Technology/Equipment Grant

The objective of this project is to obtain a dust collector to install in my banjo making shop to improve power tool efficiency and safety and also create a healthier dust-free work environment as I build banjos. A dedicated central dust collector is designed to create suction moving large volumes of air that when connected to a woodworking tool, removes dust and chips as wood is cut or shaped. Without adequate dust removal, chips and dust may foul a blade or cutter resulting in unsafe operating conditions, or debris may accumulate in the workspace creating a safety hazard. Prolonged exposure to airborne wood dust has negative consequences for the respiratory system and has been linked to certain cancers. I would like to keep my shop a clean, safe space as I build banjos and an improved dust collection system is a key component to a building a better banjo and a healthier banjo maker. I will consider this project successful upon installation of a central dust collector. Building a banjo is a reductive process. Large pieces of wood are sawed, glued, resawn, carved, sanded and shaped with a myriad of tools that produce as a waste product large quantities of dust and woodchips. Without a method to collect this waste, sawdust ends up on the shop floor, in machinery, on the builder and everywhere else. My shop is located in the basement of my home and I often end up tracking sawdust throughout the house despite my best efforts. A central dust collector with the capacity necessary to collect dust from my tablesaw, bandsaw, planer and jointer will reduce the amount of unwanted sawdust in my shop. Upon installation of the collector I will evaluate the dust removal efficacy by machine and also the decrease in dust in the shop. Additionally, I will evaluate the time saving and quality improvement in my banjo building as a result of a more pleasant work environment.