vykus Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 I have been without a blower on my scroll saw for several months and due to having asthma, blowing sawdust out of the way of my pattern has not been conducive to my good health. I know that many of you have used aquarium pumps to blow away the man glitter, and I was keeping my eye out for one. I live on a tight budget, so going and buying a new full priced pump would be difficult. So i have been scouring Goodwills and St. Vinnie's in any city I pass through (I have to drive my kids to another city once a week where the ex lives). Late last week I went to one of the larger Goodwills I know of and I found this strange little device. It's not an aquarium pump, it's a medical pump, used for respiratory treatments. It's a little on the old side, but I took it to an outlet and plugged it in and boy did it blow. It blows a lot more than my bellows ever did. What was the price? $4.99. I also found a book to buy and I had a $5 off coupon so my total came to $2.07. Worth it, I think. On Saturday I sat down and tried to decide how to attach it to my Dremel 1800. I tried to attach it with a flexible tube so I could direct the air, but it lost pressure as the bendy tube leaked. Next I zip tied it to the arm, but I could not go up and over because of where the tension clamp and the screw to clamp the blade are. I needed room to manipulate those and a hose would get in the way. I tried it underneath the arm and was disappointed at first because the air stream was going above where the cutting would be happening, but I quickly got the idea of putting a little wedge under it at about a 30 degree angle which made it perfect. The stream of air is strong enough that it clears the sawdust easily even from that far back. My only concern is that this old pump gets pretty hot, so I am keeping it in reach and keeping it off if I am not directly cutting. Do the fish pumps get really how to if they are left on? They are supposed to be run continuously and I think this is supposed to be run for at least an hour at a time. What do you all think? But now that I don't have to blow on work every 1/2 second I can wear my respirator, make as much dust as I want and finally get some work done. Falcon, amazingkevin and MTCowpoke22 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smitty0312 Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 Great find!! Great ingenuity to get it to work for you......good luck with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debi Shipman Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 I would have never thought of using a nebulizer. My husband's gets pretty warm after about 30 minutes. The longest treatment (COPD) he does lasts about that long. They do put out quite a bit of air. An aquarium pump doesn't put out quite as much air, but doesn't overheat. They get warm to the touch, not hot, they are also more quiet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vykus Posted September 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 I was just looking online for more info about this pump, it's being sold on ebay for $50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldhudson Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 Very creative, I hope it lasts a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ike Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 I think you can get it running where it will do what you want it to do. All my other saws I had to use a pump on them . but the DW 788 pump has lasted longer than some of my other saws. IKE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 The second nice thing about an add on pump is they put out the same amount of air no matter how fast or slow you run your saw. My Hegner seems to, but all the other saws I have had/have, the slower you run the saw the less air pumped. That is why I keep looking for an "add on" pump for my Ex. Great find, great great price. I hope it last a good long time. It should, they are built to run for long periods at a time. I wife has an oxygen pump for when she sleeps. It is a much bigger unit, but it does get warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 Thanks Matt this is good to know. You can't ever tell when one of these blowers will break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 Matt, when the articulated hose on my Delta Q3 split I replaced it with some clear tube and inserted a length of soft wire which enables me to position it where I want. It works well. Rob amazingkevin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockytime Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 Matt, when the articulated hose on my Delta Q3 split I replaced it with some clear tube and inserted a length of soft wire which enables me to position it where I want. It works well. airhose.jpg Rob Terrific Idea! Rob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky2 Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 Matt, it's a good cheap fix, but, you still should keep a look-out for an aquarium pump. It wouldn't hurt to have a spare,plus, with this one running so hot, you never know how long it will last. Len Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 I have been without a blower on my scroll saw for several months and due to having asthma, blowing sawdust out of the way of my pattern has not been conducive to my good health. I know that many of you have used aquarium pumps to blow away the man glitter, and I was keeping my eye out for one. I live on a tight budget, so going and buying a new full priced pump would be difficult. So i have been scouring Goodwills and St. Vinnie's in any city I pass through (I have to drive my kids to another city once a week where the ex lives). Late last week I went to one of the larger Goodwills I know of and I found this strange little device. It's not an aquarium pump, it's a medical pump, used for respiratory treatments. It's a little on the old side, but I took it to an outlet and plugged it in and boy did it blow. It blows a lot more than my bellows ever did. What was the price? $4.99. I also found a book to buy and I had a $5 off coupon so my total came to $2.07. Worth it, I think. On Saturday I sat down and tried to decide how to attach it to my Dremel 1800. I tried to attach it with a flexible tube so I could direct the air, but it lost pressure as the bendy tube leaked. Next I zip tied it to the arm, but I could not go up and over because of where the tension clamp and the screw to clamp the blade are. I needed room to manipulate those and a hose would get in the way. I tried it underneath the arm and was disappointed at first because the air stream was going above where the cutting would be happening, but I quickly got the idea of putting a little wedge under it at about a 30 degree angle which made it perfect. The stream of air is strong enough that it clears the sawdust easily even from that far back. My only concern is that this old pump gets pretty hot, so I am keeping it in reach and keeping it off if I am not directly cutting. Do the fish pumps get really how to if they are left on? They are supposed to be run continuously and I think this is supposed to be run for at least an hour at a time. What do you all think? But now that I don't have to blow on work every 1/2 second I can wear my respirator, make as much dust as I want and finally get some work done. Back in the day when i airbrushed a lot i got all kinds of compressors cheap from faith farm.they were breathing type machines an low pressure aroun 30 pounds.thats all i need to airbrush with.i still have them .good of you to remind me so when i need something like this i have it already SCROLLSAW703 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockytime Posted September 26, 2016 Report Share Posted September 26, 2016 I'm thinking an old CPAP pump would work. They are designed to run for hours. Then you could also use it at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim McDonald Posted September 26, 2016 Report Share Posted September 26, 2016 If you use a foot switch, tie the pump into the output of the foot switch. Then it runs when the saw is on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vykus Posted September 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2016 Jim, I've thought about doing that. The blower starts up quick enough, I don't see why it would not work. If I have a chance I'll give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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