OT: Woodworking cyclists here? Dust collection question!

[HenryA]

A high quality shop vac with hepa filter is a good place to start. If that is too costly a regular shop vac with a dry wall filter is pretty good. Figure out a way to hook it to your existing tools. Even cardboard and tape to build collectors around stationary tools can help you get started. Next step is a dust collector for big tools. Last step is a ceiling mounted air cleaner.

I have nothing against Festool but the price of admission is shocking. With a little effort you can adapt many handheld power tools you already own to dust collection with a shop vac.

More hand work is another way to minimize dust. Hand saws, chisels and planes aren’t nearly so messy.

Finally, if you’re doing something that leaves you breathing dust, wear a good dust mask. Won’t keep the shop clean but definitely better for your lungs.

[bigbill]

I'm the Chief Engineer at a cabinet factory where we make 4000+ a day. I have three dust collectors, each with a baghouse the size of a rail car. Probably more than you need.

[martl]

Originally Posted by a4racer

Okay, this question is truly OT, but given the expertise and scope of the members here on the PL, I figured I'd likely get a better response, and more learned response than in some other forums!

I'm a hobby woodworker, and am getting more into it. I'll always be an amateur, but I love it. It is 180 degrees from what I do as a career, and perhaps that's why I enjoy it. I'm lucky to have a good sized garage (and with plenty of driveway space, no need to park a car inside). I'd like to expand my woodworking space in the garage, but also don't want to coat everything in there with a fine particulate dust everytime I use a power tool, for instance. My bikes / bike stands / bike workshop area is also in the garage, so I want to be able to keep that area clean and sawdust free...

Does anyone here have experience with those fancy dust collection systems for woodworking shops? Are they highly effective at keeping the dust down from power tools? I could, in theory, throw up a stud wall and enclose the bike area, but I prefer a nice open garage if at all possible...

Your experience / advice / suggestions are sought!

Thanks in advance PL!

I'd check out some of the "maker" s channels on YouTube for that, like Bob clagett (I like to make stuff) or David Picciutto (make something), especially the latter is somewhat known for having a superclean shop. They also talked about dust collection on their podcast "making it".

Cheers, Martin, sent from a very *cough* dusty workshop...

[unterhausen]

I have a very nice cyclone dust collector. It's in pieces in my shop because I decided to modify it and it's going slowly. I think it's good to use a mask in conjunction with dust collection. It takes more of a dust collector than most of us can afford to get all of the dust. Some people think that a two stage system with a small cyclone in front of a shop vac can pull enough air to do the job properly. There is an example on this page: https://www.shophacks.com/
Might be worth buying his plan

[thunderworks]

I have been making furniture for over 25 years after a long career owning a bike shop. My dust collection system uses an Oneida 3hp cyclone. It is effective at collecting the large sawdust particles. I also use a Fein tool triggered vacuum with small tools like sanders and routers. It’s been my experience that the collection systems will get much of the dust you generate, but they absolutely will NOT get all the fine dust you create, and that over time, it will get everywhere.

R.
http://www.thunderworksinc.com

[redir]

Originally Posted by thunderworks

I have been making furniture for over 25 years after a long career owning a bike shop. My dust collection system uses an Oneida 3hp cyclone. It is effective at collecting the large sawdust particles. I also use a Fein tool triggered vacuum with small tools like sanders and routers. It’s been my experience that the collection systems will get much of the dust you generate, but they absolutely will NOT get all the fine dust you create, and that over time, it will get everywhere.

R.
http://www.thunderworksinc.com

And the fine dust is the stuff that kills you too.

[Tandem Rider]

In my experience the dust collector keeps the mess manageable. I have a lid for 2 4" hoses that sits on a garbage can that gets most of the chips before they get to the collector. Anytime I'm going to be making fine dust I turn on the ceiling filter ahead of time just to get the air in the shop moving so airborne dust will get caught in the filter before it settles out. Still, wear a mask for belt and random orbit sanders.
Some dust still settles onto everything but this extends the interval between cleaning all the shelves, drawers, lightfixtures etc.

[tv_vt]

Speaking of woodworking cyclists, have you seen these? Amazing!

https://lyrebirdcycles.com/

[dziekiel]

while certainly pricey, short of a custom / industrial solution, Festool is going to be the best bet.

[Sewere]

Well you can't go wrong with that, but a more budget solution like a Shop Fox W1685 could also be ideal for the situation.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by a4racer

Does anyone here have experience with those fancy dust collection systems for woodworking shops? Are they highly effective at keeping the dust down from power tools?

Bear in mind that my answer stems from 8 months working in a professional architectural millworking shop almost 35 years ago...so A) we probably generated a crap-ton more sawdust than any single home hobbyist ever would, and B) my memory may be sullied by the intervening years

...but in short: No.

[C40_guy]

Interesting timing...I just started this related thread on garagejournal.com. Some really good information and links there.

My shop is a 15x18 basement room with no outside walls and no ventilation. Worst case scenario.

I have a ShopSmith DC3300 dust collector which collects *some* of the detritus from my table saw, a small amount from my miter saw and virtually nothing from anything else.

It's the fine dust particles that will kill you. So I'm looking into an air filtration system, essentially a two stage filter that sucks the shop air in, filters it, and spits it back out.

I was initially considering a simple exhaust system, but then I'd have to get to an outside wall and provide make up air. The air filtration system, plus wearing an N95 mask, is the way I'm going.

By the way, read some of the links in that other thread. A shop that appears immaculate will have lots of fine dust particles on the floor, and you can create/measure dangerous levels just by walking through the shop.

You also need to run filtration systems for a while after you are done cutting/sanding/etc, and keep your mask on essentially all the time.

Now...the question is...how do I keep my bikes from getting dusty. (It's a multipurpose shop!)

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by redir

I also have an over head filter that takes out the larger stuff that might be floating in the air: https://www.grizzly.com/products/Gri...SABEgKA-fD_BwE

I'm going with either a WEN or JET multi filter ceiling mount system that will move up to 1000CFM. The WEN runs $300 at HD, the JET is about $75 more...

[C40_guy]

Here's some good reading about fine dust particle management.

[RFC]

It doesn't answer your question about controlling the mess, but I have recently moved most of my wood and metalworking to my covered backyard patio out of concern for health. I set up a big floor fan so that the dust blows away from me and I wear a respirator.