When helping me unload the trailer in the auto bay, my son noticed a large hole in the CNC dust collector which was blowing dust into the auto bay. We took the bag off and emptied it. We patched it and replaced it. Numerous other holes opened up Where they had been taped. We replaced the bag with a new one. Before replacing it, we noticed a tremendous amount of dust stuck in the upper bag. We emptied approximately three small trash cans Of fine wood dust from the upper segment. I suspect this was seriously impairing The airflow. We then moved a lot of the wood which was stored right in front of the dust collector. One piece was leaning against the dust collection bag and I suspect was the culprit for tearing the bag. We Vacuumed an inch and a half layer of wood dust from under the dust collector and from behind the panel saw and the materials behind the panel saw. The two large live edge pieces of wood or somewhat precariously balanced against the wall. Danny has gone to a lot of effort to build this machine for us, teach the classes, and help maintain it. We should respect this effort and keep the area clean, unobstructed, and accessible. Wood dust is not just messy. It is a fire hazard and it is under rated as a health hazard.
Thanks Fred.
Those plastic bags are actually only intended as single-use and thrown out. The top bag is washable, and needs to be washed (turned inside-out) to restore it to full flow. Although beating the bag does actually clear a lot of it too.
Thanks Fred! I know vacuuming up that area is a big undertaking! It builds up pretty fast. Perhaps we could organize a monthly clean out of that space and have a different cnc user volunteer each month?
I also wonder if it would be a good time to do an audit of the wood stored back by the dust collector? One of the live edge slabs has been there for a very long time and tends to be in the way of accessing the dust collector. Some of the materials behind the panel saw are sticking out into the walkway as well. I wonder how much of that is material abandonded after the covid close and could be moved to the scrap island.
My thoughts exactly. My son developed a bad sinusitis after cleaning out all the sawdust. Inventory for abandoned materials would be a good idea. It would be nice to get stuff from behind the panel saw so they can be usable without making a mess. It probably needs dust collection as well. If we get all the dust collection in the facility working and keep it clean, it should not be such a formidable task. We’re making progress!