Show me your dust collection system

Lore

Lore

Member
I really need to get a dust collection system. Are the HF models any good? Show me some pics!
 
I purchase cheap industrial Wet & Dry vacuums and hook them up to those square funnels for getting grit below my grinders etc.
The most important thing is for you to wear a good respirator and eye protection at all times in the work area.
 
I hesitate to show pictures for fear someone may copy my set up and burn their shop down. Fire is a very real possibility, and should not be taken lightly. I have several smoke alarms to give me warning if anything goes wrong. I also have several fire extinguishers.
You will notice in the pictures that I use 4" pvc plastic pipe for the duct work. I have a grounded copper wire running through the pipe.
Under each grinder is a T fitting, with a cleanout at the bottom. Most of the heavy sparks go straight down and don't get to the vacuum.
I use a 2hp vacuum from Grizzley. The vacuum is located outside. You can notice in the picture that there is a vertical pipe that goes up the wall. It goes over the wall and down to the outside vacuum. The vertical pipe also has a cleanout on the bottom.
Blade steel like CPM 154Cm which I use a lot of, doesn't create a lot of sparks like 5168, W-2, 1084, etc. will. I do all the heavy grinding on the grinder on the left side of the pictures, and by the time the sparks get to the vacuum they have lost their fire.
I have used this setup for 20 plus years with no problem.
Just because my setup doesn't start a fire doesn't mean someone else's won't.
 

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My work area is outdoors, I usually sweep up everyday before throwing a tarp over everything. If it was indoors, I would have Ridgid shop vac, and Oneida dust deputy to separate majority of the dust. Keeping in mind not to mix certain dusts i.e. aluminum and steel.
 
Mudman said:
My work area is outdoors, I usually sweep up everyday before throwing a tarp over everything. If it was indoors, I would have Ridgid shop vac, and Oneida dust deputy to separate majority of the dust. Keeping in mind not to mix certain dusts i.e. aluminum and steel.
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Mudman, You just touched on what I didn't remember to post to our new pal, Lore.
Never grind Steel and then Aluminum. Ever hear of Thermite? its Aluminum & steel dust and burns hotter than hell and water won't put it out. From a few of our active demolition/Bomb disposal soldiers here they said its hard to set off with just sparks,, but there is always a first time. I did manage to start a fire in my vac system years ago by working a bunch of Ironwood for handles and then grinding carbon Damascus. There were a few intense moments as I ran for the fire extinguisher! Always have at least TWO of them in your shop.

Have fun!
 
There was a time when I had a complete "dust collector system" in my finish shop.....until one day I had just finished an ironwood handle for a bowie, and immediately following, went to work on a Ti folder frame....at the time the vaccum portion of the dust collector was located in an enclosure on the outside, of the south wall of my shop. I glanced up from the grinder, and notice smoke out the shop window. I about busted down the door getting out there, and by the time I threw open the door on the enclosure, there was NOTHING left of the dust collector. After running for the hose, and about 10mins of dousing everything down, the fire was out. Between the collector and the running the PVC ducting, I'd put about $2,200 into that system.....and in a "DUH" moment, I not only lost the dust collector, but almost the whole shop too! Moral of the story: In my opinion, a commercial dust collection system has no place in a knifemaking shop. (I'd rather have folks learn from my mistakes....then making the same one(s)

Since averting that "wreck", I installed a homemade "dust sucker" which I built from plywood, and an old 1/2hp furnace blower. It has four disposable furance filters in each side, and works as good, or better then the commercial dust collector.





It hangs in the middle of the shop ceiling.

Another "prong" of my dust collection are simple 5 gallon buckets under the grinders....



If you noticed in the pic, there is a vaccum nozzle right above the bucket on the left....that nozzle goes into a 5 gallon bucket which has about 2" of water in the bottom, and out of that bucket, and into a 5 gal shop vac. The ONLY time that the shop-vac get turned on is when I'm grinding woods, or non-metalic items. The buckets under the grinders catch about 80% of stuff that would otherwise get spread around the shop.
 
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I am totally, totally with Ed on the "No woodworking dust evac system in a knife shop". If you're building furniture you're not going to make any sparks to cause ignition, supposedly - but after seeing multiple woodworkers have a total loss of the shop and in one case the shop and part of their residence due to evacuation system mishaps I'm leaning that a little dust is better than a fire.

