dust collection system WIP

Sticky

Sticky

Joined
May 11, 2002
Messages
886
With the recent respitory protection threads I thought Id post this WIP.
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just got this setup, I just need to strap the pipes to the wall. Still have 2 available ports with blast gates on them for future expansion of the setup. Each branch has a blast gate and the system exhausts outside the shop. seems to really do the trick so far.
Also thinking about this cumulative lung damage got me so worried I started looking at a system that supplies air from a remote location with a system like this one.
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Anyone use something like it? Maybe its a little overkill I dunno. I may just get a full face by 3M but I really like the idea of having supplied air from outside on the opposite end of the house.


Thanks to everyone for keeping me ( us all) reminded of respitory safety!! Cumulative damage deserves waaay more attention.
 
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DO NOT BUY THAT UNIT
I wasted my money on the same unit several years ago. I work with cyanide and other bad chemicals from time to time, and thought an outside air system would be good for that as well as in the shop.

The unit works fine.....but the air supply and filter is basically a shop vac motor and fan. When you wear the hood it is like having a jet plane testing its engines between your ears. The noise was so bad I have never used it more than a few times. I contacted the maker and was told basically, " Yes, they are noisy." I may modify it and use it in the new shop, but right now it is a $400 shelf decoration.

Some other issues with it is it is just cobbled together from different items. The hood is a cartridge respirator hood with the hose screwed into one socket, and the other plugged. The hose from one side arrangement isn't totally annoying, but is a bit in the way. You can figure what the air hoses are pretty easily for yourself.
 
That mask you have on the bench should work just fine. Just wear it. I do see you are using PVC at a receiver for your sparks off the grinder. I did this and melted the pipe. I have now changed all my hoses from the grinder to the spark arrestor to either Stainless ducting or Alum Flex hose. I even changed the intake at the bucket to a metal fitting as I melted one there too.
 
Good looking start there. One thing I would suggest is to put up a shelf so you can put the blower on it and have it exit outside as directly as possible. I have two blowers and one is setup as yours is. As hard as I try to seal the conduit leaving the unit, fine dust always finds a way out. Not a big amount of course but still it's the fine stuff that is the most dangerous.

Do you have a pic of your system from another angle so we can see the piping and connections better?
 
Thanks everyone for input! excellent !
Stacey--glad i posted this! The concept is good but Im glad someone here has first hand experience with it. I think I am going to get a full face 3M.
I was thinking that too that it cant be that difficult to make a setup like that but hopefully with a quieter motor! Could make a cool project.

AC--yeah i probably need to get some steel fittings but i think i'll use this for now, im a slooooow grinder & run my grinder real slowly and my spark shower is weak as hell! If i ever get any better at grinding im sure ill have to revisit this rig though!

Patrice-yeah i thought about the shelf thing and i will def. keep that in mind & think about how i am going to do it after i shake this rig down for a while and see what happens with it. I used t-88 epoxy on the 90 degree joints the connector on the exhaust port broke when i cranked it down so its missing in this pic. i'd like to have the blower outside and run one continuous length of hose out to it. Last night i had a light bulb go on(a small bulb but it came on nontheless) and mounted my grinder and motor on a piece of 2x10 hickory board i had layin around, i thought hell now that the weather is warming up I'll just take the whole thing outside and stick a bucket of water under the wheel and call it good. Should catch the bulk of it and let the wind carry the rest away to never never land.

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Thanks for posting this. I have this goal this year as well. Its good to see.

I have always deligently worn half face respirators in my shop. But recently I switched to a full face, and I really like it a lot better most of the time. Its straping system is way better and it seals better. It also keeps all of the dusts out of your eyes.

My two complaints about it are that you can't wear a hat normally, and will take sparks to the sclap, or have your hat on all cockeyed and look kinda silly. Thats what I've been doing. I'm married anyway. Who cares about looking like a fool. Second is that I like being able to take off my safety glasses when I'm sanding, or filing handles so I can see better.

I thought the weight would mean extra neck ache, which I don't need, but I haven't really noticed it, and the no dust in the eyes thing is a huge plus.
 
I'd suggest a full head PAPR unit from 3M or Bullard. They are actually reasonably quiet, as the blower is powered by a battery pack. The work great, and offer eye protection at the same time.
 
Yeah those PAPR units are sweet.

The more i think about this the more I want to stick my grinder inside sand blasting box and stick a vacuum hose on it routed to the outside of the shop.... hmmmmmm
 
Great thread. I really like the idea of putting the grinder in a box with vacuum attached.

