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What Are the Best Tips for Dust Collection in Woodworking?
Dust collection in woodworking is essential for creating a safe work environment in a workshop. Saws, drills, and other cutting tools will create sawdust that can get into a person's eyes and nasal passages, potentially causing respiratory problems and other medical issues. To start improving dust collection in woodworking, it is important to identify the tools that create a significant amount of sawdust and take note of where that sawdust tends to go during the cutting process. Some tools feature built-in dust collection systems, and a woodworker should take advantage of such systems whenever possible.
Adequate ventilation in the workshop space is perhaps the most important step in improving dust collection in woodworking. While an open window is a good start, it may not be sufficient to improve the air quality of the workspace. A window fan, ventilation system, or air transfer system can help improve air quality when a significant amount of cutting is being done. This will not usually reduce the amount of sawdust in the air, but it will allow for the delivery of fresh air when the internal air quality suffers.
Many cutting tools such as saws and routers feature built-in capabilities that make dust collection in woodworking possible. The dust collection system usually tacks on an extra charge to the initial purchase price of the tool, but the cost may be well worth the money if it prevents respiratory problems that can mean significant doctor's bills. Take advantage of such dust collection systems whenever possible, even if it means an extra charge. These systems will collect the dust from the blade and cutting surface before it has an opportunity to circulate into the air; once the sawdust is in the air, it will be exceptionally difficult to collect or eliminate.
Examine the current tools in the workshop to see if ways exist to improve dust collection in woodworking. Table saws, for example, are some of the most commonly used tools in a workshop, and they also create a significant amount of dust. Much of that dust shoots downward below the table, so placing a dust collection bin beneath the table can help prevent the spread of the fine particles. This will also make disposal of the particles much easier, which means less sweeping and vacuuming. Invest in a good shop vacuum that can handle the collection of this difficult material, and vacuum regularly, especially after a long session of woodworking.
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![A power sander, which is used for woodworking.]()
By: Negaro ImagingA power sander, which is used for woodworking. -
![A jointer with a dust collection system built in.]()
A jointer with a dust collection system built in.
Discussion Comments
@Emilski - I've heard the same types of stories, so maybe they aren't just urban legends.
I like to think that I have a pretty good shop dust collection system where I do my work. I've got a pretty high powered vacuum as well as a few windows and a large fan to keep the air circulating, but I still choose to use a dust mask most of the time when I am working.
No matter what size of vacuum you have, there are still a lot of particles that are too small to get sucked up, and those are the kind that get in your lungs and cause problems. Times when I've worked without a mask, I've noticed that my nose even gets clogged up with the sawdust, so there's no telling what makes it into your lungs. When you take the dust mask off after working, you can see a lot of sawdust that gets caught up in it, too. At least for me, that's enough for me to keep using masks.
Something else that should make everyone seriously consider getting a good wood dust collection system is the potential for fires to start. I have heard a couple stories about people who didn't have the right type of vacuuming equipment and ventilation that they needed, and it ended up starting fires.
I think a lot of times, it was because they hadn't cleaned up very well, and they might have had a little pile of sawdust laying around and then used something like a grinder that made sparks and caught the sawdust on fire.
I don't know how true some of the other stories are, but I've also heard about people who had a bunch of sawdust left in the air and used something that made a spark that ignited the sawdust that was in the air. Either way, I still think it's a good example of what can happen if you aren't careful.
@matthewc23 - I never thought about wood dust collection on the floor to the point where it made it a safety hazard. I have the coating stuff you are talking about, plus I just put a cheap little door mat at the base of my table saw and mitre saw just to be on the safe side.
I used to have a lot of problem getting rid of my sawdust, but I finally put an ad in the paper, and found a gardener who made her own compost and was willing to pay me to load the sawdust into garbage bags and take it to her. She was telling me, though, that she can't use any sawdust from walnut wood, because it has some sort of chemical in it that kills plants, so keep that in mind.
The other thing you might be able to do if you live near a forest or woodlot or something is just sprinkle the sawdust on the ground, and it should decompose just fine. Just make sure the wood isn't treated with any chemicals.
I will second about using a shop vac to clean up any time you have been working for a while. At least in my shop, I have a concrete floor, and once the sawdust starts to collect in a thin layer on it, it starts to feel like an ice rink. I have some of the garage type non-slip coating that I keep meaning to put on it, but I just haven't gotten around to it.
One of the problems I always have is finding somewhere to get rid of the sawdust after I have vacuumed it up. Does anyone have any suggestions about different things you can do with it? I have used it a couple of time to mix in with plants, but neither my wife nor I do any gardening really, so we don't really have a huge use for it.
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