Question About Dust Collection

[ghostrider]

I want to turn inside my apartment. I don't mind turning in the cold, but I'm thinking it might make the blanks brittle to turn in 0-30 degree temps. Besides, once it freezes, it's going to be a little tougher transferring the lathe through the fire escape window.

I really don't want a big dust collector. It wouldn't mean me sleeping on the fire escape, but I'd probably have to get rid of my TV. I'd wouldn't mind the 13 Gallon portable unit from Harbor Freight, but it really doesn't look like it's going to have smaller foot print than the 2hp unit.
Portable Dust Collector - 13 Gallon

Besides, I just watched a video of their 2hp unit, and it's louder than a shop-vac.

Right now I've got a choice, "Get eight a shop vac, or a dust collector."

I'm thinking shop vac for now (I've already bought the Dust Deputy), and then later make a air filtration unit, and eventually pick up a dust collector.

My question is, "Does anyone here us a shop vac for dust collection?" If so how is it working. Will I be vacuuming chips and dust out of the carpeting with it, or will it do a good enough job for turning pens?

I've been probing the woodworkers forums and gotten some great input, but so far nobody has related their experiences with dust collection while turning pens, much less using a shop vac w/cyclone type separator.

 

[plantman]

:search::search: I have a micro mimi metal lathe, so dust collection is not a problem. I just clamp the narrow sofa nozzle to my tool holder behind the cutter and everything goes into the 1 gallon Stanley vac I keep under my lathe. The problem with most dust collectors on a wood lathe, is that they don't move with the tool being used, to collect chips from one end of your projects to the other they need to be vary wide, they usually are to far away from the work, and your chips come forward not backwards. They also need a large amount of air movement CFM to do a proper job of collecting. Now I also have a 1 1/2 hp 2 bag 1 micron shop vac system with a cyclone separator with 4" and 6" pipes. Works great when running the planers or my large router table while running mouldings. Over kill for the micro lathe. I have seen woodworkers that have cut the top of a piece of PVC pipe closed one end with a cap and mounted a vaccuum hose to the other end, than attached it to the tool rest just under the lip of the tool rest, with the opening as close to the work as possable. Use flexable tubing so that you are able to adjust your tool rest. There are also all kinds of hoods you can buy on the market, but they get expensive and are very cumbersom. Check the library for ideas. Jim S

 

[RickLong]

When I was not working in my shop full-time, I was using a ShopSmith Shop Vac as a dust collector. It was a pain to move it to each machine and plug it in to an available outlet for the hose. I would get lazy and only use it on the tools that created the most amount of dusk...

This past year, I upgraded to a 2.5hp cyclone dust collection system with four drops. What a difference.... Besides collecting the saw dust, it is an awesome tool to remove just about anything in the air. My collector has a 0.5 micron filter... I notice a huge difference in the amount of dusk I am exposed too. For health reasons alone a full size dust collector, is key in any shop....

Personally, if you are going to buy a decent shop vac; I'd save up for a low end collector instead....

Just my two cents.

Rick

 

[ToddMR]

My main question would be, won't the noise in an apartment prove to be an issue? I would go with a collector myself. I just got one for the shop in the garage a couple months back and I am so glad I did. The days of my 5 gallon bucket catching shavings and my wife standing there with the shop vac on trying to catch shavings is over.

 

[Kretzky]

I've been using a Sears shop Vac (2 1/2" hose) in my basement shop & it's worked reasonably well for over a year, but it is noisy. I was going to make an acoustic enclosure (just styrofoam slabs/ glassfibre etc) for it. But for Christmas this year, my wife has bought me a 1HP DC.
We listened to it at the store & compared a few. Though still loud (65dB they say) this was the quietest of the bunch. (& I'm sure much quieter than the shop-vac) I don't have room for a big DC so this one at a rated 525cfm should be better than the shop vac. I have to do a bit of re-organizing to get it in. I'll probabably still try to put it in an acoustically damped cabinet/ baffles around it though. Another addition in future will be an auto on/ off with the lathe.
Hope that helps

 

[LL Woodworks]

I used a shop vac for turning dust collection for a year or so. 1) it is noisy 2) it does a fair job 3) I don't care what kind of system you have, unless everything is totally enclosed, you are going to get wood chips, dust, plastic strings whatever in your carpet.

I have been wood working for over 20 years and have yet to find a 100% dust collection device, especially a "make shift" type system. IMHO

 

[ghostrider]

Thanks all for the advice. I'm leaning more toward a dust collector, but have been advised that the induction motors will be a bit quiter. OF course they are more expensive. It looks like the larger ones don't take up all that much more space than the 13 gallon that I was looking at at Harbor Freight.

I could get the 2HP Green Machine from Harbor Freight, or for a little more get a smaller one from PSI or Grizzly.

