dust collection system for the small shop

When starting out on my own, I needed to convert my hobby shop into a money earning shop.  The shop vac/cyclone lid worked fine for the planer and joiner when used a little, but was a pain to switch over from machine to machine and was under powered.  I came across a bunch of free 4 inch PVC thin wall pipe.  I ran one drop to the joiner and planer area with individual blast gates, up to the ceiling, and dropped back down behind the chop saw.  It continues under the work bench and to the cyclone lid with a 30 gal can.  The hose then continues to a 1 1/2 hp Delta dust collector.  This way, 90 percent of the shavings go into the can for easy disposal.  There is a total 50 ft of pipe and 4 90 degree elbows.  I can now run a 11 inch pine board thru the planer with a 1/16 inch cut and it keeps up very well.  Wire for static electricity is a must.

Cabinet Finish

After using a popular water based polyurethane on my own kitchen cabinets 9 years ago, I would not recommend using this type of product on painted surfaces.  It has worn off around all the handles on the most frequently used cabinets and does not put up with a good scrubbing to get off fingerprints.  Since you cannot apply an oil based polyurethane over this, the only option is to feather sand the affected areas and recoat with a similar product.