Shopsmith Forums

[quote="charlese"]Sounds to me , you are doing all the right things. Two additional things you can try in order to get more sawdust into your 3300]

How big can my shop be if I have a DC3300 with a "small" hood?

Does a bigger hood really mean that my DC3300 will do a better job or does it mean that it will work longer before it needs to be serviced?

IMHO this is one of those "BIGGER IS BETTER" syndromes.

Does the size, shape and location of the shop become a factor? My shop is 20'x20', a garage with an open door. Will my dust collector work with the same level of efficiency as someones in a closed, environmentally controlled environment.

dusty wrote: IMHO this is one of those "BIGGER IS BETTER" syndromes.

In the case of dust collectors generally the "SMALLER the BETTER", but what I am taking about is dust particle size. The smaller the particle size the DC can filter generally the cleaner the air that returns back into the room. The small the holes the more the air is restricted returning into the room, so back to hood size. If you have a small hood it need to have bigger holes in order to allow the same amount of air to exit the filter or airflow is restricted.

So just having a later hood is not the issue but a larger hood may have smaller holes, the most dangerous particles are the very small ones you can't see and these are the ones larger hoods filter out. If I am not making sense read this months Wood magazine even though they don't review the Shopsmith DC they do explain hood size. It also seems the industry is moving to allow hoods to be order separately from collect so you have some flexibility of price vs. filter level, something Shopsmith should consider.

Also from the Shopsmith site

The DC3300 will remove any lingering airborne particles (as small as 7 microns - only 1 micron with optional 42" Hood).

dusty wrote:...
Does a bigger hood really mean that my DC3300 will do a better job or does it mean that it will work longer before it needs to be serviced?

IMHO this is one of those "BIGGER IS BETTER" syndromes.

Does the size, shape and location of the shop become a factor?... ...Will my dust collector work with the same level of efficiency as someones in a closed, environmentally controlled environment.

Concerning you first question - I think Paul Nailed the correct answer to that one!:)

Second question - answer is NO! However bigger hoods (more surface) means more air flow.

Third question - answer is perhaps! I opted for the medium sized hood because of the configuration of my shop. The taller hood would restrict the movement of my 3300 because it wouldn't fit beneath the TV shelf in the corner. Would I rather have TV rather than clean air? It's not really an either/or situation. There is an installed 'passive dust extractor' in the form of a roof turbine vent. http://www.askthebuilder.com/442_Roof_T ... ents.shtml I believe this to be pretty darned effective in evacuating the very small 'bad particles'.

We have to also remember that the larger the air flow - the better the dust collection. In my dust collection process, I'm not particularly interested in sucking up 100%l of the chips and flakes of wood. (80% is good enough!:) I can always come back with the loose hose and wand to pick them up. I'm mostly interested in capturing most if not all of the microscopic particles. I should have the largest hood (with the smallest holes in the bag) but have compromised, at least for the time being.

Incidentally, I never sweep! I always vacuum! After all there's no sense in stirring up the dust that settled with the chips.

Back to the original question of this thread; It is normal to have saw chips and flakes falling onto the carriage. This is not really a problem, however they do need to be cleaned up to keep things working smoothly and to prevent rust through moisture collection.

I originally purchased the 3300 with the small hood. A huge mistake the air in the shop aggravated my breathing. I upgraded to the biggest 42' 1 Micron hood and discovered the only dirrerence is that I can breathe in the shop. Oh yes for the first time my bride doesn't mind having the shop in the basement. In my case if a TV shelf were in the way The sehlf would be gone. I really do like to breathe clean air. Jim

There are two factors to consider size of holes in microns and size of hood in inches of surface area. The amount of air in needs to exit or it can't come in. Generally hoods with smaller holes need to be bigger to allow the same amount of air out. I use a canister hood, it has a much greater surface area in the same physical size because the liner is pleated.

Current wisdom says you want <5 micron holes, I have a 2 micron hood and I am getting an air filter today at Rockler, they have one on sale for $189 plus a $25 rebate. They claim 98% filtering 5 micron or larger and 85% of 1 micron dust.

