workshop dust control - again!

[condeesteso]

I know this is a much-discussed topic but wonder if anyone has tried a basic axial extractor (out through the eaves I am thinking) to try and extract the very fine airbourne dust?

I currently use a Record 4000 twin-motor 4" - on the bandsaw and sometimes the Tsaw. I have a Jet ceiling mounted filter also, then a smallar Macallister with power take off for the cross-saw, routers and small bandsaw. BUT it's the very fine stuff that is the biggest problem I think so am considering a small fan, duct to room centre, old cooker hood or similar with no grilles at all, exhaust round back of workshop.

Any experience trying this, or any ideas welcome.

 

[No skills]

No experience as such (whats new?), I have considered car radiator fans for bulk air movement - eash to get, speed controllable etc one pushing air in and one pulling air out. The fine filters needed to catch the finest dust must clog real quick, led me to think best way is bulk air movement out the workshop and going for a tea break while the shop vents.

Sorry should of said also... if using off the shelf fans I would prolly use some 'horticulture' type for the extra flow/pushing power.

Random thought from a random person

 

[MrYorke]

That all sounds a little chilly....but understand why you're trying to get the dust out.

Would you be better wearing a mask rather than moving warm workshop air out and cold in?

 

[CHJ]

I have a 9" Xpelair in my Lathe shop to dump most of the airborne dust, fortunately I have a lot of South facing glass surrounding the shop so temperatures are normally high enough to compensate in the winter.

In fact today it was running on the room thermostat via the alternate feed to cool the shop and it was only a couple of degrees outside.

 

[wallace]

I have tried the car fan from a scrapyard thing and it works really well at clearing the workshop. Cost me a fiver. I had my lathe in front of the fan and then had a desk top fan suspended from the ceiling behind where you stand pointing towards the car fan. This stops the dust being spread about the workshop. I got the idea from this site, http://www.laymar-crafts.co.uk/tip15.htm
Mark

 

[condeesteso]

Excellent feedback... this sounds more promising to me than before. I accept the fan impeller will probably get coated in the fine dust, but sealed bearings etc, and have you ever had to clean someone else's old bathroom extractor (after a house move) - covered in grey stuff that is actually dead skin. Suddenly hardwood dust seems pleasant.
I am going to rig something up - a bit Heath R, just to see how it works, but I do feel extracting out rather that vac-ing and 'filtering' (which largely fails I feel) is an interesting way to go, cheap too.
For all us dust gatherers, here is a 'philosophy' of mine - the devil's in the detail. I mean ignore the big stuff (planer chips etc) - go after the very small.

 

[beech1948]

Condeedestro,

The talk about bathroom vent fans etc is interesting bt I think not quite good enough.

I was appalled at the cost of a full dust removal approach to my workshop so I started to find ways to do it more cheaply and still achieve as as good a performance. I ended up with:-

1) 2xRecord 4000 tin can DC gadgets each with 2 motors. One at each end of the workshop
2) Both are now equipped with a Thein Separator as a pre-separator of chips and fines because they are cyclone like ni their action.
3) I made an air purifier DC which hangs about 2/3 of the way down the shop. two fans from some old server cabinets, filters from a) HVAC supplier for the front end and b) a pleated three bag small filter from APTC for the exit filter. With speed controls this gives me a good level of suck.....only issue is I need to find time to fit a timer so I don't have to go back in to switch off.

With the exception of the x2 Records all of these can be built yourself. If you search on here you will see numerous examples of people making their own air filter machines.

Al

 

[Gerard Scanlan]

I met a guy at a woodworking show and he sold me a very big filter so that I could build my own recirculation filtering system. The filter is 60cm X 60cm X 30cm and it has a prefilter in front. This cost about 100 quid. Then I bought a 1500 watt extraction motor and built a box for the whole thing another 150 quid. Privately you could get away with filtering outside although this is only affordable if you do not need to heat your workshop. Commercial workshops are no longer allowed to filter outside (air pollution) so they have to recirculate. The filter I have filters all the air in my workshop 8 times an hour. Obviously I only need to run it when using machines which keep to a minimum anyway. Most dust extractors attached to machines filter down to 0 .5 micron (with a good filter) and the recirculation filter gets rid of all the air borne really nasty little particles that are the dangerous ones! Even so I wear a dust mask when using machines too. You still need to sweep up and vacuum the floors no matter what kind of extraction system you have.

 

[The Bear]

Beech

Did your fans come with speed control or is that something you rigged up yourself (and therefore an idea I could steal)?

Mark

 

[beech1948]

Bear,

Sorry but they came with a speed control board as part of the power supply/controls.

Al