Create a review for a woodworking tool that you are familiar with (Shopsmith brand or Non-Shopsmith) or just post your opinion on a specific tool. Head to head comparisons welcome too.
Randy wrote:"...Be careful when doing this as it is not a recommended procedure, as you are more than likely sending the fine particles back into the air. Not good for the lungs. I realize that people do it all the time, but those small particles can hurt you....
I just put an extra nut on the bolt, no more thread showing.
Thanks Randy, for looking out for me, but I do don a mask prior to partially emptying the bag. After years of eating wildfire smoke - I learned! It's the particles you can't see that'll get you! Small wood dust (not including the allergic species) that you can see - you can also cough up. It's not as dangerous as the smaller particles you can't see and don't settle out. This is a lot like smoke, smog or fog. The stuff you can see is only an indication there may be harmful micro-particles contained within the cloud.
Tried the extra nut trick, but I guess the faces were just too sharp, even though the corners were rounded. Reversed bolts, or a Little Great Stuff seems to be the best solutions.
Octogenarian's have an earned right to be a curmudgeon.
Chuck in Lancaster, CA
Great Stuff the brand name of a foaming sealant that comes in a pressurized can. Can be found at almost any hardware or big box store. My reference to Little Great Stuff was a typo, giving a capital L to "little".
Here's an old photo (prior to larger hood) that if enlarged, shows three of the leg bolts/screws covered with "Great Stuff". (the tan colored bumps).
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Octogenarian's have an earned right to be a curmudgeon.
Chuck in Lancaster, CA
Several have mentioned buying bags other than SS. I just reuse the SS bag. Once I dump the sawdust on the back of my lot (woods - no neighbors back there), I take the bag back in and remount it.
My unit also came with some clips with sharp points that hold the bag in place prior to putting the giant hose clamp on it. From some of the post, it sounds like newer models don't have these little clips anymore.
Greenvilleguy wrote:Several have mentioned buying bags other than SS. I just reuse the SS bag. Once I dump the sawdust on the back of my lot (woods - no neighbors back there), I take the bag back in and remount it.
My unit also came with some clips with sharp points that hold the bag in place prior to putting the giant hose clamp on it. From some of the post, it sounds like newer models don't have these little clips anymore.
Doug
You and I do the same thing. I simply dump my bag in the back of my lot, pick out any paper, metal or plastic I might see and let the rest turn into compose. In a couple of months or so all traces of it are gone. I usually have 2 or 3 piles in various stages of decompostion.
The SS bags are good for about 3 recycles then it is time for a new one. I rarely allow my bag to get much fuller than half before I dump it. The clump of pine trees where I dump it seems to thrive on the compose. I'm careful with walnut, pressure treated or MDF dust.
My Dust collector also has the clips so remounting the bag is a simple task.
The other thing my leg bolts never cause a problem tearing the bag, the bolts don't extend through the nuts and are level with the nuts. Just rubbing my finger over them I don't feel any sharp or rough edge certainly nothing enough to tear the heavy gauge SS bag.
Ed
Let me add just one more small thing I learned at a State Forest Tree Nursery. Wood fiber, bark, or sawdust makes good litter to retain moisture, however in order to turn into compost these fibers use up an appreciable amount of nitrogen. It's best if you can add some nitrogen fertilizer to the mix and a little more after seeing the wood fiber decompose. This is especially true with coniferous plants as they prefer slightly acidic soils.
A telling symptom of nitrogen shortage in coniferous plants is a yellowing of needle tips.
Octogenarian's have an earned right to be a curmudgeon.
Chuck in Lancaster, CA
Some good botanical/recycling advice there, Chuck. But to return for a moment to the initial topic of this thread:
The reason the Shopsmith sawdust bags are so much bigger than the bottom rim of the Dust Collector itself is just this: If we made them the same size as the rim, they would have a much smaller capacity. We went with the largest bags the Dust Collector frame could accommodate to save you from having to buy more bags and change them more often.
Drew and I probably have more experience than most in changing bags on the DC simply because we have five of them -- three in the Academy and one apiece in our personal shops -- and we've developed a simple technique that allows us to change a bag in just a few minutes.
1. Remove the full bag and the band that holds it over the rim.
2. Open the new bag and fold about 1-1/2" of the lip around the band, all the way around the circumference. Where the circumference of the bag is bigger than the band, double the bag over itself.
3. Hold the band with the bag folded over it so the screw used to tighten it is at the front. If you have one of the older style nylon bands, hook the ends together but don't tigthen them yet.
4. Slip the bag and band over the DC rim starting at the back and working your way along both sides to the front.
5. Tigthen the band part way and adjust the bag if you need to. If a portion of the lip has pulled free of the band during installation, you can usually pull it up and over the band very easily. And the more experience you have with this process, the less this becomes necessary. When you're statisfied the bag is properly seated, tighten the band completely.
What about the clips that supposedly hold the bag in place while you slip the band over the rim? The last DC I set up, I just left them in the box.
After a while I was figuring it had something to do with capacity.
You didn't mention anything about neatly gathering and folding the excess in the back. Do you do this? Are you still getting a getting bulged area? I do have the older style, nylon band and I fasten it at the back.
Chuck, thanks for the reply. It isn't causing any problems. Just wondering if I was doing it right. Do you have the older style band or the newer one Nick was referencing? In my last post I was wondering if Nick and Drew even worry about bunching the excess bag towards the back. It also sounds like they fasten the band clamp in the front.
