New shop and health question

[CustomHoop]

Hello all. I just purchased a complete wooden pen making business from a guy in Utah. I have built a few pens in the past. I am a civil engineer by trade. I love wood working cabinets, furniture etc. About 2 years ago I started building guitars and mandolins. I am in the process of building a new shop right now. Ther are a few questions I have if you don't mind answering. What do most of you use to control dust? Do most of you use a rerespirator? If you use a respirator what style and brand? How much should I exspect to pay for dust collection and respirator? I know over the course of the next few years I will have alot of questions. so please bear with me.

 

[jeff]

Hi Jeffery - I use a 1.5HP Oneida cyclone dust collector in my shop. At the lathe, I just position a piece of 4 inch hose behind the workpiece and it does a great job. Others here have built hoods and such to capture more of the dust and debris, but I catch all I feel is necessary with my setup. I believe the cyclone was about $700. I don't wear a respirator, but it's certainly a good idea, especially with certain materials.

Glad you've joined us!

 

[Daniel]

Hi Jeffery.
I have been doing alot of reading on dust collectors as I am getting ready to put one in my shop. form what I have found the dust collector will easily run in the $700.00 range. there are also isues about getting the fine particals that require alot of air to move. I am planning on building my own.
for now I use a respirator. it's a half face mask but I can't recommend a spacific brand. I would recommend you go to a store that can fit and test you though. doesn't cost any more and you know you are getting it on right. expect to part with at least $30.00 with filters and all. make sure you let them know you will be dealing with fumes (CA Finishes)
I forget to get teh mask on enough that it is worth the $700.00 for a collector. I plan to have mine have a 14 inch impellor with a 5 hp motor and 6 inch ducting
here is a sight that can explaine why.
http://billpentz.com//woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm

 

[Scott]

Hi Jeffery,

I haven't had a chance to add dust collection to my new shop yet. But I do wear a respirator. It's not a real expensive one. I got it at a paint store when I was doing the epoxy paint on the floor of the shop. It does a great job of keeping the dust and fumes out.

Tell us more aobut the shop and the pen business! What all did you get when you bought the business?

Scott.

 

[CustomHoop]

Thanks for the replies. My shop is 20 x 20 with two 8 x 8 attached storage rooms. I am building it out of rough cut saw mill lumber. I want to give it a rustic look. One of the attached rooms will be a paint room for spraying the guitars and mandolins. As for the business. I bought the web page, domain and company name. I got a Delta Midi lathe, several mandrels, duplicator, drill press, stationary sander, about 50 drill bits, 25 gouges, barrel trimmers, a box full of abrasives, a box full of finishing material, powder coating system and oven. As for pens, there is about 600 pen blanks, olive wood, spalted maple, spalted buckeye burl, ebony, rose wood, celluloid, antler, water buffalo horn etc... There are about 30 or so different varieties of pen blanks. There are about 250 assorted pen kits. There are about 200 blanks in different stages of completion. Also around 50 display boxes and racks. Pen assembly and pen disassembly tools. My mind is drawing a blank now. It was shipped from Utah to Georgia. If there is anything else you would like to ask about please feel free. I think I got a really good deal.

 

[tipusnr]

I'd have to agree with that! How do you know where to start!! Hope to see some of your stuff once you get the shop up and running.

 

[Daniel]

Jeffery
A whole shop in a box. Your taking the fun right out of it man!!!
It's the shopping that keeps me going.
on the serious side. I was contacted by a fellow in the Phillipiens about a year ago who was trying to get a supplier for Water Buffalo horn here in the U.S.
I told him I would make some pens out of his horn and show them around on the penturners groups. trying to develope soem interest in the material. It ended up being a big investment for me after buying all the kits and turning the pens.
The bad news is every single pen cracked after considerable time. I allowed the blanks to stabalize for a few months before turning them even. they where fine until over the winter. then every single pen developed several cracks. Just though I would add this as I noticed Water Buffalo Horn as on of the items on your list.
congratulations on your new venture.

 

[txbob]

Originally posted by CustomHoop
<br />I bought the web page, domain and company name.

Hi Jeffery,
Sounds like a good deal. I'm curious who sold you the shop, i.e. what's the web page and company name?

As for clean air to breathe, I usually don't wear a respirator but instead use a JDS-750 Air Tech overhead air filter hung from the ceiling of my shop. It has a 1 micron filter in it. My lathe is positioned under the clean air outlet end of the filter. I also use a fan to blow clean air across the top of the lathe toward the input end of the air filter, moving dust sideways before it can reach my face, and blowing clean air for me to breathe. I'm not saying this is a good way to do it, just that it's how I do it.

I don't worry about fumes from CA glue because I don't use CA. All my pen tubes are glued in with epoxy. Any fumes from finishes are minor and are dispersed by the fan.

Keep on turning,
Bob S.

 

[CustomHoop]

Hey Daniel,
There was 11 box about 24 x 24 x 36. He packaged all the wood in 6 inch boxes. There are about 100 or so small boxes. I still have not opened every one of them. So it is like Christmas morning. My wife don't know everything I got so I can still do alot of shopping for the things I "Have to have". I believe this will be alot of fun.

 

[Daniel]

Ahhhh, Christmas and TOOLS combined. now that's a thought I could soak in for a while... as visions of Skew Chisels danced through my head...

 

[CustomHoop]

Bob,

I bought the business from a guy in Utah. The business and web page name are www.customwrite.com I have not yet up dated the web page. He did a few things to change contact info etc...

 

[melchioe]

The cost of the dust collection in part depends on how many machines you plan on running at once. In my shop, I tend to work alone, with the occasional extra (wife) in the shop, so I don't need really powerful stuff - I'm going with 1100 CFM. Some folks insist on the canister units that flter down to 5 microns or so, but I have seen people who had luck with normal bags plus a ceiling mounted fine dust collector.

GROUND THE SYSTEM! Fire=bad

I am building a little soundproof room for my collector, and with the overhead unit taking out the fine stuff and vapors, I anticipate it working really well. Total cost at this point (still buying, but almost done) is around:
$300 (main large chip, 30 micron unit)
$250 (98% of 5 micron particles, 85% of 1 micron things - bacteria are around 1 micron!)
$200 duct work and such

$750 total, plus sundries like remote controls will bring total for me to about $850.

Remember, GROUND THE COLLECTOR - fire can happen very easily with sawdust!