Floor Sweep - Useful?

Rennie Heuer

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Constantine, MI
I'm finishing up the installation of my DC systems and I have a floor sweep I purchased for my last shop but never installed. I have a place for it this time and was planning on getting it done tomorrow.

I've never had one before but often see them installed when looking at shop tours. Does anyone here have one? Do you find it useful? Waste of space? I mean, after all I still have a broom and a dustpan as well as a shop vac.:huh:
 
I put one on each side of my shop - both are visible in this photo. They come in real handy when sweeping up chips and dust. LOML is especially fond of them since she seems to do most of the sweeping for me! :thumb:

DCS_14.jpg
 
I have one but have never installed it... actually don't have space for it. When I was piping my shop I could have made space, but the shop is small enough that I don't think I would want to use the space. I think I'm just going to get a new broom... the one I have now is about worn down to just the handle and 3 or 4 straws.
 
dont have floor sweeps. but have openings in the floor thanks to steve clardys suggestion and i used his.. great for clean up. if you have a place use it.
 
I ditched mine. If I was going to sweep stuff to a general spot anyway, it just wasn't that much more effort to scoop it into a dust pan and toss it in the trash. Benefits of eliminating it were three-fold:
- I reused the ducting and blast gate for other purposes.
- I got the floor space back that I had to keep clear in order to use the sweep.
- My DC bin didn't fill up as fast.
 
Don't have one but been in shops with them, great convenience at clean up. I sure would like one:)

I put one on each side of my shop - both are visible in this photo. They come in real handy when sweeping up chips and dust. LOML is especially fond of them since she seems to do most of the sweeping for me! :thumb:

I have one but have never installed it... actually don't have space for it. When I was piping my shop I could have made space, but the shop is small enough that I don't think I would want to use the space. I think I'm just going to get a new broom... the one I have now is about worn down to just the handle and 3 or 4 straws.

dont have floor sweeps. but have openings in the floor thanks to steve clardys suggestion and i used his.. great for clean up. if you have a place use it.

I ditched mine. If I was going to sweep stuff to a general spot anyway, it just wasn't that much more effort to scoop it into a dust pan and toss it in the trash. Benefits of eliminating it were three-fold:
- I reused the ducting and blast gate for other purposes.
- I got the floor space back that I had to keep clear in order to use the sweep.
- My DC bin didn't fill up as fast.

A hung jury. :rofl::rofl:

Well, where I was going to put it is space in front of a cabinet that I would have to keep open anyway. Though every penny counts $10 worth of pipe and blast gate won't break me and I have 5 other "flexible" ports (those not connected to stationary machines) to choose from around the shop. So, I think I'll install it and then see how much I actually use it. Maybe I can comment on the next thread about how useful they are. :D
 
As some have pointed out here its just as easy to pick up the pile with a dust pan. That aside, the problem or potential problem I see with a floor sweep is the very real possibility of objects being sucked up into the system that you don't want. ie a nail or screw packaging a larger chunk of wood than you should safely send up the pipe etc. metal may not only spark which could trigger a dc fire or worse an explosion with the dust it also damages the impeller as will larger pieces of wood that are light enough to make it up the pipe.
 
... That aside, the problem or potential problem I see with a floor sweep is the very real possibility of objects being sucked up into the system that you don't want. ie a nail or screw packaging a larger chunk of wood than you should safely send up the pipe etc. ...

A piece of 1/2" grid screen eliminates the issue.
 
In my last shop I had one, the shop before that I had 2. When I had 2, I didn't have a lathe, and they got used very little. Pretty much the same reasons already mentioned, the main one being it's so easy to pick up a dust pan and through the stuff in the trash. Also, my chips became mulch around the tress and what not and the sometimes trashy things made it look unsightly. In the last shop I had one right where the lathe sit, and it got used all the time for the shavings. Problem was the store bought plastic sweeps would clog due to their close floor clearance. So I used a 6x4x12 HVAC boot and solved that problem. The shop I'm now trying to set up (my last one, ever) will have 2: one at the lathe and one for general cleanup...but I doubt that one will be used much.
 
the problem or potential problem I see with a floor sweep is the very real possibility of objects being sucked up into the system that you don't want. ie a nail or screw packaging a larger chunk of wood than you should safely send up the pipe etc. ... it also damages the impeller as will larger pieces of wood that are light enough to make it up the pipe.

A piece of 1/2" grid screen eliminates the issue.

I think having the cyclone addresses that issue as well.

In my last shop I had one, the shop before that I had 2. When I had 2, I didn't have a lathe, and they got used very little. Pretty much the same reasons already mentioned, the main one being it's so easy to pick up a dust pan and through the stuff in the trash. Also, my chips became mulch around the tress and what not and the sometimes trashy things made it look unsightly. In the last shop I had one right where the lathe sit, and it got used all the time for the shavings. Problem was the store bought plastic sweeps would clog due to their close floor clearance. So I used a 6x4x12 HVAC boot and solved that problem. The shop I'm now trying to set up (my last one, ever) will have 2: one at the lathe and one for general cleanup...but I doubt that one will be used much.

I don't have a lathe but the location of my sweep is where I expect to have the greatest need just the same. I do have one of the plastic sweeps though. I'll have to try it out and see if I run into the same issues. If so, there are numerous designs out there for shop made versions.
 
As some have pointed out here its just as easy to pick up the pile with a dust pan. That aside, the problem or potential problem I see with a floor sweep is the very real possibility of objects being sucked up into the system that you don't want. ie a nail or screw packaging a larger chunk of wood than you should safely send up the pipe etc. metal may not only spark which could trigger a dc fire or worse an explosion with the dust it also damages the impeller as will larger pieces of wood that are light enough to make it up the pipe.

A piece of 1/2" grid screen eliminates the issue.

I think having the cyclone addresses that issue as well.

A cyclone addresses the issue of impeller damage for sure. There is a possibility (however remote) that a small cutoff might twist and get lodged in a section of duct. Saying that, I don't have screen on my floor sweeps but I pick up anything I don't want going through to my DC.
 
If you have a single stage dust collector (the chips go through the impeller), a floor sweep is not recommended, since an inadvertent piece of metal can create a spark that smoulders in the bag until after you leave the shop.

If you have a cyclone, the chips drop out before the impeller, so the floor sweep is not a problem.
 
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