Our New Dust Collection System
Our current mission in life is to get our garage organized. That’s why I’m so pumped to tell you about our brand new Rockler dust collection system. This thing is amazing! And, it is going to help us keep our garage workshop clean and tidy!
You may recall that shortly after we moved into this house, I wrote a post declaring that Corey and I were about to whip our garage into shape.
Well, um, that didn’t happen.
In fact, not only did we not get the garage organized, we dove into other projects. And, we ended up making it look even worse than it ever did before.
I’m not even going to show you photos, but let me paint you a picture: when you walked in, you could see nothing but junk everywhere. We have some workbenches along one wall, but they were covered in tools. You had to step carefully because there was literally only one tiny path you could take. And, if you stepped in the wrong place you might break something (like your leg).
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that it was absolutely infuriating to actually accomplish anything in there.
Well, NO MORE! Corey has officially put me on project hiatus until we get the garage under control. I’m calling June the month of the garage. It’s gonna be all garage all the time over here! And today, we’re starting with what is probably my very favorite addition to the entire garage workshop.
Our brand new Rockler dust collection system.
This post is sponsored by Rockler and contains affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% mine. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Love & Renovations!
Our Rockler Dust Collection System
What’s a dust collection system? I’m glad you asked! Basically, this is a system of tools and gadgets that help minimize the sawdust and general chaos in our workshop. The main component is the dust collection system itself (which is basically a giant dust vacuum). It sits in the corner of our garage. Then, we have a long hose along with several attachments that can attach directly to specific tools (like the lathe or the miter saw) and collect the dust they produce as you use them.
I shared a bit about this on Instagram a while back and had some questions about how it functions – you guys are just as fascinated as I am! – so I created this quick video to show off how it works.
Dust Collection Video
As you can see, it’s a pretty magical system that will be absolutely key in helping us keep this place nice and tidy. I hate working in a messy space, so this will keep me motivated to be in the shop more. Plus, there’s nothing more fun than operating a gigantic vacuum, no?!
Dust Collection Attachments
The system basically functions with various pieces that attach to the main vacuum in the corner. So, when we want to turn something, we hook up the main vacuum hose to the lathe as pictured below and turn it on. Then, it’ll automatically suck up all of the sawdust that’s created as we work.
We also have an attachment for the miter saw, but we haven’t set it up yet. There’s also an attachment to clean off the workbench (which is what we use to deal with miter saw dust for now), and an attachment for the floor. It’s perfect for a quick dust clean-up when I don’t want to deal with the shop vac (which is all always) and it’s so easy to operate.
Probably one of the coolest features of the floor attachment is that we added a metal strip along the top that catches nails and screws. Then, you don’t grab something that will poke a hole in your hose or the dust bag! It also has a filter to prevent it from sucking up larger things like leaves. This is great because it means the hose won’t get clogged up!
What’s Next?
Now that we have this all set up and operational, Corey and I are both so excited to dive into everything else in the garage! It feels so good to be able to walk in here without fearing for our lives. Seeing the potential of what it will be like to have a totally organized and functional garage workshop is just incredibly motivating.
So, what’s next in here? We have lots of ideas for how we can get this workshop organized, but we’re taking it one step at a time!
Our Garage Organization Plans
- I want to patch and paint the walls things look a little nicer.
- We’ll likely do a giant pegboard above the workbenches.
- We’re building lots of custom organization and storage to hopefully maximize the small space.
- We’re toying around with the idea of doing an epoxy floor in here like we did in our old garage.
- I want to revamp the lighting situation in here a bit.
- We still need to figure out a better board game solution. We’re still brainstorming what we want to do here.
We’ve still got a long way to go, but it feels so good just to be able to show you a semi-clean garage and show off how the dust collection system works! We wanted to get this set up first because it’s really the base of everything else – if we don’t have a way to keep the garage clean, it’s never going to stay looking nice and organized!
Hopefully, I’ll be back soon with an update – my goal is to have a workshop garage update for you every week this month…keep your fingers crossed for me!
Great system and as someone who has owned the very same dust collector, it’s a beaut! Thanks for sharing Amanda.