Metal dust and dust collection - Printable Version +- Woodnet Forums (https://forums.woodnet.net) +-- Thread: Metal dust and dust collection (/showthread.php?tid=7339040) |
Metal dust and dust collection - Peter Tremblay - 04-20-2018 Hello all, I have a dust collector with a 1 micron canister filter. If I were to sand/grind metal on a disk sander or mill brass on my router table would using the DC hurt the machine? I'm especially concerned about damage to the filter. I also don't want to start a fire with hot metal pieces being mixed in with wood dust. But I don't want metal dust (especially steel) settling on my lumber and staining it. RE: Metal dust and dust collection - EricU - 04-20-2018 I would worry about fire. We have had a couple of fires at work related to mixing wood and metal. In particular, you probably don't want to pull hot metal into your dust collection system. I would just not use it while grinding metal and wait for things to cool down and clean up by hand or with a shopvac RE: Metal dust and dust collection - MarkSingleton - 04-20-2018 Probably the best solution for this is a separate dust collector system altogether. I need to deal with this some day as well. My current plan is to put all the tools that generate metal dust, ie belt sanders, grinders etc, on a rolling cart that I can push out of my garage when I use them. I am fortunate in that the wood shop is in a separate building so contaminating the wood has not been an issue. RE: Metal dust and dust collection - jteneyck - 04-20-2018 (04-20-2018, 01:28 PM)Peter Tremblay Wrote: Hello all, If you can disconnect your filter canister from the system, or otherwise bypass it, you could blow it out a window. John RE: Metal dust and dust collection - CLETUS - 04-20-2018 (04-20-2018, 01:28 PM)Peter Tremblay Wrote: Hello all, I regularly go from wood to aluminum, brass and steel. I have accidently sent sparks into my shop vac with a filter bag filled with sawdust. No fire, but I kept an eye on it. As a rule, I'd say it's a very bad idea to use your wood dust collection for steel, brass and aluminum. The "dust" doesn't stay suspended like wood dust. Cover your wood, tools, etc with a sheet while grinding. Easy, peasy. RE: Metal dust and dust collection - Peter Tremblay - 04-20-2018 (04-20-2018, 02:52 PM)CLETUS Wrote: I regularly go from wood to aluminum, brass and steel. I have accidently sent sparks into my shop vac with a filter bag filled with sawdust. No fire, but I kept an eye on it. I think that's what I'll be doing. Thanks RE: Metal dust and dust collection - Wild Turkey - 04-21-2018 I'm with Cletus. Get one of those "floor sweep" magnets or something similar to make clean-up easier. And plan ahead to send the sparks where they will not do damage and be easier to clean up. A piece of cardboard, etc can make a great deflector. I try to go outside when I've got any heavy cutting/grinding to do -- helps with "domestic tranquility, especially if I need to do some welding. RE: Metal dust and dust collection - Timberwolf - 04-21-2018 (04-20-2018, 03:04 PM)Peter Tremblay Wrote: I think that's what I'll be doing.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Metal particles can be sharp and will/may "cling" to your filter and be hard to remove, unlike wood dust. I would just cover what I want to protect. |