Blowers

[Alexam]

Has anyone recently fitted a small blower for the sawdust on the work surface and if so, what make is it please. I'm thinking about getting something like that, but obviously with enough 'puff' to **** the sawdust but not blow it too far.

Alex

 

[AES]

Alex,

On my old scroll saw (Einhell), the little rubber bellows jobby packed up and I fitted a small acquarium "blower" from the local pet shop instead. 220-240 Volts, cost me about 15 quid if I remember. I connected it with a length of clear neoprene hose of about 4 mm ID (IF I remember) and rigged up a piano wire holder to get the hose end in more or less the right place over/beside the blade. For a nozzle I used a short length of flexible copper pipe slightly squashed into an oval at the business end. Worked OK.

Not my own idea, I saw it on one of the US Youtube scrolling videos (no idea whose, but I'm sure Google will find it).

Sorry, no pix, the Einhell is now being stripped & refurbished ready for re-sale.

Krgds
AES

 

[beganasatree]

Hi Alex,
I also use an aquarium pump left over from my fish keeping days,it has a variable speed control and I can have the air flow as strong as I want it.The pump is a WHISPER 800.

 

[Alexam]

Thanks Guys,
I made enquiries at a local fish/pool section nf a nurseries this mornng and they have sme small pumps. However, the guy said the thought the air pressure would not be very high and it may not be suitable.

Des anyone know more detail about what pressure is needed fir these pumps to suit sawdust blowing. Wuldn't have thought it was very high, but like the idea of a variable speed control. Will have to dig deeper on this.

Was the air pressure on the Whisper sufficient? I also read an American post where the guy used a wire coathanger for the little hose, which seemed a good idea.

Alex

PS, has anyone used a collector/extractor tube for this sort of thing, that would be strong enough to keep the work clear from the top? Or is that not really an option?

 

[AES]

@Alexam:

I've no idea how much pressure my aquarium pump produced but it was very low. As a matter of interest, the built-in blower on my new Ex21 works very well but if you put your hand right in front of the blower nozzle you can only just feel the puffs of air pulsing on your skin.

I think (only think mind) that it's more a question of the size of the nozzle than the pressure per se - on the EX 21 the nozzle's less than 2 mm dia at a guess, and on my makeshift blower on the Einhell it was only about 1 mm. In both cases it is/was necessary to direct the end of the nozzle pretty close to the cut to ensure you clear all the sawdust.

As an aside, if you look at the Arc Euro Trade web site (link in the 1st part of the metal working section here) you'll see they sell lengths of flexible sectional "bobble hose" (if you look at the catalogue you'll see what I mean by that "description"). It's actually for applying liquid coolant on metal lathes and milling machines, but from the pictures it looks exactly like the "hose" on my EX 21, and also on the Hegner I tried.

P.S. Sorry, I don't understand exactly what you mean by an "extractor". On the EX 21 the dust extractor sucks from underneath the table and would therefore be no good for keeping the cut line clear of sawdust building up on top of the cut. My Einhell was similar in terms of extracting dust from below (or trying to!) and from the pix I've seen of other scroll saws I think they're much the same. I can't remember what Hegner does, but overall I think it would be easier/more effective to blow the dust away from the cut line than to try and suck it away.

HTH
AES

 

[Alexam]

Thank you Alan, that's a good explanation. I think I will have another chat with the pool/fish man locally and see if I can sort something out. I know the sort of tube you refer to and it sounds the sort of thing I need. Love a bit of 'Heath Robinson'

Alex

 

[beganasatree]

Hi Alex,
The pressure from the whisper is more than sufficient to clear the dust away.I only have the pressure set in the midway position.I was in the workshop earlier and I took a handful of shavings from the lathe and put them on the scroll saw table then turned the pump to full pressure and it cleared a path in the shavings,not bad for a 25 year old pump.

 

[ChrisR]

Alex.

I have never used the blowing bellows on my Hegner. I have always sucked/extracted the dust away.
I just use a tapping off of a 100mm extraction pipe (soil pipe), with a salvaged vacuum cleaner hose, the extraction is provided by an Axminster chip extractor fitted with a top fine dust filter bag, with collection of dust etc into a lower poly bag.

This extractor is also used for all by other tools, band saw, sanders and router.

Just thought, as this may be a further option for you.

Take care.

Chris R.

 

[woodpig]

Not sure if it's of any use to you but I can swap the hose from my Nilfisk wet and dry vac from the normal input (suction) side over to the exhaust side of the machine. This blow function has come in handy on several occasions.

 

[Alexam]

Thanks, but just looking for something small for the scrollsaw. Anyway, that is a useful feature on the nilfisk vac.

Alex