How do you control dust?

[Diligence]

Just a bit of a safety oriented question: How do you control dust in your shop? I want to live to a ripe old age, and lately I've noticed that when I come in from the shop, I do have dust residue in my nasal passages.

I've just acquired a dust filter system from my father's estate. I'll see if it makes a difference.

What do you do? Do you care?

D

[jonet143]

hey dil , i have copd(lung desease), i wear a mask when i sand anything. and remember if you can smell strongly what your sanding, your need a better mask. a lot of newer removal systems have built in ports for power suction dust removal. my stuff is way older. so a dust broom to keep it down and a fan blowing the crap away from me when i work.

[Diligence]

I did some reading this evening regarding dust collection and found this website which is extremely comprehensive and to be honest, scares the tar out of me.

http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/Index.cfm

I absolutely have to do something about dust control.

J

[orvet]

I use dust masks or a respirator, depending on what I am sanding or cutting. I also use my 8 gal. Shop Vac as my dust collection system. Since I only use one piece of equipment at a time, I just move it from one piece of equipment to another. It is about 90% effective for me.

Here is a link to a table of the toxicity of various woods.
http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/roche/rec ... wood.toxic

Dale

[Hukk]

I use dust masks or a respirator, depending on what I am sanding or cutting. I also use my 8 gal. Shop Vac as my dust collection system. Since I only use one piece of equipment at a time, I just move it from one piece of equipment to another. It is about 90% effective for me.

Here is a link to a table of the toxicity of various woods.
http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/roche/rec ... wood.toxic

Dale

I also use a shop vac, but mine pulls 12 amps with a 6.5 HP motor, so, I need to watch which circuit I plug it in to, otherwise I will trip a circuit breaker. It is about 95% to 50% effective depending on the equipment and I also use a respirator with replaceable cartridges. Some are for dust and the others for chemical fumes. I use the respirator for most woods, including the stabilized woods. I'm allergic to walnut, but the 4 x 36 sander is about 95% effective with the shop vac, I can't even smell the walnut. Still wear the respirator though.

[orvet]

I get lazy with some of the more benign woods, if I am just doing a little bit of sanding, and don't use my respirator. But I use it on all stabilized woods, bone, horn, etc.

A person really should use the respirator when grinding, especially stainless steel. Carbon steel particles in the lungs can rust and our body can get rid of them. Stainless particles don't rust & your body cannot get rid of them, because they don't break down, so they stay in your lungs for the rest of your life.

Many other organic particles, (wood dust) will break down in your lungs and you body carries it off and gets rid of it. Though some of these woods may be poisonous or elicit a strong allergic reaction. Synthetic particles from Micarta, Carbon fibers (G-10), fiberglass and resin filled natural substances, such as stabilized wood & bone don't break down & decompose in the body.

This is what I have been told & this is sort of the guide lines I go by in my shop.

Feel free to disagree with me or add your own 2¢ worth.
I think this topic is really more important than most of us think.

Dale

[Diligence]

Dale,

I think it is really important for us all to understand that it is the very small particles that pose the laregest problems. Something in the order of less than 5 microns. Pretty darn small. That's the stuff that has me concerned. I'm just not as careful as I think I should be, but I also can't spend thousands on a full air exchange system. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that the DIY options out there are adequate. Also, with the Shop Vac, the small particlses are still released to the air, right?

J

[muskrat man]

when grinding, or cutting wood, bonehorn, or any other handle mateiral or metal for that matter, I always have a respirator and saftey glasses on. Saftey is very important when inthe shop. The only time I don't wear saftey gear is when hand working, or buffing.

[Hukk]

Dale,

I think it is really important for us all to understand that it is the very small particles that pose the laregest problems. Something in the order of less than 5 microns. Pretty darn small. That's the stuff that has me concerned. I'm just not as careful as I think I should be, but I also can't spend thousands on a full air exchange system. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that the DIY options out there are adequate. Also, with the Shop Vac, the small particlses are still released to the air, right?

J

My shop vac has a very nice filter on it, BUT use your respirator when running the shop vac for a dust collection system. ALSO, don't start grinding metal when the cannister is part full of dust. Fine dust is classified as a flammable, keep a pair of fire extinguishers in the shop. I use a respirator that has cartridges that I can change, a pair for dust, another couple pairs for chemicals. Different chemicals may require different cartridges. The better respirators have color coded cartridges for the different chemical classifications. I am looking for another respirator, mine does not fit well with glasses and I do wear goggles over my glasses. SAFETY above all!

[orvet]

I buy the bags for my shop vac that are rated for fine particles.
My respirator is rated for asbestos & mold abatement as well as vapors like paint. It was the highest rated respirator at my local Lowe's.

Dale