Dust Collection...the foundation.

[PipesByDesign]

For those of you in the know and not in the know but want to know because you need to know, or at least be reminded if you already knew...

I know dust collection has been discussed here, and of course any woodworking forum usually has an ongoing discussion on the matter. Personally, I have been thoroughly convinced that if making sawdust is your hobby or profession then any discussion of what tools you need MUST begin with proper dust collection. I'm not talking about it from an ease-of-clean-up perspective but from a I-don't-want-to-carry-extra-oxygen-when-I'm-fifty perspective.

The name Bill Pentz is pretty much the ubiquitous standard for dust collection research, and if the research he references is true then any woodworker not protected from the micro-dust inevitable in every woodshop is screwed. His own case is rather dramatic, with his traumatic respiratory damage and hospitalization leading him to develop his woodworking-specific cyclone technology. He argues that dust collection is more than just chip and visible dust clean up since the microscopic dust, which most systems available aren't capable of collecting or containing, is what does the most harm to your lungs. It's about your longterm health and ability to keep doing what you love to do, whether that's woodworking or even just being able to enjoy life.

I've been making pipes in jury-rigged fashion, scraping by on a tight budget since 2008. I've been woodworking my whole life (I'm 28). I've never had even a traditional dust collection system, usually just either cleaning up afterwards, or rigging up some half-assed setup with my shop vac. I knew that breathing dust wasn't great, but I didn't realize just how not-great it really is.

So I've decided to making dust collection my number one priority in my shop, and although it's going to take me at least six months to fully implement due to budgetary concerns, I'm going to make it work. I'll be building a system based on Pentz's plans. If it was just building the thing I'd be able to get it done in half the time, since common costs I've seen range from 350-500 bucks for the cyclone and about that much for the amount of ducting I'll need (that'll obviously change per application). I can work overtime at my pay-the-bills job at will to pay for that. However, I've determined that I'll need to upgrade the electrical service to my house in order to properly run a full setup like that. I've got a 50+ year old house with 100A service. So I'm looking at over two grand to do this thing right. I'll enjoy the extra juice in my shop for bigger and better tools down the road anyway.

I strongly urge each and every one of you guys on here to take the time to read through Bill's website and seriously consider doing your lungs and your family's lungs a favor and install the system he recommends. This isn't something like upgrading your lathe or bandsaw or something else but you can get by with what you've got. Seems more like a binary situation...either you've got it, or you don't. And if you don't the health risks are well published. Obviously it's your choice....that's one area I'm not fond of Pentz for since he seems strongly in favor of government regulation forcing people to adhere to higher collection standards. I'm fiercely libertarian so that makes me bristle... I'd almost inhale clouds of microscopic dust just to spite that kind of crap... . Almost.

This was also somewhat of selfish post...you guys are too good a resource for me to go off and choke on dust and die. Haha.

To Health! (ironic on a pipesmoking forum...but what the hell...)

[sam a]

a good respirator can go a long way while you save up for a good dust collection system. this thread (and a constant wheeze) made me run out and grab a respirator a while back

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=361

i just wish there were a way to modify the mask for a beard, instead of having to modify my beard for the mask.

[PipesByDesign]

Yeah, that's what I'm doing in the meantime. Of course the problem is that the fine dust settles in the shop and Pentz found that even walking through the shop would cause the dust to cloud up and trigger the air quality testing equipment. So while a dust mask certainly helps reduce some risk (although most readily available masks don't cover the 5% that is actually the most harmful) while operating the equipment, it is the continued cloud that takes a while to settle that becomes dangerous once you remove the mask. In order to protect yourself you'd pretty much have to wear the mask from the moment you enter the shop to the moment you exit. Certainly doable, but not really a longterm solution, especially since the find dust accumulates on your clothing and travels and disperses with you. That makes it a hazard to the rest of your family if you wear the same clothing into your house, or even if you were to change before going inside you'd have it in your hair, on your skin, etc. Pentz shows that it doesn't take hardly anything at all to get that dust airborne, and his solution, which makes sense to me, is to capture the dust at its source and keep it from getting dispersed in the first place. Obviously that's what I'm working toward. And obviously in the meantime I can't really protect my family, but since I've lasted this long without dust collection I think we'll survive another six or so months.

