important question--DC

[dw]

I have a very small shop and limited space. I turn small projects as a hobby--pens, mostly, along with some candlesticks, handles, etc. .

I wear a Resp-O-Rator (?) when I turn and especially when I sand and finish. But I've noticed that I am creating a lot of very fine dust that seems to get everywhere.

I'd like to set up a dust collector that will deal with the fines...both during sanding and after sanding. I can sweep up the heavier stuff--that I'm not worried about--but the small stuff is becoming a problem I never anticipated. But I simply don't have room for a big bag and barrel cartridge system. I could afford it but the space is not there.

I've seen Grizzley and PSI and a few others offering fairly compact dust filter/air cleaner boxes that can be set near the lathe to collect dust as it is being created. Do these work? Are they sufficient?

My shop space is so limited, I have to store my lathe under a bench...I would appreciate any advice with regard to how to deal with the dust problem--economically and space conscious-wise.

Assume I am completely ignorant of anything to do with dust collection--it's close enough to true--and I welcome advice.

Thanks

 

[tipusnr]

I bought one of the units that you talk about but am still playing with it to make it efective. It sits at the end of my assembly workbench and you almost have to work right in front of it to notice any effect. Still the filter paper IS slowly changing color so it is catching something.

 

[timdaleiden]

There is a design for a cheap dust collector on the front page here. I designed it, and it works very well for fine dust and odors. I have also seen portable dust collectors that are quite small. If you build a shield like mine, use "water only" to clean it, or it will attract fine dust.

 

[Rudy Vey]

DW,

the dust collector must not necessarily be in the same room as the lathe. If you have some room, maybe 3x3 square foot, in a neighboring area, you can put the dc their and run a pipe through the wall,a window or else. My dc is in the same room as my lathes, but they are about 20 feet apart. I ran 4 inch diameter pvc pipes for 35-40 feet throughout my shop with several wye's inbetween to connect my machinery with a flex hose drop-downs from the wye-blastgates. There are also remote switches for the dust-collector (PSI Long Ranger), so you can turn on and off the collector from a distance. If you go with a collector, get yourself some high quality 1-micron collection bags from American Filter Fabric. They also do "bespoke" bags for you indidvidual collector.

Rudy

 

[Daniel]

This is a good sight to learn about dust collectors. Warning you may not be happy when you are done considering you are after that talcum powder fine stuff.
http://billpentz.com//woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm

 

[dw]

Rudy,

I have heard that a 1 micron bag won't handle the really fine, "talcum powder fine stuff." Is that true? What is your experience? Do you use a face mask as well as the DC?

Daniel,

Yeah, I saw that site....and one other--made me want to spend thousands of dollars. []

Tim,

I saw your article and it made me want to do something about my dust problem. Thank you for writing it. I just don't have the time to build one, is all.

 

[Rudy Vey]

DW,

additionally to the dust collector I also run a Jet air cleaner when ever I am in my shop. Together they do a great job. You can ask my wife for her testimony, there is no dust coming into the upstairs of our house and she is very particular when it comes to dust (she is also suffering from a lot of allergies and there is nothing from the basement bugging her). I do not wear a dust mask when I work in my shop (only when I clean the dust collector's lower back out!).
As I said, I had the bag custom made by "American Fabric Filter"
www.americanfabricfilter.com
to fit my dc and my room height and to increase the filter surface.
Check their website out and learn a bit about the proper sizing of a filterbag. Most dc come with a too small upper bag. My custom bag is huge compared to the standard bag. And I also changed to a heavy duty plastic lower collection bag for dust and chips (remember if you change the bags that come with your dc, normally 30 microns, you must replace both bags). I send you a picture of my setup later.

Rudy

 

[ilikewood]

If you have talcum powder coming in through your dust collector, man you are sanding way too fine! []

I work extensively with membranes in the research work that I do, and 1 micron is very small. In fact, most bacteria wont penetrate a 1 micron bag as they are generally 1 to 2 microns in size.

We use titanium dioxide to check the integrity of some of our systems. TiO2 is used in white paint as the pigment (just like talcum powder) and it is small indeed. A 1 micron bag should stop most everything, and if that is not tight enough for you, you will probably need the respirator in addition to the dust collection.

 

[dw]

Bill,

That's very good information!

Now, how does this work--if someone will take the time to give me a quick description?

Let's say I buy a small upright DC from Grizzley or PSI. Generally you're looking at two bags or one plastic lower bag and either a cloth upper bag or a cartridge. At what point are the fines filtered? Upper bag? Or lower (not with a plastic lower bag...that's self-evident)? If I have a 30 microm bag on the lower and a .5 micron cartridge or a 1 micron bag up top, what's to prevent the fines from blowing out the lower bag?

OK, so the lower plastic bag is probably the answer, if one is needed, to prevent blow-by on the lower bag but then what kind of back-pressure/wear-and-tear-on-the-fan results from all the air being pushed through a .5 micron filter cartridge?

One way or the other, I'm making a DC my next purchase.

 

[Rudy Vey]

DW,

I have a PSI dust collector. As I said earlier the lower bag the one in that all the debris falls is now a plastic bag and the upper, the filter bag, is custom made by AFF. The main thing is to accomodate the airflow <b>without</b> blowing the up too much, like an overstuffed sausage. Go to the AFF website and read about it, they can expain it better than I could do.

Rudy

 

[dw]

Rudy,

Would you mind telling me what you paid for your custom bag...OR, and just as importantly, what it cost relative to replacement bags offered by the manufacturer of your DC--twice? three times?

Also, how often you you think you will have to replace the custom bag?

Thanks

Originally posted by Rudy Vey
<br />DW,

As I said, I had the bag custom made by "American Fabric Filter"
www.americanfabricfilter.com
to fit my dc and my room height and to increase the filter surface.

 

[dw]

Rudy,

Just read your last reply. What PSI DC did you get? The Grizzley DC's seem cheaper and may be suitable for my needs. I assume you must have looked at Griz and HF before you bought...what made you decide on the PSI (I'd almost go with them just for the free 8' of hose [] )

You're right, I went to the AFF site and learned a lot. Thanks for the reference.

 

[Rudy Vey]

DW,
if I remember correctly I paid much less than $ 100 for the custom bag and 20 of very heavy duty plastic bags (lower bags).
The PSI collector I have is the one that was replaced with the new DC2V2; at the time I was to decide betwen it and a Jet collector, my choice was the PSI, since it came then already with 5 micron bags and the Jet had only 30 micron. Later, after a year or so I upgraded to the custom bag and did the final piping of my whole shop with PVC pipes. Actually, the newer model comes already with the 1 micron bags and is on sale right now.

Rudy