diy dust collection? (1 Viewer)

[MarkRoberts]

Hey out there,
Anybody build a dust collector? For when you are building/finishing your diy projects? MDF dust is major nasty stuff. and sometimes I am forced to work with it inside my basement.

 

[Darren_T]

Yes, I built a 1200cfm cyclone dust collector and have a air cleaner/filter system also. Even with these systems you must also wear a dust mask. The only reason I have all the equipment is that I have been woodworking for many years... the expense might prevent others from investing in such specialized equipment.

Good Air Filter system

Building a cyclone dust collector system takes some work but this is a good alternative:

Dust Collector

 

[MarkRoberts]

I came across these types as well. I was hoping for a cheaper alternative if possible.

 

[Allen Ross]

personally i have a moderately sized shop-vac wit dust bags. Its great for the floor and small projects to keep the shop clean, but it doesn't clean the air nearly as good as a filtration system, but seeing that i have only had a few times when MDF was flying enough to have it in the air i think its great.


Oh i use the shop vac every time i use the router so that keeps the dust down.

 

[Darren_T]

You can build your own air filtration unit if you can find a furnace squirrel cage fan. Just build a box with a filter at one end and an exhaust port at the other. As far as dust collection, you really need good CFM that can only be obtained with an impeller design. You'd have to buy one of those units similar to the one in the link I provided. Mine is 1200cfm and it keeps up with my tablesaw nicely but with MDF some dust still escapes.

To do the dust collection correctly you gotta spend the dough. A shop vac won't cut it. Air filtration is good but doesn't keep it out of your lungs, just keeps the shop less dusty.

 

[Chris Keen]

Harbor Freight has a pretty good dust collector that they put on sale price quite often for about $139 to $159. In fact, it's on sale now for $149

Outside of that, I would also recommend a decent shop vac of some type. Having tools with good dust collection options would be smart. If you're going to invest in a router (for instance), the DeWalt DW621 is highly recommended in this category. Another good option is the Freud 1HP small trim router. The Freud has a "knock off" version sold by Grizzly that is cheaper at around $69. The Grizzly doesn't show it in the picture, but there's a clear plastic dust collection attachment, and reportedly it works well.

These are just some ideas. To catch some of the finer small airborn dust that gets kicked up, and not sucked up, a good air filtration box is good to have. You can build a DIY one (as you suggested) using a squirrel cage fan like Darren mentioned. There are plans available on the net that show this.

 

[AllanRW]

DIY air cleaner
I have had a few cheaper 1.5hp collectors and went to a General 2hp and worth the money.
Along with the filter you have on the Jets available from the house of tools in Canada this is a very good 1-2 punch.
Few things
Build a air cleaner like Darren said.
You can build one that has 4 times the CFM as a store brand and you have the filters you want.
I use 2 HEPA filters that are washable on mine along with a bathroom fan timer to set once I am done for the day.
Purchase a 3-4 speed fan.You will like the other speeds for times you really just want the air movement around the shop not a cyclone!
I wired mine with 3 single pole light switches that control the 3 speeds and the fourth is on the bathroom timer.

As far as a collector.
larger pipe is better do not let anyone try to down sell yo on pipe.
I had mine ran with 4" PVC went to 6" and the power differenceis very large differece.
Have you read these sites.

http://www.airhand.com/

[url=http://www.leestyron.com/dusctcollector.php]http://www.leestyron.com/dusctcollector.php[/url] http://billpentz.com//woodworking/Cy...%20Project.htm
http://www.studio1304.com/silca/cyclone/
http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/Ducting.cfm
Bills is the best link by far and his site will more than give you enough info.
All in good health.

Al

 

[MarkRoberts]

excellent links guys! Thanks!