I think Dave was going to 'splain sumtin about his dustless system. Ummmm, Dave didn't I post pics of your system? I never saw any comments. I like the look around the rock fireplace--sharp!



...and a kitchen on another job. Are you saying you just go in and not cover anything? Help me, I'm not that familiar with how effective these things are.

Ken,

The Cypress floor was a new construction. The home owners move in after I install the floors but before I sanded and finished them. All the furniture sat in the dinnig room. The dinning room was carpet. They moved the furniture in after I was finished. The home owner's live in the house well I finished the floor. I do not cover any furiture nor plastic off doorways or have home owners take pictures off the walls. Never! When I leave I take my dust with me. I am cleaner sanding the floors than I am installing them. Even when I set my saws up outside. On the fire place I always picture frame them. I tell the builder to put down a 3/4" fir strip to start the rock on. You just remove the strip and slide under the rock( no scribing). This saves time and looks better. On the oak floor this is how the kichen look before, during and after. Do you see the TV no dust on the screen and you know how they atract dust.

Dave WY

Hey Pig-Pen,
I see you like to install those flush framed rabeted wood registers also. When I put those in for a customer, they think it is so cool. They don't realize how easy they are to install (harder than cutting a rough opening but certainly not difficult). Very Nice!

That's a great tip Dave. It's always nice that people are made aware during the building process of what can be done. Gives a great final appearance!

I think you deserve a new name--Mr.Clean

I vote for Mr. Clean! What dust extraction system do you use? I am looking into it but the cost has always been an issue. Any tips? Thanks!

Gray,

I put one together myself. I started with an old insulation blower off a truck that blew in attic insulation. The thing will suck the paint off the wall almost. It has been in the repair shop for over a year, being so old they had a hard time finding parts. So to replace it I found that grainger industrial suuply had a unit similar to it. The cost was $450.00. This weekend I will post exactly how I made mine and parts numbers.

Dave WY

Harbor Freight Tools, has a nice BIG dust containment, for $149.00










Here is their smaller unit, for $99.00

floorguy,

They will not work, I would explain to why but you have all that nwfa schooling you should know why.

What is the difference in that design and this one by US Sander?

This one is over $3500

The hoses have ground wires on the US Sander system, to avoid static electricity exposion, and it is a whole system.

I'm sure your homemade unit is fully grounded?

This unit sits outside the home, not inside home.

Perry,

With all that NWFA education you don't know. I can set my unit inside or out or just leave it in my truck. I can set up as a single stage or double stage. All for 1/3 the cost and its a better system. Any more info for you will cost you. Any one else it's free.

Pig-pen, I am by no means a sand & finish guy. Never said I was.

We all learn from each other on these boards. Education comes in many forms.

Although I have seen it done from start to finish, I have never had the opportunity, such as yourself to even touch/run a drum or belt flooring sander, much less an edger. One thing for sure, with what I have learned, and playing with the sander for a bit, I'm pretty confident, I could perfectly sand a newly installed floor, with good working equipent.

Being book smart does not make one(me) an expert! I as you and I learn something new everyday, we will never read in a book. That's life!


We all have opinions. Discussing those opinions, educates the both of us, making us more profitable in our lives, by making our work easier. Being on a public message board, it educates everyone that reads it.


When a reputable company, produces a dust containment system, markets it and sells it to the professionals we are, making claims of greatness, then having a professional, who should know more about it then me say, "it won't work", has me baffled?
You spike my curiosity, as to why it won't work. Human nature, from someone that stives to be "the best"


If it is 1/3 the cost, and does a better job, you need to patent and run with it. If it is better then a unit that retails for $3500, we all want to know about it!!! Even the guys that don't sand for a living.


When saying something "won't work" without a reason why, makes one think your throwing words around, when you really don't know yourself.

Maybe you meant, it won't work as good, but why won't it work?

Spontaneous combustion?
Dust on the front porch?

If it sucks the sawdust away, leaving a clean dustless job, so clean up before finishing is faster, so the finish does not get polluted, what's the beef?

I'm sure I am not the only one you have made curious as to where your going with this, "it won't work" theory.

Yeah Pig-pen (Mr. Clean), why won't those discount dust collecters work? I'm just curious. I don't know a thing about them except the ones from the flooring companies are big $$$. So, lay it on us! And where do I get all the adapters to hook up my sanders to the hoses? Where to get the right hoses? And skirt for my buffer, the biggest contributer of dust? Please, Mr. Pig-Pen, give us the scoop on your home made system!

Floorguy,

the two dust system for $99 and $149. will not work. They have a 4" inlet and when you increase the lenght of hose your CFMs decrease. Then when you decrease the size of hose you lose even more CFMs. The $99 vac is made for one woodworking tool like a table saw, planer,etc. The $149.maybe to tools. They pick up the larger chips but have a hard time picking up the fine dust. Like the floor sanding machines create. As far as the $3500.00 unit it will work but don't forget the larger cube van or trailer you will need. Plus if you run it from a truck you will need longer hose( longer hose decreases CFMs). Running hose from truck or trailer your exposed to the weather, like rain, snow( well here in Wyoming anyway), mud from new construction. You will also need a 220 hookup for that size vac also. I can set mine up in about 10 min. , inside or out and plug it in to a 110 circut and start sanding away. I am not saying mine is the best but I have used it for over 15 years now and it works. All for about $1000.00.

Dave WY

What size inlet does the $3500 unit have?

In your CFM equation, you forgot what velocity is, and how to increase velocity, with a given CFM. Tell us how velocity is increased, Einstein!

If it has the suction to pick up mass, such as chips of wood, common sense tells us it will suck the dust even better than, thin chips and chunks. Simple Common Sense. I got a chuckle from that.


This unit is not made to mount in a van or box trailer

We need to start a new thread, in a different forum, or take it to e-mail, to discuss this more indepth.