Sawdust Collection Made Easy

Personal Protection

Before starting your next project, ask yourself, do I have everything I need to suit up properly for the task at hand? If you are still deciding, let's go through a quick rundown of the items you should wear whenever you're working.

The first item you want is a good dust mask, and keep in mind that not just any mask will do. Get one specifically designed to keep out the finest dust particles that can get air born during woodworking tasks. At Northern Tool + Equipment, you’ll find a wide range of masks to choose from. Some disposable dust masks might be the perfect choice for a quick job, but you can also find half-mask respirators for those times when you need extra protection to work in the shop all day.

Now that you have protected yourself, let's get into the equipment you will need to help you clean up the dust. What else do you need other than a mask? You will need a good set of eye protection eyewear. Because getting sawdust in your eyes can be ultra-painful. And much like a good dust mask, Northern Tool + Equipment has a range of safety glasses and goggles for you to choose from. Check them out and pick out the pair that fits your needs.

Can you even call a workshop a workshop if it doesn't have a shop vac? We think not. So, why is it that every workshop needs a good shop vac? It's a piece of equipment that is affordable, easy to use and versatile with its many attachments. It can make quick work of the messes that can happen in your shop, and those messes it can clean include sucking up the dust. When the sawdust starts to pile up, get the shop vac out and clean it up.

Not only do shop vacs act as vacuums, but they can also be attached to tools with dust ports. Why is that great? Because your shop vac will remove the dust and debris immediately as you use your tool. No need to clean later since the work is already done. There are some cases where your shop vac's hose won't fit the tool you are connecting to, which means you will have to get an adaptor for it to work. Shop vac adaptors and other accessories are easily found at Northern Tool + Equipment.

Whether you are a beginner or a pro, you will want to make sure you have a trusty shop vac in your workshop. Also, check out the best shop vacs list to see which brands made the top of the list.

Are you starting to get serious about your workshop and spending more and more time in it? Then you should investigate the possibility of getting a dust collector installed. What is a dust collector exactly? It's a machine that specializes in what its name is. It will help to remove dust, dirt and debris from the air and the areas in which you have them set up. They work by sucking air, processing it through a filter system and then depositing particles and debris into a collection area. So, if you are going to get serious about being in your shop, this is the kind of machine you will want to install, and there are some choices in dust collectors you will want to consider.

If you have a smaller shop, you might want to keep your eye on single-stage dust collectors. These will get you set up with a single hose that can go to the areas in which you need to start cleaning sawdust. While they are compact, they do pack a lot of suction power to make sure your tools, machines and shop stay clean.

Do you have a larger workshop with multiple machines that are in constant use? Then you can invest in a two-stage dust collector. While they are similar to the single-stage dust collectors in name, two-stage units pack a heck of a powerful punch when it comes to their suction power. These machines also can handle heavy debris much better than their single-stage counterparts. So, if you are truly serious about keeping your shop clean from sawdust, this is what you will want to install as soon as you can. Also, be sure to check out the best dust collection systems list to see which are the favorites of our customers.

No matter how good a dust collector is, there will still be small particles that it misses as it sucks up sawdust, which is why serious consideration should be made for installing a dust filtration system in your shop. These systems work by constantly filtering through the air, grabbing the loose particles that are lingering in it and then removing them from the air. Just turn it on and let it go to work. You don't even need to be in the shop while the dust filtration system is doing its cleaning.

After talking about all the high-tech solutions above, it might sound like a joke to bring up brooms and brushes right now when talking about dust collection, but it isn't. Never underestimate the power of a basic tool. When you have a bunch of sawdust on the floor, use a broom to gather it all together before you bring out the shop vac to finish the job. Did you just get done using your miter saw, and there is some sawdust on the machine? Use a brush to help clean it off, and then you can brush that into the area of your dust collector. With just a simple broom and brush, you will be able to help get your workshop into tip-top shape.