[Sasquatch]

Running an ambient air cleaner is one of those things that I can't do without now - I have some dust sensitivities, and am now pretty careful about it. At the tool suction is great, but you need, as you say, some method of extracting the really fine stuff from the air.

[PipesByDesign]

If Pentz is right, those air filter systems take at least six hours to clear the air, and won't keep some of that dust from settling. Anything that settles can become airborne again just from moving around your shop. On his site he discusses the extensive testing he's done of various systems and has shown that they simply do not protect you from that micro stuff. He argues that air filters like you mentioned give a false sense of security since they take so long to clean up the air, and the micro stuff collects on your person in the meantime thereby traveling and dispersing wherever you go. Collection at the source is the only dependable means of protecting yourself, and Pentz's cyclone does that. There are airflow standards about how much you need in order to effectively collect that micro dust at the tool (something like 1000 CFM with a 6" duct) and then a properly designed cyclone to make sure that dust gets separated and not sent through the filter. Most filters, in order to maintain suction, allow that dust to pass through (because the cyclones don't separate the air and dust effectively) because A. that dust clogs filters quick B. the clogged filter kills suction so it's not very marketable.

Pentz's cyclone hardly allows any of the fine dust to pass to the filters... I think it's like a cup or two after six or so months. So you get the kind of filters that'll stop that crap and still maintain the suction standards to stop the dust at its source.

I know it's a big deal to rig up a dust collection system...or to swap out what you've got now. I'm completely convinced that it needs to be done if dust making is your hobby/profession. The health risks are just too intense.

Those that know me know I've got a few soapboxes. This is my newest one. I care about myself, and my fellow pipemakers. If what Pentz is saying is true then we're all screwed. While you can donate to his website he doesn't really make money off of this, and in fact is getting screwed over by the bigger tool companies since he chose not to patent his work but distribute it for free. That's another long story, but the point is he doesn't personally benefit financially (nor do I for preaching) if you use his design.

[Sasquatch]

Naturally you have also stopped smoking pipes?

[PipesByDesign]

I did mention the irony...

I actually don't smoke all that often... More of a social smoker. But even so, I can control whether my daughter is exposed to second hand smoke, so I figure I should do the same with dust.

[Sasquatch]

You're certainly right, and I'm not trying to mock you or the topic. If a guy can get most dust and chips at the tool and run some kind of micro filter for the air, the shop environment is better for a 100 reasons.

[Alan L]

i just wish there were a way to modify the mask for a beard, instead of having to modify my beard for the mask.

http://www.airwareamerica.com/trendairshieldpro.aspx

or

http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/3m- ... -papr.html

or similar models. A friend of mine has one with the filter and intake on a belt. Unfortunately, with the way he works he has to keep the intake on the back of the belt, leading it to be nicknamed the "Ass Mask." Having your filtered air intake immediately upwind of your body's exhaust assembly can lead to some awkward watery-eyed moments if you've been eating cabbage...

[Alden]

leading it to be nicknamed the "Ass Mask." Having your filtered air intake immediately upwind of your body's exhaust assembly can lead to some awkward watery-eyed moments if you've been eating cabbage...

Wow.

[PipesByDesign]

Oh don't worry Squatch, I wasn't thinking you were mocking anything... while I think this is certainly a serious issue I do find it kind of funny that health is a driving force behind my own recent interest in it.

Pentz has some damning things to say about what is offered to the woodworking industry in the form of dust collection, and how it is offered (i.e. what's promised, the information provided, etc). He's tested all the major manufacturers equipment and can demonstrate that they simply don't perform as advertised, and in the area of the fine dust actually make a workshop more unsafe. I think it was in his own shop that the system he had actually elevated levels of the dust whenever it was on, and it was this top of the line system that led to his hospitalization and now respiratory disability. He's rather disgruntled, to say the least. But thankfully he's turned his frustration into inspiration and help for guys like me.