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Anybody use one of these for blowing away the fine dust while routing for inlays? I used to just blow it away when it built up but have gone to using a dust mask and that method just doesn't work anymore. Now it's rout a little, stop, reach for air hose, blow off, start again. Gotta be a better way.

I have one. Personally (and bluntly) I think it sucks.

1) The pump is really not strong enough to blow it away agressively.

2) Rather than blowing the pearl (or wood) dust all over the place I would rather suck it up.

I took my vac and stepped the nozzle down into 1/2" clear plastic tubing and tape that near where I am cutting the pearl or routing the pockets.

That seems to do a good job keeping the area clean and I only wear a (good) paper mask (not the full respirator).

Brock Poling38467.5562037037

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Good idea with the vacumn Brock, I'll try that. I was wondering if those aquarium pumps had enough omph for the job.

I use an airbrush compressor blowing away from myself and a dust collection vent sucking what the compressor blows toward it. I still wear a resporator.

Oh, one other thing I have found useful.... and this applys more to cutting the pearl than routing the pockets....

If you know you are going to be cutting small pieces I have a little piece of screen I put over the end of my hose so I can catch the pieces should they get away from me.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Brock this tip seems as if there may be experience behind the logic

After I cut the same part 3 times only to watch it disappear I thought... "you know... there has got to be a better way...."   

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I use a shop vac bungee corded under my work paddle. I keep it on a momentary footswitch sometimes, if doing little projects, usually it's just on during the whole project. If you're afraid of sucking up pieces, stretch a pantyhose over it.

In my shop, I vacuum everything. Rarely will a broom ever touch dust or shavings. Especially stuff that's toxic or stuff that causes an allergic reation

   I use my air drived unit and tap the air from the exhaust to keep the dust off my work. Before that I use the old straw in the mouth trick. A also found a dust collector on a funnel worked well.
   Reguardless you need to use somthing as the dust isn't good for you
john hall