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Sanding Dust Extraction

T

turner23

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Aug 15, 2007
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Hey All,

Does anybody use or know of existing dust exhaust/ventilation systems for wood shops? Right now I use a Jet air filtration unit (wall mount), which is nice, but small and not nearly as effective as I would like...I'm looking to design (or buy) an 'exhaust hood' to be ceiling-mounted over my lathe (PM3520B), similar to those found in glass Hot Shops, powerful enough to suck the fine dust up and out of the shop preventing me from breathing it.

All thoughts are appreciated!
 
Turner23?

The concept of having a Hood above the Lathe will mean you and therefore your Lungs via your Nose will be in the Dust Stream.

In my opinion it is far better to have the Extract Point at Lathe Level or below.

Details of my solution can be found in the Hints and Tips section of my web site, basically a combination of Down Draft + Horizontal Take Off ensures my Nose is kept away from the Majority of the Dust.

Richard
http://www.laymar-crafts.co.uk
 
Richard's answer is one you see a lot. Have to say that since the intake can be located where you wish, it makes little sense to me. Your range hood is located over the range, not behind your head, why wouldn't you do something similar with a dust extraction system?

The problem with dust is not pulling it away from the operator. Can do that easily with the help of gravity from below the ways, but shavings will be a problem. It's a bit harder to lift and drag it from behind, because of the distance (inverse square rule) and gravity, so you'll need a bunch of pressure, though shavings are likely to stay where they lie. Couple ways of doing this. Set up a regular squirrel cage blower from a furnace and keep backpressure to a minimum by blowing it outdoors or set up a regular DC to pull from below and centerline and keep the filtered air inside with you at the cost of backpressure.

First is good if you haven't paid for heated or cooled air only to dump it outdoors. That's what your kitchen fan does. Second is noisier and a bit more critical in positioning the pickups, but if you haven't a shed outside to let the dust drop, it's the best option.
 
Turner23,
I have a variety of dust extraction devices, but the most effective (and the cheapest) is a 20" box fan positioned through the wall to the outside, right behind my lathe on the opposite side of where I stand, only a few feet from my headstock. Of course, this requires the right situation (outdoor mess, etc). And of course, it sucks out the heat during the winter months, but I sure like what it does during the warmer months. A $20 fan will usually last me 6 to 8 months of frequent use.
 
I use my shop's main dust collector (2hp drawing a 6" main). The 6" drop for my lathe is split for two 4" flex hoses. One goes to a 12x16 hood behind the lathe at and above bed height and the other is positioned in front of the headstock at about hip level. These are only used for sanding as full shavings will clog the system, especially wet shavings.

I also have a JDS 750 hung from the ceiling. The combination seems to work well and I get very minimal dust being deposited throughout the shop.
 
I took a white food grade 55 gallon drum, cut about 1/3 of it off one end, cut less than half of it off length wise, cut a hole for the spindle to stick through, put plastic on the open end, and my dust collector hose out the back side. This leaves about a 2 square foot opening for the bowl to be in while I sand. I can sand black walnut all day long, without a dust mask, and there is a little dust on my chest, none on my glasses, and when I blow my nose at the end of the day, there is no dust up there either, and black walnut will show up easily. Oneway has a box thing made out of MDF or some thing that is about the same dimentions, but I would imagine very expensive. You can easily make one. I do turn green wood to final thickness, then let them dry and warp before sanding, so I turn a lot, then sand a lot.

As far as a box fan, it works. It works better if it is blowing past you, unless you build a similar box around what you are sanding so that the draw is funneled rather than being open. It will work better to remove dust if it is blowing the dust away from you. Do remember to blow the fan out once in a while. They are not TEFC (totally enclosed fan cooled) motors, and there is fire danger from fine dust.

robo hippy
 
I use a floor-stand fan on castors, a homemade air cleaner above the lathe, and an exhaust fan in the window. The system works pretty well, but could be improved upon. I like the idea of the downdraft system, and may put one into operation one day this summer. May try to devise something like a duct that exhausts through the floor and then through the side of the foundation. Depends on the time and energy, I guess.
 
Another (cheap) vote for the 20" box fan. Mine is immediatedly behind the spindle & workpiece and pulls through a fine HVAC filter. Imperfect perhaps, but it does create an air stream away from my breathing zone and filters out most of the dust in process. Low speed for turning and high speed for sanding. My A/C-Heater unit also has an extra filter in front of the regular filter which helps keep the coils cleaner, and the fan can be run continuously for extra air filtration in the room.
 
