Episode 28- When the Dust Settles
September 23, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Video
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So how do you spend your time between projects? For me, its a great time to tune up my equipment, wax the cast iron tables, touch up the chisels, and do some general cleanup. And nothing is more inspiring than a nice clean workshop at the beginning of a new project. So watch the video and you will see some of the things I like to do between big projects.
Relevant Links:
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Saw Blade Cleaning Kit Faster and better cutting blades! Includes a quart of pitch and resin remover, a brass wire bristle brush, and a saw blade cleaning pan and wash basin for router bits.Extra pitch and resin remover mi.. |
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36 Responses to “Episode 28- When the Dust Settles”
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Thanks for another episode full of good ideas. Loved the leaf blower tip. I think it’s time blow out my garage.
Mike
Marc,
The out takes at the end are great! I really need to get out to the shop and start putting stuff away. I like your previous concept of “Put 10 things away before you start your day in the shop.” Unfortunately, over time, I think it needs to be moved to 15 or 20 things.
Great inspiration to be more organized!
Another great video Marc. Lots of good info about the least fun part of woodworking. Leaf blower=Genius!! haha
Bama5150
Great job on an other well done episode! The easiest thing I do to keep my shop running smooth is… Keep Chelsi out.
Great Episode! The production values, as well as the tips, advice and instruction, keep getting better and better.
Marc- can you write an update once you’ve had a chance to check out the Tenryu? I’m looking to eventually upgrade from my Freud, and it’s pretty much between that and the WWII.
Looking forward to the next video!
I agree with Travis let us know about the performance of the Tenryu.
leaf blowers are the bomb. once cleaned out my house with mine. but thats a different story. have several tenryu blades at work. love em.
Sylvia is making me tell you this. I mean it in a totally straight and very platonic way. You make me happy! There I said it. O.K.!!!! Yeah, she says that’s good enough. I can come outta my room now.
Another excellent episode, Marc and Nicole! I love how you often tackle topics outside the normal focus of woodworking. You would never see other celebrity woodworkers tackle a whole episode on clean-up, yet it is a topic that affects productivity and safety. Like you said, “a clean shop is a safe shop.” It’s also a heck of a lot more easy to get your work done.
I can’t think of any other place where you get real-world examples on techniques like dovetails and other joinery, plus good information on design, shop equipment, and safety. The variety is what makes this site the most informative and most entertaining.
One thing I can share is an “extra” filter for the shop vac. I read somewhere that you can take a piece of women’s hose (panty hose leg or knee high) and stretch it over your regular shop vac filter to help keep out the fine dust (be careful so it doesn’t tear as you roll it over the filter). I’ve done it and it works great. Granted it doesn’t get the ultra fine dust, but it does help keep the regular filter from clogging. I was surprised how much it helps. You do get some weird looks as a guy when you buy three pairs of women’s panty hose, and the looks don’t get any better when you tell the cashier “it’s for dust collection.” Oh, well… it does work!
Thanks for some awesome tips (and bloopers)! Keep up the great work…
I have been using my Rockler saw blade cleaning kit for a couple years now too. It really does work and I am impressed that the pan is sized to also accept curled 14″ band saw blades. Another clean up point may be the use of an abrasive cleaning stick on the sander’s belt and disk or spindle.
Marc,
Awesome show man! Loved the outakes! It’s funny, I was just wondering about the best way to clean the pitch from the saw blade, like you read my mind. Keep them coming! Thanks for all of your and Nicholes hard work!
My shop is my garage, so I have been using the leaf blower technique for a while..it works great! As far as clean up, when I worked in a production shop I was too clean…I used to get in trouble for putting tools away that people were still using! Sometimes you can be too neat!
This sucks!
For dust extraction of the shop floor in lieu of a leaf blower ;). Go to a vacuum repair shop (if you can still find one) Buy real cheap an old Eureka canister type vacuum (the kind Mom used years ago to clean house) that takes a bag or something similar but still uses a bag and more importantly, the hard floor attachment. Just make sure you can still purchase the bags.
