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General Category => General Scroll Saw Talk => Topic started by: Russ C on April 20, 2010, 10:22:07 pm
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I am courious as to what members use for dust collection. I use a combination. Shop vacs for some of my tools and a clothes dryer motor/fan for my scrollsaw that vents to the outside. I made a cowling around my scrollsaw and a 1 1/4" vac tube goes to the dust port on the scrollsaw. The fan, light and saw on a power strip, one button and all three have power. The cowling and dryer/fan work great and it is very quiet compared to the shop vacs. I can hear the radio while I am making scrollsaw dust. 8)
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Hi Russ sounds like you have a pretty good setup. My guess from what I hear from my readers is that it is a very small percentage of scrollers that have any dust collection specifically for their scroll saw. I know many of them are interested but just don't have many options. Maybe we will have some more good ideas here.
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I actually don't have a dust collection at all. Don't have any bench tools except for the scrollsaw and drill press. My scroll saw has a shop vac connection, but it seems like a little much to have the shop vac running every time I'm using my scroll saw. A lot of my hand power tools, such as my power sanders, have little built in bags for dust collection. But a full fledged dust collecting system just doesn't seem like a reasonable investment at this point. I just make the dust then vaccume up the mess afterwards.
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We have used the shop vac method for a long time for various projects that Jaun and I do. He is now in the process of trying to build a cyclone dust collector system that is suppose to separate the dust from the chips. As of right now, my whole house is a workshop for him. So much for vacuming. LOL. We will be better off when he gets done.
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Russ some pictures of your set up pretty please.
My shop vac is so damn noisy.
Yours sounds a lot quiter,
Thanks.
Merlin
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I also have no type of dust collection, other than a cardboard box sitting under my saw to catch the knockoffs. You would think with the price of a Dewalt that there would be a dust collection port on it somewhere, but even without the port i wouldn't trade mine for anything (I'm still grinning like a kid at Christmas over my new saw lol).
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Nothing like a new toy to play with now is there.
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a fan at my back or blowing diagonaly across the saw with a filter box sitting down stream, all shop made do a fine job of controling scroll saw dust for me.
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I use a fan with a furnace filter in front of it and it really helps keep down the fine dust in the air. I also have a delta air filtration system suspended from the ceiling.
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I have a 2.5" flex hose hooked to my dust collector. The hose is place directly underneath the throat of my saw. I didn't notice how well it worked until I forgot to turn it on one day then I really noticed it. Works fairly well at grabbing the small pieces that fall too. I wear hearing protection with a radio built in to it when I'm sawing so noise is not an issue.
John
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When I first started out I didn't have any kind of dust collection. Just used a broom for clean-up. Then got a shop vac, but as mentioned it was way to loud so ended up just using it for clean-up with plenty of ear protection. Last Fall I got a regular Jet dust collector. Wish I'd bought that many years ago. it has wheels under it so I can just roll it around to the different machines until I get around to building some overhead pipes with gates to each machine.
Chips
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My dust collection system is the floor which then becomes softer to walk on and is insulated from the cold. ;D
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I don't collect dust... I blow it out the garage with a leaf blower. ;D :D ;)
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Janet, I just love how you do things. Sounds like something I would do, but Jaun will not let that happen. HEHEHEHEHE. He is already starting in since I have not vacuumed my floor or table in about a week.
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When you see the dust on the shelves, ledges and light fittings, you know something has to be done?
Recently, I bought a dust extractor with a top filter bag and lower dust collection bag. It?s the best addition to the shop I have made in a long time.
Hopefully the picture has uploaded?
A 4 inch suction hose connects to the machine, and this is often quite rigid, so I got a thinner 4 inch hose from a DIY store, such as Home Depot, to extend the overall hose length. These thin hoses are often used as ceiling ducts for small fans. This gives much more movement and flexibility.
You can have a lot of fun making ( or just buy ) a variety of hoods and connectors appropriate for your machines. This type of extractor has worked well on the scroll saw, bandsaw and particularly on the planer-thicknesser where it collects the majority of chippings - no longer big piles on the floor.
As the machine is on wheels, it also makes a great general vacuum cleaner and quickly keeps the floor and machines very clean.
It is relatively quiet, much more so than most shop vacs which I now use just to get into hard to reach corners. I believe most users won?t see noise as an issue.
Some days, you just want to get on and scrollsaw and I switch the extractor on later and clean up.