I did recently upgrade to the medium hood. As far as where the chips/dust accumulating on the carriage is coming from...there is a big gap between the bottom of the worktable and the tie bar. I can only assume the gap is there so you can tilt the table to 45 degrees.

I do vacuum this stuff up at the end of each day in the shop. Just wanted to make sure it is working like it should. Not as great as I wish it would.

fjimp wrote:In my case if a TV shelf were in the way The shelf would be gone. I really do like to breathe clean air. Jim

In my case, I like sports a lot better than my wife does. I catch a lot of the games in the shop. Can't sit and watch every play, but keeps me satisfied and doesn't bother the one who counts!

Like we used to say during fire season in MT. "Just hate to breathe air I can't see first":rolleyes:

is in my opinion a serious, potential safety hazard. Anything that could create a momentary distraction is a hazard. I try not to deliberately bring those things into my shop.

I play country music on a radio in my work shop and sometimes I even find myself distracted by the radio programs. When I do, I turn it off or change to something that might be considered background music.

I still, after all these years of amateur woodworking, have all ten fingers. One is damaged badly from a shop incident but it is fully functional. I want to be buried that way (with all ten fingers not fully functional):rolleyes: .

dusty wrote:(TV in the workshop) is in my opinion a serious, potential safety hazard. Anything that could create a momentary distraction is a hazard. I try not to deliberately bring those things into my shop.

I play country music on a radio in my work shop and sometimes I even find myself distracted by the radio programs. When I do, I turn it off or change to something that might be considered background music...."

I had to think a while, to figure out if I should ignore, or answer this, and try to not go off half cocked.

Let's see, listening to a radio seems to be O.K. but listening to a TV is a "serious safety hazard"? I don't know about others, but I usually listen to TV rather than stare at it. (Yes, to me, High Definition TV is about as useless as Stereo music. Both are just hype for consumers.) After supper, our TV is usually on, and I listen to the news - occasionally glancing up to see if the picture is new, or just stored file footage.

In the shop - especially during football season, and basketball playoffs and world series, the TV is on. Sometimes I can even hear it when the DC, Router, Saw, Planer, Jointer are not running. Between operations, I will look up to get current on scores and to decide if I want to pause the woodworking to catch a couple of plays.

To me ANY safety issue is one of FOCUS! Focus that all safety precautions have been followed and that proper techniques are being used.

Although I can't hear the TV all the time, it is there during down periods to catch the current score or quarter/inning. At age 74 I still can hear the slicing of wood whether it be from a router, saw, jointer, hand plane, hand chisel or carving knife. I can still tell if it is a proper cut, by sound, just as well as feel. Focus-Focus - - that's to me, how to make perfect pieces, perfect joints, and perfect projects.

It is inattention, or lack of focus, that causes accidents. Staring at a TV or any type of inattention is bad. Does this mean TVs do not belong in any wood shop? NO! A few of us have mentioned unique things we have or don't have in our shops. One guy's shop may have a TV. Another (probably many) have radios. Some shops even have a resident dog or cat!

Having a TV in a wood shop should not be classed as a "serious hazard" for all shops - any more than having a radio or a shop dog or cat. Yes, having any of these things in a wood shop could cause a distraction. Is that really a reason to remove all of them? However the real question is - are these things more beneficial than distractive? (On some days I would like to remove my sweet wife from our car while I'm driving!)

charlese wrote: ...I don't know about others, but I usually listen to TV rather than stare at it. (Yes, to me, High Definition TV is about as useless as Stereo music. Both are just hype for consumers.) After supper, our TV is usually on, and I listen to the news - occasionally glancing up to see if the picture is new, or just stored file footage...

Charlese

Thank YOU!!!! I was wondering if I was the only one. I listen to TV more than I watch. In the evenings I'm usually reading something in front of the TV and I look up occasionally if the story line leads me to believe something interesting is to be seen. Other than that I'm just listening.

Oh yes on High Def and Stereo I agree I once sold High High end stero equipment to those that "appreciate music and know fine stereo" I would often turn off the stereo to see if they could tell the difference. Only one person ever caught me, he in fact did know music. Most of the time to make the sell all you had to do was crank up the bass.
Ed