Lathes can be one of the messiest machines to run in the shop, and not only that, they’re one of the hardest to capture the waste from. Sure, a planer can also produce a huge amount of chips in a short time, but when using a lathe, quite a bit of your original blank ends up as shavings and sawdust that are thrown every which way.
That’s one of the reasons this new Rockler Dust Right Lathe Dust Collection System looks so interesting. Sure, its size and shape is going to limit its use to pens, spindles, and other long narrow turnings, but it looks like it could capture a good portion of the shavings without getting in the way.
There’s also the possibility that Rockler could expand the system in the future, such as with an additional dust scoop attachment that’s optimized instead for turning bowls.
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Rockler says their dust collector is compatible with most lathes. The C-shaped scoop is 9″ long by 3″ in diameter and connects to a standard 2-1/2″ vacuum hose.
The boom arm, vertical post, and scoop mount are all made from heavy duty steel. The 15″ boom arm connects to the bed of your lathe, in the same channel that holds the tailstock and tool rest, and the mounting system looks like it provides quite a bit of adjustability so you can collect the shavings where they are created.
Included in the kit are the dust scoop, the boom arm, the vertical mounting post, the adjustable connecting plate, 19-1/2″ of FlexForm hose, and all the necessary hardware to put the collector together.
Price: $50
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ktash
I don’t use a lathe, but I like what Rockler’s been doing with dust collection, specifically their small port hose kit. I’ve had my eye on it for a while, but will wait until it goes on sale, maybe over the holidays. I haven’t seen it on sale yet, though I know I could use a 20% coupon, I usually wait for the free shipping coupon instead. There’s no store near me, unfortunately.
Ben
I think that for a professional woodworker (or an amateur who has the money) this dust extractor is not really a waste of money when we see what it is capable of, for instance the automatic dust collection while using a power tool, a great time saver.