Q:

I am building a new woodshop and want to keep the level of machine noise to a minimum. I plan to put my two-stage dust collector outside, but protected from the weather. To improve airflow, I want to run it without a filter, as the dust will not pose a problem in this backwoods environment. Is it OK to run a cyclone unit without a filter?

Matt Mattick, Menahga, MN

A:

A cyclone will run fine without a filter, but there are some considerations you may have overlooked. Some woods contain toxins; walnut dust, for example, is highly toxic to horses. Wood dust is also a fire hazard, so you don’t want it accumulating around the electrical components of the collector or other possible sources of ignition.

Robert Witter, president of Oneida Air Systems, offers some additional advice: “The dust collector will draw a slight negative pressure on the building as the air is moved out. Under some circumstances in small or tight spaces, the flue gases from heaters, stoves, or water heaters may be drawn back into the building, creating a carbon monoxide (CO) hazard. Usually the building isn’t sealed tight enough to pose this danger, but it is worth thinking about. Installing a return air vent or cracking a window eliminates the risk. And just to be safe, you could buy a CO detector for your shop.”

In my view, however, the main consideration is the loss of heated or cooled air from the shop. Living in Minnesota, if it were me, I’d keep the filter on and vent the air back into the shop because I would hate to lose all that heat or air conditioning.

If you decide to forgo the filter, screen the cyclone outlet with wire mesh to keep small critters out of the turbine blades.

Drawing: Vince Babak

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