dust collection question

Re: dust collection question

Richard Allen

>Hi Ken

Lots of things matter. The length of the hose is one of the things that matters. Bends in the hose, size of the hose, clean bags, a cleared spider and impeller. But mostly how close the hose is to the creation of sanding dust and how much you restrict air from being sucked in that doesn't contain sanding dust.

Good Luck

Richard

Re: dust collection question

Ron in Drums PA

>As Richard says everything matters.

Even the ridges in a flexible hose makes a difference compared to a stiff pipe.

Re: dust collection question *LINK*

Fog Tanner

>The length and diameter of the hose are a big part in how well your system will work. Flex hose has more drag than pipe and bends add more length to the system than just the length of the bend.

The bag units are a catch-22 situation. They don't really have the airflow they are advertised at, which is typically noload free rpm. They really run about half what they say. That translates into shorter runs of pipe to keep the air speed up, flex pipe shortens that some more. Which means you want the unit as close as you can get it to the source.

That means you need a really good bag, or you will just be moving the dust from the source and despensing it a few feet away. And you can't move it far away due to the pipe length and CFM problem. You have to maintain the airspeed to get the vacum to pull the dust. So you will need a good bag with the smallest micron level you can find and put the unit as close as you can.

The link below is a good starting place in answering some of your questions.


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

Re: dust collection question

David

>I'm new to turning, but this has been a topic of concern for me from the outset. I wear a cannister mask when I'm turning, and basically keep it on the entire time I'm in the shop - but having read much of the link from the previous message, I'm more than a bit concerned.

Folks who have been turning for some time - are you experiencing health issues attributable to the fine dust? Are there common ailments that seem to strike the woodturning community later in life?

Re: dust collection question

Fog Tanner

>The one word answer is yes. Its not limited to turning, but any wood working in general where you are exposed to dust over a period of time. The worst would be in a room with little or no ventalation. My problems came from over twenty years of model aircraft building. I was exposed to large amounts of balsa dust, generated in shaping and finishing. At the time there was not the general information as there is today. As a result, I cannot sand balsa wood without some dust extraction method. If you check balsa is not on any of the charts of sensitizing wood. After talking to my allergist, you can become acute to any wood dust given a long enough period of time.

The times I have seen mention is 30-35 years. That is the time period that most cabinet makers take to acquire lung problems. It only took me 20 to develop dust sensitivity, still woking on the other 15 for total disability. The canister filter you use will put you ahead of the curve - IF the filering level is down in the sub micron level. I found out from my allergist that anything below 10 microns goes right past your body's mechanisms and into your lungs. So you are looking for filers that will work in that range.

The larger particles will get stopped, but are also a nusience and over a period of time enough of an irrantant to cause sensitivity. Of course I got the best of both worlds, submicron-in-your-lungs particles and the larger sensitive-to-wooddust size. You have to ask yourself if you expect to live over twnety years and what quality of life you want if you do (i.e. use of your lungs). If the answer is yes, then get the best respirator you can afford (like the Airstream or Airmate). If the answer is no, then just have fun and turn hope they can perfect lung transplants in twenty years....

Re: dust collection question

David Galloway

>I wanted to echo Fog's message. First, Penz site is the best. He was affected by breathing dust through the years as a woodworker, and has used his incapacity in a creative way of warning others. We owe him big time.

Also, my fear is for the hobbyist who has third rate dust collection systems that does not touch the really harmful stuff, the .5 micron particles. As I started complaining of costs to Mike Couch of Highland Hardware, he set me straight by asking me how much a lung costs. Think real hard about how you make sure the dust does not go into your lung!

David Galloway

Re: dust collection followup question

ken chase

>Thanks to all. I purchased a Triton respirator and have used it a short while mostly when sanding. So far, the battery hasn't lasted nearly as long as advertised. Is this a good product or, as someone suggested, should I have spent more and purchased the 3M model?

Is it necessary to wear the respirator when turning

or just when sanding?

Thanks

Ken

Re: dust collection question

Bryan@ Woodstock, Ontario

>I use my Wap Turbo ( quiet type) shop vac, to collect dust when sanding. The chips I let go to the floor and clean up afterward. I always had a hard time hanging on to the hose and the sandpaper at the same time, really need 3 hands, and thats when I hit on using a bungee cord around my waist to hold the 2.5" vac hose. Just slip the hose under the bungee belt, leave enough hose out to reach the turning ,(I'm sanding a lower bedpost in pic). I use a craftsman accessory electronic trigger to start /stop the vac when the lathe is tuned on/off. A little body movement keeps the hose collecting dust in the right spot. Not sure this would work for bowls as all my turning is spindle work.

Re: dust collection followup question

Fog Tanner

>If you are doing spindle work using a skew where you get curls or roughing a bowl in green wood where you get curls, you probably don't need to use the unit. But, when you cut dry wood across end grain you are going to get dust, either spindle or face work. If you have a dust collector behind the work, you can see the stream of dust off the tool into the collector. But, I still use my power respirator anytime I am working dry wood.

I looked at the ratings on the Triton when it first came out. It has an Australian rating similar to the OSHA ratings. I have tried to find what the eqivilant was but got bogged down in the US government system. A better approach would be to look at the Australian sites and see what their ratings are, which I may do when I get time. If it will go down to .3 microns, that would be as good as the 3M Airstream/Airmate.

One thing that may keep the Trton from getting the OSHA rating is the battery you are talking about. To get the OSHA rating that the Airstream has, it has to maintain a minimum of 6cfm flow for the duration of usage. If it doesn't meet that, it doens't matter if it would filter to .1 micron for 4 hours, it wouldn't pass. I know the Powervisor and Trend units start at around 6cfm when fully chared and quickly drop down to the 4-5cfm range within a few minutes, but they stay there for around four hours. But, their filter range is up above the 10 micron level. The Airstream is running 6 cfm at the end of 8 hours and filtering down at .3 microns, which meets the OSHA requirements.