Dust Collection & Respiratory Health
 

I stumbled across Bill Pentz' website, and it pretty much scared the hell out of me.

I will be selling my new Jet canister collector and 4" ducting/accessories and building a 6" PVC system going through the shop wall to a 5 hp motor in the garage. There I'll use a trashcan separator for the chips, but I'm going to blow all the fine dust through the wall of the garage to the outside.

This should make things quieter and a lot safer in my shop.

Has anyone built a system like this?

He is, I think, a OCD sufferer. A 5hp dust collector exhausted to the outside will suck every bit of heated air out of your shop in seconds and pull the carbon monoxide out of your chimney and into your shop instantly. Which is good, since you won't have any money to live on anyways after you pay the heating and electric bill.

:rotf2::rotf2::rotf2:

I think the majority of the stats & data he cites is valid.

I do want to have a design that mitigates as much fine dust as possible. It sounds like that means I should have something that moves 800 CFM at about 4000 FPM on each machine. It's do-able.

I'd pay for the extra electricity to protect my lungs. The CO concern is a good one though. I'd have to think of my air intake.

For a second there I thought you meant he was a COPD sufferer, but I can see the OCD. I'm a little OCD, too. :)

I'd love to hear anyone's point of view about why the data Pentz cites is invalid, or unnecessary.

Not looking for arguments, just opinions.

Eric,
I just put in a 1 3/4 hp powermatic w/ 4" pvc, & chip bucket, super quiet & sucks out most everything, I have 4 machines on it & am quite happy with the results.

you are welcome to come by & check it out!

Thanks for that invite. Did you use sched. 40 PVC, or the thinner drainage-type.

Thinner drainage type

Did your local box store carry it?

Powermatic & blastgates from woodcraft, piping from homies, all fit nicely!

Eric even though i use a 2hp canister filter unit and have my fine dust filter going i still use my respirator mask when i am working.Do what you feel is best for you you only have one pair of lungs.With all that said i have been known to enjoy a good cigar though:smash:

Eric read this. Toxicologic Review of Selected Chemicals - 526

Now, clearly wood dust has some hazards......a small increase in an uncommon cancer (nasal adenocarcinoma), a risk for some reduction of lung function over decades of high level exposure, and some allergenic issues. True also, that an occasional unlucky individual could have an idiosyncratic severe reaction to almost any inhaled substance. It is not, however, a grotesque biohazard and nowhere near as dangerous to our health as the diet most of us eat or the polluted air we breathe daily, never mind driving an hour in your car. The extra inches on our waistlines are far more likely to kill us than a hobby based dust exposure. Clearly, some precaution is warranted and wise, and getting rid of dust certainly makes the hobby more enjoyable. Obsessing over the risk of inhaling a single dust particle, as Mr Pentz does, is a bit overdone, I think. To each their own.

Let me have first shot at this if you do. Would be interested

thank you George:uhuh:

that is why my collector is inside my shop and not outside. If I could figure out a cheap easy way of doing that type thing with a heat exchanger, I would, but I just wear ear protection for now.

I have asthma and I am still alive
wear a dust mask
I eat sawdust everyday, it's organic

I have not read the article yet, I will if I can find it when I have time

Doesn't pvc get static very easily? does it still get static if you ground it? can you even ground pvc?
I like metal duct myself

I have to setup a couple more machines and if I can do it with drainage pvc, that might work for me

Try putting an isulated room 3ft x 3 ft around your dust collector an it makes a huge difference on the noice.Ron

Are we all discussing managing a toxic wood dust hazard that we are managing at a minimal level, or trying to eliminate it completely? After all we are making plugs to use trolling at night, in a boat, in limited visibility, or crawling around slippery rocks near waters' edge where people have been known to slip and fall. I love making plugs, and I love fishing, but I do accept the dangers of both. Sir Issac Newton said "God doesn't count the days spent fishing on your life". My Dad always said this and he died at 93, and not from fishing or making plugs.

Not alot of cardio working on plugs . Maybe jogging in place while turning ..

CO will silently kill but if you want to do it this way, why not just turn off the furnace while your s#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g air outside. You'll lose some heat but no CO worries.

The 5hp rating seems large but what is the CFM of the 5 hp unit? What are the dims of your shop; L,W,H?

You get the air and chips moving that fast through your piping and you may generate electricity. Try hooking up a light. :eek:

2 hp grizzly with a cyclone.when the shop is buttoned up tight , it sucks the smoke out of the running woodstove. I just open a window while the DC is running.you should do the same if you have an oil burner.
still better than shop full of dust that lands on every level surface and a case of wood lung.
If its possible set yer DC outside of the workspace. build an outside "closet "if u have to

as capesams once said to me...

Ya gotta die from somethin'


wood fiber.... fiber is good for you...no?

no DC.. just a shop vac..and my resperator...

and I do stop and clean as I go...

but I don't make plugs on a commercial level either..

I guess it is all relative to how many your turn and drill..

hundred or two a year tops...or only a handfull like this winter..

numby, thanks for continuning the motivation and agree..the extra inches will kill ya quicker...and working on getting rid of those two..and some have already gone... :uhuh:
and the fresh air I get working on that might be helping clean out the lung filters... who knows....

PVC is the poorest choice for duct work....the only true way to ground it, is to run bare copper wire through the INSIDE..of the pipe the spiral wire around the OUTSIDE and wire nut the two together, then it needs to be terminated at each machine and the dust collector...

I seriously doubt that 6" pipe is adequate for cfm's that the 5 hp will put out....you are most likely going to need 8" pipe to get the proper flow to maximize your system.... a 2HP 1500 cfm unit will be more than adequate for runs up to 30' if you lay out and size the duct work correctly....remember each branch needs to be sized for the machine that it is servicing... do yourself a favor and buy a book and study a little bit, there is alot more to dust collection than runnig a few pipes and having a powerfull unit..

It doesnt end with the dust collector, in order to amintain a clean shop an air purification system is a must, mine is fitted with an electrostatic pre filter and a smoke filter that removes the smallest of particles...

i prefer to die from OLD age....:smash:

not something i could do something about

Can anyone recommend a good book on dust collection? I'd like to read a different viewpoint than Pentz's before I make a decision.

yes, the name of the book is Wood shop dust control, available at woodcraft (on line or in the store) this is a detailed compilation of methods and practices for keeping a clean and safe wood working shop.. it contains lay outs for installing ductwork, as well as many tips and home made devises for controling dust.. it also covers safety and hazards.. it realy is a must read.. I read it cover to cover a few times.... there is so much info you cant take it all in in one sitting...

I just upgraded my entire system... I'm glad I read this book before I did....

Thanks, I'm going to pick that book up today.

i use a respirator (eye protection as well, of course) and a homemade dust collection port and box built around my lathe, attached thru a table to a shop vac. while it is in operation you can see, especially when sanding, the very fine dust getting sucked right in. what i really notice is the lack of fine dust build up in that half of the basement i used to have before i built this thing. this means its working. its in the containment and capture. between that and my respirator, i feel very confident in my safety from dust using this system.

I decided to sell my new Jet dust collector. It's listed in the classifieds forum.

that one would be fine for one machine and is very simular to my old one.., close by the sorce it was more than amnple.... my new one is 1500 cfm and in most instances overkill...