Shavings and Dust from Lathe Work

[Anonymous]

Would anyone like to share their experience with regard to the best way/s to extract shavings and lathe-generated dust?
What type of extractor/Hose size etc?
What kind of hood/filters etc?
Or just leave it and clear later!?
Thanks
Pinus

 

[Anonymous]

Ayup Pinus

The best way I have found to extract dust from a lathe is to use an impellor driven extractor (the fine filter vacuum types tend to be a bit feeble and noisy) with a piece of 4" 'Stay-Put' hose, i think Axminster sell it, positioned as close to the work as possible. If you are worried about fine dust escaping through the filter bag of your extractor, either put it outside (in a box), or put it in a box inside, which vents outside.

Everybody at the minute is raving about how great air fed visors are, but I (like a lot of other people I have spoken to) hate them. I have two words to describe them GOLDFISH BOWL.

Even the best extraction system will not extract all the dust generated by turning, (especially whilst sanding large bowls), and they do tend to get clogged up if you turn woods like sycamore that give you long strings of shavings whilst turning.

My prefered option is to forget extraction on the lathe, and buy a box of mouldex P2 dustmasks.

Hope this helps
Doughnut

P.S. Extractors dont extract the big wast that comes off a lathe, so you will still have to buy your self a brush and shovel.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Pinus

My other half simply puts a mug of tea near the lathe. All the shavings and dust seem to gravitate towards it automatically .

Yours

Gill

 

[Steve]

If you've got a twin pole or slotted bed, you can make or adapt a funnel to slide along it and that works very well. Shavings are pretty safe in terms of respiratory effects, but the dust from scraping and finishing can be very bad. Some wood dust is carcinogenic. Axminster's stayput looks like a good idea, but they want an arm and a leg for it. What price health (and don't they know it!)