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Shrimp. Could you put the vacuum hose connector centered on the bottom of the dust collection box rather than the side so it captures all of the dust? Maybe angle the bottom of the dust box down or even have a rounded funnel like bottom with the vacuum connector in the center of the funnel bottom?
Shrimp. Consider placing a hole with a shutter in the door in line with the speed control. This does 3 things. 1 the additional airflow will keep the speed control area clean from accumulating chips & dust. 2 you can tune the amount of airflow passing thru the cutter bit opening to be as strong as you wish. 3 by increasing airflow the dust collection motor will not have to work harder than necessary (producing a high negative pressure) causing unnecessary wear & power consumption. And if I am wrong - just close the shutter. Best wishes for success. Rod.
Shrimple fix for increasing air flow and keeping dust out the corners. Drill small holes in the corners so you can get air flowing across the the bottom of the box. You have more than enough air volume that it won’t make a difference up top. Just needs some intake holes to get it flowing toward the dc port
Adding to a good idea - Best way to identify where to drill the holes is to note where you have some build up. By drilling the holes at that point you ensure that there is air travelling from that point to the air outlet. This method is particularly effective if your dust extraction system is based on high air volume rather than high air pressure. Based on the size of your outlet I’d say it’s a high air volume flow system ( the best in my view)
I think a bigger concern, rather than collecting every bit of the sawdust, you have to take into account cooling your router. It needs air flow around and through the motor. This is particularily important if you're doing a lot of routing. Your vacuum already directs the air flow. so if you cut a 1/2' to 3/4" slot the length of the side opposite your dust port, the evacuation would not suffer. It's not going to depend on the amount of negative air pressure (vacuum) you develop, but rather on the speed and volume of air flow through the box.
Agreed with this. could solve the router cooling, and residual dust collection at the bottom of the box easily, by putting intake vents at the bottom of the door, nearly flush with the bottom of the box. Air will move across the router to help keep it cool, and also sweep across the bottom of the box, helping to keep it clean and minimize dust build up. But ideally the dust port should be flush with the bottom of the box as well so that dust can flow unobstructed into the port.
I was thinking of the same thing, and also we need to consider chances of dust accumulating inside the router because the box sits so close to the router itself. I think that 1) the box can be deeper so dust won't be riding so close to the router when riding along the bottom of the box and 2) have some diverting skirt to encourage dust to flow outside of the router when they fall through the hole. Having intake holes at he right place will also encourage fresh air to flow through the router minimizing dust build up.
I was about to point this flaw out, but it’s good that others noted it. I don’t know whether the sawdust affects the internals of the router, or how much, but it is an inevitable eventuality that they will be affected, especially the commutator bars and brushes, not to mention the bearings if they are the open type. So perhaps an open port for the router cooling intake at the botttom, coupled with a rubber boot that fits snugly around the router and makes a solid seal for the bottom of the dust collection enclosure would be best, though the router intake may affect the suction power somewhat.
@@cindyhammack68 Is the motor on the computer fan totally enclosed? I wonder if there is any concern with fire on a fan motor that is not meant to be in outrageously dusty environment like a dust collection box beneath a router
To have your router enclosed in that msnner will definitely restrict the necessary air flow to age motor of your router, as saw dust itself can clog the ports if the motor. A better position would be to have the bottom of the box to surround the upper guide of the plunge router frame. Use some flexible foam between the router frame and box bottom will protect the router frame from the bottom of the new pan. With a smaller volume the lower motor vents( now upwards), should easily be kept from clogging. If the suction noise is a problem, install an adjustable gate on hose port of the dust collection system you can decrease the amount of suction to tune the air flow to an acceptable noise level. Since you seem to be using the dust collection for your table saw, you should consider using a Y connection with hoses for each tool to save time changing between them. This alone may help with the noise level as it can still be pulling air from the table saw.
There is an immense amount of fresh air being pulled past that router that I doubt there are any concerns with heat degredation by being left inside of a tiny box.
