How Long Do You Run Your Dust Collector? from Sawmill Creek

This post began with a comment from a woodworker who had recently acquired a new dust collector. He liked it – he just rarely bothered to turn it off between steps in his shop, and was wondering if that was OK. - Editor

"I recently purchased the Harbor Freight 2hp dust collector.It works great, and it does not make half the noise I thought it would. I don't have a remote for it and when I am using it, I might leave it run for 15 minutes at a time. Between cuts at the table saw and fit checks and setiing up the fence, I just leave it run. Is this OK or should I turn it off after each cut? What do you guys do?" – Dave

Dave's question about other woodworkers' experiences yielded several answers. – Editor

"I generally turn mine off if I won't be using it for more than about 3 minutes." – Dan

"Mine runs only when it has some chip collection to do." - Jamie

"I have been known to just fire up the DC, keep it running while I am working, and then shut it off when I go back into the house. This is usually when I plan on doing a LOT of power tool work. No need for dust collection doing dry fitting, you know!" – David

"I turn off the dust collection and the associated machine between non-repetitive cuts where some thinking and change in machine setup is required. I do this because, even with ear plugs, I find the machines noisy and I want the added advantage of quiet in the aid of my personal immediate and long-term health and safety and not making a machining error." – Michael

Including thoughts on what was best for the machinery- Editor

"It's probably better to let it run, actually. When it starts up, the inrush current is significant, causing some heating of the motor. If you turn it on and off too often, you can overheat it (theoretically)." - Dan

"My DC system is automated to turn on when a tool starts and has a time delayed shutdown. Generally, it's better to let it run than to have frequent startup cycles. DC's have a fairly high startup load getting the impeller spun up to speed. That's much harder on the motor than letting it idle with the blast gates closed." – Tom

"A 2 Hp motor consumes 1.5 KW every hour it runs, so it costs about 15 cents per hour to run. Not a big deal unless you spend lots of time in your shop." - Lee

Is the concern about the motor verified? One poster took time to (gasp!) read what the instruction manual said about the issue, and one contacted a representative of a dust collector company for further explanation. - Editor

"The instruction that came with my Oneida cyclone suggests 6 starts or less per hour. It has a 3hp Baldor motor." - Paul

"I consulted with our electrical engineer just to double check my facts, and this is the reason we advise customers they should start their single phase motor no more than 4 to 10 times an hour (the 3hp Gorilla manual has been updated to reflect the change from just 5): Single phase motors use a combination of a start capacitor with a centrifugal switch. Turning the motor on and off sends the locked rotor inrush across the contacts of the centrifugal switch, doing so multiple times in a short period of time will eventually cause the switch to fail.

Just to clarify this point as well, turning the motor on and off more than 5 times an hour is usually the last thing that will cause the motor itself to fail, but it is possible... our warning is more to lessen the burden on the centrifugal switch contacts." - Oneida Air Systems customer service

Router Jig for Small Hinges from WoodCentral

This discussion started with a post from a woodworker who wanted advice on installing small hinges in jewelry boxes. Like many areas of woodworking, it's a problem with a variety of solutions, many of which came up in the responses. – Editor

"I want to make some small jewelry boxes and use small hinges. Is there a jig that will help to install the hinges. Should I use a small router? Any excuse needed for a tool junkie. The sides of the boxes will be about 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch." – Gary

"1. Hold in place, or spot glue with CA glue, and scribe around the hinge with a knife or anything sharp.

2. Use router, 1/4" bit and good lighting to waste out most of the mortise. With practice, you can go right to the scribe lines.

3. Remove remainder of waste with chisel." – Bill

"I used to use a Beall hinge jig, but found that a marking knife and chisel work much quicker. I do one mortise, butt the box and lid up against a flat surface, and use a marking knife to mark the edge of the mating surface." - Brent

"I do it with a trim router, but I've also used my Dremel with a router base. I get close and then clean it all up with a chisel to get right to the lines." – John

"I used to use a commercially sold hinge jig, but found it more trouble than its worth. Nowadays, I make a hinge template from 1/2" MDF. I lay out the exact pattern of the hinge on the MDF, and then cut out the hinge profile onto the template using a miter gauge and dado blade on my table saw. I can then use the same template to accurately cut all the mortises for the mating parts of my box with this single jig. Once the template is completed, I tape the template to my work using blue painters tape. I then cut out the mortises using a trim router and a patternmaker's bit. After the router work is done, I square off the round corner with a chisel, still keeping the pattern in place to keep my chisel work straight and square. This only takes a few minutes to do. My hinge mortises come out perfect every time." - Bart