Lathe chip & dust collection

[ian maybury]

Hi guys, I normally post in the General section.

I run a Clear Vue dust system in my shop for collection from my saw, planer/thicknesser and spindle moulder - and am very happy with it. HEPA standard filtration, a cyclone and mucho CFM (air flow) = whole new world compared to a bagger.

A friend who suffers with wood sensitivities has seen my installation and asked me to help him out with dust collection for his turning - he has a fairly typical lathe. My instinct is to recommend the Clear Vue, but I'm cautious about doing so as I've no idea what the best practice is as regards collecting from a lathe.

On the positive side it seems like there's unlikely to be an issue with restrictive hooding, but on the other hand it's easy to dissispate a lot of CFM to not much effect when the area/volume from which it's necessary to collect is large.

Can anybody offer any advice on how to approach doing an effective job on lathe dust collection - as in what are the key principles? (a) requirements for the dust system, (b) how best to hood/shroud the work area for maximum effectiveness, and (c) how effective in practice are the best layouts?

There's enough budget available to do what's necessary.

Thank you in advance.

ian

[Dennis Ford]

I believe that chip collection at the lathe with a vaccum system will be very frustrating and mostly a waste of time / money. Dust collection (while sanding) is certainly possible, I use and recommend a collector design posted by Reed Gray (connected to a cyclone unit).

[George Morris]

I use a big gulp from PSI. Works well for sanding. To try and collect all chips is impossible! Good luck on your quest!

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree that collecting sanding dust the DC works great. Chip collection well it doesn't work well and if you do use it most times the long curlies will plug the opening or at least that is what I have found. I use a big gulp from PSI also.

[ian maybury]

Ta guys. Sounds like it's possible to capture dust pretty effectively, but not chips - and that plenty of CFM is advisable. But that an air fed mask is still advisable. Thanks for the steer.

ian

[Reed Gray]

This is a sanding hood that I came up with. Main idea is that the piece is almost totally enclosed so, even with power sanding, nothing gets out of the hood/vent. If you don't have some thing similar, then a dust mask is minimal, and respirator is good. You do need the dust collection running when turning dry wood, unless you have big open doors on each end of the shop, and a strong wind blowing through.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZsVc7qVx7A&feature=g-upl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZsVc7qVx7A&feature=g-upl)

robo hippy

[Mike Cruz]

Generally speaking, chip collection on the lathe is not gonna happen. That said, whenever I turn dry wood, I run my ClearVue. It does collect most of the dust that comes off the lathe while turning...not all, but most. The lathe is just one of those pieces of equipment that you have to "deal" with the chips.

A good mask/ventilated head gear will go a long way with regards to his allergies, though.

[Prashun Patel]

CFM helps, but honestly, I've found with a proper shroud, even a shopvac is surprisingly effective. THe key, IMHO, is building a hood that encircles the piece without being restrictive wrt the tool rest. When sanding - when the most dust is created - the rotation actually helps direct the dust around the piece for a portion of the revolution - right in front of yr dust port. Even my 3/4hp collector (with a presep/venting outside) is very effective.

[Josh Bowman]

I use my grizz 2 hp and just bypass the bags and blow chips and dust outside. Gives hi cfm and static head. But as said, chips hit the floor so I use it to vacuum the floor, suck dust while I sand and use powered respirator always.

[ian maybury]

Thanks again guys, there's a pretty consistent picture developing.

Some sort of back shroud like in Reed's video sounds good. There's pictures about of people using a flex hose with the inlet mounted on an adjustable bracket so that it's capable of being positioned as required too.

The question i guess is whether or not it would add anything. i.e. is it just another approach, or is it something you could usefully use with a back shroud? (the Clear Vue would run both it and a back shroud pretty well) I'm not even sure if for example the stream of chips or shavings comes off in any very predictable direction, and i've no idea how big a deal retaining clear access to the workpiece is.

Is it the case that the approach with a tool is pretty much inevitably going to be from the front at mid height, with the tool tilted down a bit? i.e. that the likes of Reed's shroud allows any normally required access?

I'm thinking maybe a Clear Vue drawing through a short header with just a few drops - one to a back shroud, one to a positionable flex hose with if necessary a wide angle inlet if useful (see above ), and a 4in dia drop to a floor sweep??? (i've one of the Rockler ones with the slinky hose - it works well) Plus maybe a spare stub blanked off in case there's a requirement for dust collection on a band saw or something in future.

ian

[Jeffrey J Smith]

Might be easier to develop the technique Glenn Lucas shows in some of his videos while roughing - large dumpster next slightly behind and next to the turner and very good aim with the gouge.