I’m telling you this works great! What you get out of the deal is a heavy-duty vacuum and the bags cost around $1.10 cheap each and last a long time. This will free your shop vac for sucking on exclusively your power hand tools. Now, if you have $26.00 that needs to be spent. Go to Rockler and buy the dedicated i-socket 110m Tool and Vacuum Switch (on sale).
Ace
Hey Marc,
Last time I cleaned blades, I just sprayed simple green (full strength) all over it and left it in a basin for awhile, then brushed with an old soft toothbrush. Worked great!
I’ve been using a rigid shop vac with no bag, and you’re right- it completely drives me nuts! I don’t think they offer bags either. Could you post the model of your shop-vac, or put a link in your store?
Thanks again for another great show!
-John
I get alot of crap built up on ALL of my blades from cutting M.D.F. and prefinished mouldings… Is that also considered pitch and can it be removed the same way? or do I still have to take them to the Gypsy in the next town over to have resharpened for $6.00 ($12.00 for chainsaw blades)??????
Excellent tips guys! Thanks for contributing.
Byron I would assume that material can be removed. Just give it a good soaking and then clean with a fine bristle brush.
Vic, I love you too. :)
Hi Marc!
Enjoyed the show, there is always something to
learn and lough.
What i wantet do mention is, that your thowing the
saw blade on the cast iron table would have earned
you a pair of red hot ears if you were a german apprentice
in the woodworking field! :-)
You know it, carbide is very brittle and will not stand
that treatment without harm!
Otherwise excellent job. Love your shows and look
forward to it.
Heinz
Marc,
I realize that I am shelted by living in Indiana, but one question about when you went out to dump the trash can. WHERE THE HELL IS ALL THE GRASS AND TREES!!!! Were you robbed lately? Did you need wood for a project and cut all the local trees down?
: ) Jeff
I also have a Rigid shop vac and would sure like to have a pre-filter before the HEPA filter. I bought a new HEPA but haven’t installed it because I know it will be pretty much useless after a few days in the shop. Would Shop Vac brand filters work for the Rigid?
Jim
I don’t know about using the the dust bags. I have used them for cleaning up drywall dust and they worked great for that. I think that if you have dedicated dust extraction system this would work great but if you , like me, have no dust collector system than I think you would be going through a large amount of bags picking up things wood chips and sawdust. I have a hepa filter on my shop vac and I regularly clog up the filter. However the 12 gal. shop vac is usually full and ready for dumping by that time anyway. I just knock the dust, dirt and wood chips out and then blow the filter out. I have been using this same filter for about 2 years years now and it looks long in the tooth but still functions well. As for using shop vac bags in a rigid? I don’t know but I’ve using off brand bags in my Kirby for years and the only thing I have to do is modify the hole in the bags. Which is a pain but that is better than driving 60 mi. to get the Kirby brand. So maybe they will work with a little encouragemnet.
Hey Claude. I totally agree with you about the bags and I should have been more specific. If you plan on using your shop vac for small tool dust collection or cleaning up small wood chips and fine dust, the bag is essential. If all you pick up with the vac is large chips, nails, scews and chunks of wood, the bags would fill up fast and it would be a waste of money. Thanks for bring that up.
And I have no idea whether the different brand’s bags would work with Rigid.
Marc,
What Tip grind did you get for the Tenryu blade - ATB or TCG?
Great show. I too use the pantyhose and filter trick on my Ridgid shopvac. Wife looked at me awfully strange the first time, but then I told her that I would also be using it for straining finishes and I think she believed me a little more. I have found the best combo is a HEPA filter and the pantyhose. I haven’t had a caked up filter since, although I still have to regularly knock out the super fine dust, but it is a lot less frequent. The not so fine stuff just falls off the hose when the power is turned off instead of clinging to the pleated sides.
LQQK
Great show. Funny and interesting. Keep up the good work. Peace.
Joel Mark Witt
I’m in Houston, hot, wet, humid. Keeping out rust isn’t really possible, you just try to manage it.
