Shutting down power to the tools doesn’t seem like a bad idea. I can see someone frustrated because the planer shut off halfway through a board, but having a dustbin so full it clogs the hose with black walnut is less than ideal
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It would for sure make it to where the bin gets addressed. Want to finish your project? Be excellent and take out some finely ground tree carcass. Don’t want to? Thats ok too but you’re done for the day. Electronic Mommy says clean up first. Maybe even add a little standee of a scolding parent that pops out from behind the bin just for added impact.
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Yeah, if we want the bin to be emptied reliably we need to rig it to shut down tools when it is too full. No amount of reminding and sign posting will ever eliminate the issue. A very visible warning light when it is too full might get you part of the way, but that can be ignored. If it were up to me I would set it up to automatically turn on the dust collector when attached tools are running, do some kind of warning when the bin is half full, then shut the tools off when it gets over 75%.
Badge scanners definitely make it easier to track down who was using a machine when an issue occurred. Also seems to make people a bit more likely to report if they know usage is being logged. As previously mentioned the woodshop tools are a bit more intrusive to add scanners to due to being turned on and off frequently, but I do know of makerspaces that have done that. We’ve talked about having a badge scan activate all the equipment and deactivate after a period of no use, among other things. Personally, I would start with the door and go from there.
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The door card reader has been discussed a number of times. The concern is one of safety. If someone was inside the shop and needed help and the only person in the hallway didn’t have authorization to the shop there would have to be a way to open the door without authorization.
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Yeah, a hard override that alerts when used shouldn’t be hard to implement.
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I will not install something that shuts off a machine in use, it is dangerous to the opperator, can ruin workpieces, and could trip on false positives (has the SawStop taught us nothing?)
Badge readers are horriblewhen bouncingbetweenmachines, @whateg01 is absolutely correct.
What I will do is rig the planer and the jointer (the two biggest dust generators) to not start if the DC is not on. Rig a revolving light and audible alarm to a sensor on the dust bin. In addition, the dust bin sensor may turn off the collector, but I am still iffy on that. I’m trying to work with @james.a.seymour on implementation but have difficulty reading his crayon electrical schematics 
Also, the woodshops are getting cameras, already working with security on this.
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Thats pretty straightforward. No issue reading it here. Needs more colors.
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What if the dust collector shuts down when its full.
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@james.a.seymour I’m cool with that, but want flashy lights and non-banshee-audible-alarm to activate far prior to any forced shutdown. Also, as mentioned, I’m ready to puchase components for the modifications discussed ASAP. THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN!!!
We could then have the equipment check if the dust collector is on when it is turned on.
There is a chance the dust collector will turn off while they are working… but if we have a big rotating light that comes on at 75% full they will KNOW its getting close.
Then when they turn off the equipment, it won’t come back on until the DC is emptied.
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YESSSSSSSSSS!
One clarification, alarm at 60%full, shutoff at 80% full.
It should also talk!!
Start out with a friendly ‘dust collector is nearing capacity’.
Move on to some snarky ‘did you hear me, the dust bin is almost full’.
And work it’s way up to some fiercely angry mom ‘don’t make me come in there!’
I mean, might be good? 
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Yes. 
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We could hold angry mom voice auditions
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Fine. Send me some mp3s I’ll see what I can do
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If that schematic is to show that the dust collector must be on for either of the other machines to operate, it would be better to put the dust collector on a separate circuit from the other machines. Each of these is likely to draw a significant amount of current. A contactor could be used, but as they are now wired, I believe only the planer and jointer share a circuit. (I could be wrong on that.)
Maybe angry fatherly voices then the final is angry mom… because when mom gets mad you know its serious.
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“You’d better empty this bin before your mother sees it!”
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