Sawdust on the Floor

As a woodworker, I am a commited tool freak.   That’s why everytime we get a new woodworking catalog, I peruse every page, several times looking  for that one tool that will make my shop more complete.  Please note that I said more complete, not complete, it will never be “Complete”.   Some of the new products are great, but would require a budget much larger then mine, or more shop space then I have  available.   But every once in a while you find one of those new tools that deserve a place in everyones shop.

In an  recent  ad from Rockler, I saw an item that really caught my attention.  They are selling components for a shop built “Downdraft Sanding  Table“.  The kit, which is very reasonably priced, includes the two steel plates for the top of the downdraft table plus a set of plans.  All you would need to supply is some scrap lumber, and maybe a half hour of your time. 

Downdraft sanding tables are an ideal complement to your existing dust collection system.  The concept is simple. Simply connect the downdraft table to your shop vacuum or dust collection system. Position your work piece on the table top which has non-slip rubber grommets and adjustable stops to stabilize your work, turn on your sander and dust system and you’re ready to sand. 

I have looked at several other downdraft systems at woodworking shows, but have always left them there.  I couldn’t justify the costs.  But even if you add the optional 4″ Blast Gate, you’re still looking at less then $30.00 for this package.  The picture here at the left shows the Downdraft Sanding Table with the top removed, and the blast gate attached to the back of the unit. 

A good downdraft table makes sense for all woodworkers, no matter if you build full scale furniture or small intricate piece work.  The fine saw dust produced while final sanding isn’t good for any of us to breathe in, plus this fine dust is very flammable.  

I guess I better go back and look at all those emails again, maybe I missed another great deal.

Today I want to work on the three drawers for the new bathroom vanity.  Work on the drawers began with rough cutting the stock to size. Each drawer is 19 1/2″deep, 8 ” tall and have an overall width of 9 1/8″.  I planned to make the drawers out of 1/2″ oak.  Because all of my on hand stock is 4/4 or 1″ thick, I was unable to re saw it.  There simply is not enough thickness  to allow for the kerf of the band saw blade, while leaving two 1/2″ thick pieces.  So I had to plane all of the pieces down to a 1/2″ thickness.  I hated to waste the wood, but this was really the only option available to me. 

Before any of the stock was run thru the planer, at least one edge on each piece of stock, was run across the jointer, to ensure that I had one good edge to work from. After it was all planed down, I took it back  to the tablesaw where it was ripped to it final 8″ height.  Planing all of that stock produced a tremendous amount of sawdust. Thankfully, my Dust Collection system handled it without fail. Well, let me correct  that statement.  It worked really well, until I forgot to keep an eye on the collection bag.   When it became full the motor on the dust collector kept running but it stopped working as a vacuum.  I ended up wearing at lot of sawdust, because the planer just threw it back at me.  I guess I just got caught up in moving stock through the planer. Read more…