Dust Collection

[ScoJo]

So this past weekend I spent my first 1-2 hours shaping a pipe (cherry - a throwaway from a friend). I was using a sanding disc. I was left with a lot of dust in the garage! I was using a dust mask (just one of those cheapies with an exhalation vent on it). Two questions:

1. What are you using for dust collection in your shop, and how does it work? (maybe that is two questions in itself - oh well)

2. Is a dust mask okay for this type of work, or is a respirator really required (what is the particle size handled by each and how does that compare to dust generated by sanding)?

Thanks,
Scott

[jeff]

Scott,

There's a good informational thread on respirators that was begun by Todd. You should check it out because I think that it will answer most of the questions that you have. Personally, I use a dual filter 3M respirator when shaping. The cheapie dust masks didn't do the trick. If you want to buy one go to leonard safety (punch their name in google) and they've got a wide selection and great prices.

Jeff

[Clemons]

hello,
I us a downdraft table from Grizzly for most of my pipe work. It works very well but you have to clean the filters after every pipe. It's amazing how much dust one of these things can put out! I will also buy a air filtration to clean the air in the room as one of my second bed rooms is a work shop. You can build a down draft table with a little imagination and a small dust collector. It's not voodoo magic.

[RadDavis]

I use a dust collector from Grizzly. It has a 4" hose which I attached to a hole in the table under the sanding disk, screwed down a little hardware cloth in case I drop the stummel, and it voraciously sucks all that dust away. Very little gets out into the air in the shop.

Rad

[marks]

One of the first things I bought was a dust collector. I got one from Penn State (good review in fine wood woodworking) with the 1 micron filter bags. It does a good job of sucking up dust, and stummels if you don't hold onto them.

[KurtHuhn]

I use a Shop-Vac with a remote switch, some adapters, and some extra hose. Works wonders, and was incredibly cheap to make. However, I'll be constructing a "real" filtration system soon with some blowers and motors from a surplus supply place.

For a mask, I use a 3M filter mask with replaceable cartridges. It's *way* better than those cheapie paper masks, and far more comfortable.

[Nick]

If I'm only grinding away occasionally, do I really need a mask? Is the dust that bad?

[RadDavis]

If you aren't using a dust collector, you should definitely wear a mask.


Rad