Popular Woodworking 2007-08 № 163, страница 35

pleated element. Just look for one that traps particles down to about 1 micron. You may have to buy an aftermarket filter, but it will be worth the cost.

A Portable Dust Collector Can Roll to Wherever it's Needed

When it comes to machines that produce a high volume of sawdust and chips, a shop vacuum will quickly be overpowered. They are not powerful enough or large enough for these tools - you'll have to turn to a dedicated dust collector. A portable, single-stage dust collector may be the right answer for a small shop. These machines, made by a number of manufacturers and widely available, cost about $250 to $350. That's about the same price as a top-quality shop vacuum.

Single-stage collectors draw debris through an impeller and send it into a collector. Typically, the collector consists of a pair of fabric bags, one above

Blast gates control air flow from a chip-producing machine to the dust collector. They are readily available from woodworking supply dealers, or they can be made with a minimum of material.

and one below a central collar. The idea is that big chips will accumulate in the bottom bag and the upper bag will trap finer dust.

In contrast, a more expensive two-stage dust collector separates chips and dust before debris encounters the fan's impeller. One way of making one-stage collectors more convenient (and behave more like a two-stage machine) is to add a separator in the duct between the tool and the dust collector.

Hose and duct diameter is one critical factor in the efficiency of a dust-collection system. Large diameter duct moves more air at a lower static pressure.

These devices are pretty simple: they consist of a plastic lid that fits over a metal garbage can. The lid has two ports - one for the incoming duct from the tool and the other to carry what's left to the collector. They are designed to separate larger chips from finer dust and reduce the load on the impeller in the collector. They're available through mail order suppliers.

Single-stage collectors typically run on 120-volt (v) current and have 1/2

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