I'm in the process of framing in a "dirty room" to do the grinding and buffing in - the drill and mill will remain in the shop proper, but I figure that if I can keep it contained in a small area I can live with the swarf. I grind into a bucket of water oftentimes myself and have a religious firewatch after I shut down for the day. Also, there's a tall section of roofing steel behind my KMG for the sparks to ricochet off, and when I build a proper shop (home?) in the next few years my work area is going to be entirely CONCRETE and steel, from the floor to the ceiling.
 
Well, I guess it was a bad idea for me to post the pictures. The person who started this thread asked for pictures, and when no one answered, I thought I would try to help out. Sorry.
 
Heres mine, low tech spark diverters and harbor freight funnel tank.


[video=youtube;vsqhb7kbwZE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsqhb7kbwZE&feature=youtu.be[/video]



 
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Tom,
Nothing to be sorry about. We are all just trying to help each other learn from our mistakes and sometime foresight?
LoL
 
Thanks for the info. I had no idea about the aluminum & steel mixture being dangerous. That is a something that I really needed to know. I also make training blades out of aluminum. I think I'll try that Harbor Freight funnel tank for the steel and a shop vac for the aluminum, wood & micarta.
 
This thread has definitely given me some ideas for my own shop. I've been an industrial machinery mechanic most of my life, and I've seen some seriously-bad accidents, and I definitely err to the side of caution when making choices for my own shop.

The last place I worked for polished steel, aluminum, and carbon-fiber shafts. They had three separate vacuum systems - one for steel, and one for CF, and one for AL. It worked very well. My biggest wish is to be able to afford two belt grinders, keeping the dusts separated, but for sheer simplicity and dependability I think that I like Ed's system the best. Its nearly worry-free, and when old micks like me start forgetting stuff, the water bucket system seems to be the best dummy-proof design. Its not pretty, but its probably the safest... AND CHEAPEST! :happy:
 
James Keenan said:
Heres mine, low tech spark diverters and harbor freight funnel tank.


[video=youtube;vsqhb7kbwZE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsqhb7kbwZE&feature=youtu.be[/video]



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I have to be the bearer of the bad news that all of those parts bins will be filled with fine dust shortly along with everything else in your shop even with the cool collector system!

Welcome to becoming another grinding fool!:biggrin:
 
rhinoknives said:
I have to be the bearer of the bad news that all of those parts bins will be filled with fine dust shortly along with everything else in your shop even with the cool collector system!

Welcome to becoming another grinding fool!:biggrin:
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Laurence, if you had checked my other post that you made the same comment on you would have known that I am in the process of building a solution for this little problem, I will post it when I'm done, come on over to my shop and give me your doom and gloom grinder speech after my project is complete.
 
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Laurence isn't trying to be a doom and gloom-r, he is simply pointing out the obvious. Unless your grinder is isolated from the rest of your shop, it is inevitable that there will be grit and dust from your grinder on everything. A dust collection system of some sort will help, but will not eliminate all of the dust. Even if you use a water bucket and a dust collector like Ed has in his ceiling, you will still get some dust and grit.
To be sure, there is no intent here by anyone to knock how someone else does something. But keep in mind that there are many years of experience being offered free of charge for you to peruse and do with as you wish.
 
Lagrange said:
Laurence isn't trying to be a doom and gloom-r, he is simply pointing out the obvious. Unless your grinder is isolated from the rest of your shop, it is inevitable that there will be grit and dust from your grinder on everything. A dust collection system of some sort will help, but will not eliminate all of the dust. Even if you use a water bucket and a dust collector like Ed has in his ceiling, you will still get some dust and grit.
To be sure, there is no intent here by anyone to knock how someone else does something. But keep in mind that there are many years of experience being offered free of charge for you to peruse and do with as you wish.
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Eric I see your point, I am not new to grinding, have been grinding for forty years and have 5 other grinders in my shop I am well aware what grinding dust can do to a workshop, so far all the hundred's of pounds of grinding dust has not destroyed my workspace and this grinder will not be the end of my machine shop. I am working diligently as we speak on a massive grinder dust solution, I will post it here when I'm done. I assure you I am no "grinding fool"
 
Cool James, just remember that we are all trying to help each other.... by the way....I think I may be a grinding fool....depending on your definition.
 
The problem with the internet is good natured teasing dose not translate well all the time. I'm sure Lawrence did not mean anything by his comments

I'm looking forward to seeing the dust collection solution, I have been thinking about that myself.
 
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