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How about a home made air cleaner.

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Forum topic by jockmike2 posted 631 days ago 5305 views 0 times favorited 27 replies Add to Favorites
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jockmike2

4128 posts in 727 days


631 days ago

While on vacation this past summer in Frankfort, MI. (Salmon fishing) , I stopped to rummage through an old rummage store thats been there for years, I’ve found everything there from chuncks of ebony to old venting runs, and blower motors for furnaces. I had seen a plan for an air circulator in a magazine that I can’t give credit to.(forgotten) Needless to say it’s not my idea. Anyway, on one end of my shop, I built a box that held two air filters on the bottom out of the tin I’d gotten up north and ran the vent to the other end of the shop making it as air tight as I could. At the other end I built an air tight box out of wood for the furnace blower motor, and put a vent so the clean air could be blown out, I had a hanging heater/light that hangs just above the exhaust vent. I have to change the filters weekly so I know its working pretty good. Not only am I getting clean a circulated it is blown by a heater. Total investment maybe 50.00-100.00 dollars and I think thats on the high end. Mike or jockmike2

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

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Obi

2152 posts in 718 days


631 days ago

I saw this link online the other day for a home made dust collection

So post some pictures

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

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jockmike2

4128 posts in 727 days


631 days ago

Thats the problem Mike, it’s been so long ago, like last summer, and I got the plan out of a magazine. I’ll see if I can find something on google. mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

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jockmike2

4128 posts in 727 days


628 days ago

I started with a scrubber made from a plywood box with 2 furnace filters in the bottom. My son helped do most of it. Made it as airtight as possible. Then ran ducwork from there to the other end of the shop where we had built a box for the furnace blower, with a vent shooting the air downward. Again we made this box as air tight as possible. Ran a cord to an electrical box and cranked it up. It works great, I know because I have to change the filters weekly. It was super easy to make I bought all the stuff used and cheap, I think I paid 5 dolllars for the furnace blower motor at a yard sale. Like I said I got the ducwork at that old store up north and just made it fit together using aluminum flashing, silicone and ductape. It probably cost me 50-70 dollars or less. Mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

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Bill

2512 posts in 642 days


627 days ago

I have seen a very simple dust collector in a few magazines lately. They take a regular box fan and tape a furnace filter on the back. Then turn of the fan, it circulates the are and cleans it at the same time. Not as effective as yours sounds, but it does work.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

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jockmike2

4128 posts in 727 days


626 days ago

Anything Bill to lesson the dust we breath. I had about 20 years in a foundry before it cosed in 86. So I don’t need to breath any more crap. MIke

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

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jockmike2

4128 posts in 727 days


625 days ago

The first image is the filter box I made on one end of the shop. Then I ran the ductwork to the other end of the shop where I put up the blower motor.

Filter box

This second shot is a pic of the blower.

Blower

Mike.

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

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Bill

2512 posts in 642 days


624 days ago

I agree, anything to keep out the dust. I have asthma, so I wear a dust mask whenever I am in the shop. It helps, especially on those sanding days.

Now I just need to set up the dust collector and maybe make a downdraft table.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

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oscorner

4573 posts in 792 days


616 days ago

Looks good! I’ve used the box fan with that A/C filter on it and if placed close enough it will collect a lot of dust. I wear a dust mask with charcoal filter when finishing and sanding and my dust collector when using my bandsaw, tablesaw, jointer and planer. Thanks for sharing your story and pics of your dust filter.

-- Jesus is Lord!

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Obi

2152 posts in 718 days


616 days ago

I liek Tater’s Home Made Air Cleaner here

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

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Bill

2512 posts in 642 days


614 days ago

Both look like they will work in the shop.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

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TaterSalad

33 posts in 627 days


601 days ago

Thanks for the link there Obi. Only thing I would change is the height on mine, to accommodate 12×24 filters and what not that PennInd, Etc carry.

-- Kalamazoo, MI

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Bill

2512 posts in 642 days


600 days ago

A good point. Building the air cleaner to use standard filters would be a good idea.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

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Dick, & Barb Cain

5042 posts in 780 days


586 days ago

I just seen this air cleaner plans from American Woodworker

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

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Bill

2512 posts in 642 days


585 days ago

Thanks for the article Dick.

I think that a home made air cleaner is a good alternative to the manufactured air cleaners. The home made cleaner can be easy to clean, use easily replaceable filters, and made to fit your needs. Not to mention, it gives you more practice on your woodworking skills (for the boxes and such.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

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oscorner

4573 posts in 792 days


584 days ago

That’s a pretty good article, thanks, Dick. I need to build one.

-- Jesus is Lord!

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Dick, & Barb Cain

5042 posts in 780 days


584 days ago

I already have a Jet, But I could have built one with nice plans like this.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

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Bill

2512 posts in 642 days


584 days ago

Probably nothing wrong with building another. Then you would have cleaner air.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

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Dick, & Barb Cain

5042 posts in 780 days


584 days ago

I have an electrostatic filter on my furnace that picks up a lot of dust. Then I’d have three!

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

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jockmike2

4128 posts in 727 days


584 days ago

You know Dick, I saw that scrubber in American Woodworker. Except for the electrostatic filter and that 3 part bag inside the blower box, that is basiclly what I built. I jut ran duct work to the other end of the shop under my lathe. Say did’nt you make some kind of shield for your lathe to keep the wood chips from falling on the floor? Would you give me a gander or tell me where it is . Bye the bye those were some slick pics you posted, I love that country. Looks pretty much like northern Mich., but with more lakes. mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

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Obi

2152 posts in 718 days


583 days ago

The greatest thing about building your own filter, is you go and check out the filters that are most redily available to you from HD and then build the unit around that. That way you dont have to get specialized hard-to-find filters from the manufacturer.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

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Dick, & Barb Cain

5042 posts in 780 days


583 days ago

Hi Mike
Where abouts are you located ? My Dad was from Ishpeming. You can see my contraption here.
it doesn’t pick up all the chips, but it eliminates all of the fine dust, especially when sanding, & that’s the main thing. I use my shop vac for cleanup.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

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Mike Harrison

1 post in 582 days


582 days ago

Hi, new guy here.

I built This downdraft/air cleaner a few years ago.

air cleaner%

It’ll completely clean my 500SF shop in about ten minutes regardless how much dust is in the air.

-- Just my 2 cents worth

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Bill

2512 posts in 642 days


582 days ago

I like that table Mike. How about more specs on the blower, filter, etc. I have been wanting to make a downdraft table to keep my sanding dust down. If it doubles as an air cleaner, then great!

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

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Dick, & Barb Cain

5042 posts in 780 days


582 days ago

Nice setup Mike

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

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jockmike2

4128 posts in 727 days


582 days ago

Yea, I’d enjoy seeing how you made it too, mike. Jockmike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

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Dick, & Barb Cain

5042 posts in 780 days


582 days ago

We’re getting an awful lot of ”Mikes” around here ! LOL

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

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jockmike2

4128 posts in 727 days


582 days ago

If I were going to change my name I’d have changed my last name when I was a kid. It would have kept me out of a lot of fights. By the way Dick, if you read my profile it’ll tell you exactly where I live and my bio. Just updated it. mike. have you looked at www. woodworkersworkshop.com/twc/ for a secretary desk..

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

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