Fred
Member
From having been a member of this extremely useful Forum for a bit of time I have noted on many days that there is often quite a bit of discussion concerning our health as wood workers. In addition, since I was a private investigator for many years and dealt primarily with employee health fraud for the major members of the health insurance industry I was exposed to many cases of employees health being damaged, even destroyed, by both the employer and the employee. So health issues are now a part of me.
I have read the majority of all subject posts here on the IAP and I am still amazed and utterly confused as to the lack of protection that many fellow members do not use when it is so easy to do something and a heck of a lot cheaper than long term medical expenses.
My subject here is DUST CONTROL and particularly the very fine dust that is made by our working with wood. I speak of the very, very fine dust - almost smoke like - that is our worst enemy. Our moist lungs are a very fine collector of this dust and it can and often does end up killing us. Yep, you can die from dust exposure over a period of time. It all depends on how much your individual system can stand. Go ahead, ask your doctor :doctor: about respiratory illness from dust ... Be afraid, be very afraid!
I want to ask if anyone here is familiar with the following form of dust collection. This device is used between the tool (SOURCE) and the dust collection device - you are using some form of dust collector, right? If not, shame, shame on you ... GET ONE ASAP and use the machine and add this simple device in-line.
I have been researching the following device and will be adding this at every station of vacuum collection in my shop ASAP. This is a cyclone type device made using the designs of J. Phil Thien. Phil has a website up at: http://www.cgallery.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=0affbec8d4bd6a6c6e38617e04e54bd5 and the remarks of many are posted there on some 15 pages for your reading enjoyment. Phil's other page is http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/cy.htm and this site has a good photograph of the lower plate shape.
Check out the photographs of the addition to a DC system: http://www.cgallery.com/smf/index.php?topic=262.0 made by Don, vawoodworker84 from Phil Thien's website. I use Don's example of his work as I believe his photographs are excellent and show the device from a several angles so you can see what there is to this device.
I do not intend to make this entire addition as Don as done. Instead I intend to use ONLY the lower plate, seen in Don's upside down photograph #3, and add it to the existing pre-separator lids from Woodcraft that I already have in use. I will be making these from one quarter inch hardened fiber board with the 'shiney' side up.
The lower separator plate develops a quick cyclonic air flow around and over the smaller opening and thus flings the heavy chips, shavings, etc. AND 95%, or often better, fine dust up against the sides of the can and then free gravity takes over and most all falls out into the metal collection can.
I also intend to lower the separator lid about 1-2" to allow the air to circulate under the intake elbow and thus avoid any 'jamming' against the rear edge. This is something many of the poster's at Thien's website reported when the elbow actually was to close to the plate.
The pre-separator lid I use is the larger one from Woodcraft - http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2004310/8981/Trash-Can-Cyclone-Lid.aspx and is on sale right now - and I have it mounted on a metal 30 gallon trash can from Home Depot. I can either vacuum using my JET 4" dust collector with cannister filter OR switch over - with adaptors - and use my Rigid shop vacuum.
I look towards having much cleaner and somewhat dust free filters on both systems towards the end of this week. Since ALL the reports I have read indicate that most of the fine particulate matter is separated out with the Thien design, I expect a better vacuum and even less work in cleaning out the trash (dust,etc.) in the near future.
To your health ... :biggrin:
I have read the majority of all subject posts here on the IAP and I am still amazed and utterly confused as to the lack of protection that many fellow members do not use when it is so easy to do something and a heck of a lot cheaper than long term medical expenses.
My subject here is DUST CONTROL and particularly the very fine dust that is made by our working with wood. I speak of the very, very fine dust - almost smoke like - that is our worst enemy. Our moist lungs are a very fine collector of this dust and it can and often does end up killing us. Yep, you can die from dust exposure over a period of time. It all depends on how much your individual system can stand. Go ahead, ask your doctor :doctor: about respiratory illness from dust ... Be afraid, be very afraid!
I want to ask if anyone here is familiar with the following form of dust collection. This device is used between the tool (SOURCE) and the dust collection device - you are using some form of dust collector, right? If not, shame, shame on you
... GET ONE ASAP and use the machine and add this simple device in-line.I have been researching the following device and will be adding this at every station of vacuum collection in my shop ASAP. This is a cyclone type device made using the designs of J. Phil Thien. Phil has a website up at: http://www.cgallery.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=0affbec8d4bd6a6c6e38617e04e54bd5 and the remarks of many are posted there on some 15 pages for your reading enjoyment. Phil's other page is http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/cy.htm and this site has a good photograph of the lower plate shape.
Check out the photographs of the addition to a DC system: http://www.cgallery.com/smf/index.php?topic=262.0 made by Don, vawoodworker84 from Phil Thien's website. I use Don's example of his work as I believe his photographs are excellent and show the device from a several angles so you can see what there is to this device.
I do not intend to make this entire addition as Don as done. Instead I intend to use ONLY the lower plate, seen in Don's upside down photograph #3, and add it to the existing pre-separator lids from Woodcraft that I already have in use. I will be making these from one quarter inch hardened fiber board with the 'shiney' side up.
The lower separator plate develops a quick cyclonic air flow around and over the smaller opening and thus flings the heavy chips, shavings, etc. AND 95%, or often better, fine dust up against the sides of the can and then free gravity takes over and most all falls out into the metal collection can.
I also intend to lower the separator lid about 1-2" to allow the air to circulate under the intake elbow and thus avoid any 'jamming' against the rear edge. This is something many of the poster's at Thien's website reported when the elbow actually was to close to the plate.
The pre-separator lid I use is the larger one from Woodcraft - http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2004310/8981/Trash-Can-Cyclone-Lid.aspx and is on sale right now - and I have it mounted on a metal 30 gallon trash can from Home Depot. I can either vacuum using my JET 4" dust collector with cannister filter OR switch over - with adaptors - and use my Rigid shop vacuum.
I look towards having much cleaner and somewhat dust free filters on both systems towards the end of this week. Since ALL the reports I have read indicate that most of the fine particulate matter is separated out with the Thien design, I expect a better vacuum and even less work in cleaning out the trash (dust,etc.) in the near future.
To your health ... :biggrin:
