What unforeseen problems with no dust collector

[keith ouellette]

I'm to short on funds now to buy a DC. Its a pain working without one but until the finance situation changes thats the way its got to be.

Other than the obvious problem of dust being in the air and having to keep a dust mask on all the time ...

what other problems could there be?

Would it effect using the planer or any other tools?

[Jim O'Dell]

Only thing I see would be if the shop is attached to the house, or even worse, in the basement, you'll have dust everywhere, and you know who will not be happy.
Do your best to create negative pressure in the shop with the biggest fan you can blowing out a window. That will at least help. If you can find an take out blower unit from someone putting in a new house unit, that would move a bunch more air than a box fan. Check with the people that sell and install HVAC in your area. They will probably give you one. Note: most of these run on 220 IIRC. Jim.

[Anthony Whitesell]

For a cheap air filter, a box fan and an HVAC filter from the BORG will help. Plus a window fan would be a plus.

As for the effect on the tools, my jointer would work fine without the DC, but a properly sized DC does wonders for a planer. IMO, the planer makes twice the mess the jointer does without the DC.

[Andrew Joiner]

I had a DC for years and I got obsessed with trying to capture ALL the dust. I never could.

Now I have no DC and I let the chips fly.

I enjoy keeping it simple with a shovel, broom once and a while a mask.

[Paul Demetropoulos]

Keith,

I'd worry more about your lungs than your planer. The jury is in on what long term dust exposure does to your health. Wearing a mask is all well and good but uncollected dust will always be kicked up and floating in the air in your shop.

In your situation I'd do as much as I can outside, especially with the worst offenders (sanding operations). Also think about breaking down sheet stock outdoors. I have a good DC system but usually break down ply in my driveway or garage. Since my shop in down a flight of stairs it makes gettting it down there easy.

I set up a cutting table (just a 2X frame on banquet legs) right at the tail gate of my truck, pull the sheets right on to the table and break them down. Using an accurate guide you can skip your TS altogether.

[David Hostetler]

The health issues not withstanding, it depends on your specific tools. My jointer would quickly jam up with shavings, but my planer is more than happy to spew them backwards out of the chute (set in the open position) at an alarming rate....

If you have machines with mostly 2.5" ports, SERIOUSLY consider using a Shop Vac with a HEPA filter, and if possible a Thien Cyclone separator.

The box fan with the allergen filter helps a lot too...

[Jamie Buxton]

If I attempt to run my planer without a chip collector attached, it mashes the chips into the freshly-planed surface, producing a distressed finish -- not good!

I can run the jointer for a while without chip collection, but eventually the exhaust port clogs up and the thing starts spitting shavings up in my face. I don't like that either.

[John Keeton]

I would get the same experience as Jamie with my jointer and 15" planer. If you do not have a planer yet, I would suggest a lunchbox (DW 735?) as I believe you will get a better finish not using a DC. The Griz planer really is designed for use with a DC, and the finish you get will be degraded without using one.

Andrew, I did wood working for 35 years without a DC, and can't imagine going back. My Oneida DC gets nearly every speck of dust, and I don't have to worrry about anything except emptying it every now and then.

I agree that one shouldn't obsess, but really, with a well designed DC system, there isn't anything to do. I suppose one could add an air filter system, but for me they would be overkill. I get very little dust settling on things in the shop.

Paul and David have some good thoughts. Even with a DC, I do a lot outside - just nice to be out there on pretty days, and it does take some of the worst of it out of the shop.

[Myk Rian]

Do you have a shop vac? Used with one of the bucket cyclones, you would be amazed what can be picked up.
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4310

[Andrew Joiner]

Andrew, I did wood working for 35 years without a DC, and can't imagine going back. My Oneida DC gets nearly every speck of dust, and I don't have to worrry about anything except emptying it every now and then.

I agree that one shouldn't obsess, but really, with a well designed DC system, there isn't anything to do. I suppose one could add an air filter system, but for me they would be overkill. I get very little dust settling on things in the shop.

.

Wow, John that's great. I'm sure you've got a better set up than I had.

How do you handle portable tools routers, sanders ,drills and hand sanding? That's the "whole picture" of dust producing for me. It would be hard for me to pick a point where I'd say " yes, all the dust is gone " without lot's of time,money and well, obsessing.

Then to even think about a new jig or shopmade tool I'd have to plan on dust collection for that. So for me I keep it simple,and let those chips fly.

It's hard for me to see my shop without any uncollected dust even with a perfect DC. I guess I'm just an all or none type of guy.

[John Keeton]

Andrew, I rarely use a hand held router anymore. I have a router table extension on the TS, and another router table. Both both of them hook up to my DC and have probably 95% pickup, and the 5% that is left is heavy stuff that falls to the floor. It is usually less than a couple of handfuls of chips.

I do very little sanding, and what little I do is done close to a DC pickup, so most of the dust is picked up. If I do any power sanding I try to go outside - although a Festool ETS is on my want list. I am doing more with handtools now, thus the reason for less sanding.

I use a Domino and it hooks up to a small ShopVac and leaves no dust or chips.

I will admit that I do not have DC at my drillpress, and will have some cleanup there.

At the end of every shop session, I use a push broom and sweep everything over to my DC floor sweep and suck it up.

I can tell you that for decades I would always have at least a couple of inches of chips and dust in the floor - sometimes much deeper than that. I even had special clothes I would wear to the shop and change before coming back in the house. God only knows what my lungs looked like - I hope they have recovered

Glad to say those days are over!

[Bill Houghton]

You can get dust buildup in the electrical boxes, too - outlets, switch boxes. Turn off power to the circuits, remove cover plates, vacuum them out annually.

I agree with others, though, that your biggest problem is health. Dust can stay in the air for a long time, and it's the smallest dust, which stays in the air for the longest time, that's the biggest health hazard.

I don't know if this will work for you, but I put a box fan in a window, and exhaust air from the shop when I'm running dustmaking tools. It's heroic cold in the winters, but the air stays pretty clean.

Dust control's on my agenda this year, I hope.