Anyone with a very dust free, light duty woodshop? I'm thinking of setting up a simple corner in the basement that will be mainly for assembly but some light woodwork with drill presses and table saw. I will avoid a sander. The rest of the basement will be with a few high powered computers with high airflow mesh cases. This means it would want to be a bit "livable" clean space to work on these computers. Is this doable with a good dust colection system or just a bad idea?
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Shop Computer Workspace with Woodshop?
- Thread starter architect
- Start date
Shop
Former Member
Guest
No matter how good the vacuum/dust collect system is some will escape, only to be captured by the computer ventilation/cooling system where it functions as the best dust collection system in the world.
trlvn
Ultra Member
Certainly possible but it can be a pain to use. Random picture from the internet:
Craig
(Gotta say that I really like the exotic wood handle on the table crank!)
Certainly possible but it can be a pain to use. Random picture from the internet:
Craig
(Gotta say that I really like the exotic wood handle on the table crank!)
Wow..... Love the handle! In fact, love the crank! Mine is manual all the way. No crank.
I'd never add dust collection to a drill press for a hobby shop. Doesn't really make enough dust or chips to matter and what it does make are bigger chips that stay put. Saws, routers, & planers are another matter.
I'm not sure how effective that would be on solid wood products, for MDF and similar products it might help with the cleanup. I think you might have to put a nozzle on it to focus on the area at the drill bit.Certainly possible but it can be a pain to use. Random picture from the internet:
Craig
(Gotta say that I really like the exotic wood handle on the table crank!)
Folks that have a basemen workshop of sorts: do you seal the doors in anyway to prevent dust from migrating to other rooms? Folks with central home HVAC, do you find wood dust accumulating the main filter?
I'm assuming folks prefer working with wood instead of metal inside their home is because of the oil and grime related to metal and that is worst than dust?
I'm assuming folks prefer working with wood instead of metal inside their home is because of the oil and grime related to metal and that is worst than dust?
I have supply air ducts but no return in the workshop, so the air doesn’t have a direct path back to the HVAC system. I’ve not found dust from woodworking makes it way into the furnace filter. Normally even the fine dust stays within the workshop.
My wife does notice when I use something that’s stinky and volatile, so there must be some air movement happening, just not enough for heavier things like wood dust.
I can use oil based paints if I need to, though I try very hard to not do that in winter. I’m thinking of getting a HRV so maybe that will expand my ability to do stinky things in the workshop without wrath?
I am fastidious about cleaning up after I’ve had a messy woodworking session (which is a pain, but a necessary evil when a workshop is inside a living area)
Eventually I’ll put seals on the door and put a filter on the “return air” vent, but I don’t think they’ll do much. My main reason for seals will be for noise.
I think it’s the other way around. Cutting metal on lathes and mills without cutting fluid (and it’s associated smoke) is much cleaner than woodworking. The metal shavings are a pain in the arse though.
Using a bench grinder to sharpen tools is problematic, though I rate the dust annoyance about the same as sanding wood. I wouldn’t recommend truing grinding wheels in the basement after the last time I tried it… Even the dust from that stayed pretty much in the workshop, however it took a long time to clean up.
Welding and cutting with an angle grinder happens outside or in the garage.
Even I am not brave enough to try this in my basement workshop, unless I know for sure that my wife will be away for a week or so and not have anyone checking in on me…
@StevSmar, do you find metal shavings difficult to vacuum up? I don't have enough experience but if it's without oil seems easier to deal with than vacuuming up wood dust/chunks that readily flies all over the place.
There's no way I'm moving my mill and lathe in the basement but would be nice to some light metal hole making. For sure I won't be grinding or sanding of any kind inside. I think a table saw and CNC router are two more serious thing I wanna run, but also skeptical of how clean I can keep everything.
Do you do TIG welding and would you try that inside?
I have this Austin Air air filter HM-400 hepa air purifier to cleans air and odors in the basement and find it works well (but I haven't tested against oil paints). I did use it awhile ago when I quickly had to use the space to sand a bunch of plywood that would go into same space and it seems to have worked well. What I liked about this unit is it's pretty basic: just a giant fan and giant filter, many times more than what you get with typical household filters without extra frills.
There's no way I'm moving my mill and lathe in the basement but would be nice to some light metal hole making. For sure I won't be grinding or sanding of any kind inside. I think a table saw and CNC router are two more serious thing I wanna run, but also skeptical of how clean I can keep everything.
Do you do TIG welding and would you try that inside?
