I have read several older posts on this topic…so just need an update from any of you who have recently gone through the same process.
I have a 30′ X 25′ garage/shop with table saw, chop saw, drill press, thickness planer. I do projects for family, friends, and a few to augment my retirement income. I’m not worried about dust/chip collection as much as fine dust (such as that produced by a table saw or belt sander) that seems to settle on everything. A little bit of searching seems to indicate that JDS has a pretty good air filtration box for about $350.
I don’t mind spending the money, but would appreciate any input you could provide on the best bang for the buck on small shop air filtration. Is the JDS as good as they say it is, or would another provide better value?
Replies
I've had the General for more than 15 years, with only new filters.
An air cleaner is not a substitute for good dust collection at the source. Most air cleaners are designed to be suspended from the ceiling and assist in scribbing some of the finer dust out of the air. Somewhere between the air cleaner and the tool you will find one or more sets of lungs.
If you currently have a dust collector, the money would be better spent on a good over the blade guard like the Excalibur or Shark; and a down draft table for the belt sander.
If you can get your hands on Wood Magazine Oct 2006 Issue 170, you can read a test which suggestes that a simple box fan with a decent pleated furnace filter attached may be just as effective. If you can accept this simple solution, a number of fans can be deployed around your shop to do the job. Rember that the dust floating above chest height is extremely fine. Finer than any of the filters provided by any of the air cleaners.
Don
The Excalibur is not a good dust collection tool.
Well I have no direct experiance with the Excalibur, however there are a number of overblade guard/hoods commercially available and lots of online plans to build your own. Certainly any configuration that permits 4" suction of the blade is superior to many of the 2 1/2" ports.
I would offer that any overblade guard/port, in combination with a cabinet port is better than having the dust spew all over the shop.
Don
I have a JDS 2000, a Penn State and had two Smokeaters. A friend is using the Penn State which isn't very impressive. I sold the Smokeaters because they were constantly arcing from the electrostatic build up and a pain to clean. The JDS is an excellent ambient filter. I have the metal electrostatic pre-filter. The interior has felt bags and the exit side can use a number of filters from charcoal to replaceable furnace style. All my filters in the unit are washable. It has variable speed from a whisper to a torrent. It has made a big difference in my shop but it only gets a percentage of the airborne dust. If you want a cleaner shop, you have to collect the majority at the source. This means a dust collector on stationary machines and a vac for the portables. You'll never get it all and you can't see the fine stuff that can be harmful.
I was cutting dadoes in melamine with a router yesterday. This operation usually fills your pants pockets. I hooked a vac hose at my belt and got quite a bit of the dust but opertions like this are the ones that are the most difficult to collect, and the messiest. Despite my efforts and all my collectors running, the shop has fine particleboard dust on everything. The only way to avoid it is use hand tools only and no sanding. Kind of time consuming to cut dozens of dadoes in particleboard with a handsaw, chisel and plane. I was using the melamine to build shop cabinets with doors. I'm trying to eliminate all my old open shelves, the dust will still find a way to get in but things will look a little cleaner and less cluttered.
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