Dust Collection: How Often Do You Empty Your Dust Bin

[EricU]

Never soon enough.

My cyclone wasn't working and when i finally decided to see why, it was full of shavings all the way to the top of the filter.  I guess that explained the low performance for a while.  At least the internal filter design has one advantage.

I have a sensor in the top of the bin but haven't wired it up yet.

[Arlin Eastman]

Mine all exits outside into a pile

Talking about venting it outside.  I am just wondering if there is anyway to separate the chips outside and keep the air inside??

[EightFingers]

I have two dust collectors (over the lathes) that vent outside.

No problems with the weather.

[lift mechanic]

The only problem with sending the dust outside is you are also sending the heated or cooled air out side also. that can be a big deal when the outside temp is -20f or +100f.

[Arlin Eastman]

Ever since I went to a segmented head jointer/planer, I seem to be going through 55 gallon dust collection bags like crazy. Just wondering, how often do you have to empty your dust collector?

I would love to have a bin instead of bags.  They are so hard for me to change and wait as long as possible.  Then my BIL will bring up the tractor with the bucket and throw the sawdust into it and put it around the trees.  Then they will put it back on.

[KC]

My cyclone wasn't working and when i finally decided to see why, it was full of shavings all the way to the top of the filter.  I guess that explained the low performance for a while.  At least the internal filter design has one advantage.

I have a sensor in the top of the bin but haven't wired it up yet.

I must've let mine overfill 20 times over the years.  Never did learn.  

[Stwood_]

The only problem with sending the dust outside is you are also sending the heated or cooled air out side also. that can be a big deal when the outside temp is -20f or +100f.

I've never noticed a temperature change in my 3500sf shop in all these years of pumping chips and air directly outside. I heat and cool both.
But I don't let the collector run when there is nothing else running. Machine goes off, collector goes off.

[Derek Cohen]

I would love to have a bin instead of bags.  They are so hard for me to change and wait as long as possible.  Then my BIL will bring up the tractor with the bucket and throw the sawdust into it and put it around the trees.  Then they will put it back on.

This was my system originally - standard set up ..



This is the system now, with a bag used to bridge into a bin ...



Close up ...



This has made life much easier.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[EightFingers]

The only problem with sending the dust outside is you are also sending the heated or cooled air out side also. that can be a big deal when the outside temp is -20f or +100f.

Not a problem for me. I’ve only closed the windows to my shop three times in six years. They normally stay open year round.

[Hank Knight]

Hard to tell. It depends on what I'm doing. Dressing rough lumber produces lots of chips and fills my 30 gallon bin quickly. Other machines, not so much. I emptied my bin last evening while I was dressing some rough ash boards. My oldest friend is an electrical engineer. He designed and built a shut-off circuit for my D/C. It uses a photoelectric cell that sends a light beam across the bin's inlet chute. When the bin fills, the chips block the light beam and the cyclone shuts off before the chips can back up into the ductwork and filters. It's a handy feature.