Dust collection

[novascroller]

ok i have a very small shop and my lungs/nose are telling me i need dust collection and/or air filtration. i do mostly scrollsaw and bandsaw work and a lot of sanding so the dust is very fine 90% of the time. also, my tools are mobile so i can get them out of the way when using something else. since my shop is in the house, noise would be an issue. any suggestions?

thanks,
graham

[sawdustus]

Graham, get a 20" box fan. Tape a regular 20x20" furnace filter to the inflow side of the fan and a microfine 20x20" furnace filter (3M filtrete type) to the outflow side of the fan. This is the setup I use in my garage shop. I also use a small regular fan to direct dust from my other tools towards the box fan, which can be moved around, to make it more efficient. Change the filters when they get full or the outflow of air drops significantly. It is a relatively quiet and efficient setup.

Sawdustus

[greatdane2]

Graham, have you heard a dust collecter run. They make less noise than a regular house vacum. I have done the box fan method and it worked for a while but it only catches some of the dust. I got fed up with the mess. I use 2-1hp dust collecters that i converted into the cyclone style. On the one in my bigger room it is on wheels so I only use 1 four inch hose and hook it to the machine I am using.
In my smaller room every tool is hooked up with a 4" hose and slide shut off valves.
This might be a bit much but I had about a 1/4" of dust up in the rafters using the fan type filter.
The other option is to use a good shop vacum, my dad used one and it worked ok. But it did not catch much on his radial arm saw,14"bandsaw and router table. and it was loud. His shop vac also cost as much as a dust collecter.
Can you exhaust outside. Just blow it outside. It would depend on the neighbours but if you live by your inlaws this would work well.lol.
I was concerned with the fire hazard of dust and I mostly use cedar. I wish I had just done it right when I built my shop, but with what I have now dust is not a problem.
A long way of saying get a dust collecter if you can afford it. And unless you buy a big sucker put on good wheels and use a short hose to the machine you are using.

Alan.

[earlinjax]

I have the small Jet with the canister top and is on casters. The canister model is not as tall and tippy so it is easy to move from tool to tool. I think a dust collector is a must in any shop. BUT, it is not the total solution. Listen to your nose! Even with a good dust collector there will still be dust in air and you should use a dust mask, especially with certain woods. Even if the dust smells good to you, your lungs will thank you to keep it out.

Earl

[weathtd]

I paid about 100 for the small Delta collector, the one with the two bags. Works great in my small shop set up in the basement. It's on casters and with a magnetic hose holder you can move it around and attach to whichever tool you're using. Whatever you decide to get, get something. Breathing dust regularly is definitely not a healthy way to cut.

[bob bassett]

Her is the setup I use. It has been used with Henger, B&D and now my P20 over the years.



The dist and pieces end up in mt Deputy Separator and then a 16 gal ShopVac

[greatdane2]

With the 2 bag style of dust coolectors the air is exhausted out acloth bag that traps the sawdust. They do not trap fine dust. The top bag can be relaced with a better one that will trap down to 1/2 micron. They also allow more air to escape so you get more air speed through the system.
That said you can also get a canister air filter, they come in different sizes to fit where the top bag would go. the better ones have a crank inside to swing around the inside and tweek the filter pleets and knocks the dust of and down to the lower dust bag.
These filters allow much better air flow. They are not cheap, but they sure work better. One day when I have money to waste I plan on buying another one for my second collector, it has the 1/2 micron bag for now.

Alan.