Dust Collection -Lathe

[BOB OLINGER]

Can anyone share some good dust collection applications for a full size lathe. I dug my lathe (older Rockwell-Delta) out and have recently turned a good number of pepper mills. However, my shop is now full of dust. I have a Delta dust collector set up on several other tools. Is there a hood system or other that I can add for the lathe?

[Prashun Patel]

I bought a Powertec "Big Gulp". This connects to a 4" pipe and dust collector. I am going to build a ceiling mounted roller track to hang it.

[Grant Wilkinson]

On his youtube channel, Robo Hippy shows a design that he invented that seems to do a very good job.

[Robert D Evans]

I have a homemade "Big Gulp" type of setup on a 1200 cfm dust collector that works pretty well for sanding. If I pay attention, I can actually direct most the sanding dust into the dust collector. As for the turning chips, they go everywhere. Get a broom.

[Randy Heinemann]

The "Black Hole" system from Craft Supplies USA works great, can be mounted to the frame of almost any lathe, and is very flexible in terms of getting the dust pick up close to the work. It's made to be connected to a dust collector. It's pricey but, for me, worth it.

[Reed Gray]

Here is a link to that video. I have 'new and improved it. As is, I have to take it off the lathe to turn. I found out that I can buy sheets of that white plastic in sheets of up to 5 by 10 feet. I used 1/4 inch thick material, but it is pretty stiff so, if I do it again, I will buy 1/8 or 3/16 if they make it. Not too difficult to fabricate a curved shape to go the length of the lathe, or use 2 barrels...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZsVc7qVx7A

robo hippy

[Alex Zeller]

I use 4" steel exhaust tubing. 4" flexible dust collection pipe slides right on to it. I use rare earth magnets and stick it to the bed where I want it. The end is cut at an angle so the pipe isn't hanging straight down. I also use it on my oscillating spindle sander. It doesn't collect the chips but just one gets about 80% of the dust while sanding. I usually have one on the front and one on the back. I did put a register duct on the end but it didn't get any more of the dust and if on the front of the lathe it got in the way. I often use my lathe as a 20" disk sander and this works great for that.

[Todd Trebuna]

I use a big Gulp hooked up to my HF 2 HP Dust collector. when I sand, I wear a respirator. Mine is attached by a clamp to a stand I made out of a cut down bed frame welded to a Brake drum. It's the essence of Shabby chic.

[Larry Frank]

I use a bell mouthed hood that is mounted so I can aim it in the direction I am turning.

447742

[John K Jordan]

Can anyone share some good dust collection applications for a full size lathe. I dug my lathe (older Rockwell-Delta) out and have recently turned a good number of pepper mills. However, my shop is now full of dust. I have a Delta dust collector set up on several other tools. Is there a hood system or other that I can add for the lathe?

I use this connected to a 5hp ClearVue cyclone DC. I've watched it pick up sanding dust from 18" down a spindle.

447752

I'm not sure how useful it would be with a less powerful dust collector.

A friend of mine is a big advocate of mounting a large fan behind the lathe blowing dust and chips out of the building. However I think wintertime limited his woodturning.

JKJ

[Reed Gray]

In a pinch, a cardboard box, or a plastid 5 gallon bucket will work. I did some spindles once and used a piece of about 10 inch duct pipe, opened up to a big C, and put the hose in the middle of it. Worked fine. There are many options. Saw an add for a local dentist who had a type of big gulp funnel in front of a patient sitting in the dentist chair. Since it was a 'medical' device, I would guess the cost would be huge....

robo hippy

[Bernie Kopfer]

If it is the turning chips you are trying to suck up, good luck. It would have to be a very close and very strong flow. But for sanding dust any of the devices mentioned above work quite well. Turning chips are mixed with dust but it is sanding that generates the stuff I really don’t want to breathe😷

[tom lucas]

If it is the turning chips you are trying to suck up, good luck. It would have to be a very close and very strong flow. But for sanding dust any of the devices mentioned above work quite well. Turning chips are mixed with dust but it is sanding that generates the stuff I really don’t want to breathe

I agree with Bernie. The solutions listed will work for sanding. However, I'd like a solution for the dust that is mixed with chips while turning dry wood. This dust is thrown toward the front of the lathe and the dust from it can spread all over the shop. It coats everything after turning just a few small bowls. I keep envisioning a hood over the top that will pull the dust while letting the chips fall. I doubt it would be very effective. I've also thought about a downdraft collection funnel that mounts below and in front of the bed ways and moves with the banjo. Or maybe a hose that attaches to the flute of your gouge. I guess that's why a dentist has an assistant manning the suction tube :)

[Randy Heinemann]

The Black Hole is very effective at collecting dust and some smaller chips as long as it is connected to powerful enough collector. A shopvac won't work. I have mine connected to an Oneida cyclone 1 1/2 HP collector which is rated at around 900 cfm. While I'm not sure if I get that high an air movement, what I do get is sufficient to draw the vast majority of dust and tiny chips from both turning and sanding into the hood. Admittedly there are some turning tasks that produce more chips away from the hood, but I can see the dust being drawn into the hood with the correct lighting. Plus, the rest of my shop doesn't have a layer of dust. I do also have an air cleaner which filters the air for the whole shop which is always on while turning. Just can't have too many overlapping dust filtering devices, I think.

[Mike Goetzke]

My lathe needs to be mobile. I have a PM 3520B and purchased the lathe track system dust collector from WoodturnersWonders. It works great and fits my needs perfectly. I also mount my SuperNova lamp on it.

[Jeff Clode]

I have a woodcraft hood (smaller than a big gulp) with 4 inch port on a stand behind the lathe - Attached to 2 hp Oneida cyclone. I have found that putting a small fan (slightly offset) behind me blowing gently toward the hood really helps prevent the dust from moving toward my face. My impression is supported by measurements with my particle meter for both smaller and larger particles. I also have an electronic air cleaner at the other end of my shop. It’s pretty amazing how effective the combination is.

[Stan Calow]

I jerry-rigged this setup for my midi-lathe a while ago, and kept using it. Standard dust collector parts, mounted on an unattached scrap board. I can move it up or down or out of the way easily. As you can see my dust collector isn't powerful enough to pull the heavier shavings, but it works great on the sanding dust and CA fumes when finishing, and thats what I was aiming for. 447951

[Brice Rogers]

I use a mini-gulp because the big gulp was too large and my DC doesn't have enough volume to handle something that large.

I too, like Jeff Clode, sometimes run a fan blowing at my back. In my case, I attached a furnace filter on it, so that it is blowing fairly clean air at me. While I wouldn't think that the furnace filter does much it DOES plug up and the amount of dust that I blow out (outside) is substantial. So it is doing something I guess.

But for larger chips and ribbons of wood that are more like high speed projectiles, the regular hoods miss a lot. If a person wanted to contain them, then perhaps hanging a shower curtain from the ceiling would help a lot.