Just a friendly reminder to leave a few minutes to clean things up once you are done. If you have to leave in a hurry and can’t clean things up, it’s a good idea to mail the list or the warden or leave a short physical note. And perhaps come in the next day to clean it up.
There is just a lot of saw dust covering many different tools (the chips came from those tools, it’s not air dust that settled over a large area).
Small things like this help keep the hive and our tools nicer in the long run.
So I’ve been cleaning up, did so most of Sunday, took out the trash twice, and cleaned up again after the meeting. I’m guessing I spent a hour all told. Steve Jones also ran a broom around at that time. Unfortunately, I also used a lot of tools, to accomplish a lot of things. Maybe you could post some pics so that I could get a better idea of what you feel is too much saw dust/too many chips? I know there were some behind the drill press/sander, but it didn’t seem important, since it was mostly cleaned up, and out of the way. There might be a few random shaving from the jointer, since they tend to hide behind legs.
Or maybe somebody else has come in since then and made a mess? It’s pretty unclear exactly what mess you might be referring too. I know we don’t want to name guilty parties, at least in public, but some pics/specifics might help with understanding.
Fair enough, maybe I’m just feeling guilty. I’m also wonder what you think in unacceptable, since I did clean, but not perfectly, on the assumption that it’s going to get messy, and some things aren’t worth the effort.
The best solution is to see if we can complete the dust collection such that most of the rest of the tools are hooked up, and not just the band saw/cnc. We were talking at the last meeting about a skirt of sorts to collect the stuff from the jointer, and I’ve been looking into solutions for the thickness planer. It would also be nice to have a vacuum attachment to the dust collector, so that we can stop clogging up the shop vac filters.
There are fairly cheap plastic cyclones, that will drop most particles out before a filter… most brands fit to drums. It’d be worth a look I think Might be feasible to do one dedicated to the central system, and use a shop vac to run a portable. Heck, if size is an issue, maybe the 3d printer could print up a mini
We actually have a central system up and running, mounted on a support beam and routed overhead to a few tools. It is a cyclone (rather large, 4 feet or so), connected to a bin, as you described!
For the planar, we made an attachment that connects to the system that collects about 80-90% of the chips (need to locate this). Because there was only one drop that wasn’t attached to tools, we left that attachment to be removable, like the small hose and adapter that connects the drum sander with a smaller port. Those tools also get moved around a bit to accommodate different size/shape stock, so again we decided to leave that part of the collection system a bit flexible. It’d be great to get every single tool attached with a separate drop though! These were just some shorter term solutions.
Regarding it’s “completion” or continued work: the nice tube is really expensive (The nicer blast gates are also a bit expensive), so it was done in smaller chunks over a larger time using the COO or warden budget, as tools got more use and needed more stable dust collection.
Lastly, I would consider acceptable being able to use tools or work surfaces without having to remove cups of debris on top of the tool or surface. So basically leaving a tool immediately functional, and leaving the floor not dangerously covered in debris. Note I said acceptable, not great, ideal or awesome
We actually have a central system up and running, mounted on a support beam and routed overhead to a few tools. It is a cyclone (rather large, 4 feet or so), connected to a bin, as you described!
For the planar, we made an attachment that connects to the system that collects about 80-90% of the chips (need to locate this).
Yes please.
Because there was only one drop that wasn’t attached to tools, we left that attachment to be removable, like the small hose and adapter that connects the drum sander with a smaller port.
I don’t see how it works for anything but the drum sander. Maybe you can clear that up, next time we speak.
Those tools also get moved around a bit to accommodate different size/shape stock, so again we decided to leave that part of the collection system a bit flexible. It’d be great to get every single tool attached with a separate drop though! These were just some shorter term solutions.
Regarding it’s “completion” or continued work: the nice tube is really expensive (The nicer blast gates are also a bit expensive), so it was done in smaller chunks over a larger time using the COO or warden budget, as tools got more use and needed more stable dust collection.
I think you’ll nee to explain this part. I’m seeing 6" metal ducting going for ~$8 for 5’, and elbow for $5. I’m guessing we can attach most of the shop for a few hundred dollars.
If you’re talking about all the flextubing, we’ve probably got more than we need. It’s best to use the metal ducting, since every kink in the flex tubing cuts into your performance.
Really it’s a question of time, IMHO, and I’ve got plenty, since I’m off until the beginning of the year.
Lastly, I would consider acceptable being able to use tools or work surfaces without having to remove cups of debris on top of the tool or surface.
Okay, I think we’re in agreement here. I’m guessing from the lack of pics that after the clean up on Tuesday we’re all in agreement that it’s in okay shape.
I don’t have enough time to respond to all these things today, so just on the note of cleanliness, which was the main original topic:
No, I came in on Wednesday (and sent the first email) to find things in a state that I would consider not acceptable (cups of dust on tools and work surfaces, large chips over a few tools and on the floor, which are easily cleaned up with a broom and pan, etc.). Yesterday Greg was there and agreed, so it wasn’t just me being “persnickety” (trust me, I have been at the Hive for 6+ years, I know what a reasonable expectation of cleanliness in a shared space is; not looking for dust-free perfection hahaha :P). I don’t know who had come in to use things or when, but several tools were covered.
Yesterday when I headed down I was under a time constraint so Greg and I cleaned stuff up so I could get to work, and after the fact realized I forgot to take pictures of the before. Ah well.
So really the best thing was already said: clean as you go, and maybe clean just one more thing to leave it better than you found it The back work bench with the peg board is currently an example of what can rapidly happen when each person doesn’t put back just one thing, and the next person, and so on. It piles up quickly and becomes unusable until a single person spends a chunk of time cleaning it.
We could start a “wall of shame” using the security cameras to identify the perpetrators . . . . .
Or we could collect the dust/chips and pour them into the member’s storage box . . . .
Or we could camp out in the shadows and jump out if the person leaves a mess . . .
Yeah, I hear you about the 6 years. I've got a few months, and it seemed reasonably clean Tuesday night, so I was wondering if we disagree on what was reasonable. Sounds like somebody else was down Wednesday during the day.
Yes, that kind of thing. If one is not working, perhaps two? Or a larger unit to give more low energy space for particles to drop. The side note is it would also be handy to have a portable and or dedicated one for chips. Vacuum is better than compressed air cleaning for machine tools, both for safety, and machine life.
It sounds though like the volume of dust may well in a day accumulate enough that there is blow through on the cyclone. Dunno, might take some empty before and after runs to see. Other thing is MDF is particularly dusty if I recall.
Seems a custom collection bin with a few led lights once set would let the eyeball help. Green Led buried? Time to empty