@@rickkern5785 even in this video, the enclosure limits the height of possible drawers underneath. My suggestion could also be accomplished with “ cant” boards inside the enclosure directed ti a side opening at the bottom. The basic premise it rpto draw dust from the motor air inlets, which if clogged causes the motor to overheat and fail.
Shrimp are by far the best at collecting fine particles so you should call this the shrimp box, also you should put the door on top if the fixed panel so any reminisce dust stays inside the box , and a stronger vacuum might help rather than a second hose, because all the air is concentrated into one place, but overall a very cool build
Hey Shrimp...I would think a bottom mounted dust hose would capture almost 100% of the dust but in your case it doesn't work because of the cabinet you have there. Either way, it seems a much better solution that letting the sawdust (router dust?) hit the floor.
Shrimp... preferably Pad Thai Shrimp. Awesome video. My only recommendation would be to place the dust hole at bottom of box or from the inside have placed it at 45 degrees between back panel and bottom panel. You would end up with a significant amount of air movement and therefore dust going downwards instead of sideways. Gravity helps, but it's also the way air / dust moves when getting into the box and the turbulence caused by the air already inside the box.
Shrimp. I had the same issue after building my custom enclosure. My fix... since you probably need/want a hose to your fence to collect dust as well, pipe it to a 2.5" port 90 degrees from the back main 4" hose connection. It provides the extra airflow and it helps "spin" the air in the box to keep it more cleared... and you get the benefit of dust collection on the fence at the bit location.
Looking at how close the bottom of the box is to the router, I do have concerns about adequate router cooling. Also, all that dust at the bottom will have a tendency to get inside of a motor, causing potential problems. TBH, I'd relocate the dust collection intake to the bottom of the box, rather then having it on the side. This way you will have the air flowing around the router, helping to cool it. And the the dust won't build up in the bottom as much
Shrimp It is not just the air flow for cooling but also the dust in the air will get into the router and reduce the life of the router. It is better to have an outside source of cooling air for the router.
Shrimp are icky but I love this and the table upgrade videos! I am grateful that you included the challenges in the corners of the box so now I have ideas on how I want to build mine. Great job!
@@SpencleyDesignCoshrimp. So, if you want to have the box cleaner without dust collecting on the corners and under the motor, I suggest you drill some small holes in the bottom of the door near the floor of the box. Maybe even drill them on a downward 45 degree angle. It will pull air through those holes and essentially sweep the bottom of the box clean as it runs. It will increase the air speed from front to back along the bottom of the box and not just from the central hole to the back.
I love these DIY Workshops Maschines, especially this " Table saw" type and this "router table" model!! To make some stuff at home, and to craft some stuff. In Germany, we use this kind of Maschines only at the building sites, but the Festtool version. For the smaller circular table saw, or the table for the Festo router with all kinds of rail systems. But, in our " real" carpentery business work shop, where I worked as employee, we had a totally different Maschinery!!!! Altendorf or Martin : Table Saw, Kölle or Martin : Stationary table router, and the other big Maschines you need to produce with profit. Edge Gluer, Horizontal CNC circular plate saw, CNC work center, cylindrical sanding Maschine, bla bla🙈🙈🙈🙈😁😁😁‼️
Lobster. I have another idea for your dust problem that mightve been a little simpler. Those hinges should have a few mm of adjustment in both direction. So if you spaced the door off of the box a little bit it would allow air to be sucked in around the entire perimeter of the door. Might eliminate the whistle, and should help to grab any dust that gets stuck on the bottom and corners of the box. Kind of moot now that you fixed it but who knows someone might see this comment and find it useful
After I built mine, I modified it. I put a separate hole in the box with a pipe coming from the back of the 'router cooling air intake' to feed it clean cold air.. this does make the vacuum less effective. But the dust extractor pulls enough th make up for the air been pulled in by the router. I also have a Y split to the fence extraction point, which can be turned off when not in use
Shrimp, this is an excellent companion video to the router table/table saw extension video (which I just watched). I know what I'll be working on during my winter break. Thanks for the great content.