[Mike Cruz]

Yes, Ian, the chips do fly in a predictable direction. The challenge is that you move your tool around so much, that encompasses about 270 degree area...reaching from the left side of the headstock all the way around the turner, to the back of the lathe behind the headstock. And wet shavings coming off a green blank are so heavy, I have a hard time believing that even my 5 hp ClearVue with the intake directly on top of the blank could suck up the shavings as I hog away 3/8-1/2" passes on a rough out. Bottom line, attempt to gather the dust, and you may be happy with your results. Attempt to collect the shavings while turning, and you are setting yourself up for disappointment. This is my experience...others' may vary.

[ian maybury]

Thanks again guys. I'd not known of Glenn Lucas, even though he lives only about 20 miles from me here in Ireland. We had a good chat this morning on the ins and outs of woodturning dust collection...

ian

[Anthony Diodati]

that is an awesome hood you made up. Hopefully some day, when/if I find a house, I will have one.(A dust collector) Right now, all I have is a shop vac.
I have a 12" lathe, so I am wondering if something on a smaller scale, like a 20 gallon plastic drum, or even a 5 gallon bucket could be made up for my 12" lathe, using only a shop vac, with a dust deputy in line.
So you think the best place for the collection is straight across at the rear of the hood, like you have it?
Thanks,
Tony

[Matt Mackinnon]

if you follow the robo hippy design to build you shroud around the work that you are doing, then you can calculate the actual square inch area that is open. I have a ClearVue cyclone and it does have a tremendous amount of suck. I also have a planer and jointer that have the carbide cutters on them. They make chips sort of like you get off a lathe. The big problem with those tools is not the amount of dust that the create, it's the amount of chips. I run 4-5 boards though and I have filled up a 55gal drum in no time. I bring this up as the limiting factor for chip collection is not getting the chips, it how fast the chips you get will fill up a collection bin.

I mentioned the calculation as that will really define the amount of suction that you need to capture the largest amount of dust. The killer dust you are trying to capture is not the stuff that gets stuck in your nose that you blow out at the end of the day, but the small dust that makes it past your nose and gets stuck in your lungs. A Clearvue running a 6" duct connected to the robo hippy design will do wonders to eliminate that dust.

[Anthony Diodati]

Yeah, Thanks,I agree, more worried about dust than chips. But the ClearVue cyclone, aren't they around $1000.00?
Thanks,
Tony


if you follow the robo hippy design to build you shroud around the work that you are doing, then you can calculate the actual square inch area that is open. I have a ClearVue cyclone and it does have a tremendous amount of suck. I also have a planer and jointer that have the carbide cutters on them. They make chips sort of like you get off a lathe. The big problem with those tools is not the amount of dust that the create, it's the amount of chips. I run 4-5 boards though and I have filled up a 55gal drum in no time. I bring this up as the limiting factor for chip collection is not getting the chips, it how fast the chips you get will fill up a collection bin.

I mentioned the calculation as that will really define the amount of suction that you need to capture the largest amount of dust. The killer dust you are trying to capture is not the stuff that gets stuck in your nose that you blow out at the end of the day, but the small dust that makes it past your nose and gets stuck in your lungs. A Clearvue running a 6" duct connected to the robo hippy design will do wonders to eliminate that dust.

[Matt Mackinnon]

Yeah, Thanks,I agree, more worried about dust than chips. But the ClearVue cyclone, aren't they around $1000.00?
Thanks,
Tony

A clearvue can set you back a good $1600+ and they quickly go up from there. But my point was more that with doing the math, you can get the square inch area of the opening, and compare that with the area of your DC hose. As well, calculate the cubic feet of area in that hood, and you'll get the percentage amount of air that the DC will suck in per second. if you are doing small stuff then you will likely get away with a much smaller DC. If you are trying to get one like Robo Hippy, then a 55gal drum area is about 7.3 cubic feet of area. and the opening is about 600 inches squared. A 6" pipe can carry about 600cfm and has an area of 30 inches squared. With Robo Hippy's design, if you can close off a bit more of the opening, then you increase the amount of negative pressure inside the hood and that makes it so no dust gets out. Increase the suction and you can have a large hood.

[Harry Robinette]

I put 2 4" hoses on my lathe with a 3ft piece of 4" Flex and Stay on the end. I have 1 in the front and 1 in back I can position them right were i need them and I get max air flow were I need it. Works great for me.

[Anthony Diodati]

is something like this any good? Don't know about the micron size.
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/tls/3608577002.html

[Thomas Canfield]

If the dust from turning is a real issue, then I would suggest that a powered filter hood such as Trend be used for personal protection. To help clean the air, I would suggest that a large screen ( 1/4" mesh or so) be provided between the work and the vacuum opening to drop the larger shavings. Dropping the larger shavings and small curlies that come off may mean that the screen would need to be brushed/cleaned with some frequency during turning, but the majority of material (maybe 90% or more) would end up on the floor without the finer particles and dust and could then be cleaned up with broom/shovel for disposal.