Dust and heaps of it

[Tiger]

I have just started woodturning and cannot believe the amount of dust it creates. I have put in a dust collector and am wondering if anyone has a good way of capturing the dust at the source. I have connected PVC pipe and could connect something up to it. Thanks in advance for any replies.

[echnidna]

Keep your shirt collar buttoned up otherwise you'll fill your underpants real fast. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[CanFly]

Hi Tiger,

I show some pictures on Forum on gathering the dust with my extractor and the placement of magnets on the hose.

Enter CanFly in the search area of the forum and you will see all my posts there; look for the one called "Dust Extraction on the Lathe." It may be of some help.

CanFly :D

[silentC]

I picked up an arm off an adjustable PC monitor stand and a 30cm diameter funnel-shaped lamp shade from the local tip. The base of the lampshade just happened to be big enough to take a bit of 100mm PVC sewer pipe. I fixed a short length of the 100mm PVC to the arm with a 45 deg. elbow on the end. Then I fixed the lampshade to the elbow. The other end of the arm has a couple of clamping screws used to fix it to your desk. I use these to clamp it to a strategic place on the lathe, hook the other end of the PVC up to the dusty, and then use the arm to position the whole shebang in the approriate place.

Works great for sanding but I've yet to find a way to capture all the shavings when turning. A lot of it goes into the funnel but a lot goes on the floor. At least it seems to drag away all of the fine dust that used to go up my nose, so that's something.

[rsser]

I mounted an old kitchen exhaust fan in the nearest wall, ran a length of steel duct into that, about 8" in diameter, and then connected a similar diameter piece of flexible ducting to that.

It ran over my head and came down on the rear side of the spindle. I mounted a kind of rail to allow the flex stuff to be moved left or right in relation to the lathe, the side of the end scalloped out and the end blocked with a bit of press-fit ply. Lateral movement controlled by a length of coat hanger wire hooked between the end and the rail - tres elegante.

Think I posted a photo somewhere on these forums a while ago.

I addition, I use one of those box style air filters.

Good luck.

[Tiger]

Thanks for the responses, have some ideas now, really like the magnet idea but how well does the duct tape hold rare-earth magnets?

[CanFly]

The hose has a piece of thin metal attached with duct tape. The magnet sticks behind that metal which in turn fastens it to the metal on the lathe. One photograph shows the magnet stuck on the hose which sticks to the tool rest. The hose has a metal thread running through it. The rare earth magnets are good for this work due to their holding power; I glued two of them together.

By using this method I can hold the hose in almost any position to make the dust collection better and to allow the hose to be very close to the work.

In one of the letters from a member you will note that a fan has also been used above the lathe to suck-up the dust and expel it outdoors; that's a good idea too.

CanFly :D

[adrian]

I have two PVC pipes from my dust extractor, via a 'y' joint, that serve my lathe. One near the headstock is used when sanding and the other is head height which catches a lot of the finer dust.
I use one of them to plug in a flexible hose to vacuum the bench and floor from time to time.

[bobsreturn2003]

i got the cooling fan of a comercial air conditioner 600mm dia and mounted in wall at end of lathe , wow should see that saw dust move ,not ideal if your neighbors window is close .recently found a speed control ,and now it doesnt sound like a jet plane ,yet still moves the fine dust out .also have a fan blowing it away is good in the summer time , cheers bob