Shrimp. I like your router dust collection box except for one concern. The router motor obviously draws air for cooling ventilation. The motor is a universal ac/dc motor, so it has a commutator with carbon brushes. Carbon brushes require clean cooling air to provide the best performance and longevity. I am also puzzled as the air which is vented from the motor clashes with the air being drawn down through the table via the insert ring. Appreciate your comments as I, like you, wish to improve my router table dust collection without damaging my router motor.
Shrimp: should we have any concerns about the router motor itself getting clogged up through its vent ports now that the entire thing is encased in a box. I'm also thinking about fire hazard from the motor brushes igniting fine dust particles that are then sucked out into the extraction bin. Any thoughts? I do enjoy the homemade tool adaptions for the workshop videos. Good job. 👍
I really think if that were a major concern then companies like Rockler and Sawstop wouldn't make the metal boxes and router manufacturers would recommend not using their routers with router tables. Even without a dust box the router will pull in some of the fine dust. I usually use compressed air and blow out the motor after heavy use.
I made a boxed router fence and connected the dust collector hose to it. I really haven't had the need for adjustable wings on the fence. It collects a majority of the dust, but would consider a box underneath also. A sloped bottom on the box with the port near the bottom of the slope would be best, but probably unnecessary.
Nice idea. I think I would have opted to make it a drawer so any left over dust can easily be cleaned by just pulling out the drawer and empty it over a dustbin.
I did a router box 6 years ago. Before you could buy one and made it out of 1/4" Plywood gluing and nailing it then sealing the edges with calk, its under a router lift But I didnt put a door on it yet. Becuse I use a multi speed router ive got to pick it up out of the table to set the speed. Its permently turned on, but ive added a remote switch and an outlet inside the box as well a dust collection port. It works very good. With just a dust deputy and vacume.
Shrimp. As far as the air flow. Think of a fireplace. Area of the inlet needs to equal the exit flue to have maximum flow. Nice job, I need make this build now
I was impressed that you picked up how the SHRIMPy hole in the throat plate would restrict airflow, and would have done the exact same thing with chamfer plates myself under my "cheating table saw made from an old circular saw" that I used to have, but instead of a rear entry for the extractor hose, just made the floor of the box where i put the fitting, and made that removable for accessing the saw for adjustments / blade changes. Dust accumulation problems were pretty much eliminated.
Nice video, I hope you didn't fill your router up with dust while checking the vac. I might have the router running during the test next time. The air running through the router helps keep it clear of dust. Hopefully
Shrimp. Like you I did something simliar on my tablesaw for my router table. I ended up adding a few holes near the bottom far edge from my dust collection intake. Massive improvement in the router box for dust in the corners.
Shrimp Absolutely loved this, the music, camera *work, and voice over just makes the perfect video to throw on and relax to. You are now definitely on list of woodworking youtubers I throw on for a bit of free mental space. Love the work and look forward to the future vids! Much love ❤️ *edit
SHRIMP, I just found your channel and love what you are doing. I have been a residential remodeling contractor for over 30 years and am now starting to become a more dedicated woodworker. I have throughly enjoyed the few videos I have seen so far. You have great instincts and look forward to watching more. I also took the time to read comments and found many to be insightful when I construct my router dust collection box. Thank you for your efforts and all the time others spent adding ideas to the project.
Shrimp, thanks this is wat I needed to enhance the flow in my small Proxxon sawtable. My dust collection removes excess dust but it builds up in the corners, this could be it to lead it to the exhaust hole.
In my shop I have a cyclone vac top on a 55 gal drum. I can turn it on and I have ball valves set up to open suction to different tools around the shop. It works well to cover my row of miter saws, band saw, table saw, and router table. I haven't figured out how I want to do a lathe vac system, but I figure a large channel will work.
