Aeronautical engineer needed

Re: Here's my wing

John C Lucas

Yea i dont plan on picking up shavings, that what a.broom is for. Just trying to keep the dust out of my nose as best i can

Re: Here's my wing

Tom Gall

Right, John…..no chips/shavings going in the DC bag. I have an old (31 yrs.)

non-cyclone DC so I don't want shavings filling my bag causing more frequent emptying. I even installed some aluminum channel (2 sides) to the front of my 6"x12" rectangular HVAC fitting to drop in a barrier piece of hardware cloth (½") that is folded over on the top to make it removable. This catches any shavings (and errant pieces of sandpaper or finishing/polishing cloths ) and makes it simple to remove them.

I remember you posted a photo of your new shop and DC a while ago, but I don't recall your piping set-up. I think if you increase your 4" drop to a 6" (or whatever size your main line is) you will get a lot more air movement to collect all that dust. It might take an extra fitting or two and a larger diameter hose…..plus some labor, but,if you are willing I think you will like the results!

Re: Here's my wing

john lucas

Tom I have 6" all the way up until the actual drop to the machine. Then I went to 4" metal and then a 5' piece of flexible rubber pipe to allow me to move it around as needed. Since I don't turn much green wood the larger shavings aren't a problem and they usually fly up and to my left for most cuts so they simply miss the dust collector.

Re: Here's my wing

Dave Delo

John,

I think your 6" to 4" to 5" might be part of the problem for optimum air flow velocity at the machine port. Think you would have better results with 6/5/4 or a straight 6/5 or 6/4. IMO your losing a lot with increasing diameter from 4" to 5".

Re: Here's my wing

Tom Gall

John, I rarely turn green wood either. But, turning dry wood still produces shavings (especially those fine angel hair kind) AND dust. The hardware cloth allows the dust collection and blocks the shavings from entering the DC. When enough shavings collect on the opening it's a simple task to just grab a handful and throw them on the floor to sweep up later. If you are so inclined to do so.

I still think you will pull a lot more air if you change to a 6" drop at the lathe.

Re: Fan blade

mikeee12345

A bell shaped collector??? maybe you could find someone with a lathe and have

one turned. :-)

Re: Aeronautical engineer needed

Peter Toch

I too am plagued by sanding dust and have come up with a "think outside the box" solution. I often thought about moving to a place like Aruba where there is a constant trade wind of several miles per hour and always in the same direction. I would build my shop (studio for those who prefer the more elegant perspective) on a cliff over looking the ocean on the leeward side of the island . The orientation of my shop would be aligned with the wind and it would have a large roll up door on each end. Whenever I would do sanding, I would simply open both roll up doors and let the trade winds blow through my shop/studio and carry the dust out to it's final destination in the sea. And the nice part is there are no nasty dust collection bags to empty.

Okay, now let's get real!

After reading through this thread I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the solution that Reed Gray (aka Robo Hippy) has devised. He uses a 55 gal. plastic drum that he has modified as his shroud around the work piece to which he which he connects his dust collection hose. Suggest folks go to Robo Hippy's videos about sanding on YouTube to see his design.

Re: Here's my wing

Dennis in Southern Oregon

Actually, the best choice of pipe size depends on where you want to maximize the air velocity. If you want the maximize air velocity in the air entering the collecting hood, you want to use as large a line as possible to the dust collector, with a smooth transition between the exit port of the hood and the dust line. This minimizes the loss of suction in the line. However, in practice, this would make the air velocity in the dust line very low, leading to possible dust accumulation and eventual plugging of the line. This why a well-designed dust system often has a variety of pipe sizes, depending on on the needs of the each collection station and which ones will operate simultaneously.