In case you’re not familiar with them, the AAW is a nonprofit organization, headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Rockler and the AAW will host free wood turning demonstrations on Feb. The American Association of Woodturners (AAW), a Minnesota-based nonprofit education organization, has partnered with Rockler Woodworking and Hardware to offer in-store “turning and learning” demonstrations in Rockler stores on Saturday, February 9th. After each set of passes I could compare how many chips remained uncollected by each unit.If you love sawdust and wood shavings, we’ve got something for you that will be a MUCH better use of your time than watching last week’s “Super” Bowl was. The jointer directs chips into the semi-closed chamber between the cutterhead and planer bed where the dust port is located. long, I connected each wall-hung collector to my jointer-planer combo machine, and made 100 passes over the jointer with large fir timbers, 2-1/2 in. So I devised my own power test, designing it to be fair to the five smaller units but relevant to the big guy too. While manufacturers provide airflow ratings for their units-in CFM, or cubic feet per minute-these are sometimes based on the blower motor only, without the filter attached, which significantly affects bottom-line efficiency. The primary test for any dust collector is power, its ability to pull chips through a typical hose of a given length. Along the way, I looked at their overall chip capacity and what it’s like to dump and reattach the bag, a frequent task that should be straightforward. To assess the portability and power of the units, and to see how each model might be used most effectively, I put them through a series of basic tests. He performed to find out which collectors stood out. Using a wall-mounted dust collector and the tests Video: Asa Christiana discusses the benefits of The sixth is much larger: a heavy 1-1/2-hp model designed to stay put and connect to multiple machines. Of the six I tested, five are similar in size and power-at 3/4 to 1 hp-and allow a measure of portability if additional wall brackets are placed around the shop. I also eliminated cyclone collectors, some of which can be mounted on the wall but are much larger and generally cost much more than these small, single-stage units. That left in dust collectors with pleated cartridge filters and heavy felted bags, and left out the thin, frankly outdated bags that only grab larger chips and particles, while emitting clouds of fine dust at head height. While there are more than six on the market, I limited the field to those with filtration of 3 microns or better. I recently took a close look at six of these units to see how they stacked up. By dedicating a wall-mounted model to one or two machines, you can avoid stretching a long hose from your main collector. Use one of the smaller dust collectors as a companion to a larger collector placed elsewhere in the shop. Designed to save valuable floor space in tight workshops, these come in a range of sizes, with smaller units best dedicated to one machine or two, and larger ones capable of pulling chips at a distance from four or more. When woodworkers are considering dust-collection options, wall-mounted models often get overlooked. Models tested are: Grizzly G0785, Rikon 60-101, Rockler Dust Right 650 CFM, Rocker Dust Right 1250 CFM, Shop Fox W1844, Shop Fox W1826. Asa Christiana put them through a series of tests and rated them for power, bag capacity and ease of attachment, chip collection, and portability. We looked at six single-stage collectors with filtration of 3 microns or better. Synopsis: Designed to save floor space in tight workshops, wall-mounted dust collectors come in a range of sizes. Keep in mind, though, that while wall-hung collectors save space compared to floor models of similar power, they have smaller bags, which means more frequent emptying. away, letting it serve a range of machines in a compact shop on its own. The 1-1/2-hp Rockler is strong enough to pull chips from 10 ft.