Dust Collector in a Basement?

[Cox West]

How practical is a dust collection system in a basement? I have a table saw, bandsaw, 13 in. planer, router/table, and am about to get an 8 in. jointer. I don't have a shop, I have a garage with stuff in it that needs to be moved around for any serious work. If I had an actual dust collector with this equipment in a basement, what could I reasonably expect? If 25 % of the basement became a shop, would it need to be sealed off to keep the other 75% clean? Anyone have experience with this, and if so - how well does it work?

Dave

[TWS]

The volume of air that the DC system pulls needs to be replaced from somewhere. If you don't set up a return path between the basement and the garage then the garage air will be a slight vacuum and will pull air from outside. Conversely the basement will be pressurized and the air (with a lot of dust smaller than the DC's filter) will go somewhere else (like under the basement door and into your house). Finally, DCs are very loud and will resound through the floor of your house unless you take measures to deaden the sound. TWS

[Morris Dovey]

It's always a good idea to contain the mess as much as possible. A dust-proof partition with a door (and door mat) would help to contain the mess.

Dust collection to all of the tools will also help. Everything trapped by the DC is that much less mess that can appear elsewhere.

Why not try it out in the garage first? That way you'll gain some experience and develop some gut-level feel for how well it'll work with your tools and your DC...

[Gary A in KC]

I have 2 good experiences with it. My first basement shop, even with dust collection, allowed a LOT of dust to collect throughout the basement. My second basement shop was walled off from the rest of the basement and that, coupled with a good DC system, keeps the basement pretty spotless. I don't have any air returns in my shop to my HVAC system so no worries about dust working into the house that way. And unless your DC system is venting outside of your shop, then you're not creating any differential pressure between shop and basement. Most DC systems blow back through a final filter and back into your shop. As far as noise, they're loud, but I find that the drop ceiling I put into my shop (to support large enclosed flourescent fixtures) really helps muffle the sound a lot. You can tell it's running but it's just a low frequency noise that doesn't bother the wife too much - my planer running with the DC system on is another story though!

Gary in KC

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Necessity.

I> If I had an actual dust collector

You will get most, but not all the dust. Smaller micron bags would help.

It would help. No matter how much care you take, there will be dust flying from some tool and it will find itself in other areas.

My experience is in a garage. The DC makes a huge difference, but is not perfect. Ed

[Nova]

Especially when you forget to turn the DC on.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

[Big John]

My wood shop is in the basement and is walled off from the rest of the basement and has no return air to the furnace. I have used a standalone DC system and am now in the process of putting in a full blown DC system complete with cyclone.

I am installing the cyclone up on the street level in my garage and piping the dust through it and then back to the cartridge filters back in the basement. I am running all 6" PVC pipe.

Finally, that mech. engr. degree is paying off. I can do all the pressure drop and flow calculations to insure the system will work. Mom and Dad would be proud.

Go to

and follow the link to Bill Pentz's site for the best information on dust collection that there is on the web.

[Mike Coonrod]

My dust collector is in the basement with my shop...things I think are a must!

1. Dual layer of sheetrock on the ceiling, with "hat channel"
2. Insulate all walls and ceiling best you can.
3. No cold air returns to the hvac.
4. Dust closet for collector to reduce the noise.
5. Exterior medal doors with magnetized and threshold seals to access the house.

6.Entry from the garage to shop, extra wide.

Just a quick list...good luck

[Ba r r y]

I find the big plus for a DC is how some tools actually work, not cleanliness.

Planers, jointers and router tables, to name a few, do a better job with less effort, when the chips are actively removed from the cutter area. The same goes for power sanders connected to a vacuum when compared to the simple dust bag / cup.

Barry

[RKG]

I've got a 25' x 25' shop in the basement, I have a dust collector and a ceiling mounted air cleaner and no cold air returns to the furnace. The guy who lived here before never heated the room so he insulated the ceiling to keep the floors in the rooms above from getting to cold. With that insulation the wife says she hardly hears the table saw and planer running never mind the dust collector.

When I put a heat outlet in the duct work for the shop I also installed a filter and I really don't see much dust in the rest of the basement let alone the upstairs.

Rick

[larrybud2002]

I have everything you have but the bandsaw, and I have a miter saw in additon to the tools listed. I have the Jet 1100CFM dust collector in my basement, which I reserved about 1/2 of the basement for the shop. I built a wall to separate the two halves to control the dust. Work great.