Often, manufacturers provide coarse filter bags at around 30 micron filtration. These capture chippings, but fine dust will come through the bag into the shop.For general work I would recommend a bag with filtration better than 5 microns, around 2 microns if possible. If you cut MDF a lot, 0.5 to 1 micron would be better still. The great news is that as the filter bag gets dirty, filtration improves ? though performance does reduce of course.
Not too expensive, especially if you buy used as I did ? around 80 dollars (U.S.)
My shop, machines and general environment have never been so clean.
Overall a great investment.
Happy scrolling - Paul
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Since I scroll in a spare bedroom in the house we had to do something.... Ken bought me a dust extractor last year... even installed it....
It works sort of... but I still have dust over everything in that room... ( who am I kidding? Got it all over the house! lol) and I try to remember to use the shop vac after each session... it is LOUD..... don't like it one bit.
Not helping that I also started to be too lazy to always carry the drill press ( with sanding mop installed) outside... was too hot in the summer... now it's raining.. so yes.. I confess... I've started using it inside that room... guess it's really a bit much for the dust extractor ... I do have dust all over the walls.... but... I AM having FUN :)
Oh and yes... I DO religiously wear a dust mask... the dust-be-gone one!!!! Only one comfy enough to wear all the time. Should probably wear it 24 hours in my house! lol
Juvy
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Russ
do you have any pics of your DE setup
Cheers
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If you have no dust, does this mean your not working? ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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No Cherie it just means you have good extraction.
Well I guess I have to save some of the green stuff and get a decent dust system over da saw.
I brought a small extractor fan real cheap but even with the thing sitting on the table top it just looks at the dust.
Back to the drawing board.
Merlin
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Hi, could I see a pic of your dust extraction set up please?
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I use shop vacs - one for the table saw, miter saw and router table - one on the other side of the room for the sanders - and a little stinger mounted under the excaliber for the scroll saw. When I get the band saw and drum sander - i'll install a shop collection system.
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I connected a normal vac on my DIY dustcollecter.
two buckets on eachother with a siphon in de lid.
ther are two holes in thet bottum of the upper bucket.
the tube goes (tight) from the siphon to one hole into the lowest compartment.
the white hose goes to the saw. the black to the vac.
I plug it in to the machine i use.
it collects about 85% of the large pieces of sawdust.
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I have a Delta Dust Collector connected, by 4" Rigid and Flex hoses, to all pieces of equipment as shown in pictures of my shop on this forum.
This is the dust collector I have on my scroll saw, which collects about 80% of what is generated while cutting. It's connected to a shop vac., which is housed in a cabinet outside the shop so I hardly hear it. The vac turns on automatically with the scroll saw switch and shuts off about 2-3 seconds after the saw is shut off. The upper pick-up sucks the dust up instead of blowing it off the table.
The detachable collection box, on the front of the SS stand, is where the rest of the dust falls and also is where I toss all scraps, when cutting.
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For a couple of years I used a box fan with filters mounted to the input as well as the output side. Then I got my hands on a squirrel cage blower out of a furnace and built a box around it and have filters at the intake and output sides. The intake side is just a regular air conditioner filter and then a more expensive filter at the output to catch smaller particles. I set the box fan behind me and the filter system in front of my saw and blow everything toward it. However, it has enough strength to draw well in my small shop.
Gary
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I have a Delta Dust Collector connected, by 4" Rigid and Flex hoses, to all pieces of equipment as shown in pictures of my shop on this forum.
This is the dust collector I have on my scroll saw, which collects about 80% of what is generated while cutting. It's connected to a shop vac., which is housed in a cabinet outside the shop so I hardly hear it. The vac turns on automatically with the scroll saw switch and shuts off about 2-3 seconds after the saw is shut off. The upper pick-up sucks the dust up instead of blowing it off the table.
The detachable collection box, on the front of the SS stand, is where the rest of the dust falls and also is where I toss all scraps, when cutting.
very nice setup !
want to copy that..... 8)
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Al that smaller hose on the pickup under the saw, does that suck up all the dust from the top of the table, cause I have Hegner look-a-like saw and has the same system and it doesn't pick up squat.
I have a 1100watt shop vac (damn noisy) I'll have to get an old fridge and place outside the workshop to put it in, that'll shut it up LOL
Merlin
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These are the pics I put on about a month ago, it is simple and works, I use a domestic vac. and it takes away about 90% of the dust, I would also like a filter but they are so expense in NZ, I think the blade to use is a skip tooth as it takes the dust down
Jimbo
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Merlin, My upper hose collection works good. The system is connected to a Fein, Model lll Turbo Dust Collector.
