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Builders’ Tip: A Cloud-Free Way to Collect and Dispose of Dust
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Strap clamp detail | I had been using a standard dust collector with two bags — the kind with one bag on the top and the other on the bottom — on all my jobs, but every time I emptied the bags, I generated clouds of dust.
Rather than continue spreading dust during clean-up, I fabricated a solution that virtually eliminates the dust-disposal problem.
As shown in the accompanying illustration, I created a system that empties the dust in a 33-gallon, heavy-duty plastic bag and doesn’t generate unwelcome clouds of dust.
Here’s what I did:
- First, I built a 17-inch-tall base platform to lift the collector/motor assembly off the floor.
- Then I added extensions to the support legs that carry the weight of the separator.
- Next, I shortened a 50-gallon plastic drum to a height of 28 inches by cutting off its bottom.
- I also narrowed the drum to a 19-inch diameter — the same diameter as the separator — by slitting the drum down the side and then pop-riveting it back together at the proper diameter.
- For the next step, I removed the lower bag of the dust collector and cut off its bottom. I then turned the bag upside down and reconnected it to the separator with a strap clamp.
Now the bottom of the bag has the built-in strap that came with the bag. It slips over the plastic drum and its bag liner and is cinched tight below the drum’s rim. (See detail.)
With this setup, the lower dust bag acts as a chute that sends its dusty contents into the plastic bag.
When the drum is full, I loosen the strap, cinch the bag and replace the full bag with an empty one.
By the way, I don’t lift the bag out of the drum. It’s a lot easier and cleaner simply to lift the bottomless drum off the bag.
— Corry M. Dodson, Careywood, Idaho
Tips & Techniques provided by Fine Homebuilding.
©2008 The Taunton Press
To contact Fine Homebuilding, e-mail Christina Glennon.
 Tax Credit Web Site Looks at Opportunity of a Lifetime
Builders and other industry professionals can help spur home sales by referring prospective first-time home buyers to www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com. The NAHB Web site provides detailed information on the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers included in the economic stimulus legislation signed into law by President Obama.
Consumers can use the Web site to find information on the tax credit – including a detailed question and answer section. It also includes information about other housing-related and small business measures in the legislation and a number of home-buying resources for consumers.
“The new tax credit provides a great opportunity for first-time home buyers,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson. “Combined with today’s near record low interest rates, the large selection of homes on the market and very competitive pricing, the tax credit should provide the extra incentive needed to get prospective buyers who have been sitting on the fence into the market.”
Industry professionals are encouraged to highlight the tax credit Web site when marketing to their potential first-time home buyer market.
 Set Yourself Apart With CGB Designation
Join the ranks of the nation’s top building industry professionals with the Certified Graduate Builder (CGB) designation. The “Builder Assessment Review” (BAR) is your first step towards obtaining the CGB.
This comprehensive assessment measures your expertise in the four key areas of the building industry: building technology, business and finance, project management and sales and marketing.
Your results will show the areas where your knowledge is strongest and weakest and will help determine the courses required for you to obtain your CGB.
To learn where the next BAR will be held, visit NAHB’s education listings, or call the Professional Designation Help Line at 800-368-5242 x8154.
 BuilderBooks.com Offers More Than 250 Books That Help You Build Your Business
BuilderBooks.com is your source for training and education products for the building industry. The official bookstore for NAHB, BuilderBooks.com offers award-winning publications, software, brochures and more available in both English and Spanish.
To view these publications online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.
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