What if I can't afford dust collection??

[Duane Bledsoe]

In my basement shop I have limited space and low ceilings, just 7 feet up to exposed floor joists above. I also have somewhat limited funds (that I'd rather put into tools honestly). Can I get by just using a good strong shop vac that I connect to the tools prior to starting them up?? Right now I have to move tools outside to use them when they make a lot of dust, like routing or table sawing. I don't want dust all over the house above, or the shop.

[Ryan Baker]

The shop vac won't do a whole lot when connected to the tools, but it sure helps a lot for keeping the mess down after you've made it. You pretty much do what you are already doing. If you are doing something particularly dusty (try to avoid that in the first place), get the tools outside if you can. Get yourself some decent breathing protection, like a half-mask respirator, to keep that dust out of your lungs as much as possible. Seal off your shop from the rest of the house as best you can so that you keep the dust out of the rest of the house. Use that shop vac often to keep the mess down. The other thing you can do is to do more hand-tool woodworking, and a lot of that noise and mess will be gone. Protecting your lungs is the first priority. Containing the mess is the second priority.

[Duane Bledsoe]

I have a breathing mask now that has changeable filters. It was given to me along with several filters that are new. I usually use the disposable masks though. I mostly use the shop for assembly of my projects and all the cutting outside prior to, but would like to be able to use it more other than just in fair weather.

[Sam Murdoch]

This is a pretty decent small shop dust collector http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...6&site=ROCKLER
I use it with a table saw, jointer, miter saw and thickness planer. It has limits - 1 being that you can't use it with a router unless working over a dust collection table.
It does keep the shop dust out of the house. Other than that you have the various versions of dust masks. I'll write more about the Rockler rig if you are interested.

[Chris Parks]

The shop vac won't do a whole lot when connected to the tools, but it sure helps a lot for keeping the mess down after you've made it. You pretty much do what you are already doing. If you are doing something particularly dusty (try to avoid that in the first place), get the tools outside if you can. Get yourself some decent breathing protection, like a half-mask respirator, to keep that dust out of your lungs as much as possible. Seal off your shop from the rest of the house as best you can so that you keep the dust out of the rest of the house. Use that shop vac often to keep the mess down. The other thing you can do is to do more hand-tool woodworking, and a lot of that noise and mess will be gone. Protecting your lungs is the first priority. Containing the mess is the second priority.

I will tell you what shop vacs are good at and that is spreading the fine dust around the workshop. They spew the invisibles out and get them back into the air very effectively. There has been some debate and experimentation done in Australia (no link, not allowed by forum rules) to prove this point by a very knowledgeable person who has had many years experience in this field.

[johnny means]

I used a 1 hp delta in my shop for months before getting a good deal on a cyclone. That little Delta did an adequate job on a 20" jp, 16"slider, Sawstop ICS, 3 hp shaper, and a couple of router tables. I did have to move it from machine to machine, but it kept the dust down. I think it cost me about a hundred dollars. I would advise against working in a basement shop with no DC at all, that dust will migrate into your living space and settle into carpets and such.

[Bill Edwards(2)]

Build one:

http://woodgears.ca/dust_collector/index.html

[Phil Thien]

There is so much misinformation about dust collection.

I use a shop vac for all my dust collection. None of my tools have 4" ports, they are all portable machines with 2.5" ports. I have a Dewalt DW734 planer, a Ryobi BT3000 table saw, two Skill HD bandsaws, a Ridgid oscillating belt sander, and a router table with downdraft box.

First, I use a HEPA filter in my shop vac. Whatever makes it TO the shop vac STAYS IN the vac. In terms of recirculating fine dust, I can tell you that a shop vac with a true HEPA filter probably recirculates less dust than any other shop dust collection contraption.

I have my shop piped with 2.5" clear DC piping, and blast gates at each tool. I also use a 30-gallon separator to get all the big stuff and make emptying (which I do quite often) quick and easy.

If I were using a conventional cabinet saw, a 24" wide planer, a shaper, etc., my solution wouldn't work.

Oh, BTW, I used to have a Ryobi 16/32 drum sander, worked great with my shop vac solution.

But don't discount the lowly shop vac for tools with shop vac ports.

[Chris Parks]

There is so much misinformation about dust collection.



