Shavings

[Chippygeoff]

Hi Everyone.

Its me again with another question I would like to put to the members but its an unusual request. As many of you know I am soon going to move my workshop into the second bedroom of my bungalow and will take the usual precautions of sealing the door opening as much as possible. I am going to get a Cam Vac dust extractor and a Jet air filter before operations commence. I posted question a few days ago under the title 'Dust Extractor' and received a lot of advice, especially from Chipmunk.

In the old workshop during the course of a days wood turning I may well have to shovel up the shavings into rubbish bags three or four times. I have found when using such tools as the roughing gouge, bowl gouge and spindle gouge the shavings go everywhere and in two main directions depending if I am using the tool left handed or right handed and as a result the shelves and table near the lathe and also the band saw which is 4ft away from the lathe get covered in shavings and items on the table and shelves get buried and then its a matter of finding items by feel, you probably know what I mean. When I move into the new workshop I will have a lot more room but even so I would like to contain the shavings as much as possible and was wondering how to overcome this. My immediate thoughts went to using a shower curtain hung immediately behind where i would be standing at the lathe, can anyone come up with a better solution. The way I see the operation working is that the dust extractor will be mainly employed when I am sanding pieces on the lathe and I would fit a funnel type device to the end of the 2-5inch hose which would be placed near the head stock and with the air filter going as well I am hoping to keep the place more or less dust free. I will still bag up the shavings on a regular basis using a dustpan and at the end of each day go round with the floor cleaning kit attached to the dust extractor. I want to avoid as much as possible walking the shavings all over the bungalow and getting shavings on the shelving and work surfaces i will have in the new workshop. Many thanks everyone.

Geoff.

 

[CHJ]

A couple of observations based on my own experience, and that is from one who is very sensitive to wood dust.

A 2-1/2" extraction hose is not going to move enough volume of air from around the chuck area to remove the dust laden air that is being thrown around the periphery of the work.

I have a short run 100mm hose system with a modified chip extractor with minimum air flow restrictions dumping air outside with a work area hood to help entrain the dust, the suction/flow is such that it will partially collapse the hose if a window is not open. And dust is still visible on adjacent surfaces after a turning session. The shed also has an 9" extractor clearing the ambient air to outside.

Shavings, 80% have a life of their own and go everywhere.

As for a blocking curtain, If you have sufficient air flow in a small room to remove the dust created then you will end up with the curtain wrapped around you by the airflow.

Any curtain behind you is going to increase your exposure to dust thrown in your direction from the machine because you are restricting the clean air flow from behind you towards the extraction.

 

[chipmunk]

Hi Geoff,
I agree with Chas that in reality the 2.5" hose won't collect all of the dust all of the time but since I think you are only intending to use the Canvac when sanding I think that that and the air filter will capture most of the very finest airborne dust eventually. If you are careful and are prepared to re-site the dust ex inlet close to the sanding you are doing you can direct the dust directly into the nozzle most of the time anyway.

I don't see a huge problem with the curtain idea especially if you can weight the bottom of it well (folded pieces of lead flashing pop-rivetted through the bottom of the curtain might work) to stop it being sucked in too easily when the dust ex is on and the air is flowing. You could perhaps have the bottom well off the floor - say finish it halfway between lathe bed and floor. That way the "fliers" will hit it and fall down to the floor but there'll be plenty of space underneath for the air to flow. The other way would be to have it weighted near the floor and have a large gap over the top. This second idea would have the advantage that fresh air from the dust ex will have to go over the top past your face to get to the dust ex inlet but it may not catch all the more lively "fliers".

Hope this helps
Jon

 

[drillbit]

Hi Chippy - I have the same issues as you, working in an inside room.

I would think a curtain would soon get dusty, and stained with lathe polish.

Personally, if you can do it, I would say make yourself a decent ply screen to go at sides, and at back if necessary. That is what I plan to do as soon as I have a moment.

It would obviously be worth getting a decent doormat to put by your bedroom door, so you can wipe off any shavings. Also, a smock you can take off before going out would help.

 

[duncanh]

I use a large piece of blue plastic tarpaulin hung around 3 sides of the lathe and going behind me but usually only when working on something that produces a lot of shavings - usually wet turning. If you arrange it you can have the sheet hanging into the bin saving you some clearing up.
I also try to direct shavings straight into the bin by the way I hold the tool or by putting a finger in the flight path of the chips. My lathe stand is such that I can put the bin directly underneath or to one side.

I have a Camvac with 2.5" hose and find that it's not great at collecting all sanding dust when the piece has large diameter.
This is backed up with a Microclene and I always wear a JSP Powercap.

I don't think there's an ideal single solution - you have to use a combination of methods.

Duncan

 

[Chippygeoff]

Hi Everyone. Just finished work for the day in the turnery. I would really like to thank everyone who replied for the advice given. I am going to take every precaution I can and then I will just have to experiment with various things until i reach a happy medium. I am quite confident I will have as clean a workshop as it is possible to get without shavings and dust getting through to the rest of my bungalow. It will be trial and error for a while. I like the idea of the tarpaulin and the bin. Thanks again to everyone who replied.

Geoff