Dust Collection

[Harvey Schneider]

I need some advice on dust collection. I am interested in something that can collect/trap the majority of the dust and wood shavings from my lathe. I am turning bowls about 10" in diameter and I'm knee deep in wood shavings. I don't mind having to empty a bin after each project but I don't want to sweep under all of the benches and the lathe after each session.
I see dust collectors that range from 500 CFM on up. I know better than to pay any attention to their claims of horsepower. What is needed, and what works?

[Tony De Masi]

Harvey, probably not what you want to hear but what works best for me is a large snow shovel. Let the shavings fall where they will then shovel them up when you're ready. Remember that what you are really creating on a lathe are shavings and not dust. Dust collectors do just that. Collect dust. They are not meant for, nor do they do a good job, of collecting the shavings from a lathe. The shavings created can be large, wet, and arent' good candidates to be sucked through a hose of any type.

Now, if you're talking power sanding that's a different issue altogether.

Tony

[Bart Leetch]

A big shovel or great big dust pan & broom & then your favorite shop vacuum.

[Jim Becker]

Collecting dust when sanding on the lathe is certainly possible and easy to accomplish with a pickup right behind and slightly below the workpiece. Collecting chips while turning is nearly impossible due to the fact that the chips come back at the operator in various and variable directions. A broom and shovel really is the easiest and if you want to at least contain the area where the chips go, put up some curtains that restrict the area you work at the lathe.

[Neal Addy]

What they said.

Even if you had a big enough machine to suck in shavings it would be difficult to position the intake properly to capture them. Shavings tend to go every direction at some point during turning.

Of course, if you can ever solve this problem you'll become instantly wealthy. I'd be one of your first customers!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Harvey I am like the rest. When the shavings get so deep I take a big wheat shovel and dispose of them. I have a big hood behind both my lathes with a DC hooked to them but mainly for when I am sanding. It sucks away most of the dust when sanding and really does a pretty good job. I still wear my trend face shield when sanding also. Even with the big 13" X 16" hood I still get a heap of curlies on the floor.

[Randy Johnson]

Something I saw in someone else's shop but haven't done yet myself is the installation of shower curtains. He had clear shower curtains that hung from sticks of 1/2 inch EMT surrounding the lathe. By pulling them shut, the shavings still wind up on the floor but not on the floor fifteen feet away and under benches and other machines. It makes the area you have to sweep much smaller.

[Paul Heely]

I'll jump on the echo bandwagon here and say that collecting all the chips is about impossible. Even with a 5" port directly behind a pen blank I can't collect all the chips that come off when turning them. I'm only interested in collecting the fine stuff and have no problem using a broom and shovel for the big stuff.

[Harvey Schneider]

Thanks guys,
I don't need to get all the chips, actually I'm mostly tired of breathing mahogany dust. If I can catch the fine stuff that comes off the tools I'd be way ahead. It isn't just sanding dust, its the fine stuff that comes off of scrapers and parting tools.
Harvey

[Bobby Perry]

I got a real good shaving collecter. I just tell my wife its time to clean the shop. She cleans all the shavings up.:D She puts them in her flower beds.:)

[Richard Madison]

You have the best deal, Bobby. I have to do the clean up AND haul the drums of shavings to her flower beds and garden. You must be doing something right.

[Don Eddard]

Thanks guys,
I don't need to get all the chips, actually I'm mostly tired of breathing mahogany dust. If I can catch the fine stuff that comes off the tools I'd be way ahead. It isn't just sanding dust, its the fine stuff that comes off of scrapers and parting tools.
Harvey
A DC port positioned behind and a bit below the piece will grab most of the sawdusty stuff that comes off when you're using turning tools. If it's lightweight and airborne, the sucking of the DC pulls much of it away from the chips and into the hose. And when you are sanding, the DC port makes a world of difference. Just about any DC, from a Harbor Freight on up will handle things as you've described them. Of course the more air it moves, and the finer the filters, the better. I'll leave the "which DC?" discussion to others.

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Harvey, this solution obviously won't work everywhere, but here's what I did. In addition to a conventional 3hp DC unit, I installed a 20" box fan behind my lathe, right through the wall to the outside. The $22 fan does an excellent job of keeping the fine stuff from getting near my lungs. A cheap, three speed fan will last about a year of almost daily use. So far, my neighbor hasn't complained. :)

[Reed Gray]

A hose from a dust collector will get as much as perhaps 75% of the dust from sanding. This percentage can vary a lot if you are power sanding, or hand sanding, and if you are sanding bowls, or spindles, or large or small things, and how much hp/suction your dust collector has. If you build a hood that surrounds the wood (for me, slightly more than half of a white 55 gallon plastic food grade barrel) you can collect 99% of the dust. I can literally sand black walnut for 6 hours, and have no dust on my glasses, and none up my nose when I blow it. A hood that covers most of the wood, is better than a open hose, or slightly larger vent. Oneway has one that they make, and it looks like they made it out of plywood, or mdf, but you can get the general idea. For me, I turn wet wood almost all of the time, so dust from turning isn't a problem. When turning spindles, or boxes, I will have the hose on during turning and for sanding. Sanding outside, works, depending on which way the wind blows, and of course, the box fan (my first dust collector) will also work. I prefered it to be blowing on me, rather than sucking the dust away from me. More effective this way.
robo hippy

[Paul Engle]

In agreement with Jim and Malcolm, I use a 1100 cfm collector hooked to all my stationary tools ( table saw , jointer, drum sander which this is a must, chop saw,bandsaw,) I have a 4 in x 10 foot flex hose for the lathe which is/ can position just below the tool rest and it gets the majority of the chips, I use a sling shot rubber to hold it to the post etc. I have a window to the left of the lathe and a 4 speed box fan in it to help carry out the floaters.The dc is 220, 2 hp and can handle two machines at a time, pulls about 6 amps per leg , it is mounted out side the shop with controls at easy location to turn on/off inside , once a year I gather up the outside chips and turn em in to the veggi garden as our soil is mostly clay and sand up here and that really helps , the year gives the green stuff a chance to season some what. I used the bag/s it came with till I wanted the room to add more equiptment inside , my nearest neighbor is over 150 feet away so that is not a problem , but I live in the woods somewhat any.During the winter I open a vent between the house and shop and the dc pulls in heat from the house when I have the woodstove going so I donot have to have the heat ( electric base board) on in the shop if I'm in for a long session. Hope this helps, to me the dc was well worth the money I spent. I got the system back in 94' and have not had so much as a hiccup from it.Just remember to run grounding wire ( copper ) to all the machines along the tubing if you use the plastic as it will build a static charge and bite you.Mine is grounded to the main grnd lug for the shops electric panel, which is grounded to a 10 foot rod outside in the dirt as no plumbing in the shop.