acrylic safety

[T3pipes]

for breathing protection while sanding/cutting acrylic, is one of the Dr. type masks enough, or should i get a more industrial style one with actual filters?

[ckr]

Try the masks as they are cheaper, your nose will let you know. Pick, roll and flick it, if you can kill a squirrel at 20 yards then spend more and get the filtered one.

[Sasquatch]

The "doctor type" masks, better known as an N90, if I remember right (for the good ones) provide effective protection from dust.

The acetate smell that comes off acrylic is one that I can live without - I suspect but do not know for sure, that it would eventually damage your olfactory system. I know a lot of people in chemical and plastics industries who do not have much or any sense of smell left. Plumbers are in the same boat from that ABS cement.

So I'd say if you are cutting a lot of that stuff, get a proper respirator with organic vapor cartridges in it. Better yet, get a fresh-air mask and face shield combo - that's what a lot of turners eventually wind up wearing.