Expert: Jamie Yocono - 8/7/2007

Question
hi,
I read your answer about air cleaners for fine dust, but unless I missed
something I don't see what brand/kind/shape or size of air cleaner you
installed--? I am in a 350 square foot loft where I work with charcoal dust as
a fine artist.  Same kind of air quality concern.  When I vacuum with a
standard household vacuum cleaner it just seems to blow the dust around. I
need something I can turn on either the whole time I am working (but it
would need to be quiet and low power-use) or something that I can turn on
intermittently to suck the fine particles out. As this is my home I hesitate to
carve some huge hole in the wall to the alley, is there some low-impact way
to vent the dust and catch it somehow, so it doesn't cover my neighbors or
my deck or roof?

Or should I just get a fancy Miele and vacuum constantly and hope for the
best? I have tried several masks, but they steam up my glasses and are very
uncomfortable. One other thing, my windows are all casement or awning. I
have one low awning window a few inches from the floor that opens to a
balcony. It is about 15 feet from where I am working. If I installed a fan device
there would it suck the dust into that part of the room?  that would not be so
great....I had a three month cough in the winter and am getting nervous
about continuing to work without some kind of air system.

Thank you for your advce!
I.J.  

Answer
Hi Iskra,

Sorry to hear about your cough, I have the same thing happening and it's irritating, as well as scary. You're wise to consider buying a filtration system; I'll try to help.

I have a Jet air filtration system, and I am pretty happy with it. Offhand, I don't know the model, but it's the biggest one they make. It gets a lot of usage, and I change the filters often. Instead of buying the filters that Jet sells, I buy two cheap furnace filters, tape them together, and use them in place of the thicker filter that Jet offers.

But inside, there is a secondary filter, and frankly it's a pain to keep clean. I've taken it out and cleaned it several times. Nasty job. I think it's odd that as diligent as I am about keeping the outer filters clean, dust still infiltrates the unit and gets into the inside filter. Sometimes, when I start this unit up, dust blows right out of it, sort of like your vacuum cleaner.

That said, it's still better than having nothing. I can cut wood all day, and there can be tons of airborne dust. Yet if I have this unit running (I love the timer feature) when I return to my shop, the workbenches are clean. Before I had a system like this, I had tons of dust on all the horizontal surfaces in the morning, so I know it's doing it's job.

There is a low cost option, it's not a great method, but it helps. You'll need a box fan, a 20" square fan is best. Then you'll need a 20" x 20" furnace filter.  Turn the fan on, and put a filter (or two, even) on the intake side. The air flow will suck the filter snug up against the box fan frame. This system will catch a decent amount of dust, but it's not perfect. But for less than $20, it helps. I suspend a fan like this in front of a window, so that the air is blowing outside. Remember, when the fan gets turned off, the filter will fall down. So unless you figure out a way to attach them to the fan, you have to remember to remove them as you turn the fan off.

Wood Magazine does some really good tool comparisons, and I would recommend that you go to their website and so a search to see if they've tested these air filters. I've bought some tools based on their recommendations, they're usually pretty dead on honest. If a tool has a funky switch, or is underpowered, they'll tell you. So try looking at some of the woodworking magazines (Fine Woodworking is another to look at) and see what they can tell you.

There are many manufacturers of air filtration systems.  In fact, I was just a Lowes today and saw a Delta system, hanging on a metal support on wheels. It's a rather nice system, and if I were looking to buy one, I would do some research on this unit.

It's just my opinion, but a system as I described would be better than using the Miele that you asked about. What you've described (working with charcoal, wanting a quiet system that you can leave on while you're working) is a perfect situation for one of the filter systems that are available. You don't necessarily need a window to use these systems, they will work in the middle of a room, and they work very well.  In fact, I think my filter system cleans the air in something like 7 minutes in my shop. Think about it, if you have it running on low, it's quiet and effective.  There are three speeds on it, so when I am making a ton of dust, I'll crank it on high. Even on high, it's pretty quiet. Of course, I usually have music blasting, so a tool like this, I barely notice!

Hope this helps, write back if you have more questions, or if you just need a little push to open your wallet and buy the system. Your lungs are worth it!

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com