I have this Austin Air air filter HM-400 hepa air purifier to cleans air and odors in the basement and find it works well (but I haven't tested against oil paints). I did use it awhile ago when I quickly had to use the space to sand a bunch of plywood that would go into same space and it seems to have worked well. What I liked about this unit is it's pretty basic: just a giant fan and giant filter, many times more than what you get with typical household filters without extra frills.
I don't have a shop like that in the house anymore, but I used to until I built a garage. Now I have a full shop / barn.
40 years ago I used a shop vac OUTSIDE the basement shop with its hose inside. This creates a negative pressure in the shop and a high pressure outside so dust could not migrate out. I also used a fine filter in the shop vac.
A few years later, I installed a high volume fan in the window of my basement shop to do the same thing cuz the bride didn't like the noise of the vacuum.
I think most people have wood inside and metal outside because of the machine weight not the mess. If machine weight wasn't an issue I'd have metal in the basement and wood in the garage.
I don't find metal swarf to be a big deal. It's more of a pain keeping your machine reasonably clean than it is to keep your shop clean. I use a magnet for steel and a shop vacuum for aluminium.
I agree with others. Grinding is the real monster in the closet.
40 years ago I used a shop vac OUTSIDE the basement shop with its hose inside. This creates a negative pressure in the shop and a high pressure outside so dust could not migrate out. I also used a fine filter in the shop vac.
A few years later, I installed a high volume fan in the window of my basement shop to do the same thing cuz the bride didn't like the noise of the vacuum.
I think most people have wood inside and metal outside because of the machine weight not the mess. If machine weight wasn't an issue I'd have metal in the basement and wood in the garage.
I don't find metal swarf to be a big deal. It's more of a pain keeping your machine reasonably clean than it is to keep your shop clean. I use a magnet for steel and a shop vacuum for aluminium.
I agree with others. Grinding is the real monster in the closet.
I have a Festool shop vac with a HEPA filter. To try to minimize bag changes I primarily sweep up first, then use the magnetic floor sweep, and then vacuum to pick up the remaining bits.
I’ve back ordered a magnetic pickup tool for use on the lathe which hopefully should be easier than using a dustpan and brush.
I only have a stick welder, there is no way I’d do that inside.
If I get a TIG I doubt I’d try that inside.
That’s great it‘s working for odors, I wouldn’t have thought a HEPA filter would do much for those. I guess if the odour is “sticky” it clings to the filter?
That’s interesting, I wasn’t aware of filters with activated charcoal layers.
I’ve never been able to work when the activated charcoal in my face mask is “full” and needs changing, I can’t effectively smell when the fumes are coming through into the mask. Though I do change it when I spray paint.
(My sense of smell is pretty much shot after spending a glorious childhood making model planes and using dope in a confined space. Probably why I remember it as being particularly enjoyable- I was under the influence of the acetate fumes…)
calgaryguy
Chris
A tablesaw, even with excellent under-table dust collection and overhead/blade guard dust collection will still spit fine dust everywhere. Its inevitable. I have a 1600CFM Clearvue cyclone with very large pleated hepa filters, a heavily sealed cabinet saw with an overarm guard/dust collector (sharkguard) and I still get dust/chips that escape the massive suction of my cyclone. MDF is partcularly bad.
There's a big difference between 'chip collection' and 'dust collection'. Wood chips are moderately easy to control and clean. Wood dust is another story and some of it can be quite toxic - as expected plywoods, mdf/hdf, osb, etc almost always have toxicity warnings for their dust, but some softwood/hardwood dust can be quite hard on humans. I'm particularly sensitive to Douglas Fir, Walnut, Cocobolo and a couple of other exotic woods - my throat swells up quite badly and I usually end up sucking on cepacol's for a few days if I forget to wear my own N100 breather mask. Even with the mask, the offending dust can linger in the shop for days and still trigger a immune/allergic response.
There's a big difference between 'chip collection' and 'dust collection'. Wood chips are moderately easy to control and clean. Wood dust is another story and some of it can be quite toxic - as expected plywoods, mdf/hdf, osb, etc almost always have toxicity warnings for their dust, but some softwood/hardwood dust can be quite hard on humans. I'm particularly sensitive to Douglas Fir, Walnut, Cocobolo and a couple of other exotic woods - my throat swells up quite badly and I usually end up sucking on cepacol's for a few days if I forget to wear my own N100 breather mask. Even with the mask, the offending dust can linger in the shop for days and still trigger a immune/allergic response.
calgaryguy
Chris
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Thats what I run in my mask when spraying solvent borne laquers and other solvent finishes. There are different cartridges for water-borne finishes IIRC.