I give! no more dust please!

[Jim M.]

OK... I'm saying uncle already. I can't stand all the dust everywhere in the shop. Every time I sand it's the same story, a coat of fine dust all over the place. I realize it's a workshop, but move something and I might as well wear a mask full-time. I have a wall mounted shop vac I hook up to my sanders, but not good at all. My Jet dust collector works well on big stuff, not the fine stuff, so not good either. I've narrowed my choices to the three below, please share your thoughts if you own one. Jim



Take price out of the equation which would you get and why from the following dust extractors.

• Fein Turbo I 6 gallon
• Festool CT MIDI 3.8 gallon
• Porter-Cable 7812 10-Gallon Tool-Start Wet/Dry Vacuum

 

[Dudelive]

Not sure of your exact problem but there have been several on here that have made an air cleaner from an old AC blower. This may not be even close to what you are looking but just a thought.

 

[bobby g]

Jim,

Have you considered a down draft sanding table? I consider mine to be one of the best "tools" ever purchased. And when I'm not sanding, I switch it on and it functions as total shop air cleaner. Look here to see the one that I have. http://sandmanproducts.com/downdrafttables.htm
Model M4831. I bought after a show and saved big bucks. One can easily build this if purchasing is not feasible.

bobby g

 

[Canuck]

Jim.

I have had a Fein Turbo II for the past 4-5 months and it has performed extremely well.:icon_thum:icon_thum:icon_thum Especially good when I hook the hose up to my ROS, biscuit jpiner, router etc.. I also run a JDS air cleaner while I am out there in the shop. Does it get it all...... No. But much better than without.

I think that my biggest culprits for dust infiltration comes from my table mounted router, hand sanding, oscillating spindle/belt sander and chop saw.

The Fein does well when hooked up directly to a power tool though.

FWIW...

Wayne

 

[pslamp32]

http://www.amazon.com/708620B-AFS-1000B-Filtration-Electrostatic-Pre-Filter/dp/B00004R9LO

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

What kind of sanding are you doing and with what machines? If you have good dust ports in the pad and great suction (Fein or Festool) it still won't get it all but those two are the best (and most expensive).

In my mind the best dust control for sanding is the fan below. Unfortunately it only works in garage shops. If you are familiar with fan curves and types of suction- this is at one end (max CFM, 0 static pressure) while DC's are in the middle and vacs are at the other end (max static pressure, low CFM). Since you are not picking up heavy chips, and not trying to suck the air through ducting you only need CFM.

Your only other option is a good downdraft table with onboard fan and filters or one you connect to a really good DC.

 

[coho10]

You could also get an auto-start switch from sears for about $30 and a Rigid shop vac for about $75. That combination will give you great results. At least it has for me. I get virtually no dust out of my Milwaukee ROS.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Based on previous post on this subject, here's what I took away:

• The closer you get to the source w/ your vacuum, the better. That pretty much means a downdraft table, as Bob and Alan suggested, or a vacuum hose connected directly to the tool.

• Second best is one of the overhead units, such as the Jet model pslamp32 suggested. They have excellent filters and do a good job of cleaning the air.

• Third best is what I use. Old squirrel cage blowers mounted in boxes, w/ the air passing through one or more filters before it is exhausted. The quality of filters you purchase can make a big difference in the efficiency of these units. One advantage these units can have is they also serve as a fan blowing cool air across the shop when it's hot. See pic below for example.

When I was researching DC systems for my shop, I came across another idea. If you have permanent duct work in your shop, you can mount a shop vac filter to the end of a duct. It will pull air through it and clean it. The downside of this is that you have to leave the DC running all the time.

I made this unit primarily as a fan for hot days. The air filtration was kinda an afterthought. If I were to redo it, I would use two filters on each side.

View image in gallery​

View image in gallery​

HTH

Bill

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Bill, I would modify your list like this

• The closer you get to the source w/ your DC and vacuum, the better for your lungs and your shop. That pretty much means a downdraft table, as Bob and Alan suggested, AND [STRIKE]or[/STRIKE] a vacuum hose connected directly to the tool.

• Second best is squirrel cage or other types of fans just a very few inches away from where you are sanding, that draw the dust into good filters or vent to the outside. There are some nice setups where people have lined the back of a wall bench with fans that blow directly outside. Others have taken that idea even one step farther and built a hard shroud over and and along the sides of the bench top and added a curtain made from strips of clear vinyl across the front .

The problem with the next two options is that by the time the dust finds its way to the air cleaner, you who are closest to the source have had plenty of time and opportunity to inhale a significant amount of it, and a lot of it has drifted and settled elsewhere! There is little substitute for capturing it at the source.

• Third [STRIKE]Second[/STRIKE] best one of the overhead units, such as the Jet model pslamp32 suggested. They have excellent filters and do a good job of cleaning the air.

• Also third best is what I use. Old squirrel cage blowers mounted in boxes, w/ the air passing through one or more filters before it is exhausted. The quality of filters you purchase can make a big difference in the efficiency of these units. One advantage these units can have is they also serve as a fan blowing cool air across the shop when it's hot. See pic below for example.

When I was researching DC systems for my shop, I came across another idea. If you have permanent duct work in your shop, you can mount a shop vac filter to the end of a duct. It will pull air through it and clean it. The downside of this is that you have to leave the DC running all the time. Remember, you need CFM to move the volume of air, but if you add any restriction like pipe you need some static pressure suction.

I made this unit primarily as a fan for hot days. The air filtration was kinda an afterthought. If I were to redo it, I would use two filters on each side.

View image in gallery​

View image in gallery​

HTH

Bill

 

[scsmith42]

Jim, it's really hard to beat the Festool system (combined vac and sander). I'm pretty anal about not inhaling dust and routinely wear a dust mask in the shop. I don't when I'm sanding with the Festool system - it's that good.

 

[Flute Maker]

I have had some of the same problem from my lathe..I have almost completed one of these. Check out the link. It appears to work. Mine is about ready to go. Ill let you know how it works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHsApnZ01N4

 

[Jim M.]

My shop is 14'x20' with a vaulted ceiling, I have a JET AFS-1000B filter hanging 8' over the bench, just to the right of center. I hook my big tools to my JET DC-650BK Dust Collector. No dust problems with TS, RAS, OSS, Router table and lathe while running both my Jets.
It's when I start finish sanding the dust starts. My sanders of choice are predominantlyorter-Cable 390K, Porter-Cable 343K and Porter-Cable 371K
I hook them to a wall mounted shop vac which seems to have good suction on a 8' length hose. I even shorten the hose and tried using a separator, not much luck, that why I'm considering going with the choices above.


Thanks for the comments. Jim