For
years I never concerned myself with the
hazards of breathing wood dust. In fact it was
almost like sucking sawdust was a right of
passage in to woodworking. Eighteen years ago,
“Fine
Woodworking”
had
an article about building a dust collection system
for the small shop. The author of the article stated
“ I like working with wood, not eating it”. A
wimp I say, a wimp. A real man isn’t afraid to
inhale a little dust.
Well my tune has changed over the years. After years
of breathing dust, I bought a Delta 2 stage
dust collector 10 years ago. It was the 3/4
horse model. It made a big difference in the
shop. It was reasonably quiet and did an adequate
job of cleaning up the dust. The other nice thing
about it was the portability. I simply rolled it
from tool to tool. At the time I had the sears
10 inch table saw with its motor hanging off the
back so I built an elaborate set of deflectors and
covers that allowed maximum dust collection.
Only problem with collector is that it wasn't to
effective with the super fine dust but it was
better than nothing at all. I considered replacing
it a two years ago with something newer that
would keep the super fine dust under control and
some more power. The numerous articles I had been
reading indicated that it was the fine
airborne dust that really did the respiratory
damage. I couldn’t disagree because after a
long day in the shop, my sinuses were clogged and
oftentimes I had a headache, sometimes even a
bloody nose. I later added a ceiling filter built by
Total Shop. It helped out a lot but the
problem of fine dust was still there. Fine dust
particles float in the air for up to a couple
of hours after you’ve generated it.
The April 2000 issue of Fine Woodworking
had an excellent article on dust collection systems
and solutions. They had a good deal of detail
relative to the dangers of breathing fine dust. The
mentioned a company that custom made 1 micron filter
bags. I called
American
Fabric Filter Company
and they set me up with a new 1 micron bag. I can't
say enough about it. What a difference. The old
collector never worked this good. No more fine dust
problem and the machine has more suction than ever.
Excellent quality and service from AFF. Before you
think of spending the money on a new machine,
consider putting some life into the old one. If you’ve
got a good collector, think of upgrading the bag.
The difference is significant.
Last
year I did a complete upgrade. I installed an
Oneida Cyclone Dust collector. I decided to go
this route because the Oneida had a small
footprint at two feet square. It was also self
contained and with the smaller receptacle at the
bottom, fit in my shop quite nicely. The fact
that it was a US made machine was another plus.
Their workmanship is excellent, and the
machine has made a big difference.
I
collect dust at all my power tools now and
have even taken steps to collect dust at the source
with my portable sanders. I’ve got the
standard fare of belt sander, orbital sander, pad
sander and even a detail sander. I bought Porter
Cable because the dust canister can be removed
and a vacuum hose easily hooked up. The dust
collector isn’t to effective in this type of
situation so I started to use a
Shop
Vac.
The only problem was that the ports on the sander
were so restrictive, while the vac did a good job of
sucking up the dust, the vac got quite hot.
Attending a woodworking show, I was able to check
out the Dewalt Shop Vacuum. It picked up dust to
within one micron and had a fan to cool the motor.
In addition it was really quiet. I’ve been really
pleased with it.
In
summary, I think I’ve assembled a good set
of options to control the dust in my shop. With the
ceiling unit, the cyclone and the vac for the
portable tools, I’ve really been able to keep the
dust down. The telltale sign is when I go down to
the shop the next day and I don’t have a fine
layer of talcum like sawdust all over everything.
I
hope that what I’ve shared with you helps.
Don’t ignore the dust. You can get away with it
for a while but it does take it’s toll. If
you cant afford the equipment then at least wear a
dust mask. I consider myself lucky in that I
am still healthy and can still enjoy
woodworking
Oneida
Air Systems:
They’re a manufacturer of Cyclone Dust Collectors.
I recently installed this system in my shop and
think its great. Its a real performer and I’m
amazed at how quiet it is.
Air
Handling Systems:
They sell ductwork, piping, hose for your dust
collector. They designed the dust collection system
on “The New Yankee Workshop”.
The
Women in Woodworking Web Site
has some information and a set of links that provide
more information on the subject.
The
list below is by no means comprehensive. I compiled
it from available information on the web. While I
cant attest to its validity it is consistent
with the numerous articles and warnings that
have been written.
-
Alpine
Ash
Irritation
to nose, eyes & throat, dermatitis
-
Blacken
Irritation
to nose, eyes & throat, dermatitis
-
Blacked
Dermatitis,
asthma, irritation of nose & throat
-
Coolish
Dermatitis
-
Crows
Ash
Dermatitis
-
Douglas
Fir (Oregon)
Dermatitis,
nasal cancer, irritation to eyes & throat
-
Ebony
Irritation
to nose, eyes & throat, dermatitis
-
European
Beech
Nasal
cancer, dermatitis
-
European
Boxwood
Irritation
to nose, eyes & throat, dermatitis
-
European
Walnut
Nasal
cancer, irritation to nose, eyes & throat,
dermatitis
-
European
Elm
Nasal
cancer, irritation to nose, eyes & throat,
dermatitis
-
Hemlock
Nasal
cancer, irritation to nose and eyes
-
Mahogany
Irritant
to respiratory system, eyes & skin
-
Manzinilla
Irritant to to respiratory system
-
Maple
Irritant
to respiratory system
-
Oak
Nasal,
eye irritant
-
Paddock
Irritant
to respiratory system, eyes & skin, nausea
-
Purple
heart
Irritant
to eyes and skin, may cause nausea.
-
Redwood
Irritant
to respiratory system, nasal cancer may cause
asthma
-
Rosewood
Irritant to respiratory system, eyes & skin
-
Satinwood
Irritant to respiratory system eyes & skin
-
Spruce
Irritant to respiratory system
-
Teak
Dermatitis,
conjunctivitis, oversensitivity to light,
irritation to nose & throat, nausea
-
Walnut
Irritant to respiratory system, eyes & skin
-
Western
Red Cedar
Asthma,
dermatitis, nasal cancer, nausea, nose
bleeding, giddiness
-
Zebrawood
Irritant to eyes & skin
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