It fairly quiet, 57.8 db. It's 1200w with 126 cfm, & 15 gal. wet/dry capacity
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All this sounds great for collecting dust...... but what do you do about the noise?
I have tried a regular vac and shop vac.... it drove me around the twist. I can't sit there several hours with that high level noise. I could use ear plugs, but aside from being uncomfortable I couldn't hear the phone or door bell... that's fine for an half hour job, but not for several hours. I love scrolling but sometimes all the safety makes me feel like a astronaut in full gear... glasses, dust mask, ear plugs..... takes a lot of the fun out of it.
So if anyone knows how to avoid the noise, short of having to spend hundreds of dollars for a dust extractor that sits outside........... now THAT would be fantastic!!!!!
Juvy <-------- ...... wanting to do the right thing, but getting frustrated
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Scroll saw outside. The wind will take the dust. :)
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Wind are you saying it's windy at my place?
Jimbo
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No... I was talking to Juvy.
I picture your place very hot, dry and still.
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Merlin, I forgot to mention, to get more suction on the upper pick-up, I cut a round disk, with slightly tapered edges, and put it in the lower pick-up tube. The hole I cut in the disk reduces the suction on the lower pick-up by about 30-40%. I wasn't worried about the lower area because what drops there falls into the collection box in front of the saw.
Al
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Actually I do scroll outside sometimes..... but it's such a hassle to keep moving the saw around. Also sometimes the wind will put that saw dust right into your eyes... bad enough we have to do that when we go demonstrating somewhere, so it's nice to saw indoors at home.
I do try to take the sanding outside .... if it's not too cold....
and yes.... in the winter it does get cold here ..... ok... mostly stays above freezing... which for PA would be spring? lol
Then in the summer it's just too hot outside....
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Hey Janet have you been here?
Jimbo
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Good plan Janet, except the mosquitoes would suck me dry in no time.
So I got inspired today and used my industrial air compressor with a reach wand and blew all the dust out of my shop. I have a big extraction fan in the wall but it is too noisy to run all the time. Then I set up a 20 inch box fan with a furace filter to the right of my saw and a smaller house fan on my left. It ain't perfect but it sure helps.
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on request a photo of the inside of the upper bucket.
It still needs improvement because if I set the vac to full power (2400W) it will empty the bin to much.
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Thanks for posting pic Marcel.
David.
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No Jimbo... never been outside the US.
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Have bin searching for DIY ideas.
cyclone dust collection
http://www.rockler.com/gallery.cfm?Offerings_ID=22062&r=3&TabSelect=Details
http://garagewoodworks.com/garage_blog/2010/05/26/diy-cyclone-dust-collector/
http://lumberjocks.com/SimonSKL/blog/10097 !!! ;)
http://www.nartube.net/13ebcac5a7:l-ovtmTUhkg.html Video
http://www.instructables.com/id/Mini-Cyclone-Bucket-Dust-Collector/ verry nice in a few steps
http://www.nartube.net/852a33b2d3:hOi-CUx4v6U.html video ;D
have some homework to do now....
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ha i got ya all beat iv got the best dust collection system all i do is say sidney "my daughter" go clean up my mess and she dose a darn good job the only down fall is she allways wants $$
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I went to the plumbing section at the big box store and got a metal ac vent that I screwed to the bottom of my table. My dust collector (with an adpter) fit into the back of it so everything that fall under the saw is sucked away. For this reason I never use reverse tooth blades as I want all the sawdust under the table.
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Just as you asked your question I was in the process of acquiring parts for my dust collection system. My shop is my garage and I have several tools I need to hook up. Here's my plan.
I will be getting for free a used furnace fan, the squirrel cage type. I will build a plywood box to house the fan with one side open to provide for exhaust. On one of the plywood sides there will be an opening to hook up a hose probably 3" diameter.
That hose will go to a purchased cyclone probably from Oneida
http://www.dustdeputy.com/index.htm.
From there I will install a ceiling mounted hose system with "drops" to above the various tools. The only thing I expect to take up floor space will be the can to collect the dust, droppings, etc.
I intend to include a couple of "floor inlets" that, when operating, I can use a push broom to push the sweepings into. The system will then suck it up to the collection can.
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Russ I would love to see a couple of pictures of your connection to the scroll saw as I would love to do the same thing to my new EX21 and the dust collector just got this afternoon. Please and thank you.
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I dont have a dust collector. I just vacuum every few days. Don't do enough scrolling right now to have to have a dust collector.