Downdraft Table question

[T3pipes]

I did not realize the value of a good dust collection, and really need something better. Is a Downdraft Table worth buying/making, or does the surface area make one impractical without a high powered sucker.

[KurtHuhn]

If you want a downdraft table, and already have a dust collector, it's more cost effective to build one than it is to buy one. They are great for when you want to power sand boards, boxes, flat areas, etc - or when you're doing lots of fine dremel or router work.

However, if pipe making is more your activity, and you're using a grinder of some kind or are power sanding with a French wheel setup, you're really going to want a dust collector and one of the "dust collector accessory sets" that Rockler and Woodcraft sell.

In this photo the wheel is center-right, and the belt grinder is in the center. There are two flanges fastened to the table below the machines right where the bulk of the dust is propelled. The flanges are quick-disconnect style, and I simply move the hose from one flange to another when I'm ready to use the next machine.


There are other ways to do it too. Take a look at the sites of other pipe makers, Todd Johnson, Jeff Gracik, Brad Pohlmann, etc. Everyone has a different way of reaching the end result, but largely it involves a dust collector, dust collector hose, perhaps some PVC drainpipe, and some ingenuity.

[T3pipes]

Thanks Kurt. Sounds like for my application, it would not be worth the trouble of doing.

Currently I am using a shop vac attached to a cardboard box i build around my sanding disk. Definitely time to improve the system, and I want to explore the different possibilities while I'm in a "briar lull"

[KurtHuhn]

Invest in a dust collector. You'll be amazed at the difference in air movement. I used a shop vac for a couple years, but the dust collector is a hundred times better.

[SimeonTurner]

Agreed. A good DC is a million times better than just a shop vac.

[Sasquatch]

Very worthwhile to have an ambient air cleaner too. This is just a box that hangs from the ceiling and pulls air through a filter. Mine will clean the air in my garage completely in about 10 minutes.

[Alan L]

Very worthwhile to have an ambient air cleaner too. This is just a box that hangs from the ceiling and pulls air through a filter. Mine will clean the air in my garage completely in about 10 minutes.

+1 on that. Mine catches the really fine stuff that would otherwise be floating around for days. I have the JDS-750 with electrostatic prefilters. Jet makes a similar one, and the filter bags are interchangeable between the two brands.

[KurtHuhn]

I use a box fan with a household forced air system filter on it. I think the fan cost me $10 at the local Job Lots or Big Lots. It's no electrostatic filter system, and believe me those are really preferable, but it works on a budget.

[Tano]

Sasquatch,
Which ambient air cleaner did you buy? My garage is long and rectangular. All stations are located in the back 2\3. Where would you suggest it be hung and which way should the filter point?

[Sasquatch]

I bought something called the Workshop Microdust System from Lee Valley. They no longer stock it.

General and Delta both make a similar (or identical) unit. You could probably find one at Busy Bee or somewhere (Pro Tool seems to be no more). Maybe Home Depot but I doubt it.

This kind of thing here for example:

http://www.toolbarn.com/delta-50-875.html

They are just a turbine fan at the back, a filter (replaceable) on the front, and a microfilter bag (washable) inside the box.

I think the ideal location is reasonably close to dust generating stations, but there is enough air out the backside that you don't want it blowing in your face. Mine is in the middle of the shop, more or less, basically directly over the extension table on the table saw, and it is mounted with the filter side toward the back of the saw, so to speak.

Mounting them such that they don't blow standing dust around is the real key - you can't have them ported toward the workbench! But they do a fantastic job of keeping the dust out of the air, which also means less in the way of cleanup.

[giospro]

what kind of dust collector would you recommend doing pipes to plain woodworking, right now i have a shop-vac, just need something better.

Thanks.

[smokindawg]

I too have a decent dust collector system and wouldn't be without one, now that I've learned the benefits. Also, as said, everyone has their preferences when it comes to hooking their tools up. I have several shut off points so that I can turn off the system to the tools I'm not using, increasing suction to the tools I am using.

One tip I'd give, and it comes from my own experiences, put a piece of mesh on top of the pick up points where you'll be buffing or sanding with a disc. I almost lost a pipe one time, luckily it had the stem on it and it caught sideways in the ridges of the pipe and didn't make it out of reach. Might keep you from having to disassemble your ducting to find the pipe.

I did make a down draft table to use when using the dremel to do rustication and fine shaping spots I can't get to with the sanding disc. It works pretty good and isn't very big, so doesn't take up much room. You'll definitely want a shut off on this one.





I used the hoses from old washing machines to hook up the disc sander and the small belt sander. They are adequate, but I want to work on something else better when I get a chance.