Dust collection filters ensure that your shop
is free of messy and potentially dangerous dust,
dust that may collect on surfaces and pose a
lasting health risk to anyone working nearby.
While professional wood working shops feature
dust collection systems as a matter of necessity,
many amateur woodworkers decide not to install
such a system in order to save money. If you
are operating two or more stationary machines,
however, installing a good dust filtration system
can actually save you money by allowing you to
work more efficiently and keeping your shop environment
clean.
What
wood dust does to machines… and
to the people who use them
Wood dust is the enemy of all wood workers because
it can damage machinery. It is important to remove
the wood dust from your router or table saw (as
well as many other machines) before it builds
up around crucial parts such as motors, shafts,
or tool chucks. Accumulated wood dust on any
of these parts reduces the efficiency of the
machine, and will eventually lead to tool failure,
since the tool will have to work harder and will
generate more heat. Many types of dust can also
be harmful to your health, particularly manufactured
wood that uses chemical glues and resins.
Effective saw dust extraction is a must
Because of the risks to both machines and their
operators it is important to make saw dust extraction
a priority in your shop environment. Most manufacturers
of dust collection equipment can guide you through
the design of a system for your shop that will
remove all of the dust from your machines. These
systems are generally based on the number of
simultaneous operations, so if you have a very
small home based woodshop you do not have to
pay for dust collection capacity you do not need.
Finding dust collector plans for your shop
There
are many ways to design your own dust collection
system. One of the best ways to get plans for
a system for your shop is to visit dust collection
system manufacturers' web sites; many of these
sits offer planning tools that will help you
create your own dust collector plans and will
show you how much your system will cost. Thus
these web sites offer true "one
stop shopping" for dust collection filters.
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