Let's Talk Dust Collection

[lasereyes]

Hey All, 

I wanted to see if we can knowledge share on best dust collection setups.  Pictures please!

Although I have what I thought would be a good set-up, I have been underwhelmed by my dust collection.  I am running an AR16 with overhead 4" dust collection and the Axiom dust shoe.  I am using a Jet 1100 CFM dust collector with a 55 gallon cyclone, which is dedicated to the CNC while in-use.  I have minimal turns and length on my tubing, and good seals on the system. 

The suction from the 4" hose is great, and my dust collection when using short/small bits and finishing 3D carves is really good.

However, I do a lot of furniture and large-format wall art, frequently cutting 1.5-2 inches deep with 1/2" end mills.  It's absurd how bad my dust collection is with the longer/larger bits.  The problem is due to (1) the bit extends well below the dust shoe, (2) the 4" suction on the dust shoe is too far from the bit, and (3) the dust shoe bristles just don't provide enough air blockage.

I need to improve.  I am thinking of possibly ditching the dust shoe and using some kind of flex arm connected to the spindle/carriage, which can put suction closer to the bit.

Anyone with a good setup willing to offer tips or advice?  Pictures would be awesome.

Attachments:

[cyh]

Lazereyes check out a previous post 6/2022 New Dust Boot Design www.etsy.com/shop/OneGuyInAShop?ref=search_shop_redirect.

[lasereyes]

Aug 18, 2022 16:32:33 GMT -5 cyh said:

Lazereyes check out a previous post 6/2022 New Dust Boot Design www.etsy.com/shop/OneGuyInAShop?ref=search_shop_redirect.

Outstanding.  Thank you for this. 

[grossmsj]

The "OneGuyInAShop" dust boot is excellent. Also note the removable bristle skirt comes in two lengths. The short length is what you would use most of the time. The 100mm bristle frame is great for much deeper cuts. Keith told me that isn't the best skirt for most uses because the longer bristles can get caught in the bit under some conditions.

He also makes a matching mount for the JTech laser, so it's a nice little ecosystem.

[lasereyes]

Aug 21, 2022 11:18:42 GMT -5 grossmsj said:

The "OneGuyInAShop" dust boot is excellent. Also note the removable bristle skirt comes in two lengths. The short length is what you would use most of the time. The 100mm bristle frame is great for much deeper cuts. Keith told me that isn't the best skirt for most uses because the longer bristles can get caught in the bit under some conditions.

He also makes a matching mount for the JTech laser, so it's a nice little ecosystem.

That's really good to hear.  I placed my order on Friday and Keith said it should ship early this week.

Regarding the two lengths for the bristle skirt, does it come with both, or do I need to purchase the second one separately?

I see that this shoe allows vertical adjustment.  I'm wondering how I can get optimal use out of that.  Say I'm cutting 2" deep.  If I adjust the bristle skirt to the bottom of the bit, it would be compressing the bristles 2" against the workpiece at the bottom of the cut.  Seems like that could be problematic.  Any tips on how you set the height of the bristles for those deeper cuts?

Thank you!

[grossmsj]

Keith says most people use the 70mm skirt, even after using the 100mm. You'd have to order the 100mm separately.

When the dust boot is in its highest position with a bit extending 2 inches below the collet, the tip of the bit is just barely protruding beyond the bristles of the 100mm skirt. Obviously the 70mm skirt has an extra 30mm of bit showing with the same setup. So the 100mm skirt is helpful when you have a piece with a lot of height and the cutting path height varies a lot. 

I do a lot of work that is fairly raised vertically (like a bowl). Because the skirt is short and fairly stiff, I have to start it out mounted high to allow for the eventually down cut. When I do this with a roughing cut a lot of the chips get thrown out below the skirt because they are heavy enough to escape the vacuum pull and there is nothing to stop them from being shot to the side. The longer skirt is helpful in this case because it can be high initially to allow for eventual downcut, but it is long enough to catch the chips from the initial roughing cuts. That isn't often, and you can easily plan around it.