First, I use a HEPA filter in my shop vac. Whatever makes it TO the shop vac STAYS IN the vac. In terms of recirculating fine dust, I can tell you that a shop vac with a true HEPA filter probably recirculates less dust than any other shop dust collection contraption.

So true and some accuse others of that charge constantly. You have a very good HEPA filter but how many others have? certainly the vast majority do not. A workshop vac without a HEPA filter that works (and some don't) is a good thing. A workshop vac without a good HEPA filter is a travesty on dust collection as all it does is make things worse by its emission of fine dust particles.

[Phil Thien]

So true and some accuse others of that charge constantly. You have a very good HEPA filter but how many others have? certainly the vast majority do not. A workshop vac without a HEPA filter that works (and some don't) is a good thing. A workshop vac without a good HEPA filter is a travesty on dust collection as all it does is make things worse by its emission of fine dust particles.

But the same can be said of any DC device. A DC with 30-micron bags is no good. A DC with 5-micron bags is little better. But that doesn't mean bag-type DC's are worthless. You can get bags that filter to 1-micron with the help of some cake, and that will work better than the 30 and the 5-micron units.

So we shouldn't tell people that a shop vac makes dust collection worse. We should instead say that, fitted with a suitable filter, the shop vac is up to at least some challenges. IMHO.

[Duane Bledsoe]

My shop vac takes internal bags besides using a filter. This has to help some.

[Jim Matthews]

It's a good question - the same one that lead me to work mostly by hand.
I make shavings, little dust.

You can make a decent collection filter with a box fan and AC filters available at your local hardware store.

Is it possible to use the tablesaw/router/planer in your garage?
My biggest worry is generating fine dust inside the house, where it will circulate.

[Phil Thien]

My biggest worry is generating fine dust inside the house, where it will circulate.

An ambient air cleaner will keep the air in your shop cleaner than the air in the rest of your house, or outside for that matter.

[Chris Parks]

But the same can be said of any DC device. A DC with 30-micron bags is no good. A DC with 5-micron bags is little better. But that doesn't mean bag-type DC's are worthless. You can get bags that filter to 1-micron with the help of some cake, and that will work better than the 30 and the 5-micron units.

So we shouldn't tell people that a shop vac makes dust collection worse. We should instead say that, fitted with a suitable filter, the shop vac is up to at least some challenges. IMHO.

Phil. people simply do not know the differences and it is a fact that some called HEPA filters do not work as they should. Someone goes and buys a vac and is assured by the salesman or the advert that it is god's answer to dust control and as a rule it is not. He does not know that it then needs to be fitted with a filter of better quality to make it safe for his health. As I said there are some experiments and trials being done in Oz at the moment surrounding all this stuff and the results will be interesting. It is looking at filters on both large DE's and shop vacs. If you do a search I am sure you can find them.

[Phil Thien]

Phil. people simply do not know the differences and it is a fact that some called HEPA filters do not work as they should. Someone goes and buys a vac and is assured by the salesman or the advert that it is god's answer to dust control and as a rule it is not. He does not know that it then needs to be fitted with a filter of better quality to make it safe for his health. As I said there are some experiments and trials being done in Oz at the moment surrounding all this stuff and the results will be interesting. It is looking at filters on both large DE's and shop vacs. If you do a search I am sure you can find them.

The thing is, the group buys of the Dylos meters put particle counters in the hands of (probably) a couple hundred woodworkers, most of whom have shop vacs, and many of those no doubt have run their counters while also running their shop vacs (I know I have, with THREE different particle counters).

I think it is a pretty safe bet that shop vacs, even with standard filters, are not dust pumps. I know that contradicts what the Oz woodworking forums tester seems to indicate, but there are many possible explanations.

One possible explanation is how most shop vacs discharge: Via a port, with the directional airstream often moving in excess of 150-MPH. Just walking into a shop (or a living room for that matter) will put a lot of dust into the air. Sending a 150-MPH blast of air is going to really stir the pot.

Most DC's exhaust via a much less directional filter. While they certainly churn the air in the shop, they probably are quite a bit more gentle about it than most shop vacs.

That is why it is important to use an ambient air cleaner. Disturb the settled dust, and let the air cleaner grab it. That is how cleanrooms are built. It is important to keep circulating the air and give the air scrubbers a shot at removing dust.