Neighbors downstairs are deaf. Literally. It was years ago that I stopped checking with them to know if my "noise" was too loud for them. They don't hear it.

I currently am using a shop vac 10 gal. with a 1 7/8" host, 2.75 hp. That's loud, and they don't say anything.

I plan on making a dust hood like the one Curtis made. Already have the polycarbonate waiting for me to pick up.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f30/darn-near-perfect-penturning-lathe-dust-collection-52714/

 

[philb]

When I was not working in my shop full-time, I was using a ShopSmith Shop Vac as a dust collector. It was a pain to move it to each machine and plug it in to an available outlet for the hose. I would get lazy and only use it on the tools that created the most amount of dusk...

This past year, I upgraded to a 2.5hp cyclone dust collection system with four drops. What a difference.... Besides collecting the saw dust, it is an awesome tool to remove just about anything in the air. My collector has a 0.5 micron filter... I notice a huge difference in the amount of dusk I am exposed too. For health reasons alone a full size dust collector, is key in any shop....

Personally, if you are going to buy a decent shop vac; I'd save up for a low end collector instead....

Just my two cents.

Rick

I'm looking for a cyclone shop system, can I ask which one you have?

 

[RickLong]

2.5HP TEMPEST "S" Series Cyclone Dust Collector with 14" Aluminum Impeller at Penn State Industries

Mine is red instead of black.. I bought this one because they gave me an additional $100 off because it is red... I got their last red one in stock..

With the $100 off, I bought the Tempest Cyclone Muffler. This reduces the noise 50% (reduces the noise from 20db to 10db)... 10db is still loud but 20db is very loud.

The investment in the Cyclone was one of the best purchases I've made for my shop and health.

Rick

When I was not working in my shop full-time, I was using a ShopSmith Shop Vac as a dust collector. It was a pain to move it to each machine and plug it in to an available outlet for the hose. I would get lazy and only use it on the tools that created the most amount of dusk...

This past year, I upgraded to a 2.5hp cyclone dust collection system with four drops. What a difference.... Besides collecting the saw dust, it is an awesome tool to remove just about anything in the air. My collector has a 0.5 micron filter... I notice a huge difference in the amount of dusk I am exposed too. For health reasons alone a full size dust collector, is key in any shop....

Personally, if you are going to buy a decent shop vac; I'd save up for a low end collector instead....

Just my two cents.

Rick

I'm looking for a cyclone shop system, can I ask which one you have?

 

[kooster]

Have you checked out the PSI units and accessories???
If you're in a small, enclosed area (or any size for that matter), you need to be aware of the fine dust particles that a shop vac will NOT extract. These are the ones that hang in the air and are ultimately inhaled and cling to soft respiratory tissues. The HF model is o.k. and that's about it. Check out their reviews on the unit and compare with PSI's. (they have two units at different prices). Good dust mask and eye protection are also a must. Hope this helps.

 

[ghostrider]

Have you checked out the PSI units and accessories???
If you're in a small, enclosed area (or any size for that matter), you need to be aware of the fine dust particles that a shop vac will NOT extract. These are the ones that hang in the air and are ultimately inhaled and cling to soft respiratory tissues. The HF model is o.k. and that's about it. Check out their reviews on the unit and compare with PSI's. (they have two units at different prices). Good dust mask and eye protection are also a must. Hope this helps.

I ended up going with the HF 13 gallon, 1 HP DC from Harbor Freight. From what it sounds like, some are saying that it has an induction motor, and that it's a re-branded version of the Grizzly unit. Next on my list is to make an air filtration unit, and also buy the 1 micron bag from Penn State for the dust collector. I also plan to build a Thien baffle for the dust collector, and already have a DIY Dust Deputy for the shop vac that I am currently using. I figure that all that, Combined with the dust hood that Curtis designed should be better than what I have before putting the lathe in.

Superior dust collection for penturning - YouTube

 

[Kretzky]

One other thing to check on is your power supply.
Many 1.5HP DC's & above operate off 220v. Most 1HP machines are 110v
On a 2HP machine ignoring losses, motor efficiency etc you'll be pulling around 7Amps @ 220v (more on startup). Double that figure @ 110v.
Check you have circuits/ breakers/ wiring etc to cope with whatever load DC you decide upon.

 

[ghostrider]

One other thing to check on is your power supply.
Many 1.5HP DC's & above operate off 220v. Most 1HP machines are 110v
On a 2HP machine ignoring losses, motor efficiency etc you'll be pulling around 7Amps @ 220v (more on startup). Double that figure @ 110v.
Check you have circuits/ breakers/ wiring etc to cope with whatever load DC you decide upon.

Already considered. It's listed on the webpage.

Portable Dust Collector - 13 Gallon

AFIK Harbor Freight has three different offerings in dust collectors, and I know that all three are 120/110 v.

The one I'm getting is 120v@7amps.