Shop air cleaner

Delta (& others) make an a/c that can be hung or pole mounted that also have integral lighting. Size them per the CU/ft or your shop. http://www.amazon.com/Delta-AP100-ShopMaster-Filtration-120-Volt/dp/B0000EI96M/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1215493038&sr=1-3

currently 234.99 for the one above.

Still lotsa bux but I quit a job recently due to the garbage and dust issues and ended up going to the doc on my own dime for a respiratory issue. Trust me, 300 bucks is a deal . . .

I have the Grizzly G0572 Hanging Air Filter w/Remote and it works great for me. Plus it hangs from the ceiling and is out of my way. It pumps 1044 CFM on high and the timers are great.

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

I did a fair bit of research on this and found the best reviews on the JDS system. It’s a bit more expensive, but it seems a little silly to save $100 when dealing with your health!

http://www.amazon.com/JDS-750-ER-Filtration-Electrostatic-Pre-Filter/dp/B0000302XS

I like to keep mine running while in the shop and use the timer to keep it on for another hour or two after i leave the shop.

Thanks for the reply, agreed about the general consensus on the JDS. I bought one last week at Woodcraft, during their 10% off sale. Final price was ~$305. I’m using it the same way, running it while in the shop, then using the timer for an hour or so after I leave, nice feature. Mine’s hanging from the ceiling right next to the DC and amid the table saw, jointer, planer location. I can reach the control panel on mine, so I don’t need the remote, though for some installations I’m sure it’s a real help.

Dan

If you don’t think it’s making saw dust, just take the filter out and slap it against a tree.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

You could make your own for a lot less.
It’s just a nest of filters with a fan system pulling air through it.
I made one for about $25.00 five years ago and it’s still going strong.

There’s a furnace filter to catch the big stuff and some remay cloth to catch the fines. I just toss them out as they get plugged up.
I have obtained 3 -5” CPU fans from and old computer system and will be installing them shortly to get rid of the bigger blower.
A 24 hour timer turns it on for 2 hours every day to sweep the air in the space.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Bob – Looks like an interesting design. The JDS has an electrostatic pre-filter + a bag type filter rated to remove 91% of particles in the 1 micron range, which are the ones said to pose the greatest health risk. I’ve seen people simply tape a furnace filter to a box fan. Such a setup is probably better than nothing, and will likely catch a lot of the larger “nuisance dust”, but unless you build one with the same level of filter elements found in the better commercial units (the filters alone cost about 50 bucks each) I think it’s unlikely you’re eliminating the more dangerous bits.

Given what I spent on the machines that make the dust, $300 to protect my lungs seems like a small investment to me.

Dan

I have to agree with you in principal Dan.

The reality is that the electrostatic filter can do just what they say .

I have one on my forced air furnace in my home.
By the same token, the ultra fine remay ( spun polyester) cloth I use has a filtration very similar to that of the elctrostatic device and saves me the time the trouble of having to take it out and spray it down with water , let it day and reinstall it.
I simply cut another sheet of polyester cloth and dispose of the old one.
It takes about 30 seconds. the furnace filter just asctas a baffle to slow the particles down so they adhere to the cloth.
The cloth I am using comes from a dress making store and costs me about 50 cents a yard.

If you look close you can see a piece of it clinging to the front in the thrd picture box down.
Cheers

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I wanted to update this conversation with an actual photo of the non woven cloth used for trapping dust particles in my shop.
The material on the left was in use for about a month. The material on the right is new .
a href=”http://picasaweb.google.com/boboswin/MyWoodfolder/photo#5231052682092779890”>
I’m very pleased with the efficiency of this inexpensive solution and how easy it is to maintain.
These are the case fans(CPU FANS) I mentioned above . They are quite plentiful on the net and extremely quiet.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I have a Jet model. I really like it and it does a great job of cleaning the air. Check out my review here:
http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/146

-- Log...log...it's big, it's heavy, it's wood!

One of the forums discussing dust collection, was suggesting that the air scrubber type dust filter spreads around the dust that it can’t catch.
I certainly can’t argue with that but it does sound like a bad design and lack of understanding of what needs to happen.
There are many circumstances, in an active shop where it’s virtually impossible to catch all the dust at the source and that’s something that this fellow fails to grasp.

Anyway, he went to explain that whatever he had bought for a dust scrubber was sucking dust out of the air from the front of the machine and apparently blowing it right back out the back.
If that is the case with the scrubber you’re currently using, I would suggest you analyze the filters in the unit and try to come up with a pre-filter with a fine enough mesh to trap the dust before it makes circuit around your shop.

As Lee Jesberger pointed out earlier, by actually disturbing the dust that has settled in the wood shop, and getting it airborne again allows the scrubber an opportunity to remove it from the ambient air. As most of you realize having spent some hours in your own shop the fine dust has an amazing way of finding itself into every nook and cranny of your operation.

By mobilizing these fines and putting your dust collector(scrubber) on a timer, you can scrub most of the area clean in the period of a few hours use and when you’re not in there too!

It’s not perfect but running without one is a poor subsitiute for good shop hygeine.

I did not mention helmets but they can provide some protection but at the expense of your comfort and are bulky to wear and hevey on your neck muscle after a few hours.

Cheers
Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I have (2) Jet units with e-static filter and offer several thoughts after building several of my own…

I’m familiar with 5” muffin fans, 12v, 120v, and 240v… I’ve got lots of them, removed from everything from PC’s to PDP’s, to VAX’s. There is no way three of them will move the same CFM as a decent squirrel cage blower. I’ve tried…

Filters are everything. Buying a good quality, comparable to a good purchased system, internal filter and external pre-filter will set you back at least $85. The better air cleaners include more than a $10 furnace filter.

Unless you can find the blower and electronics for free, as some folks can, the good commercial units will not cost more than a truly comparable shop made unit, with truly comparable performance and features. Features include shut-off timers and remote control. If electronic features aren’t of value, a shop made unit may save a few bucks, if your time is free.

If you vent any air cleaner, dust collector, or spray booth to the outside, you need to provide make-up air. This goes double if you heat with any device that draws combustion air from inside the shop, or has an exhaust pipe that draws any sort of draft air from inside. If you don’t provide make up air, you will draw carbon monoxide, as well as smoke and soot, back down the exhaust (a.k.a. chimney).

-- - Real men read directions

Barry, the “muffin” fans were selected to be run continous when I’m in the shop and produce a low DB.
I have a mid size squirrel cage that will be running on a timer when I’m out of the shop and I want vloume and noise is not a concern.
Venting the return air into the main DC dusting will eliminate having to have a make up air unit like a Hoyme damper for instance.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Bob,

Venting to the DC is not outside, so of course you wouldn’t need makeup air. <g>

My DC, a cyclone, has much coarser filters than my air cleaners. If I vent to the DC pipes, I’d only blow the dust back into the shop, so I wouldn’t really gain much.

-- - Real men read directions

Right. You have to remember that most ot the dust collection occurs prior to the air leaving the filters.
Some say that the exiting ari causes the ambient dust to circulate around the room.
By directing the air into the DC pipes this turbulence is all but eliminated.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner