Our Shop
Dust Control
Dust control is an important part of every woodworking shop, but the truth is that for almost all of my years as a woodworker I did not have a dust collection system. When I finally got a dust collector I only had it hooked up to the table saw, but then again, that was the large power tool that I used the most.
While it would be nice to be able to afford a new, fancey, cyclone type dust collector, that's not in the cards right now, particularly since my old dust collector is working just fine. When I first bought it I changed the stock bags out for 1 micron bags and they work very well.
Since space is limited in my shop I thought about relocating the dust collector to the laundry room. That way the noise and any escaping fine dust would be kept out of the main work area. The more I thought about it, the dumber that idea got. First, if any really fine dust did come through the bags, did I want that dust settling where I was pulling clean laundry from the dryer? I don't think so.
More important, though, is the fact that the furnace and the hot water heater are in that room, both of which run with a pilot light. Hmmm, a fine dust cloud in the air with a source of ignition right there. Perfect scenario for a dust explosion. Nope, not the best place to put the dust collector.
This shot of my empty shop shows the far end of the room.
On the other side of the wall is a large closet. Ignore the nasty ceiling tile on the left. That's what happens when the outside water faucet leaks onto the suspended ceiling in the basement. I need to do some clean-up. The wood on the left is a shelf that I removed from the closet (you can see the unpainted areas left by the shelf supports on the closet wall). By the way, the flash on the camera really lights everything up. There are no lights in the small room I am standing in. The closet has a single light bulb in the left side ceiling and that's all the light at this end of the basement.
Here's a shot of the floor space available in the closet.
Hmm, what do you think? Can I fit this dust collector in that closet?
By gosh, yes, I can. But wait, there's more!
This is something I bought quite some time ago but never used. Perhaps you have seen something like it before. It is supposed to act like a cyclone collector, where the big chips and shavings fall into the can and only the dust goes on to the dust collector.
It came as a black plastic piece with two holes - one for in and one for out. I silicone caulked the 4" dust collection hose connectors into the holes and also caulked all the seams of the metal garbage can it is sitting on. Bungee cords going from handle to handle hold the plastic piece down to the top of the garbage can.
Here is the inside of the plastic piece. I added foam insulation around the perimeter to help seal the lid to the garbage can. You can see the 4" hose connectors more clearly here. I want to try using this with my dust collector. Can I get it into the closet with the dust collector?
Easier than I thought it would be.
I can't put a solid door on the closet because the air going through the system would have nowhere to go and would create a back pressure that would decrease the efficiency of the dust collector. Some louvered doors would work fine but are too expensive for a house I don't own. I'm actually thinking about making a door that is an open frame with furnace filters attached to it. That would provide plenty of air flow and help catch any dust that makes its way out of the dust collector. I'll have to think on that one.
I bet someone out there is saying, "Sure, not a bad idea to put it in another room, but are you going to leave it running all the time, or run back and forth to turn it off and on when you need it?"
"No," to both those questions. Here's why -
A remote control! This one was made by Shop Fox. I bought this one a long time ago and it has worked fine so far. I found a 220-volt version on Amazon.com that did not have great reviews and found the 110-volt model on other web sites. If I were to replace it now I think I would go with the Long Ranger remote control, even though it costs a bit more. It seems to have a very good reputation.
A word to the wise, this is meant to control a dust collector up to 1-1/2 horsepower. It is not meant to contol any other kind of power equipment.
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Here is where the hose comes from the cyclone can into the shop area, right through the wall. This is as far as I got tonight. I tested it and I've got good suction so it is looking good. I hope the cyclone can works well, but if not I can easily take it out of the system. I plan on splitting this into two hoses, each with its own blast gate. One will permanently go to the table saw and the other will be used for the other tools on an as-needed basis.
More to follow as I get the other end of the hose fixed up.