Shrimp...Great video, I have a craftsman benchtop router table and would like to build a box similar to this around the bottom for dust consolidation! Great idea!
shrimp - theres 2 things i want to suggest... 1) change the angle suction hole to make a cyclone inside the box... 2) put another hole which connect with the router grill to separate with the dust inside the box so your router will get the clean air from the outside of the box...
Shrimp...cool idea and a couple of thoughts. First is how you're testing - it's not real world because youre not considering that the router bit will be running (above) the table plane and spewing dust everywhere. You should retest with that in mind. Second thought: punching holes in the throat plate for more air flow which'll have the benefit of more dust capturing and router cooling. Now, question: my router table is cast iron so i cant drill a box into it. What would you suggest, embedding high strength magnets along the top edge of the wooden box?
Hi Shrimp. To help of the bottom of the box and also give more air to your saw dust collection unit. I would’ve drilled about three or four three-quarter inch holes at the base where your door is so that it sweeps across the bottom and to the dust collection hose rather than gapping it. Anyway. That was just an idea. Cheers
Shrimp! I saw a great pro-tip on another channel. I cut a 4" hole in the bottom of the router box and installed hose from the router's intake to fresh air outside the box. Like you, I don't have data to back this up but it makes sense to have the router breathing in fresh air. Thanks for your videos.
you don’t need to make the box airtight if you use a dust collector. Dust collectors have high CFM but low pressure, so you want to ensure there is enough paths for air volume, otherwise static pressure will build up and the dust collecting will be inefficient
shrimp - My first concern is regarding the vacuum (or air flow), of the dust collection. Too much air restriction has a tendency to put too much strain on the main blower.. For instance, you have a 4" hose but under to extreme case with the throat plate on the aperture to allow tha air to flow to the 4" hose is around 1 1/2" ~ 2", there by choking the dust collection system. Possible suggestion would be to create an adjustable aperture on the door side of the box to relieve the choking effect and allow for ventilation cooling for the router.
Love shrimp video. I have idea to add to it. Set the hose at the gotten of the dust collector box. That what I plan to do. When I decided to build mine. Thank you for the idea.
Bottom not gotten I missed spelled that. My auto correct and phone thinking for me. And some time choose the next word for me. Can really confuse ppl at time. plus my phone enjoys making me look and sound dumb at times, 😂😂😂😂😂😂 have to love technology
Shrimp. Goodvideo. Leaving the black caulk out would increase air flow , which is required to move lots of air and dust. Your object should be to increase air through box, not limit it. Holes on door side bottom would likely evacuate your box well. Add a couple at time… may increase noise of router rotation. Good job. I will build one now. I love my Kreg joint jigs.
He needs a convergence/divergence section so the pressure drops and the velocity increases. He doesn't want bleed air across the system to rob him of atm pressure.
Shrimp. With all of the advice on how to say "caulk" I forgot what I wanted to say. I have been thinking about getting rid of my router table for years. Adding an extension to my table saw is a fantastic resolution to the problem. Thank you very much for the help. Wolf in Kingston.
Shrimp Are you experiencing any issues with overheating of the router motor? Consider adding just a few small holes (6 x 1/8" or 6x 1/4") drilled into the bottom of the box right below the center of the motor. Or, maybe 1 x 1" hole with a screen over it? This will pull fresh air into the box and assist with flushing out the accumulated wood dust that we saw under the router. And that air flow will cool the router motor.
Shrimp, I added a ~3" hose (shop Vac size) from the side of the box up to a fitting in the fence at the cutter (traditional place for collection). So there are 2 potential paths for the air - down the router hole into the box, and from the fence into the box. Much higher air flow, which also helped clear the box.
