# Shop Air Cleaner



## scottb

looks pretty much like what I (ok, everyone else too) cobbled together, for cheap. I never even attached the filter as the draw of the air pulls the filter tight. I would imagine this to be a much more powerful fan than the 15-20 dollar one at the BORG. I like to imagine mine does something, depending on my project I can see the dust move in the general direction of the fan (2-3' from the lathe)... but today the sanding dust was just floating around. Time for a new filter? probably.

let us know if the rating goes up or down, we all need to clear the air, as it were.


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## a1Jim

Hey Karson
I have tried that before an did not have much luck with it , I hope it works better for you.


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## Chipncut

What I've read lately is 5 microns is not enough. They recommend 1 micron now.

I recently put a 1 micron canister on my DC.


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## CharlieM1958

I guess the proof will be in the filter after amonth in the shop. If it dirties up pretty quick, you'll know it's working.


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## lew

Karson,

Looks like it should work, especially if you close the big overhead door in the front of the shop.

Lew


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## Abbott

I use a 20" fan with a filter duct taped to the back of it. The filter starts to dirty up in 2 or 3 days and needs to be changed every few weeks. It catches a lot of dust.


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## dustyal

Had the same idea when I discovered a box fan in my mother-in-law's attic after she died… too busy right now to fool with, but I need something in my sawdust room to help me breathe in there.

I'm looking around her house for other conversions. She saved everything. I'd like to use the pine cupboard doors from her original kitchen cabinets… and she kept the drawers. Too big for my work… but maybe I can disassemble and reuse the wood. Down in the cellar she has the electric frig that replaced the oak ice box that they had originally in the house. Did I mention that I'm not allowed to touch any of the 10 stain glass casement windows?


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## PurpLev

I use a similar thing - got a box fan from someone, and picked up a couple of 20×20 filters from Costco - I put one filter in front of the fan, and it does filter the air infront of it - but it's not powerful enough to pull the air/particles that are further away.

it does what it can - better than nothing - but not as powerful as the commercials filters obviously.

what I do with mine , is I'll put it as close as I can to the dust source that I'm producing at the time.


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## chickenhelmet

My method is like everyone eles' with the fan and filter. Execpt that I once head that WoodWhisper guy say something to the efect of this when speaking of the commerical grade ones: Most people use these wrong. Running them as you are in the shop. Thus, disturbing the dust and pulling it past YOU as it finds the back of your filter. Suggested running overnight. Don't know if it's ture or not but it sounded good.I have since been cleaning up at the end of each day and running my "fan & filter" overnight. My filters still get dirty!


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## getneds

if you maintain it you will get longer life out of the filters. Vacuum the backside once or twice a day. My filter is 5 micron and it seems ok. Osha won't be stopping by anytime soon to my basement, So somebody is making money off this woodshop rule of thumb. Always something, whats arm and hammer do to it. don't they make powder materials? just blabbing it is a good thing
how much again?


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## Grumpy

Interesting buy Karson. Let us know how good it is after a couple of months.


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## StumpyNubs

If one box fan filter is good, wouldn't ten be better? Why not put one above each of your shop machines? Walmart sells fans for about $10 each. Just a thought.


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## Trev_Batstone

I picked up a nice 'Torcan' box fan today on Craigslist for $15. It's a 3-speed model, 5-blade fan and runs nice and quiet. I'm going to build a wooden frame to hold a furnace filter. My shop is only a single garage, so I'm going to hang the fan from the ceiling on an angle so that the outflow air is angled towards the ceiling, hoping that the ceiling will act as a deflector to push the outflow air back down, providing good air circulation in the shop. I will post photos of it when I* 'git 'er done'*


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