87 – Dust In Time
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The most common topic request for Safety Week was dust and respirators. So here’s a quick review of the dust and fumes that can make our lives miserable in the shop, and why we need respirators for pro-active protection. And below you will find a links to the exact respirator setup I like to use: the 3m 7500 Series.
The link below is for large, but you can select a different size here: Small, Medium, Large. And don’t forget the upgraded pink filters and the special adapter.
Dust Collection for Sanders? – Question of the Week
This week’s questions comes from Douglas. He writes:
I have a question on dust extraction. I have a Delta 2hp dust collection with the HEPA bag, it works great but…. You knew there was a but… :-) Sanding is the issue. I generally hook up my shop vac to the portable disk and belt sanders, etc. They clog up quickly and then leave dust all over. I have yet to find a way to hook them to the big delta. Any thoughts?
And here was my response:
Hey Douglas. Unfortunately, a big dust collector is not the ideal tool for the job of collecting dust from portable tools. Although the suction seems pretty good in a 4″ tube, performance take a huge dive when the pipe is reduced to the size of the tool’s opening. Think of it this way, the big dust collector is meant to move huge volumes of air at a relatively low velocity. A portable dust extractor, or a shop vac, moves small volumes of air at a higher velocity. And with the vac, you won’t need to reduce the hose very much in order for it to fit. The key to getting the shop vac to work better for you is to find some filter bags for it. The bags will catch most of the fine dust and prevent the filter from clogging so quickly. It’s also safer for you. I did that a few years back with my Shop Vac and I couldn’t believe the performance boost I got from it. Most manufacturers make a filter bag for their vac so I would start looking on their website or giving them a call. Hope that helps.
FineWoodworking.com Safety Tip – Dust Collection
Woodworking machines cough up fine dust that is harmful to your lungs. It’s essential to develop a game-plan for dust control. Fine Woodworking magazine editor Asa Christiana shares simple strategies for taming dust and shows off the solution he’s arranged in his home shop. For more woodworking tips and techniques, visit FineWoodworking.com.
Dust Collection Port Sizes – Question of the Week
This week’s question comes from Rich. He writes:
Firstly, thank you for all the time and effort you put into producing such a wonderful WEB site. My question is this; In one of your video segments you mentioned that increasing the dust collection port diameter of the table saw to 6 inches probably decreased dust collection efficiency. I would like to know more about your experience in that area. I am in the process of redesigning my own dust collection system and, after reading about the hazards of wood dust, really want to do it right this time. What would you do differently if you had to design your dust collection system over again? What specifically is unsatisfactory about the 6 inch port on the table saw and do you also use an overhead saw guard with integral dust collection? Maybe dust collection might be a good topic for a video segment?
Once again, many thanks for your time and contributions to the woodworking community. Keep up the good work.
Live long and prosper!
And here was my reply:
“Hey Rich. Thanks for checking out the podcast. The dust collection port on my tablesaw was originally 5″. In an attempt to increase airflow, I modified the port to make it 6″, so that it would match the size of the main trunk of my dust collection system. Afterward, I added the overhead guard with dust collection, which has a 3″ port. So between the overhead port and the cabinet port, its actually way too much surface area. In general, when you split off the main line, its a good rule of thumb to keep the sum of the two new lines no greater than the main line itself (within reason, of course). So I would have been better off leaving the saw alone at 5″. I still would have exceeded the total of 6″ when I added the dust collection from above the blade, but I wouldn’t have had to modify my saw’s port and the dust collection most likely would have been better. Lesson learned, I suppose.”
“I have some new equipment in the shop now and I am having a hard time deciding how to modify and lay out the new lines. As it exists, I feel like I have a big collection of branches as opposed to one main line. And I think my dust collection is suffering as a result. So I might do a little modification soon, but I’m not sure what the plan is just yet. The best advice I can give you is to put it all on paper first. Make sure it makes sense and let a few friends look at it. Peer review is a good thing! Then once you are comfortable with the layout, go for it. Good luck with your woodworking Rich. And a heartfelt “live long and prosper” to you too!”
***Special Correction*** From Tom Cissell- “The area of a circle is PI times the radius squared with PI being = to approximately 3.14. So, you would have been fine with a 5 inch main port on your TS and a supplemental guard port of 3 inch because the sum of both those areas would be less then the 6 inch main.”
See Tom’s full post in the comments section. And get your calculators out if you want to get the exact figures!
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