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Thread: Dust control - it's complicated

  1. #1
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    Dust control - it's complicated

    A. Shop vac pulls a small volume at high suction. It can pick up and transport heavy loads.

    B. Dust collector pulls a large volume at low suction. It can gather light loads from a larger area.

    C. Air cleaner moves a large volume with very low suction. It collects the airborne dust that got away from the vac and collector.

    D. Respirator for dust and fumes that are not handled by the others.

    E. Broom, leaf blower dustpan etc. For what the others all miss.

    It would be helpful to have a chart listing a lot of vacs and collectors with their volume, suction and hp.

  2. #2
    F. Air gun for redistributing dust. Very popular in certain shops.

  3. #3
    [quote]B. Dust collector pulls a large volume at low suction. It can gather light loads from a larger area. [\quote]

    You're using the wrong dust collector then. Any dust collector worth it's salt can pick up heavy loads from a large area. And the large area isn't exactly correct either. The DC make are movement in a confined area towards the collector. Whether it be a tablesaw enclosure or a planer outlet, air movement towards the collector is what the DC does. Once it gets to the inlet it is a high speed chip mover.

    I don't think dust collection is complicated. But it can be expensive.

  4. #4
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    My dust collector will pick up some pretty big off cuts. There was a guy on another forum a few years ago that actually lost his dentures to his dust collector. Wish I could remember the whole story.

  5. #5
    I think we all eventually learn this from experience based on the equipment we have.
    We are involved with static pressure, CFM's and air velocity whether we know the theory behind it or not.

    I would also add:
    G. Large exhaust fan.

  6. #6
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    Yes, my Oneida v3000 will suck cut offs from the table through a 3” hose that runs to my Felder factory riving knife mounted guard. When I use the free floating guard setup it sticks to the surface so hard I have to restrict airflow with the gate sometimes. Basically I have to restrict airflow when making small cut pieces or thin strips or up the tube they go. LOL
    Last edited by Greg Parrish; 01-07-2020 at 10:49 AM.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Bender View Post
    It would be helpful to have a chart listing a lot of vacs and collectors with their volume, suction and hp.
    This would be difficult to assemble with accurate (not marketing) specifications. Very few vendors provide fan curves for extractors/dust collectors and those fan curves are the only way to actually compare performance across typical conditions of use. Horsepower is almost meaningless. CFM is most often stated in "marketing speak" rather than over the range of static pressure and volume capability of a particular duct/hose situation. IE...way too much subjective information and not enough objective information is actually available to do a comparative chart.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  8. #8
    My dust collection hypothesis: Buy more than you need. This is a case where bigger IS better. Cover all the bases of cyclone, air filtration, vacuum/extraction and a PAPR dust mask/hood. Clean as you go if you do generate sawdust and debris that the first 3 don't get initially.

    The only one big one I have left on my to do list is a 3M Versaflow PAPR dust hood to replace the respirator half mask I use now, (comfort is expensive though).

  9. #9
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    Kevin, yes there's that option

    Leo, yes a dust collector can carry chips but a shop vac can carry coins

    Greg, some dust collectors are crossover machines but use a lot of horsepower, also high suction = higher noise

    Jim, definitely true, the data would have to come from testing by independant sources

    Tom, bigger is better but comes at a cost in equipment and hp

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    There is good information out there. Wood Magazine did some very good testing on dust collectors a number of years ago. Also, several members have done testing on their own DC and published the results on SMC. It may take a bit of work to find them but the information is available.

    You can also find fan curves for vacuums by doing a Google search. Here is a pretty typical curve.
    7157512_orig.jpg

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Bender View Post
    Kevin, yes there's that option

    Leo, yes a dust collector can carry chips but a shop vac can carry coins

    Greg, some dust collectors are crossover machines but use a lot of horsepower, also high suction = higher noise

    Jim, definitely true, the data would have to come from testing by independant sources

    Tom, bigger is better but comes at a cost in equipment and hp
    Well I can't tell you how many times I've dropped my tablesaw blade washer and had to go collect it from the DC pail.

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