As someone who has devised and built a few air intake and exhaust systems for automotive applications,generally these being far more critical than dust extraction but the same rules apply. It's worth remembering that any surface perpendicular to the air travel will create turbulence, hollows,dead air etc. hence the dust in the corners and the swirling to create it. This is especially so with box shapes and even more so at the wall that the extraction pipe is fitted too,square and corners are not things that lend well to air movement and the relatively small hole on a large flat surface in a box under vacuum conditions creates a bottleneck,the majority of the air movement will be a core centre column of air,the outside of which will be slowed, dispersed by and then replace some of the 'stale' turbulent air in the box's extremities, all of which removes energy from the air and reduces its ability to remove the particles.The better solution would be to make the box narrower at the extraction end to create a far superior air flow,reduce turbulent areas and increase extraction markedly,ideally the wall that the extraction pipe is on should be as near dimensionally as a possible to the diameter of the extraction pipe,like a funnel,it will probably be quieter too. The small amount of dust that will build in the corners where the square becomes round at the pipe will actually aid air flow by removing some of the corners harshness.A slow gradual interjection is manageable at that sort of velocity but when air is deflected by right angles etc. even at relatively low velocity,pressure variations,poor efficiency, turbulence, swirling and deposits is the only outcome.
Shrimp.... well, good additions with 45 degree corner brackets, but one more issue is that now saw dust may be sucked up into the router causing heat and premature failure. Perhaps attaching a 4" (=/-) flex hose to the bottom of the router AND then a 4" (=/-) hole in bottom of box with flex hose going through it. (of course, seal the seam of hose and box). This would give fresh clean air to the router and still allow for everything else to work!
I built my router lift into an old wood teacher's desk. I also have a router fence system on it. I modified the desk file drawer as a dust collection box with an extesible 4" dust port for my shop dust collector. I also use router lift plate inserts that allow suction down draft around the router bit.
Shrimp are some of my favorite crustaceans, but they don't hold a candle to your channel, Spencley Design! As a person newly acquainted with all things woodworking, you've quickly become one of my favorite content creators. And kit all comes down to one word: Cauk! jk, it's really frugality :D
Shrimp!!! Ive been trying to decide how to do something like this for ages and not being a 'proficient' diy'er, the ideas I had were complex and not ideal. This is so simple, thanks for simplifying life for me!!
Shrimp. I have been down this road so many times from several router table designs to the extension on my Saw Stop table saw. Here is the problem with boxes. The enclosed router is just eating all that dust trough it’s powerful cooling system. Your basically rerouting dust through the routers guts increasing wear, tear and defeating the cooling efficiency of the router. It also clogs up the routers intake screen, on off switch and insides. Not only that the two systems are at war. The router wants to pump air upward through its cooling fan while your trying to force the same air in the opposite direction. I have tried various schemes including shrouding the router with a tube up through the bottom of the box that Channels fresh air to the routers intake screen. Problem with that is it must move up and down with the router. IMO your better off with a open dust port under the table. But your best point of dust collection is in the fence system cause most of your routing is going to generate dust above the table unless your routing a channel in which case it’s going to shoot dust in a stream out the end of the channel and across the table on to the floor. Now you going to need two dust ports. One at fence and one below. You can get a splitter but my experience is that a 50% reduction in draft results for both ports rendering them both ineffective. For the best results I recommend you put your dust collection at the fence. Use a dust extractor or vacuum, not your dust collection system since your probably only gong to have a 2” port on the fence anyway so you’ll get better air flow with the vac.
Shrimp-ossibly cool! I love dust reducing hacks like that. Since i was a kid, whenver my dad cuts or drills things, he made me vacuum right at the source so we had less cleaning afterwards.
To keep your router box clear of chips, just cut a 1/2 inch strip off of the bottom of your door. That will create a channel of air that sweeps the bottom of the box.
You have a 4" dust hose, you need a comparable amount of air infiltration to avoid the vacuum sounds. Dust collectors need air flow to do their job, unlike a dust vac which can tolerate more restriction. So instead of opening the gap on your door to let that extra air in, what I have done on my router table is to drill 1" holes on each corner of the door at the bottom. This allows the extra air coming in to also prevent dust buildup in the corners, so you don't need baffles either. You'll always get some buildup, but it equalizes itself and with the holes at the base of the door, you won't get it falling out when you open the door.
