Dust collection

[Mini Me]

My approach is slightly different, if you need a filter then the dust escaped instead of being extracted at the machine and your DE is a failure. I won't argue this, it is your health not mine.

 

[mino]

My approach is slightly different, if you need a filter then the dust escaped instead of being extracted at the machine and your DE is a failure. I won't argue this, it is your health not mine.

Well, arrogance is ... add your preferred proverb.

For many, many operations/tools, there is no practical way to capture all the micro-dust at source. An air filter is not a replacement for capturing 90%+ at source. It is to clear out those few percent of microdust that will inevitably escape and would otherwise persist in the air.

Most hobby folk do not have the option of just venting all the air in the shop after work.

 

[DanesRFun]

I've been thinking about that lately because both were built over the past several months. When building the Corsi box, I bought a six pack of Merv 13 filters off Amazon for around $80. They are white - or they were white. As I looked at the build photos, they are a bit brown now, so at least they are working. I'll probably replace them at the six month mark, which will be by the end of summer.

The near-field, I'll probably change the pre-filter this week since it's been working for about six months.

If you're thinking about building your own air filters, The 3D Handyman has an excellent series of videos on different approaches to DIY filtration:

Wow, great video, super helpful. Thanks! And I really like the attachment idea instead of tape.

 

[DanesRFun]

My approach is slightly different, if you need a filter then the dust escaped instead of being extracted at the machine and your DE is a failure. I won't argue this, it is your health not mine.

Right. I get it. And I am definitely working that angle first... with upgrades in progress.
But as @mino said, that's often impractical to do perfectly in a less than ideal home situation.

For many, many operations/tools, there is no practical way to capture all the micro-dust at source. An air filter is not a replacement for capturing 90%+ at source. It is to clear out those few percent of microdust that will inevitably escape and would otherwise persist in the air.

Most hobby folk do not have the option of just venting all the air in the shop after work.

To that end, I'm looking to mitigate what dust does escape and hang in the air...
Plus, it's kinda fun learning about this stuff... and Home Depot had the 20" box fans for $20ea... and I live in an area that can get overwhelmed with wild fire smoke on occasion. One year it was so bad, daytime looked like a dark orange apocalypse, despite the fire being miles away. I have a Dyson air purifier in the main house that couldn't keep up. So there's even more reason for me to explore some of these simple DIY solutions.

Thanks again everyone, I'm learning a ton!

 

[JasperCole]

Hello! I am working in my garage and have a table saw track saw planer router sander pretty basic. Right now I hook my tools up to a ridgid vacuum with anti static hose and it actually does a pretty fine job

I was wondering if there is a recommendation you guys would have to manage dust chips other than a festool extractor. That’s gonna be my purchase but not sure if I could go along the dust collector route. Thanks

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Hey! Your setup sounds good. You could add a cyclone separator to help your vacuum work better, or try a small dust collector if you use big tools often.

 

[Mini Me]

For anyone who is interested this link will take you to the peak knowledge base in the world on dust extraction for hobby workshops

https://www.woodworkforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=200

The main contributor was a physics professor who built clean rooms as part of his job so he knows a thing or two about the subject and did many many tests to either prove or disprove what we think we know about dust collection. To get the full benefit of many years of fact based research it will be necessary to log in as there are hundreds of photographs and illustrations that accompany the posts.

 

[arw01]

On that note, invest in a decent air quality monitor. You may be amazed that how clean or dirty the shop air is depending on what you do and what dust extraction is put in place. Most of the time, my air filtration systems are not turned on. (I came across a YouTube videos that tested some of the cheap monitors and the readings from them were found to be wrong and dangerously misleading.)

Never have put mine into service, figured the amount of dust in there would quickly overwhelm whatever sensor it can use. Bought it YEARS back for a pretty penny, some iteration from Dylos.

Chuck do you find they do not get "plugged up" in real use out there?