Saw Dust Containment

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I don't know jack about the equipment for cue making (well I do know a little). Really like my dad's setup in his wood shop for dust collection. He put hanging hoses in with shut off values, then he just runs the hose from the machines up to the hanging hoses as needed. Shut off valves on the hoses always insures he's got full vacuum on the machine he is using.
 
cubswin said:
I don't know jack about the equipment for cue making (well I do know a little). Really like my dad's setup in his wood shop for dust collection. He put hanging hoses in with shut off values, then he just runs the hose from the machines up to the hanging hoses as needed. Shut off valves on the hoses always insures he's got full vacuum on the machine he is using.

That's the easy part. The hard part is containing the dust so that the hose can suck it up. On dedicated machines that make repetitive cuts it's usually not to difficult to figure a way to capture most of the dust but on machines such as your main lathe it can be difficult to catch much as each operation is scattering dust in different directions. On my saw shaft machines the dust go's into a bin underneath them and about every 100 or so passes I start the collector and it takes about 2 minutes to suck it all up. On my butt lathe, I had a saw blade and motor mounted onto the compound with a wood box completely enclosing the butt except for a hole in each end so that the lathe could travel along making it's cut. I have a plexiglass window on the front on a hinge so that I can flip it open if needed. It also has a light inside that comes on anytime the motor and blade is running. On the top of the box is a 4" hose and gate running to the collector so that it sucks all of the dust up very efficiently.

For fine dust that is always floating around, a collector can be bought from Penn State Ind. or Grizzly or you can make a couple of them if you are industrious. Many of the smaller machines such as band saws and such usually come with some kind of crude dust collecting pipe on them someplace. Dust collecting is a never ending endevoir in a wood working shop

Dick
 
Dust containment thread

Here's a link to a thread about dust containment.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=73780

The pics in my post are for a containment box I build specifically for shaft tapering. Since that time I've also built a total enclosure for my Mid-Size Cuesmith that has a Plexiglas top. I'd post pics, but I'm in Florida right now and the pics are on my other computer up north.
 
rhncue said:
That's the easy part. The hard part is containing the dust so that the hose can suck it up. On dedicated machines that make repetitive cuts it's usually not to difficult to figure a way to capture most of the dust but on machines such as your main lathe it can be difficult to catch much as each operation is scattering dust in different directions.
Dick

keep in mind I know nothing so I'm sure this is already done. On the machines for repetitive cuts how come you can't use a suction tube near the cutter to catch most of it. Understand that the larger bits are going to fly, but would think the finer dust would get sucked up. Know that long ago I worked in mfg for wooden blinds on some molding saws that had something similar. There the biggest problem was emptying the dust bin, which was huge and a fire hazard because the particles were so fine they could ignite on their own from friction when dumping.
 
cubswin said:
On the machines for repetitive cuts how come you can't use a suction tube near the cutter to catch most of it.
It can be dangerous and cumbersome putting a hose near the compound/toolbit on the main lathe.
When it can really get messy, I put the vacuum hose under the chuck via under the bedways.
 
JoeyInCali said:
It can be dangerous and cumbersome putting a hose near the compound/toolbit on the main lathe.
When it can really get messy, I put the vacuum hose under the chuck via under the bedways.

interesting....

this is why I read this forum, get to learn new things and occasionally sound like a moron :) (hey...no comments I'll take care of the abuse thank you)
 
Here is my low tech and low cost dust collection for the lathe.

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dc2.jpg


It is a hawaiian punch jug. The base is cut out, and a hole is cut in it so that the mounting bolt that fastens the base of router bracket to the compound goes through the jug. A hole the size of the trimmer is cut out of the top (technically the side of the jug) so the router can be slipped into the collet from above. I cut a hole at the neck/end of the jug that is smaller than my 4" hose. It is a very tight fit compression fit (hose has the wire spiral) so I don't even need tape to secure the hose to the jug (the pictures are old, I was using tape for a while). Two holes cut in the sides for the stock and centers to pass through, and a small access hole for tightening the collete via allen wrench.

It works great. I have 2 jugs and hoses for different sized stock/cuts since the locations and sizes of the access holes change a little. I have more dust on the lathe from one drilling and tapping operation than I do from 10 passes on shafts. When taking roughing/large cuts (heavy woods like coco is the worse) the largest/heaviest chips do escape out the tailstock khole, but they are not ejected far, clean up is easy, fine dust gets sucked up.

I lucked out, the hand grip indentions on the jug are the same diameter/width as my bracket, so the bracket fits firmly in the jug, and the jug is very sturdy and stable.

I make a new jug every now and then as the holes tear a little and it gets a little worn, but it doesn't take long and since I drink the hawaiian punch, it is more or less cost free.

It is pretty specific to my setup, but maybe it can trigger the imagination. When I set out to set up dust collection, I took a trip to Kroger and went down every aisle looking at every plastic jug, and when I saw this one I knew it would work.

Removing it/changing setups doesn't take any more time than changing from router to quick change. I really like the idea of a full enclosure and am impressed by some of those setups people have shown, but this is my only lathe, I don't have a dedicated machine for turning, so I like the flexibility of this so far.

A grizzly cyclone is doing the sucking.

Kelly
 
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