If your idea of controlling sawdust is a broom and dustpan – think again! Today’s power tools create dust and produce clouds of fine, airborne particles that stay suspended for long periods and enter your eyes, nose, mouth, and lungs. You’ll want to incorporate modern methods to control dust and debris for safety and cleanliness while working, faster cleanups, and better long-term health. Here are the top five solutions.
1. Personal Respiratory Protection
Popular protection includes disposable dust masks, reusable respirators, and air-filtering face shields. These solutions do not keep dust from getting in your shop, but they help prevent dust from getting inside you. A disposable mask is an inexpensive option. But, if your woodworking produces a lot of fine dust, the reusable respirator is a better choice because it forms a tighter seal around your mouth and nose. The air-filtering face shield gives you eye protection along with respiratory protection. It even helps to cool your face and keep perspiration out of your eyes when it’s hot in the shop by circulating a stream of filtered air across your face.
2. Air-Filtration Units
These devices are boxes with a motorized fan that pulls air through a series of filters to scrub it clean. Try to locate the air filter in your shop near the source of the fine dust. They work well and save space when hung from the ceiling.
Pick the unit size adequate for your shop’s size. A unit’s capacity is rated in CFM (cubic feet per minute of filtered air). For example, a unit with a 900 CFM rating can clean a 35’ x 35’ x 7 ½’ shop in ten minutes. If your shop is irregular, you’ll need a unit with a higher CFM rating to move the air around corners.
You’ll need to clean the filters regularly, especially in dusty shops. While air-filtration units do an excellent job of removing fine dust particles from the air, they don’t replace primary collection units that attach directly to your woodworking equipment. For large shops, consider buying two air-filtration units and positioning them at opposite ends of your shop to keep the air circulating. Look for a model with a timer so you can leave the unit(s) running after you’re done working to scrub the air entirely and prevent the dust from settling out and stirring up later.
3. Shop Vacuums
These compact and portable picker-uppers are great for cleaning your shop at the end of the day. The hose can be connected to many benchtops and mobile power tools to collect dust as you work.
Pick a quieter model and wear hearing protection since you’ll work around the vacuum. Also, choose a model with a giant bag or drum, so you don’t have to empty it as often. Some units have switches that automatically turn the vacuum on and off as your tool does the same.
4. Central Dust-Collection System
Collection units are the most potent and effective way to collect debris and fine dust from multiple sources. These units are installed permanently, sometimes just outside the shop, to save space and reduce noise. They connect to a system of ductwork, blast gates, and hoses running to all your dust-producing machines. There are many sizes and types of central dust collectors. To choose the right one, consider the number and types of tools the collector will be connected to and the amount of ductwork between these tools and the collector. Many manufacturers supply charts and formulas to help you make that determination.
5. Portable Chip and Dust Collectors
These collectors can be wheeled from tool to tool to suck in large volumes of dust at multiple sources. The hose pulls debris-laden air from stationary machines to the collector. Once in the collector, the debris ends up in a large collection bag, and the air pushes through a filter bag back into the room. Choose a collector with a filter bag rated for catching tiny particles (rated in microns); the most minuscule particles linger the longest and pose the greatest threat to your respiratory system.
Shop Dust Management and other solutions at Acme Tools.
2 Comments
Tyler Meredith
April 27, 2017 at 5:42 pmI like that this article mentions a central dust collection system being the most effective way to deal with dust. It makes sense that a vacuum like this would be able to prevent dust problems before they happen by sucking up the dust before it spreads. I’ll have to remember this to ensure there aren’t any major dust problems in my garage.
Tiffany Locke
December 5, 2017 at 8:53 pmI like that you mention how it’s a good idea to choose a vacuum with a larger bag or drum so that you won’t have to empty it as often. Knowing the size you have would probably be a good idea to ensure that you can replace them whenever you run out. When replacing the filter bag, it would probably be important to make sure you know the size, model, and brand, so that you can figure out what will work best and help you keep your home clean.