiling space which is part of the main roof line is your usual roof space with insulating batts and about 1.5 m high in the middle but directly above the table saw there is basically no room. The verandah is directly opposite my neighbors and has my wife's gardening tools. If I put a DC there I would not only get divorced but I'd be arrested as well. I simply can't put it there

Just kidding. My wife was long suffering with a thicknesser and a bandsaw and a DC on our back veranda for 3 years. The trade off from extending my shed was I had to give her the best bench/outlook in the new shed for glass/jewellery.

To the left of the TS is a movable bench which also doubles as an outfeed table for my TS cutting long stock. Also to the left of that is a home made router table. They could be moved to the right side of the garage and a DC put in place but it would still lead to constant moving. One of those smaller DCs (vacuum cleaners as you said) could fit behind the TS, that's their appeal but if they don't do a good enough job then I might have to keep researching.

Can you open the garage door and windows while working in the shed? This would create a cross breeze and ventilate fine dust better than any vacuum cleaner.

Seems to me that there are two elements at work here:
1. keeping the place clean - this means sucking up all the big chips and dust that the machines create
2. keeping the air healthy - this means also dealing with the very small particles which you really should avoid inhaling for the sake of your health .

Bob is absolutely right where you are wanting to collect duct for both reasons. In that case you need a 'proper' dust collector.

If the dust collector is really just to catch the 'big' stuff then a much less effective system is sufficient, but you mustn't think that you have solved the dust danger just because most of the mess has been tidied up.

If your dust collector isn't going to deal with the little stuff, then you must have good PPE and ventilation.

So the smaller dusties will 'work', but only to keep the amount of mess down.

Originally Posted by jmk89

Seems to me that there are two elements at work here:
1. keeping the place clean - this means sucking up all the big chips and dust that the machines create
2. keeping the air healthy - this means also dealing with the very small particles which you really should avoid inhaling for the sake of your health .

Add a 3rd element ..... working in a small area

Bob and Jeremy, I get the message loud and clear.

I think for the minor inconvenience of moving things around but maintaining my health I'll buy a proper DC and cope with its size as best I can. Time for a visit to carbatec and/or machinery warehouse. I now have to work out which model and which accessories. Given I will be not adding any machinery, do you have any suggestions Bob? I'm also interested in attaching some sort of extraction to my ROS and other power tools. Are there any attachments to the DC that can do that?

Thanks again for your advice.

Originally Posted by barri

Add a 3rd element ..... working in a small area

Bob and Jeremy, I get the message loud and clear.

I think for the minor inconvenience of moving things around but maintaining my health I'll buy a proper DC and cope with its size as best I can. Time for a visit to carbatec and/or machinery warehouse. I now have to work out which model and which accessories. Given I will be not adding any machinery, do you have any suggestions Bob? I'm also interested in attaching some sort of extraction to my ROS and other power tools. Are there any attachments to the DC that can do that?

Thanks again for your advice.

First question is how many hours a week do you work in the shed and can you work in there and do the routing sanding and sawing with the windows open?

I would estimate about 8 to10 hrs a week in the shed and yes I can and do open the windows unless there is a cyclone outside or freezing temperatures. I do live in a cold spot.

Originally Posted by barri

Add a 3rd element ..... working in a small area

ANd a fourth element...

how much power do you hav eaccess to in the garage?

Are all the power points (assuming you have more than one) on the one single 10 amp circuit?

Do you have access to a 15 amp circuit?

Remember you need to run the dusty at the same time as the tablesaw orr other dustmaking appliance.

A 3 HP dusty needs 15 amp power or a VFD. Even with the VFD option it will draw nearly 10 amps by itself. There wont be anything left to run the dust making machine unless you have access to at least two 10 amp circuits.

If the garage has access to one circuit, does any other part of the house share that circuit? FOr example if it shares the same circuit as the laundry, you would not be able to use the washing machine and the dusty at the same time. Let alone the tablesaw.

Please check this out before commiting to buying something you may not have the ability to run.

Cheers

Doug

Now you've added food for thought (or confused the issue) Doug. I didn't realize that power was an issue. Does a 2HP DC need any special power requirements?

Sorry, not trying to confuse trhe issue, just trying to make sure you do not go down a path that you may later regret.

How big is the motor in your tablesaw? you have 10 amps to play with and the 2hp dusty I believe would draw about 6 amps when running, so a 2hp motor on the tablesaw and you have 12 amps already, which might or might not work on a 10 amp circuit, but probably not advisable in any case. startup load on the second machine you switch on would most likely throw the breaker.

BTW I am not an electrician so this is layman's advice. This is how the maths works out.

tablesaws need big motors. Dust collection to get enough of the fine dust need at least as big a motor. The bigger ones of each for the hobbyist require 15 amp power. If you do not have that, then you need at least two 10 amp circuits you can tap into, most houses are not wired up to allow this.

Cheers

Doug