I use Boeshield T9 line of products from Woodcraft. It rocks! If it gets rust, it takes it off easily with a scotch brite pad, and keeps it off better than anything I’ve seen.
What kind of cyclone dust collector is that? Looks like it just uses a trash can?
Once again AWESOME show!
Like all the others, your out takes are SO funny!
I have a Shopvac with a HEPA filter, but I also have a sponge filter that slides over it. This seems to work very well, but I am going to try the bag system. I wish Dyson made a shop vac (hey, maybe I should suggest that?!) Because bagless ist the best!
Also, I work out of the garage and do a fair amount of turning so the volume of chips and dust is out of control. Using the leaf blower is standard operatin procedure for me, but I never told anyone since Jeff Foxworthy said “If you use a leaf blower to clean you garage (or house) you might jsut be a redneck!” Well I guess then we need to lift a cold one to all of us rednecks out there ’cause when somethin’ works who cares what other people think!
Thanks again for a GREAT site and helpful teaching and tips!
Hank Merkle
Hi Marc
Personally I liked the music and the “good eats” viginets. Helpfull info at the right time.
Marc,
Regarding maintenance for cast iron tops, what do you think about using talcum powder? I read in some older WWing books that said method was commonly used. Have you ever heard of that? If so, is there any down side to using it?
Thanks in advance!
No am not familiar with that Thomas. But I would be interested to hear if that works for people. I know it used to work on my butt when I was a baby, so why not on my tablesaw? :)
Here’s my 2 bits.
Talcum powder is probably not a good choice because the dust is considered a respiratory hazard. I was told it’s inert like silicon and asbestos, gets deep in the lungs and your body has no choice but to throw scar tissue over it.
When I touch up my chisels I keep my Arkansas stones in the drawer and use my highest grit sandpaper and some light oil. It works really well, is always close at hand and is CHEAP! I picked this up out of a Fine Woodworking article about 22 years ago. At school I only use 400 grit to touch up the edges, any higher grit is a waste because the kids are so rough with them.
Love the show! I need to learn how to capture them onto a DVD so I can watch them in the shop.
Steve
I have to ditto Eric on the rust issue. SW Ohio summer weather is very humid, I just try to stay ahead of the rust. My preferred material is minwax paste wax to prevent rust, WD 40 and steel wool to remove the rust.
I like your site, Great job. I am not sure if I am doing the proper thing. To clean my blades and bits i put them in my cleaning tray, put baking soda on them and pour Hot water into the tray. After soaking 5-10 mins, i use a fingernail brush to clean them. Wipe them dry, and they are ready to go. Thanks
Interesting Jeff. I have never heard of anyone using baking soda but that sounds like a very interesting idea. One of these days I might just try soap and water to see if we are all going through all this trouble for nothing. It might not matter what additive we use, so long as the blades an bits soak for a while. I wonder if anyone knows a specific reason NOT to use baking soda?
Marc, great show. I grew up in Phoenix (Sunnyslope) and recently lived 16 years in Tucson, now I live in Colorado Springs; what a change.
I didn’t see mentioned, shop vac makes a rag/paper filter cloth that drapes over the cannister of the shop vac and acts like a pre-filter like the stockings do. They are hand washable or you can just go outside and slap them around some to clear the dust. I have used them for fine woodworking dust and drywall dust and they have worked very well and last a long time. They would likely work for other brands also. They have a collar that fits the shop vac brand, however, a large rubber band (very large) will hold them in place on other vac’s.
Soaking blades? Put a towel in the sink. Put blade on towel. Spray with oven cleaner. Turn over and spray other side, turn over and brush a bit, turn over and brush other side, rinse both sides. Done. If you have heavy callouses skip the gloves otherwise wear them. Eye protection is wise. Lemon scented is ok. You could also use strait lye if you wanted to get really cheap.
Just a heads up. Its generally considered a big “no no” to use oven cleaner on blades. It apparently can weaken the bond of the teeth to the blade.