I use the HF DC unit with a 6ft. tall 1 micron bag on top and the black "contractor" plastic bags on the bottom.

I have this dust hood on stand from Woodcraft sitting right behind the lathe at the headstock to suck up sanding dust.


I have the Jet AFS-1000B Filtration System hung from the ceiling.

I got lucky and answered a CL AD that had a Downdraft Table, FREE just come get it. I have that behind me as I turn and will turn it on once in awhile.
DustHoodwithStand.jpg

815488_230.jpg

DSC_0353.jpg

DSC_0351.jpg

DSC_0350.jpg
 
Here is a better shot of the inside of the downdraft table, and the exhaust side. This thing works really well, and would be easy to make. My shop(Garage) is heated and has AC so exhausting to the outside isnt a real good option for me.
DSC_0348.jpg

DSC_0349.jpg
 
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Just my two cents worth
Richard Raffan has a photo, in his book, of the two hoods he uses. One located behind the work and the second to the left up against the front of headstock.

A narrow sheet metal hood that fits between the bottom of the lathe ways and what the lathe sits on that might pull enough dust.

Several issues back in the newsletter, a reader had a photo of his dust port built into the top of the counter his lathe sits on.
 
In addition to a regular dust removal system with a fine filter installed so it doesn't just collect chips, Consider a pressurized mask system worn when actually turning. A number are on the market which though expensive are a good investment. They have a couple of added advantages in that they don't fog up glasses and provide face protection. Many of us who have spent a lot of time turning have had a bowl split or simply take off from the lathe. Breathing shop dust is not healthy.

Malcolm Smith.
 
I have a 5hp ClearVue cyclone. For the lathe I use a 6" pvc pipe on a stand. I keep the pipe a few inches from the turning. I still wear a NIOSH approved mask filtering .5 micron particles and face shield -- standard safety practices. Since using the cyclone, dust has been cut 95%.

I sold my JDS air filter. While it collected a lot of dust, a lot of dust still remained in the shop. With the cyclone running -- no dust.

At the end of the day, I open all the gates and let it run anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes to capture renegade dust.

Works for me.

Burt
 
Great Help!!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I have a feeling as I finish building my new studio, I will end up incorporate a little bit of everything to make a custom system that best fits my needs, and space.

Cheers!
 
As luck would have it!

I built a system last weekend that seems to be doing what you are looking for.I enclosed and sealed my turning area , mounted my jet air cleaner over the lathe and built a diffuser box that directs all of the air from the cleaner straight down past my face. This created a positive pressure in the room. I then put a large filter in back of the lathe to give that air somewhere to go. I also ran my central dust collector onto the room to use while sanding.So far its working pretty good. I turner some walnut tool handles for my brand new Thompson gouges (mini gloat) tonight and NO black buggers!
DSCF1815-1.JPG Outside view of jet air cleaner (behind duct)

DSCF1814-1.JPG Home made diffuser box

DSCF1813-2.JPG Filter in back of lathe
 
Nicely Done

Yeah, that's the basic idea I was going for...no buggers. My idea, however, is to create an OPEN working environment while still being dust-free. Not sure how yet, but like I said, it will most likely be a combination of techniques. Currently when I sand a piece (I turn bowls, vases, and hollows), I have on safety glasses, a dust mask, Jet air filter, and the shop door closed (basement shop). To be honest, the total seclusion and confinement necessary to keep from breathing the dust and ruining the basement is at times more work than its worth; there have been some days when I don't work in the shop at all because the level of work/effort required just to collect that fine dust is so high. I will come up with a non-obtrusive, yet effective dust removal system while maintaining a completely open working environment, but I think I've got my work cut out for me.

Cheers!
 
'Yeah, that's the basic idea I was going for...no buggers. My idea, however, is to create an OPEN working environment while still being dust-free. Not sure how yet, but like I said, it will most likely be a combination of techniques. Currently when I sand a piece (I turn bowls, vases, and hollows), I have on safety glasses, a dust mask, Jet air filter, and the shop door closed (basement shop). To be honest, the total seclusion and confinement necessary to keep from breathing the dust and ruining the basement is at times more work than its worth; there have been some days when I don't work in the shop at all because the level of work/effort required just to collect that fine dust is so high. I will come up with a non-obtrusive, yet effective dust removal system while maintaining a completely open working environment, but I think I've got my work cut out for me.

Cheers!''

Depending on the wood, breathing the dust can be extremely unhealthy. I would urge anyone doing wood turning to be quite aggressive in their approach to this.

Malcolm Smith.
 
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