# Dust collection and hand plane shavings?



## ChuckBarnett (Jan 5, 2013)

Okay, I spent the money and installed a nice metal pipe dust collection system with a 2 horsepower grizzly collector. Put a garbage can with a separator lid in front of the dust collector. And everything seemed to be working well until I began to believe that I had a clogged somewhere. Taking things apart I found the trouble at the end of the piping between the separator garbage can and the dust collector. A bunch of long inch to inch and a half wide hand plane shavings stuck on the grid work of the impeller guard. Read where people simply cut that impeller guard out of there. (After all, are you really going to stick your hand in there??)

Next I found the clog inline where I was sucking a bunch of debris off of the floor that included some of those big curls. That gathered at the joint where there is a blast gate. And so I am forced to conclude that long fluffy hand plane shavings aren't designed to flow through dust collection pipe. How did I miss this when I went to install this system??

Bottom line: so what do y'all do? Go through your pile to sweep aside the big hand plane shavings before you clean up what has fallen to the floor? Or?

Somebody help the boy! 










Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## J_L (Apr 22, 2014)

Here you go: http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=69302


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## gmercer_48083 (Apr 9, 2016)

Chuck, I collect my shavings with a broom and dust pan. they are collected to use as fire starter kindling. I found the same types of clogs, and decided the cross bars will continue to protect my impeller from larger chunks of wood that may get sucked up. After sweeping the shavings I use my dc or my shop vac for everything else.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

large curled chips like to clump together and will jam in a pipe. the only solution to that part is larger pipe or an in-line chopper/shredder - impractical for the home shop...

a baffle in the trash can separator could help with curls passing thru. the idea is for the incoming chips to impact on the baffle, lose (all) velocity, and drop to the bottom in (nearly) 'dead air.' arrange the "holes" / cut outs in the baffle so they don't create a lot of air motion at the bottom of the trash can to avoid stirring / picking up the curls after they've dropped. you will probably have to experiment with the design to get max effect.


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## hawkeye10 (Feb 18, 2015)

I think a shop vac would pick them up if you didn't try to pick all of them up at once.


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## P89DC (Sep 25, 2017)

Replace the separator with a cyclone?


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## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

I have more than a little experience with plane shavings. That is too much to suck up. Sweep up the bulk, then vacuum the stragglers. A little at a time. And, at least for me, a dust deputy does not do a good job separating them ... they still make it all the way to the vacuum.


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

Chuck:

When I first started using my Thien Top Hat pre-separator years ago, I found that my 12" jointer knives and 20" surface planer knives also would clog my Thien Top Hat. Even with a six (6) inch diameter input and output, the clogs would still happen inside the Thien Top Hat. I switched both cutterheads to spiral head cutters. Which solved that problem, but the hand plane curls still clogged it. I used a broom and dust pan to clean up the hand plane curls.

After switching to the Grizzly 2HP Cyclone, the hand plane curls problem disappeared.

Eric


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

I use a dustpan and broom to get the big pieces. The Shop Vac gets the small pieces and sawdust.


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