A really helpful thing I use is a regular $19 box fan with a furnace filter taped on the exhaust side. I have two that are hung from the ceiling directly over my grinding area and in addition to my half-faced respirator they help clean the air of fine grinding and wood dust floating around after I'm done working. The hepa-filters are expensive, but can be cleaned many times and lung cancer tends to be a lot more expensive than a few $20 filters. (You can also buy commercial quality units for $200+ that bolt to the ceiling with multiple filters and a better fan.)

You can also get a special "hood" that wraps around the back of a wood lathe that is attached to a regular woodworking-style dust collector. (Check out some of the woodworking websites... maybe Rockler has that?) Similar to the idea of putting the grinder in a sandblasting box w/vacuum. If you had some fine stainless steel screening over the vents, that should catch any live sparks.

Keep the ideas coming.
 
Michael the screening idea is a good one. My system is strong enough that at night my you get a nice spark shower outside. :D
 
For woodworking I use a furnace blower I bought used for $30, some people have them for free. I put it in a plywood box with 2 slide in furnace filters at one end and an exhaust opening at the other. Works great for woodworking to catch the dust my Delta dust collection system misses from direct tool extraction. The furnace blower is powerfull enough to pull all the workshop air through it.
I figure it is safe to use the furnace blower, away from sparks, just to filter the air while grinding. Anyone disagree?
Any way I can SAFELY use the Delta system hooked up to a grinder also? I don't think so as I don't see a safe way to isolate the sparks.

It has been mentioned before, but, wood can be just as dangerous as metals to your lungs, especially the types used for handles.
 
If you are using box fans, attach the filter to the INTAKE side of the fan. It works more efficiently, and keeps the fan clean.

Using a furnace blower is a great idea. I would use a washable pre-filter, then the furnace filters.
I have installed washable pre filters on both of my air conditioners, too.
 
Fiddleback said:
But recently I switched to a full face, and I really like it a lot better most of the time. Its straping system is way better and it seals better. It also keeps all of the dusts out of your eyes.

My two complaints about it are that you can't wear a hat normally, and will take sparks to the sclap,.
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Try a welders cap on underneath the straps.
 
Bill is right, the intake side is better on those cheap fans. I have a cheaper, weave-type screen on my intake side and the HEPA-filter on the exhaust side. Will probably switch the HEPA one around.

As for fire scares, they are real and I have seen some damage in other shops. It is also useful to set up solid steel "sheilds" to blocks sparks as close to the machine as possible. This is what I have seen to work well in my shop and some others. Also, keep it clean. When you sand handles, then start grinding metal, that is bad. BAD! Clean up in between - duh.

Anyone want to try Sticky's idea of putting the whole grinder in a sheet-metal box and hook a 4" dust collector or shopvac to it? (Do put some very fine stainless steel screen over the port.) I will do this, but it will have to be in a month or two. I'll post some pics when I do, but for now, maybe someone else...

-m
______________
ABS Mastersmith

www.RADERBLADE.com
 
I'm unfamiliar with static electric charges built up in metal grinding vacuum systems, but with wood, the pipes must be grounded, and PVC pipe is a major contributor to explosions, not fires EXPLOSIONS! This, with wood, can be prevented by an unshielded grounding wire being run through the pipes and that wire grounded. I don't trust PVC anyway, though I guess it works grounded?
 
EdgeCraft said:
I'm unfamiliar with static electric charges built up in metal grinding vacuum systems, but with wood, the pipes must be grounded, and PVC pipe is a major contributor to explosions, not fires EXPLOSIONS! This, with wood, can be prevented by an unshielded grounding wire being run through the pipes and that wire grounded. I don't trust PVC anyway, though I guess it works grounded?
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I believe the same would apply if PVC was used. Don't know but it might be a good idea to tie the metal duct to a ground, or at least check into it to see if it would be necessary.
 
Pretty sure when I get/build a big boy grinder, this is in my plans. Made of either a steel can/drum or sheet metal sealed with HVAC mastic. I REALLY like the idea someone posted earlier of a furnace blower with filters for general shop air replacement as well. I'm pretty sure I could get something like that going for a good price, since I know a couple folks in the HVAC industry that could get me used parts for cheap/free. Great ideas, all!
 
Fiddleback said:
......... complaints about it are that you can't wear a hat normally, and will take sparks to the scalp, or have your hat on all cockeyed and look kinda silly. Thats what I've been doing. I'm married anyway. Who cares about looking like a fool.
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Get an AirCap II . It is a baseball cap, pressure respirator, and face shield all in one.
 
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