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Those of us with the Suck it Acrylic Dust Shoe/Collection system will notice that when the shoe reaches the outside edges of a work piece, the efficiency goes down.The gap created between the the edge of the work piece and the waste board causes shavings to be blown out away from suction and the shavings in the recess created by the cutter can build up and stress the carve.
SOLUTION: I keep a number of scrap pieces of wood of various widths nearby and when this is a concern I simply surround the work piece with scraps that are slightly thinner than the stock so the dust boot brushes won’t catch or move them. I just work around the clamps and I don’t need to attach the boards because they are thinner and won’t move anyways. This restores the suction on the edges and leads to cleaner work space and smoother carves.
I have a very powerful Dust Collector (Fein Turbo II AC) likely one of the best. And I have had the X-carve for 3+ Years, one of the first, so I am not new to carving. This tip still greatly helps anyone who wants to increase the efficiency around the edges of their carves.
Although the Fein Turbo II AC is a very nice shop vac (I wish I owned one) and will work on the X-Carve it is a rather low volume dust collector moving about 150 cu ft per minute. On the other hand, a small 1 hp dust collector moves about 500 CFM. The additional air volume goes a long way helping when larger openings develop as the brush head moves off the work piece.
The downside is for it to work well you need to use larger hose sizes on the dust shoe. I believe the Fein uses a 1 3/8" hose. I really wanted to use 3" on my setup but it just seemed to bulky to me. I compromised on 2 1/2" and it works well.
This post is not about evaluating or troubleshooting any issue with my vacuum. There’s nothing wrong or weak about the vacuum. I use a large diameter hose and it works great with my x carve, better than any shop vac I have had. I own a 2HP Dust Collector as well, hooked up to all my major tools in my wood shop and I have a good understanding of air movement/volume, and I agree with what your saying 100%.
The point of this post is to share a very simple enhancement to improve efficiency around the dust shoe when it gets to the edge of a work piece with ANY vacuum or dust collector. By reducing the gap created (not sealing it) at the edge of a work piece by placing some thinner stock where the shoe will overlap, CFM efficiency is improved similar to when the shoe is over the middle of the work piece, and less dust and shavings escape. A slight opening is good for CFM but if the gap is too large, the actual suction power is directed to the opening, and not to the cutting path and the overall suction power is reduced from where it is needed. Chips and dust fly out this opening because there is just not enough turbulence to keep it flowing up into the hose
I posted this because it works, plain and simple. It’s a tip I learned and I am sharing it in hopes someone else can benefit from it. Lets please keep the comments on this topic about the title, Thanks gents.
I’m having a hard time understanding your logic. How is stacking random scrap wood that are slightly thinner than your work piece (that is being reduced in thickness by each pass) more efficient than simply increasing the air movement?
The purpose of the post was to say here’s how I fixed an issue I had using the items I have available. I’m sure the intent was to help anyone with similar issues. I understood it the first time I read the original post.
Keep in mind that he is talking about the edges of his work material. As the dust shoe moves off the edge of the work material then the opening that the dust collector is pulling air through is getting bigger which slows down the speed of the air going into the shoe which picks up less material. You are correct that you could boost the dust collector horsepower to return the air flow to the former rate but that would not be more efficient than just keeping the hole smaller by using some filler material at the edge of the work piece so that the dust shoe opening stays smaller as the dust shoe moves off the edges of the work piece.
I am sorry your not understanding me or my logic. It is about directing the air movement, concentrating it where it is most beneficial. This works for me plain and simple. I share it with good and honest intentions as it has helped me. Perhaps you should do a test carve and see it for yourself.
Lets please not make this a debate. Do you have anything beneficial to other carvers to discuss here or is your intention to continue to debate or debunk me? While I respect and welcome a spirited discussion, I do not find this one productive at all becasue it seems you are focused on proving something!
It’s a tip. It works for me, and from the looks of the likes popping, others like it too.
@NeilAnderson - I agree, increasing air movement is definitely helpful. It’s the approach I chose. However, a lot of people don’t have the budget for a new DC, so this tip could be helpful to them.
I do the same. I’ve screwed a small strip along the x and y axis, and not only does it help with the vacuum, but it also allows exact placement of materials at the 0,0 when placing and reinserting materials. I use a shop vac connected to a cyclonic 6th gen with 2" pool hose suspended from the ceiling. I actually mounted a cut off portion of a 1-liter soda bottle around the entire router body with a 2nd piece loosely attached that slides up/down. This is a flexible solution that rides up/down and keeps the bottom surface right on the work surface. No dust at all anywhere in the room.
I use the same trick. My workbench is sized about the same as the x-carve, so for big carves that have my material right at the edge, I clamp a 2x4 to the front edge of my bench. Works like a charm.
I do the same as well. Using a piece that is slighty less thickness does help it not move when the brushes go over. Made the mistake of using the same thickness a few times and look over and it’s fallen on the floor or not making a seal. Just get a few scrapes and plane them slightly.
It’s a tip. It works for me, and from the looks of the likes popping, others like it too.