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Time and money are closely related factors on any job. In solid surface fabrication, sanding and routing are key processes where time and money can be lost. I'm not talking about methods of sanding and routing (that's a whole other story); I'm talking about dust collection at the source.
Many companies fail to consider dust collection when calculating costs. In fact, most readers of this article probably don't know how many hours a week are spent cleaning up. Additionally, what about the hours the install crew spends in hanging up plastic for an installation? Or how about the time that's spent on the jobsite cleaning up after the job is finished? And finally, what about the effects of inhaling all that dust on employees' health?
Companies fail to realize how many man-hours are spent sweeping up the shop at the end of the day and the number of hours installers spend preparing a house for a solid surface installation because they don't recognize these hours as costs. As the following real-life example will show, failing to recognize these hours as costs can get really expensive!
Not too long ago, I was at a shop that didn't use dust collection, and so I asked the shop foreman how long it took to clean up after a day of fabrication. He had to stop and think about it for a moment and then told me that cleanup took about a half-hour. When I asked him how many guys were involved in the cleanup, he told me that all 10 of his crew handled it. That meant the shop was spending five man-hours a day cleaning up and didn't even realize it. When I asked the foreman why they didn't use dust collection, he told me it was "too expensive and besides, the guys don't like using vacuums."
If we look at the actual dollars involved in this example, and assume the cost of labor to be about $60 per hour, the shop in question was spending $300 per day in cleanup time alone. Now, for you skeptics, we'll be conservative and say that a dust collector would save about half the time in cleanup. (In the real world, however, my experience is that a dust collector in this situation would save 75 to 90 percent in cleanup time.) So, using our conservative estimate, a dust collector would cut down labor cleanup costs by about $150 per day. At that rate, the dust collector would quickly pay for itself and then continue to save the shop money on a daily basis.
That's just shop cleanup; imagine how much money you'd save if you used dust collection on the jobsite. Think about it, no more plastic to buy and hang on every job. That's two guys you are paying to hang plastic — how much money are you making hanging plastic? Or, more importantly, how much money are you spending hanging plastic?
Let's talk about the first reason why this particular shop owner didn't use a dust collector at the source: Dust collectors are "too expensive."
Shop owners and foremen only tend to look at how much money they need to pay for the dust collector/tool today — out-of-pocket cost. What they should be asking is how much this is going to cost in the long term. As the example above clearly shows, the out-of-pocket cost is quickly covered in labor cost savings and eventually the tool/dust collector pays for itself many times over.
Another expense factor in dust collection is the amount of money that should be spent on the tool itself. Most dust extractors range in cost from about $100 to $600. While some may be tempted to buy the least expensive tool, other factors which should be considered are the length of the warranty, expected lifetime of the tool, the effectiveness of the dust extraction, the filter system, bag capacity, suction power, portability, tool triggered or manual, wet/dry capabilities and the list goes on. Chances are, when all product features and benefits are considered, the most expensive tool can often be the least expensive to own in the long term.
There are other cost-benefit reasons for using dust collection in your fabrication shop. A lot of people don't understand how dust collection can save money over and above the savings to be realized in cleanup costs. Have you been going through pads on your sanders? Does your shop use a lot of sandpaper?
Dust collection can prevent your sander pad from prematurely wearing out. When you don't use vacuums on your sanders, the dust builds up in the middle of the pad. As you continue to sand, you are heating up the pad and when you heat up the pad, the plastic hook that holds the paper melts. When these hooks melt, two things happen. First, the hooks are gone, your paper will not stay on the pad, and you'll need to replace your pad. Second, you will have an uneven pad and will not be sanding with the entire piece of paper. When not sanding evenly, the time required for sanding increases and you end up spending more time than you need to. This doesn't begin to cover what heat does to your fabricated tops, especially the seam areas.
Conversely, if you're using dust collection at the source, the air is moving through the pad (collecting dust) and is also cooling the pad. This will help in extending pad life which saves money in pad replacement costs.
Using dust collection at the source will also reduce your paper costs. When you sand without a vacuum, the dust gets hot and it builds up faster on the paper. This causes you to replace the paper more frequently than you would have to if you were using a dust collector. You can get up to 30 percent more life out of your sand paper by using a vacuum. Can you imagine using 30 percent less sandpaper? What a savings that would be!
Now let's talk about the second reason why the shop owner in my example didn't use a dust collector: "My guys don't like using vacuums."
If your guys don't like using certain tools, it's usually because it's something new to them. People don't like change. As an owner, however, the health of your employees is important to you and this is the best case for instituting the change in dust collection. I see a lot of dust collectors hanging from the ceilings and these are a great idea. The problem, however, is that these dust collectors catch dust that is already in the air. In order to be collected, the dust has to go by the employees' mouths and noses first. Yes, I see people wearing dust masks, but they are usually the inexpensive, paper type. This type of mask does not make a complete seal around your nose and mouth. When the fabricator takes his mask off, you can see dust all around his nose.
The best option for dealing with dust is using a dust collector at the source (when attached to a sander, saw or router) along with the ceiling collectors. This will give your employees the protection they need and deserve.
Dust happens. So, dust collection is an important issue in solid surface fabrication. Not only will you save money, but your shop will have more time to fabricate more tops. Plus, your employees will be happier and healthier in the long run.
Just how expensive is that dust collector now?
Remember, a clean shop is a happy shop!
About the author:
Steve Bace works as a training manager for Festool USA, 400 N. Enterprise Blvd., Lebanon, IN 46052; 888-337-8600; sba@festoolusa.com; www.festoolusa.com.
author: By Steve Bace