I just realized... the naysayers were wrong.

swampgator · Post by **swampgator** » Mon May 10, 2010 12:42 am

As a fairly new woodworker and new SS owner, I'll choose a SS any day over having a shop full of expensive tools that I have to walk so far and do the same amount or more setup than it takes for this wonderful tool. Since my garage is too full of trees, I pull out both machines onto the garage apron and go to work. If I need a bandsaw and table saw, I have one of each already set up and in just a few feet, can do what I want. Change overs are so easy and quick. My inaccuracies are my own, not that of the machine. While some have only negative comments about this wonderful tool, as has been so well said, never tried one. If you just realize you are going from one tool to another, it is quicker than setting up tables and stations and machines for those operations. Loving me some Shopsmith.

keakap · Post by **keakap** » Tue May 11, 2010 8:49 pm

dusty wrote:Now, if I had a 40' x 40' shop there would be a lot of thinking/debating going on. .

If I had a 40x40 shop the first thing I'd get is at least 2 more ShopSmiths, complete...

keakap · Post by **keakap** » Tue May 11, 2010 9:00 pm

8iowa wrote:I have several books on small woodworking shops published by Taunton Press. In one of them Nagyszalanczy recommended a 5 HP two stage cyclone dust collector - for the small shop mind you! He and many of his peers are obviously clueless as to small shop needs.

Yeah, I've seen some of those theoretical small shops too. Doesn't take much imagination to picture in some of 'em if you cut a 2x4 in three pieces you'd have no more room left to work!
(5 HP!? well at least the air'd be clean!)

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Wed May 12, 2010 9:57 am

keakap wrote:If I had a 40x40 shop the first thing I'd get is at least 2 more ShopSmiths, complete...

I am familiar with that concept...

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robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Wed May 12, 2010 10:05 am

keakap wrote:Yeah, I've seen some of those theoretical small shops too. Doesn't take much imagination to picture in some of 'em if you cut a 2x4 in three pieces you'd have no more room left to work!
(5 HP!? well at least the air'd be clean!)

I guess it depends on whether you are building birdhouses, dog houses, horse houses or people houses.

People use the most space.

Most carvers don't need a lot of workspace unless they carve life-sized elephants.
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The problem with a 5 HP is the cost of letting it sit and run for a good bit of time. Also a lot of small shops don't have enough electrical service for a Shopsmith let alone a 5 HP DC.

shipwright · Post by **shipwright** » Wed May 12, 2010 12:12 pm

I have a 5 Hp cyclone dust collector in my 30 x40 shop here (I'm back in Canada) and I love it. The only reason however to have one is that you need to service several outlets (inlets?). When I built this shop I poured a foundation and crawl space because I'd spent too many years on concrete floors and wanted something with more forgivness for my feet, but also so that I could install dust collection under the floor. I have a 10" pvc main down the center of the shop with eight different inlets at the ends of various lengths of 6" and 4" branches. Most appear as flush holes in the floor and some can be used as receptacles for floor sweeping . It works great but again if you are using a universal one stop tool like SS, you don't need to suck air at such great volume over such a distance from so many outlets and a much smaller DC works fine. It really depends on the shop layout, size and the tools.

Paul M

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Wed May 12, 2010 5:19 pm

shipwright wrote:I have a 5 Hp cyclone dust collector in my 30 x40 shop here (I'm back in Canada) and I love it. The only reason however to have one is that you need to service several outlets (inlets?). When I built this shop I poured a foundation and crawl space because I'd spent too many years on concrete floors and wanted something with more forgivness for my feet, but also so that I could install dust collection under the floor. I have a 10" pvc main down the center of the shop with eight different inlets at the ends of various lengths of 6" and 4" branches. Most appear as flush holes in the floor and some can be used as receptacles for floor sweeping . It works great but again if you are using a universal one stop tool like SS, you don't need to suck air at such great volume over such a distance from so many outlets and a much smaller DC works fine. It really depends on the shop layout, size and the tools.

Paul M

My new, new shop is on a crawl space and will have most of the dust collection under the floor. I would like to build a "trap" of sorts in the main line just ahead of the impeller to allow only very heavy stuff to drop in it like a small block or nails etc. but allow all of the dust and shavings (well, almost all of them) to be pulled on through to the impeller. Then the outlet will be outside possibly into an old hopper wagon or possibly just into a pile (no collection bags). I have no close neighbors especially down-wind (to the east). The closest one to the east is 1/2 mile away and a woodworker too.

I have a 2 HP and a 1-1/2 HP and I have some ideas for some "creative" connections and switching so I can use them both in a few different configurations.
I want to set up some much smaller and quieter dust collection and exhaust systems for a couple of things that do not make a lot of dust like my scroll saw, for example.
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I detest standing on concrete floors and can tell in my farm shop when I move back and forth from the wood floor to the concrete. I like having the horses on dirt floors but don't mind concrete with rubber stall mats down. Of course my horses always have access to be outside and usually choose to stay outside most of the time. I had considered putting rubber stall mats down in the current wood shop to get off of the concrete. The horse mats are 3/4" thick pretty firm rubber in 4'x6' for about $35 each. If closely laid on good concrete they will lay well and the seams will not gap. If you were to do the whole floor stuff would still roll around well on casters.
I grew up on the farm and when I decided to get married I had to get an off farm job to support us. It was a factory job where the work was mostly pleasant and quite easy compared to farm work (which I was still doing) but I didn't know if I was going to survive all of that standing and walking on those concrete floors. It took two weeks for my feet and legs to quit hurting. Later I got moved up and was working on hardwood floors. Dang, that was an improvement.

shipwright · Post by **shipwright** » Wed May 12, 2010 5:52 pm

Francis
At the collector end of my main it turns 90 deg. to straight up. The 90 is a metal elbow that connects the two pvc pipes. Every year or so I remove the elbow and clean out all the heavy bits that didn't want to go straight up about eight feet. Usually its only a few nails or whatever that got swept into one of the holes. My point I guess is that unless you are using the system as a cleanup dump you don't likely need an actual sump or trap to collect them.

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The shop vac is just in the way in the photo, not part of the system.

Paul M

shipwright · Post by **shipwright** » Wed May 12, 2010 6:00 pm

Before anyone calls me on it, yes that is a driving range mat behind the bandsaw. Did you know that those little foam balls can smash a plastic switchplate?

Paul M

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Wed May 12, 2010 6:04 pm

shipwright wrote:Before anyone calls me on it, yes that is a driving range mat behind the bandsaw. Did you know that those little foam balls can smash a plastic switchplate?

Paul M

I suppose next you are going to say you were aiming for the switchplate!:D