Downdraft table for dust control?

This just came up at WoodCentral. Here's the link:

My best advise would be NO! lol

Downdraft tables are easy to make and work really well for sanding flat stuff with a sander, but are a very bad idea for a lathe..

Consider what you're trying to collect and direction of the dust.... Sawdust, due to the spinning of the wood, tends to go more "out" than down, in my case, towards the back of the lathe.. That's where my DC hood is..

What falls down is mostly shavings, which you don't want the DC to suck up, unless you enjoy finding the clumps in the hose and breaking them up every few minutes.. DAMHIKT

I used to use a plastic hood and wasn't real happy with it.. One problem that I had was that with the flimsy mount it came with, if the DC hose wasn't perfectly aligned and supported, the weight and/or sideways pull of the hose would keep re-adjusting the hood... Very frustrating..

Then, I saw a page of a fairly famous turner, (wish I could remember who), the has the most efficient and least expensive hood I've seen yet: A cardboard wine or beer box (thicker than normal) cut into a rough 45 degree angle, screwed to a couple of 1x4's to prop it on the lathe, with a 4" hole in the back... Set it where you want it, and stick the DC hose in.. He used duct tape to seal the hose inside the box, I use a quick-connect fitting, as I have 3 different size boxes.. I found that instead of propping the 1x4's between the lathe rails, I prefer it clamped to an old adjustable height support stand.. The kind that sells for maybe $30 and has a roller on it.. YMWV

mac

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Thanks! Good excuse to drive over to Rockler.

David

The home-brew hood sounds right up my alley. I'm just finishing a miter saw hood carved out of a waste basket. Boxes would be easier to cut to odd shapes, and at my age I have little shame regarding unprofessional looking fixes in my shop. My problem is that I'm such a new turner that dust/chips fly out in unpredictable directions (I'm still trying to get the wenge out of my remaining hair).

Thanks! David

In message , Jane & David writes

I'm not exactly an old turner, but it doesn't matter where you stand the dust and chips will get you sooner than later :)

David.. I may not always wear my face shield, but always wear a hat when turning.. Hate those itchy shavings in my hair.. Well, what hair I have, anyway.. My wife says that my haircut is a "nohawk"...

A lot of where the shavings go is determined by tool angle and flute direction... It's not that hard to learn how to "aim" the shavings, but it seems like the cut or direction I'm doing usually sends them onto my left foot.. Just my weird stance, I guess..

If your DC/hood is working even marginally, you will see the dust going to it when you sand, and start changing either the placement of the hood or where you're holding the paper, or the position of the power sanding disk, to direct it into the DC.. You should see a trail of dust going towards the DC, or it's not right.. YMWV

mac

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