Dust Extraction

[morpheus83uk]

Hello,

I was at the Harrogate Show a few weeks back and I was looking at dust extractors. The guy at Lumberjack Tools was pointing me to their 1200 drum extractor and away from the larger bag / filter. He was telling me not to waste my money with the larger extractor as the suction would be better and the drum extractor and better for a lathe.

I was also looking at the Charnwood W796 professional extractor so I could run it all day with the 1 micron cartridge filter.

What would you guys recommend and why?

I would have thought that the larger charnwood would be better for the fine particles when sanding and the drum would be better for things like when using a thicknesser and chip collection. I could be completely wrong though! Hence asking the experts!

Thanks

James

[Twisted Trees]

A big consideration on the Charnwood and probably others as well is can you lift and empty the drum? what makes the suction is the motors and on the Charnwood the same suction option is available on all sizes, so balance the size of drum against the quantity of shavings and what you can actually lift to empty.

[morpheus83uk]

Ahhh ok so if I can lift the shavings on the charnwood bag when full then the suction would effectively be the same or better but not worse?

I was also thinking of potentially a cyclone as I believe they keep the filter happier for longer as well as the impeller as it's not getting hit by chippings that are going in there as they would be filtered out by the cyclone. If this is correct does anyone recommend any cyclones which would be suitable?

My other question is does CFM matter? As looking at both the charnwood and the lumberjack the CFM is much larger on the Charnwood so I would have thought its better as it's moving more air so able to collect more dust / shavings?

Thanks

James

[Twisted Trees]

Sorry on my last answer I was thinking of the CamVac as the alternative not the Charnwood!

There are 2 varieties HPLV HVLP

High Pressure Low Volume is the extended vacuum cleaner style extractors
High Volume Low Pressure is the Chip extractor style

Just to add to the confusion there is also the air filter option e.g. the Record Power AC400

In the main the HPLV is the easiest to use, as it can be used with any size hose, and reducing the hose just increases the suction, while the HVLP requires that the hose is the same end to end.

If you are going for the cyclone route then that would work best with a high pressure system, would not be much benefit on the Charnwood low pressure and may even make it ineffective. 

In my experience the most important factor is noise if it is too noisy you will be less inclined to turn it on.

Sorry no easy answers for you, I have a system that is in an external shed runs through ducting and uses a 6" input cyclone to dump shavings and dust direct into a garden waste bin I also have a large capacity Jet Air Filter and the system really doesn't do a very efficient job. Go to commercial premises with commercial level dust extraction and there are piles of sawdust in every nook and cranny.

So whatever you choose view it as a helper and still protect your lungs with a mask or personal air filter.     

[Paul Hannaby]

I have a 4" cyclone in line with my 4" chip extractor and it works just fine. Nothing finds its way into the extractor bag. Many of the commercial cyclone systems are combined with HVLP systems.

[Bill21]

I’ve got a Record Power RSDE/1 but no longer use it as it’s so noisy. I replaced it with a Nilfisk shop vac, but I also use the RP AC400.
Much depends on the amount of shavings you expect to produce which for me as an amateur turner isn’t a great deal. Like many others I’ve read about, I sweep up the majority of shavings and only use the shop vac for sanding and final clean up.

[Wood spinner]

The HSE don't like sweeping as it puts lots  of fine dust into the air.

[Bill21]

For a working environment I can see that, makes sense. For relatively small amounts of shavings in my shed with a smooth floor I don’t see it as an issue.

[BrianH]

During my journey as a  woody journo HSE kindly supplied me with a forest sized raft of bumf on this subject and, it turns out, every bit of research has been garnered within a sealed, factory environment with workers doing 8 hour stretches of exposure 5/6 days a week. When I pressed them about a man turning in a shed or garage for 2 hours, once a fortnight I was told they had NO knowledge on the subject and to attempt to extrapolate downwards would be, at best, misleading and downright pointless.
Make what you will of these 'horses mouth' facts before making your own decision on precautions to be taken because there's a lot of self-appointed ... but ill informed... experts out there!!
Have a happy.... and safe.... New Ear everybody
Brian

[Wood spinner]

For a working environment I can see that, makes sense. For relatively small amounts of shavings in my shed with a smooth floor I don’t see it as an issue.

It's not the shavings that cause the problems it's the fine dust in the air you inhale into the lungs that does the damage, I looks after my lungs and use everthing I can to avoid dust.

[Bill21]

It's not the shavings that cause the problems it's the fine dust in the air you inhale into the lungs that does the damage, I looks after my lungs and use everthing I can to avoid dust.

I think we’re all aware of that, but my comment remains, sweeping a small amount of shavings with a little dust in it into a bin is low risk in my environment. Much of the actual dust remains on the floor and gets sucked up with the shop vac

I’ve seen many professionals and demonstrators turning without a mask and suspect they’re inhaling more dust than I do with my small amount of sweepings.

If a piece of wood is generating dust during turning then I will wear a mask at this stage, especially if its Yew or Laburnum.

[Wood spinner]

It's not the shavings that cause the problems it's the fine dust in the air you inhale into the lungs that does the damage, I looks after my lungs and use everthing I can to avoid dust.

I think we’re all aware of that, but my comment remains, sweeping a small amount of shavings with a little dust in it into a bin is low risk in my environment. Much of the actual dust remains on the floor and gets sucked up with the shop vac

I’ve seen many professionals and demonstrators turning without a mask and suspect they’re inhaling more dust than I do with my small amount of sweepings.

If a piece of wood is generating dust during turning then I will wear a mask at this stage, especially if its Yew or Laburnum.
[/quote

Please do what you want , Good luck with your personal choices.

[David1942]

I am considering theRP Cam Vac for turning, mainly spindle and small bowls etc 8" max and only for sanding.  I have the Herald lathe.  Does anyone have the CamVac for similar use?  Will I need one or two motors?  Your advice would be most appreciated.

[seventhdevil]

when purchasing an extractor you need to look at one thing and one thing only.

volume of airflow per hour.

nothing else...

[cpw01]

Hi David
You do not seem to have had much advice. I have had a Camvac for over 10 years and would recommend it. We have recently bought several for our club’s workshop, one per lathe.
If as you say you only need it for sanding, then the smallest with one motor is adequate in my opinion. Each motor draws a kilowatt so if you go for two you may need to consider your power supply rating with the lathe running as well.
With only sanding you will need to clean off the filter bags long before you get much in the drum. If you don’t do this the suction of the inner bag breaks the webbing on the plastic cage.
By putting a pipe on the exhaust, you can reduce the noise considerably. You can pipe it outside or as I do in cold weather direct it to my feet as it produces hot air.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Colin