Shop mods

Kev

Well-Known Member
My effective shop space got reduced, but my wall space doubled. With the reduction in size I have to down size the “enclosure” that I use to help contain dust and sparks from my 2x72. We have a Harbor Freight dust collector that I can rig up to help with dust, but I’m concerned about sparks. Any suggestions on how to make all this work?
 
It's hard to know what to suggest without knowing more about your equipment layout and what kind of dust collection system you have in mind. The one universal caution is to be very very careful with sparks from your grinder entering the dust collector. There are lots of posting on KD about dust collection.
 
I hooked mine up about a month ago... I mounted the dust collector under my grinding bench (2x72, disc grinder, and 2x72 horizontal grinder), drilled a hole for the hose to come up through my bench, and attached a Loc Line hose to move around to different machines. i then put a dryer vent in through the wall and vent the dust outside to my backyard. So far so good and it sure has helped keep my shop less dusty!
 
What I plan to do when I set up dust collection for my metal working stuff is to bubble all of the air through a tank of water (probably a fish tank so I can see how much crud is getting caught. Basically filter the metal dust out of the air like an oil bath air filter on an old engine.

You need a lot of static suction. Dust collectors are high volume low suction. Shop Vacs are low volume, high suction.

You may have to come up with a custom solution. What I plan to do is run multiple blowers in series to increase the static suction.

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I hooked mine up about a month ago... I mounted the dust collector under my grinding bench (2x72, disc grinder, and 2x72 horizontal grinder), drilled a hole for the hose to come up through my bench, and attached a Loc Line hose to move around to different machines. i then put a dryer vent in through the wall and vent the dust outside to my backyard. So far so good and it sure has helped keep my shop less dusty!

I bet it works great. Probably a TON less airborne dust, too.

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Before I saw the video I assumed it would have a fan to suck the dust in, with a electrocmagnet to capture the steel. Wouldn't work with non ferr metal though.
 
What I plan to do when I set up dust collection for my metal working stuff is to bubble all of the air through a tank of water (probably a fish tank so I can see how much crud is getting caught. Basically filter the metal dust out of the air like an oil bath air filter on an old engine.

You need a lot of static suction. Dust collectors are high volume low suction. Shop Vacs are low volume, high suction.

You may have to come up with a custom solution. What I plan to do is run multiple blowers in series to increase the static suction.

Sent from my Champion Forge using Tapatalk
Great idea. Like a beer tank valve that lets the gas escape. Maybe you could try a system like you get on rapid wine decanters. Where you have the wine traveling fast down a centre column with the air coming in one two sides via drill holes. So run water constantly into the main chamber and suck the dirty air via holes around the lower part of the "decanter"



If you add a circular pump that pumps the water that flows into the bottom back into the top that should suck the air in and create a strong vaccuum. The metal would collect in the water, but you could add mechanical filters at the point where the water flows down. The small decanters pull air in from gravity alone, if you add a pump and larger or more numerous holes feeding from a large pipe it might work and give a lot more suction, also nothing to stop you adding a air pump in an extended pipe that feeds from there air gap between the water pouring and the draining tank to increase the air suction, if that works you might only need the air pump then, or you might be able to run it just with the water pump which would be much quieter. Maybe add some waterpproof electro magnets arround the water intake.
 

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Like this. You could even stop the water pump let the dust dry then run the vacuum to suck up all the dust after it has dried. Maybe add a U bend between the air inlet and the vaccuum pump and the water pump. (the air being a toilet water trap, the water one using gravity to let the iron fall to the bottom as you suck water from the top.
 

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Like this. You could even stop the water pump let the dust dry then run the vacuum to suck up all the dust after it has dried. Maybe add a U bend between the air inlet and the vaccuum pump and the water pump. (the air being a toilet water trap, the water one using gravity to let the iron fall to the bottom as you suck water from the top.
I like this idea.

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I like this idea.

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Thought about it overnight. No water pump just a hose attached to a tap. Have the fluid drain into the mains drain out the bottom container. You remove all the dust straight down into the sewers. No cleanup required. The above diagram is useful however if you want to re-use the iron filings for metal powder. If so add a permanent magnet outside the U bend going to the water pump. For the air pump setup a carpet cleaning vax or other water air suckable unit. (just in case some water gets in)

To release the metal pull off the magnet from the outside. Unscrew the u bend. (if you dont do the dump to drains setup)

Feel free it make it. I think I will when I setup my shop. Just give me some credit in a vid iif you do! (attribution license) Heck this might even work for normal dust collection, as the water will trap and carry the dirt away to the mains drains. As the filter is water no mechanical filters to cleanup other than any that find the way to the vax. (which are designed to just be rinsed out) But I think sawdust would clog it. Would work better for iron dust.
 

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My effective shop space got reduced, but my wall space doubled. With the reduction in size I have to down size the “enclosure” that I use to help contain dust and sparks from my 2x72. We have a Harbor Freight dust collector that I can rig up to help with dust, but I’m concerned about sparks. Any suggestions on how to make all this work?
Or... just have a vax under the inlet with a water spray...
 
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