Replies

1. 
   saschafer | Jan 19, 2008 07:16am | #1

   "The 99.99 % @ .5 micron specification is essentially a clean room application."

   I think that's misleading. Yes, that level of filtration is what you might use in a mediocre clean room (not the kind where people wear Tyvek body suits, booties, etc.). But just because something is used in a particular application doesn't mean that that's the only application where it makes sense to use that thing. The rationale for using that level of filtration in a wood shop is not to keep the wood shop absolutely free of dust--it's to remove as much dust from the shop as possible. In other words, the driving priniciple is minimization. Wood dust is a known carcinogen. Even if you don't get all of it, the more of it that you do get, the better off you are.

   "If you are not collecting and removing 100% of the dust through this process, your after filter efficiency is not protecting you from the ultra fine dust that will become airborne and subsequently inhaled."

   You'll never get all of it, but you should be able to get the majority of it, 99% or better. And a shop air cleaner is designed to get the residual that the dust collector doesn't get.

   -Steve

    

2. 
   jeff100 | Jan 20, 2008 01:56am | #2

   Realizing that there is a point of diminishing returns, and that it is not possible to capture 100% of the airborne dust generated (in my shop anyway), I still want to capture as much dust as possible, within the constraint of the budget I'm willing and able to expend towards this effort.

   Does that help?

   Jeff

3. 
   Don01 | Jan 21, 2008 02:12am | #3

   Steve & Jeff,

   I did not want to imply that one should not make best effort to eliminate as much dust as possible.
   My question is, after all of the technology is deployed, do our best efforts leave the shop air breathable?

   The dust that get to the cyclone is under control. What about the dust that does not make it to the cyclone?

   What do those who have upgraded their systems find?

   Don

1. 
   saschafer | Jan 21, 2008 02:47am | #4

   There's no way to know for sure without doing an actual test. Equipped with one of the particle counters mentioned in another thread here, you should be able to determine if your shop is below the ACGIH standards:

   Limit (mg/m3) 

    Long term, hardwoods

    1

    Long term, softwoods

    5

    Short term

    10

   -Steve