[tINO]

I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right catagory. As a new power carver I am intrested in everyone's dust collection methods.

I plan to carve on PVC sooner or later (hopfully sooner) and I know that dust is extremly harmful.

Would you share you dust collection thoughts with me.

Thanks
Tino

[Dull Knife]

Originally Posted by tINO

I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right catagory. As a new power carver I am intrested in everyone's dust collection methods.

I plan to carve on PVC sooner or later (hopfully sooner) and I know that dust is extremly harmful.

Would you share you dust collection thoughts with me.

Thanks
Tino

Is PVC the same as the white plastic pipe that plumbers use??? If so, you might want to check out the article in the last issue of Wood Carving Illustrated, there was a guy doing just what you are going to do.....check with him about what you'll need for dust removal.

[Ashbys]

Power carvers use a lot of different system ,

since your mainly interested in the system of other power carvers I think this will serve you better.

Ash

[tINO]

Dull knife

I got the idea from that article..his name is Chuck Coker... only I want to use those white cutting boards you can get real cheap and much easier to find.

[Thomp]

dont know if your electronical inclined or not but i seen a lot of these clothing dryer motors and blowers made into some fine power carving dust extractors, i recently seen one in a magizine, i dont know which one with all the new back issues i came up with recently,
but this time of year them 110 volt window airconditioners compressors are going out of service all over the place,
and there dandy for making a dust extractor,

ill keep an eye out for the articals

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Oh...on the main page it said "show your dust collection!" didn't see the "system" part of it! I HAVE been showing my dust collection, but my wife keeps saying "sweep it!!" LOL I agree that a good dust collection should be flaunted

[susieq]

Hi Tino,
Your dust collector will probably depend a lot on your carving set up. Do you have a dedicated area for carving, like a shop or back room off the garage, or do you have to use a corner of the garage and clean up all the stuff every time so you can put the car back in. (my husband keeps telling me that garages were not for cars, they are for tools :0 )

Even if you have a good dust collector, plan on wearing a mask. I don't know of any dust collector that gets it all and a mask is a good backup. I am fond of a lightweight cloth fiber mask made by "Dust Bee Gone". You can google them and find their site. I have had one of their masks for 8 or 10 years and finally broke down recently and bought a new one. They are washable and last a long time. There is nothing wrong with my old one except that I wished I had gotten a different size. They will customize one for your face at no extra charge. They are light weight, comfortable and don't fog your glasses/eyeprotection while you breath. What ever you get, use it.......

Back to the dust collector, there are plans for building your own, there are the noisy (deafening) ones from the big box stores. The ones with a bag on bottom and on top. I have a little model that hangs under my work table and is fairly quiet. It is basically a small, powerful squirrel cage fan with a dust collector bag on it. Sealed bearings, a real little workhorse that is made to run and run and run. It is called an "IN Lap" because it comes with a lap board attached to the business end of the hose. The board has some small grid hardware cloth over the opening so you can't drop a carving down into it accidently and it can rest in your lap while you work. My lap board is mounted to the bottom edge of my work table and slides out for use, then back in when not in use....like a computer keyboard on a desk. I have had my dust collector for about 8 or so years (I lose track of time but it's been a while) and never had a problem with it. It comes with an extra cloth bag too. They ran about $300. + the last time I looked but I think they are worth it.

One more thing you should consider as a power carver, ear protection. Those Dremels and Foredoms are loud enough that you should wear something to protect your ears. I wear ear protection to vacuum my floors and the vacuum is louder than the power carving tools but you sit and carve for 3 or 4 hours and that can't be good for your ears. They make some real comfortable ear protection these days too. Little ear buds on a thin plastic head band...looks like Ipod earphones and cost about $5.00, light weight and very effective. Regarding safety things like masks and ear protection.....if they are not comfortable, you will find your self not using them, so invest in comfortable and be safe.

I have probably rambled on long enough so I wish you good luck in your choices.

[TotemWood Tommy]

I simply took my overhead dust collector box down from overhead, placed it on my oversized carving bench when I shifted to power carving and wallah!

I also use a Dust B Gone and have shifted away from my other helmet/filter on belt arrangement I once used for lathe. Easier, simpler, I like it in combo with the dust box...

The door to my shop has been replaced with multiple layers of cloth, stapled to a piece of wood at bottom for weight so that I can push on one side to go in, and the other to go out as a curtain of sorts that remains in contact with the floor. <shrug>

I'm cheap, and have invested enough shifting to power... ;-)

Best,

-Tommy...

[tINO]

Thanks everyone for your tips & advise.

Susieq yes I have a dedicated shop. Its 20ft by 40ft long. I have rollup garage doors at each end. I have a water cooler mounted on the west wall.
I can open both doors & get a good breez through there.

I found one of those dust collectors with a bag on top and a bag on the bottom at my local flee mart for $50. The unit looks like it had about 2 hours use on it. It takes a 4" hose. I have a dedicated carving station & I want to build a dust collector on the table. I will post pictures when I get it all set up.

Thanks again for everyone's thoughts & advise.

NOW IF I CAN ONLY LEARN TO CARVE AS NICE AS YOU GUYS.

[slather]

tINO , Your Shop sounds like it is one we all would like to have , boy could we ever get a lot of "have to have tools and equipment " in there,. Here I have a 28 x24 foot garage and work on a short secsion of a 4ft. wide wood bench that hasnt got some thing piled on it that I absolutely had to have.
getting back to the question , I bought a dust collector from Hardour Freight in Yuma when it went on sale (single bag) brought it home here and at first had it mounted on the bench and all plumbed in to the different tools and gismos around here and exhausted through the wall with a drier vent diflected into a rain barrel. worked great but the noise level was altho not loud was earatateing so i moved the unit out side and mounted it on a rubber base to the wall and built in the top and sides to match the back wall and left the bottom open with a cone into the barrel . now all i hear is the suction .Also built a prototype lap box that seems to work well out of a kitty litter box with a plywood top with 1\4 " hole drilled into it.am thinking that if I put a four sided ventura inside the box I could increase the suction a lot but am a little worred about the noise level. will have to try it I guess and see what happens, will let you know when I "get er done"
Al
http://picasaweb.google.com/al.hillis/WOODCARVINGSMINE