DIYbanter - Duh moment

I am in the habit of using my dust extractor to pick up piles of dust /
shavings, and assorted muck from the floor, sometimes swept up, sometimes
just all over the place. Not being quite so worried about the absolute best
design, cleanest floor, etc etc, I often have lots of wood dust all over the
machine top surfaces, as well as assorted rulers, pencils, wrenches, router
bits etc.

I have always wondered about the possibility of fire in a dust extractor
system. Well actually to tell the truth - I have just had a laugh at all
the theories of prevention / lack of need for same etc arguments. (As
amusing as left tilt/right tilt...)

So this is to say - in my own rambling way - that often as I walk around
using a 3hp dust extractor as a vacuum cleaner, with its 4"nozzle guzzling
away, and little static discharges firing into my loins as I reach to steady
myself against the Unisore, I look at the swirling, dry, static charged
maelstrom in the bottom bag, and muse. Now as I was musing thus today, I
looked at where I was passing the end of the hose across the top of the
extension on the Unisore, where my Routa is based, only to see at the last
second the pack of extra long matches I had left there from lighting the
barbie the other night whisk itself into the end of the poor mans vacuum
appliance.

The next bit was a little pathetic, as I stuck my huge manly type arm down
the tube, watching the bottom bag with the one eye, and used the other eye
to frantically guide my move around to the other side of the saw to get to
the off switch on the extractor. Now I cant tell you quite if I was more
fearful of the possibility of the matches hitting the sawdust, or the
explanation session required when SWMBO found out how my Dust Extractor
started burning in the first place. It did however hurt when I got to the
corner of the saw, and attempted to turn said corner with right arm still
jammed down the hose, which was still on and connected.

I retrieved box, extracted arm, had a giggle, and went back to musing.

Little tiny moment in my day, but another little lesson learnt. Never go
around corners with your arm up a poor mans vacuum appliance.

Have a goodun.
Mike
Brisbane, Australia.