Dust extraction on handheld router advice?

[Raymond UK]

I have several 1/4 inch handheld routers and they all come with the clear dust extraction piece that can be mounted to the base of the router.

Three of the routers I have dedicated to three of my dovetail jigs which saves me quite a bit of time setting them up each time.

The router bit sticks out quite far to clear the comb on the jig and then cut through 18mm pine so the extraction is nearly none existent. I guess there's only 10% of the dust getting extracted and the rest goes on the floor.

I have been using a bit of ply on the floor so it's easier to hoover up afterwards but there must be a better way coping with this. I was thinking making a really wide hood that screws onto the work table but maybe that just gets in the way?

There must be plenty of people using dovetail jigs with little handheld routers.

Any ideas?

 

[topchippyles]

Any dust extractor with a flexible hose will work surly.

 

[Raymond UK]

I do have two LVHP extractors to use with them and I think the problem is the dust extractor piece that comes with the routers. As the router bit needs to come out quite far, the base of the router is nearly at it's highest position restricting the flow.

The speed of the dovetail bit 'spits' out the dust out of the cut dovetails forward that quick it goes past the suction of the extraction piece.

I'll try and take a picture tomorrow of it in situ to see if that makes more sense.

I'm sorry if this all sounds like double Dutch and the only reasoning I can give for this is that English is not my first language and in fact I am Dutch. I do however try my best to explain things but it doesn't always translate well.

 

[MattRoberts]

I've always used a vac as normal, and then cleaned the rest up afterwards. You're right though, extraction is pretty poor with the big setup.

The only thing I can think of is to make a shroud / enclosure around the comb that catches the dust / chips and fibrils them down to an extraction port. Sounds a bit overkill unless you use the jig frequently though

 

[Raymond UK]

Cheers Matt,

I do use it regular this time a year as I make quite a few kids personalised toy boxes for Christmas.

I'll have a look at making some sort of hood but thought there would be something simpler.

I guess it's the same pain as using dust extraction on a lathe.

 

[sunnybob]

you could make a dust box table.
Flat and wide enough for your purposes, 4" deep, with lots of holes in the top and connected to the extractor.

 

[large red]

I have seen an aftermarket router base designed with dust extraction in mind, from memory I think it was made by Oneida.
I'll try to find it again I think it was YouTube.

 

[Sideways]

Given the nature of the job and dovetail bits I don't think any router based extraction can work well. There's no decent path for air and dust to be pulled upwards. Consider a making a clear plastic fabrication that some how clips (magnets ?) in front of the timber to be cut once it's all clamped in the jig and make something to couple your vac to draw air and dust down the channel created between the plastic and the pins / tails being cut.

 

[Tasky]

I guess there's only 10% of the dust getting extracted and the rest goes on the floor.

Can you not rig up a kind of pull-out skirt, hopper or something just underneath the work surface, so that all the dust falls down and into a collector box that the vacuum attaches to? That'd take care of most of it.
I know jewellers benches have something similar, although theirs is more like just a leather apron for catching small amounts of metal dust, but the principle is the same...

 

[Raymond UK]

Cheers guys.

I've started to make some sort of dust hood. It's not very pretty but I need to make sure it'll work first and then make something better up.

Still needs a panel on the top. Really should've put the white side to the inside as the dust gathers and doesn't always slide down to where the 100mm dust pipe sits.

It's a bulky ugly thing.. :shock:

 

[large red]

I have seen an aftermarket router base designed with dust extraction in mind, from memory I think it was made by Oneida.
I'll try to find it again I think it was YouTube.

Onieda universal router hood.

If you Google it there are a few YouTube demos, seems really effective.

 

[Raymond UK]

I have seen an aftermarket router base designed with dust extraction in mind, from memory I think it was made by Oneida.
I'll try to find it again I think it was YouTube.

Onieda universal router hood.

If you Google it there are a few YouTube demos, seems really effective.

Looks impressive. I wonder how effective it is without the boot that hangs underneath as that would catch on the dovetail jig I assume?

 

[large red]

I have seen an aftermarket router base designed with dust extraction in mind, from memory I think it was made by Oneida.
I'll try to find it again I think it was YouTube.

Onieda universal router hood.

If you Google it there are a few YouTube demos, seems really effective.

Looks impressive. I wonder how effective it is without the boot that hangs underneath as that would catch on the dovetail jig I assume?

You may be able to move or adapt it.

 

[Raymond UK]

You may be able to move or adapt it.

I'll have a look and see if I can find some decent images of the thing to see if I can modify it rather than buying one first and finding out I can't do anything with it.

Thans for your help Red

 

[Raymond UK]

Inspired by the new dovetail jig on the Axi website (https://www.axminster.co.uk/ujk-technol ... jig-506300) I have now sorted my extraction dilemma.

My jig doesn't allow for a dust bit to be mounted to it so I've mounted the attachment to the router itself.

My Fox F50-800 dust extractor came with several attachments for hovering the floor which I have never used. Now firmly attached to the router and it does a sublime job. There's not much that escapes no more.

Not exactly pretty but it works and way better than the dust hood thing I made to catch the dust...