"SHRIMP" Yep, not only did I watch the whole presentation, I saved it in my "projects" folder too! Yhis is a definite MUST DO for my shop. Thanks for sharing.... 👍
Angle the base and dust will gravitate to the lowest side. If you have compressed air available angle a pipe to the low side and occassionally give a blast of air while dust collector is running.
SHRIMP. How is the router head getting fresh air to cool itself? The router pulls air thru the head to cool the armature. Now the intake of the router head is facing the box bottom where dust piles up, so It's sucking on a dust pile. Prevent the router from running hot or burning out. Layout a hole on the box bottom directly in line with the routers center. Attach a hose or tube on to the router head. Have it long enough to pass thru the hole and beyond several inches so that as the router is raised the head is still receiving fresh air from outside of the box.
Shrimp Gumbo rocks!!! How about an attachment used with your dust boom to position intake independent of the fence, or optionally attached. Magnetic???.
A shrimple, yet effective solution. I'm shrimpifically appreciative of the relocated switch. As a tall guy, it sucks when all the switches are under the shrimping bench.
Shrimp. I like the dust collection box very much. The only thing I would have made differently is, instead of a slot along the door for air, I would have made a series of inline holes at the bottom where the dust was collecting to wisp away the dust from that area.
Shrimp, I'm not a woodworker yet I first need to get some basic tools, but I wonder if you were to instead of having your dust collection hose connected to the side of your box if you were to slope from the sides to the center of the bottom and connect there if it would would work better with gravity working for you when the system is turned off even.
I think if you had to hose attached from the bottom majority of the heavy mass would fall directly into the hose, relieving half of the stress of the suction. But overall great design.
shrimp!. i'm in the process of updating my old veritas(lee valley) router table with a lift from jessum and a new top. dust collection will be high on the priority list
Shrimp that want their routers to last a long time would make that box "taller" (moving the hose port down as well) so the vents of the motor housing aren't restricted by the box and eventually blocked by the accumulated dust. Personally I'd drop it at least 6". This one looks like it's starving the motor even with zero dust. Still a great solution for keeping a clean shop, thank you for sharing it! Just because your router doesn't start a fire doesn't mean it's not getting hot and shortening its life. Electric motors lose performance and eventually are ruined when heat breaks down the enamel on the wire windings. The heat inside the windings is MUCH higher than the hot air being blown out of the router housing -- what you feel is much cooler than what the motor feels. It is also conducted though the spindle to the bearings, impacting them as well. If you want your tool to last forever, give it plenty of air. It's a gradual process so you don't notice until you buy a new router which feels dramatically more powerful than the old one...but only because you're comparing new vs. prematurely-worn. Of course the manufacturers don't mind this at all, they sell more tools...
Shrimp. Love this idea. I have a couple thoughts though. 1. That’s way too many screws. 2. I wouldn’t be able to swing a wrench on my collet with that box in place. I’d rig up a cleat underneath to hang one edge of the box then install 2 toggle latches to quickly attach and detach the box to completely remove the box.
title seems a bit off base. most everybody that uses a router table creates some sort of dust collection. personally, when I built my router table for doing all the baseboards in my house, I put the dust collector in the fence. worked like a charm.
Shrimpie. Have you considered using a Solid Flush Ring Pull Handle instead of the "U" handle you have on the door flap? This U shaped handle must restrict access when you have the storage unit beneath the door. You must have to remove your storage unit from under the dust collection box to gain access to the router for any adjustments you want to make to your router.
Caridea... Do you have a manometer for your dust collection? I made one out of a push-in adapter for 3/8 tubing with a long U-shape, then filled 3/4 of the way with water and added dark food coloring. Once in a while I have to add water that's evaporated, but the color remains. Mark levels at resting stage, then completely block all suction and mark the level. Somewhere in between those will be "normal" operating levels, but if it starts creeping towards the blocked line, either your filter is clogging or it's time to empty your collection.