How to Make a Box Fan Dust Collector

If you do a lot of sanding with your drill press and would like to make a dust collector like the one I posted, you'll need a 20" box fan, two 20" furnace filters, and some masking tape. One of these filters should be a standard one, and the other should be one with a higher rating that is meant to trap smaller particles. Here's how to do it:

1. Tape the two filters together so that the standard one is on top of the finer one, with the arrows pointing away from you.

2. Place the box fan with the back side facing you. This is the side into which air is drawn. You'll feel the breeze on the opposite side.

3. Tape the joined filters to the back side of the fan. The air will first go through the regular filter, then the finer one, then out the front.

4. Place the dust collection system close to your drill press, filters facing the drill press. You should be able to see the dust fly into the filter.

Capturing dust from the drill press

Since I use the drill press for sanding, as well as drilling, I needed a way to capture the dust that goes flying all over the place. Although we may eventually construct a holder for a shop vac hose, this quick fix--one box fan and two filters--does a surprisingly good job on fine dust. I place it at the end of my work table about a foot away from the drill press, then just put it on the floor when I'm finished. The sawdust on the filter is from walnut, which is why it's so dark, but it's positive proof that this simple device is really working. And yes, it's time to change the filter!

Dust collection for the combination sander

Since space is an issue, we decided that the shop vac would do double duty as a dust collector for the combination sander. The problem was to figure out the best way to connect the vac to the 4" dust port. The answer was a deli container that fit into the dust port, a piece of wood cut at an angle to fit the deli container, a hole cut in the wood for the shop vac hose, some rubber roofing membrane to stabilize the lip of the deli container, and a hose clamp to hold everything in place. And the best part of it is that it works really well!

Low tech is often very effective

As I flattened out the side of a strip for a glue-up, I was reminded of how much use I make of this simple sanding device. It consists of a granite tile with a sheet of sandpaper, about 150 grit, glued on with repositionable adhesive. I use it to prepare the faces of bowl rings before gluing them up, and for final "tweaking" of cut surfaces that need to be glue-line flat. When the paper is used up, I just remove the old paper, clean up the granite with mineral spirits, then fasten on a new sheet. If you've never tried doing this, you're in for a pleasant surprise.

Shop is up and running

Well, the tools are finally in place and I've started living in my new "home". Only the bandsaw remains to be assembled, but all my basic tools are up and running. The space we're using is a one car garage which must still be usable to park a car (condo rules), so we put all the heavier stuff on mobile bases and can get the car in without difficulty. We rigged up an adapter for the sanders so we can use the shop vac for dust collection, and we're using a box fan with two filters for the drill press. Here are some pictures of the main wall.

Scroll Saw Arrived!

I finally got my own scroll saw! Hanns Derke of Advanced Machinery, distributor of Hegner scroll saws, was kind enough to set up my saw and show me how to use it. So far, I've mastered blade insertion, and tomorrow I'll graduate to actually cutting my first project. It's a sleek and elegant tool, and marks my transition from "yellow" to "orange".

my shop is actually happening!

Sorry I haven't been posting--I've been too busy cleaning out the garage to make room for my new "mini shop". So far, the drill press is up and running, spindle sander has to be returned because it was damaged, and scroll saw and combo sander should be here later this week. An old cabinet will do as a work surface, and we'll add storage as we go alone. Here's what it looks like so far--updates to come. Any ideas for small shops are welcome!

Demo at Woodcraft store, Norwalk

Had a good time at the Woodcraft store signing books and showing lathe turners and other woodworkers how to make bowls with the scroll saw.

Demo Saturday May 8th at Norwalk, CT Woodcraft store

I'll be doing a demo at the Norwalk, CT Woodcraft store this Saturday, May 8th, from 12-2. If you're in the area, please drop by to say "hi", and if you've been doing bowls, bring your work along and we'll have a "show and tell". Hope to see you there.

Here's a useful cutting tip

In making bowls, most of the cuts are made from the top side of the blank, cutting clockwise. Sometimes, however, you need the bottom of a ring to be a particular size, as when making a flared top for a vase, and aren't sure what the top diameter should be. The easiest way to handle this situation is to turn your blank on its face, draw the size ring you need, allowing a generous margin all around, and cut along the line at whatever angle you're using, going COUNTERCLOCKWISE. Then you can turn your wood over, face side up, and proceed as usual.