HEPA Air purifier(s) for fine dust

[Katomi woodsmith]

Putting in my penny’s worth.
Given that when using a gym you are working the body, breathing deep, opening the pores on the skin you can add more to this as I don’t do gym
But from my own experience of fine dust I can see you forever cleaning the gym equipment
I would not mix the two. Have a workshop or a gym
Sorry to pop your dream of combo gym workshop

 

[Sideways]

I'm going to pose this question :
What powertools are you using ?

Some powertools make more fine dust than others. Sanding is a particular concern. A router is another. Tracksaw possibly less so.

Premium tools are distinctly better than cheap ones when it comes to the efficiency of their dust collection. A Festool or Mirka sander with mesh abrasive is pretty good. Very few routers have anywhere near effective dust collection on the other hand.

Your shop vac makes a difference. Multiple filters including the use of manufacturers original dust bags in the drum steps them up. L or better M class compliance. You don't have to spend vast amounts but buying from a reputable brand a machine that is actually certified to a BS, EN or ISO standard is far more trustworthy than some no name thing.

Lastly. Some jobs just need to wait for good weather then you take your work and powertools outdoors. Still hook up the extraction but the fine dust doesn't end up indoors in your exercise space. It's a hobby in the end so it can wait.

If you do have to work indoors, then you can adapt the choice of tool. Hand tools in place of power tools, plane and scrape instead of sand, jigsaw throws less dust than a circular saw (I don't actually know this for fact but it sure seems like it based on the reduced cleaning up afterwards).

 

[onionlikeapple]

I'm going to pose this question :
What powertools are you using ?

Some powertools make more fine dust than others. Sanding is a particular concern. A router is another. Tracksaw possibly less so.

Premium tools are distinctly better than cheap ones when it comes to the efficiency of their dust collection. A Festool or Mirka sander with mesh abrasive is pretty good. Very few routers have anywhere near effective dust collection on the other hand.

Your shop vac makes a difference. Multiple filters including the use of manufacturers original dust bags in the drum steps them up. L or better M class compliance. You don't have to spend vast amounts but buying from a reputable brand a machine that is actually certified to a BS, EN or ISO standard is far more trustworthy than some no name thing.

Lastly. Some jobs just need to wait for good weather then you take your work and powertools outdoors. Still hook up the extraction but the fine dust doesn't end up indoors in your exercise space. It's a hobby in the end so it can wait.

If you do have to work indoors, then you can adapt the choice of tool. Hand tools in place of power tools, plane and scrape instead of sand, jigsaw throws less dust than a circular saw (I don't actually know this for fact but it sure seems like it based on the reduced cleaning up afterwards).

These are the power tools I have at the moment (listing brands as I don’t know if it’s helpful rather than doing it as a “hey look at my equipment” thing):

- Makita palm router (their lowest end corded unit - use the vacuum attachment with it)
- Makita 150mm sander (I do use this in the garage but now quickly rethinking that)
- Saw Stop Job Site saw (vacuum hose attached whilst using it).

I’ve tried to find a balance in deciding if I like the hobby vs not buying total low end crap.

I have a semi basic Argos (Guild branded) shop vac with a HEPA filter installed. And as mentioned, I use a respirator, specifically this DeWalt one.

I take your point about moving things outside. The table saw stand I built does have wheels on it. I guess my fear is pissing off the neighbours (but given how they like to park, maybe I should grow a thicker skin…another story ha).

Half wondering whether it’s worth building a dividing wall between the gym and the workshop. Maybe it’s cheaper to buy a particle monitor before going down that route.

 

[Sideways]

You'll never capture all the dust at source with the sawstop. No tablesaw has good enough extraction whatever connected to, and no single motor shop vac is any where near adequate. Ambient air filter or take it outdoors.
Palm router likewise you'll only ever get a percentage, but the shop vac will be as good as any other extractor for that.
Sander. Again the shop vac will be as good as anything else for that tool, but do try a packet of meash abrasive. Abranet or 3m cubitron mesh. Those will help.

 

[SammyQ]

May I please suggest you also find the excellent articles by David Laver, writing in a Brit woodie mag and now online? Four in total, available as pdf's, in which he addresses not just air flow per se, but also the shrouding needed to more efficiently capture dust at source, for sander, router, jigsaw, et al. He's a lot more readable than Bill Pentz, being about 95% briefer, and his anemometry is instructive.
I'd also ask to weigh up HPLV versus HVLP.

 

[Inspector]

Got a link to those articles by David Laver?

Pete

 

[Sideways]

All I could find - go left as well as right from this page, several in each direction



David Laver of the Arnold Laver timber business and the Timber Research And Development Association in the UK I think.

 

[onionlikeapple]

All I could find - go left as well as right from this page, several in each direction



David Laver of the Arnold Laver timber business and the Timber Research And Development Association in the UK I think.

Thanks for this @Sideways. Dust collection entered my dreams last night. I might need to go for a walk…

 

[SammyQ]

All I could find - go left as well as right from this page, several in each direction



David Laver of the Arnold Laver timber business and the Timber Research And Development Association in the UK I think.

Them's de ones! The second in the series, where he gets out his 'measuring stick' (anemometer) and investigates shrouding, is - to my mind - THE most educative article on dust collection in online resources. Pentz is exhaustive and therefore damn near impenetrable, but D.L. says it concisely and coherently.

 

[Sideways]

I have had to purchase dust extraction in a previous professional life - welding fume extraction and paint spray booths. A lesson quickly learned is that an extraction inlet has only a small effective range. About the same as the diameter of the extraction pipe plus any flare / bell fitted to the end of it as a rule of thumb. It was good to see this fundamental included in the David Laver pages.

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

I have Charnwood dc 50 100mm pipe
Is it worth getting a hood for use with lathe wood turning or will I loose suction

 

[onionlikeapple]

I feel like I’m going way off topic here - I think a separating stud wall of sorts between the gym and the workshop is the way I’m going to go to ensure maximum safety. Is there a basic version of a stud wall that won’t require any insulation? I’m sort of thinking stud framing with plywood attached and some makeshift door wedged in the middle, and silicone sealing around the edges.

Wondering if there are any obvious mould or insulation issues with that? The garage at the moment is just raw breeze block apart from the ceiling.

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

I can’t see a problem, maybe add a curtain on the gym side
Best of luck let us know how you get on

 

[onionlikeapple]

Will do! There’s a shower tray that needs looking at first, but this sounds more exciting…

 

[Ollie78]

I have the record power one and it does work well to a point. The filters work fine but after a while I noticed fine dust at the back of the machine which it was obviously missing. I tape a tack cloth over the back vent to catch this fine dust. I have also improved its filtration by adding some fine spray booth media (like a felt matt) in front of the original filter and between the two filters supplied.

I also have a Microclene filter which is very much better it is a circular one that hangs from the ceiling, now made by Thor https://www.poolewood.co.uk/product...-air-filter-1210-cubic-metre-workshop-tf1260/
This is a much better system all round but has no remote control. I just use a bunch of the fine spray booth matting in it.

If I run them both it will clear the room in about 10 minutes even after some serious table sawing or routing.

These are very simple systems and it really is just a fan in a box. You can buy filters with whatever spec you need. I made a spray booth filter with a big squirrel cage fan some MDF and some wire mesh panels.
So you could engineer your box from the filter backwards.

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

Ahh thanks, you have given me an idea. I was just looking at adding to my dust control