Garage shop sawdust

[David Tolsky]

What do you guys recommend for overhead collection of fine sawdust? Although I connect to a shop vac for almost all the tools I use inevitably sawdust escapes and falls onto everything. We have our washer and dryer, etc. in there and the sawdust is getting out of hand. Is there a way to control the sawdust without breaking the bank?

[Ben Rivel]

Specifically what tools are you hoping to get better dust collection from?

[Jon Nuckles]

You don't mention what tools you use, but a dust collector will do a better job of getting dust at the source from most tools than will a shop vac. For the inevitable dust that isn't collected at the source, an air cleaner hung from the ceiling can help pick it up before all of it lands on your washer and dryer. (Just don't count on an air cleaner to protect your lungs, you'll be breathing dust for a while before the air cleaner finishes its job.) I don't know if any solution will make woodworking and doing laundry a good combination for a shared space.

[Bill Ryall]

The other thing you may want to consider is a dedicated sanding table, either downdraft or connected to a shop vac or dust collector. There are a myriad of designs out there. Mine is a simple 2'x4'x6" box with a pegboard table that connects to my DC (or shop vac with a step-down adapter. It sits on folding sawhorses when in use, and sits quietly tucked out of the way when not.

[David Tolsky]

I use a stationary belt sander and I use a Random orbit sander. I hook up a shop vac hose to both of them when in use. Other than that I have the other basic stationary tool such as a 16 inch bandsaw, A lunchbox planer and a 10 inch table saw. Except for the table saw, which I don't have any dust collection unit set up for yet, everything else can be hooked up to the shop vac hose. I can even set up my shop vac hose to my benchtop drill press. I'm hoping an overhead air vacuum of some kind will take care of the fine dust particles floating in the garage.

[Andy Giddings]

There is some good insight into overhead air cleaners and their effectiveness on the Bill Pentz website. I would recommend reading through some of the findings before purchasing

[Cody Colston]

You are not going to collect all the dust if you use power tools. A shop vac doesn't move enough air to collect much of the sawdust at the source. I recommend you open the garage door fully and blow out the sawdust with a leaf blower after you finish woodworking. That's what I do to my dedicated woodshop with a full system 3 hp cyclone collector...(not every day but every time I do a thorough cleaning).

[Jim Dwight]

The first thing I would do is to put a HEPA filter (or a quasi HEPA filter - they say it is made with HEPA fabric or something like that) on the Shop Vac. If you have a "normal" filter on the shop vac it will blow all the fine dust, the kind that is harmful, back out all over your shop. With that filter, it will get trapped but the filter will require cleaning pretty often. The solution to that dilemma is a dust deputy. It will get almost everything, including most of the fine dust, and the filter cleaning won't be bad. I have that now and it works quite well. I also have an autostart switch on the shop vacuum,

If you do all that and still don't like the results - which I think is unlikely - then and only then I would look at an air filter. If you can catch the dust at the source, you should. That will be a lot more effective than letting it get blown around and trying to filter all the air.

[Chris Parks]

Is there a way to control the sawdust without breaking the bank?

How much are your're lungs worth? When you answer that question you can decide what to spend on a DE system. Ask anyone who has had to abandon WW either as a job or a hobby what they would spend if they had the time over again, that may be a good yardstick.

[Rich Riddle]

How much are your're lungs worth? When you answer that question you can decide what to spend on a DE system. Ask anyone who has had to abandon WW either as a job or a hobby what they would spend if they had the time over again, that may be a good yardstick.

Argumentum in terrorem also known as "appeal to fear" is a logical fallacy. You can find information here:

https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/...Appeal_to_Fear

Many of us own methods that don't break the bank but the better forum might be the workshop forum. The folks in there will offer insights at most cost levels.

[Allan Speers]

You are not going to collect all the dust if you use power tools. A shop vac doesn't move enough air to collect much of the sawdust at the source. I recommend you open the garage door fully and blow out the sawdust with a leaf blower after you finish woodworking. That's what I do to my dedicated woodshop with a full system 3 hp cyclone collector...(not every day but every time I do a thorough cleaning).

this is the absolute best, low cost advice, IMO.

I would add: Get a lightweight dust mask (some of them are incredibly small & light) and wear it whenever you work. Wear a shop apron, and shake it off outside after every session.

Getting a shop TRULY clean all the time can certainly be done, but it's quite difficult & expensive.

[Chris Parks]

Argumentum in terrorem also known as "appeal to fear" is a logical fallacy. You can find information here:

https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/...Appeal_to_Fear

Many of us own methods that don't break the bank but the better forum might be the workshop forum. The folks in there will offer insights at most cost levels.

I stand by the question, how much are your lungs worth?

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi David, I use an Oneida cyclone with HEPA filter for my basement shop and have an almost dustless shop.

The trick is to collect it at the source, so for your saw, you'll need above and below the table dust collection. The planer is simple, the band saw is more complex, mine required a high tech cardboard box with 4" hose secured by a bungee cord.

A shop vacuum is only suitable for collecting dust from items such as sanders, if it is a HEPA vacuum. (That doesn't mean HEPA filter, it means a vacuum certified as a HEPA unit to make sure it doesn't leak dust out of all the joints).

Most shops require require both a dust collector, and a HEPA vacuum for sanding and cleanup..................Regards, Rod.

[glenn bradley]

Is there a way to control the sawdust without breaking the bank?

How much are your're lungs worth? When you answer that question you can decide what to spend

Unfortunately too true. There are folks who work for years without good dust collection and only suffer the consequences later in life. Some of us are "lucky" and react sooner when we find ourselves at the doctor's office. I get to take medication every day for the rest of my life and would gladly have done more sooner in the DC department instead.

Putting "Clean Stream" or comparable filters on your vac is a first step; a separator would help keep the filter cleaner, longer. An ambient cleaner can be helpful as an add-on. A primary collector at the source of the spoil is pretty much a requirement. The variation in offerings is too wide to discuss this loosely but, I am sure there is a system that will fit your needs somewhere out there.

Make a list of your requirements; CFM for your worst offender, height restrictions, footprint available, budget and so forth. Armed with this list, narrow the field and then ask specifics about the two or three models you have chosen. The answers you get will be more specific and of greater value. Just as with cutting edges, cheaping-out on dust collection is a false economy; there's no real savings to going 60% of the way.