DIY Dust collector help wanted - newbie

[steve_b]

I normally use my shop vac hooked up to the table saw, CMS etc and in general when used with a dust mask my garage isn't bad. But a hand held router can be messy and a hand sander etc. So I am looking for suggestions on a DIY Dust control using a furnace blower as the prime mover
(noisy I know, but then I have ear plugs ) mounted overhead with a 'hose' that can be positioned over the saw, drill, table as needed. Would/should this be vented outside or could I just filter into furnace filters and back into the room (just filtering out the 'dust')

Sketches, links, PDF's I have the blower & motor, wood and all I need is suggestions/comments

Thanks

Stephen

[JR]

I haven't made a homemade dust collector, so take my advice fWIW.

I think most people who have a blower use it to make an ambient air filter. This is different from, and works in conjuction with, a dust collector. The idea is to have the dust collector gather the bulk of the material, while the air filter gets the very fine dust emitted into the air.

The nice thing about a dust collector is that it is good at moving volumes of air and chips through its well-channeld pipes. If you wanted to use your motor for this task you'd need a collection bin, a way to divert the mass of chips to that bin, and a filtration mechanism for the fine dust before the air returned to the room.

As far as sending the stuff outside, that may not be a good idea. If you move the air outside, then new air must come in. I understand there are times of the year when Ontario air is chilly. Replacing heated air with cool air could be costly.

I'd recommend focusing your effort on an ambient air filter, given the materials you have available. I have a store-bought one, and it's huge addition to the quality of life in my shop. You could continue to use your shop vac until a decent DC opportunity arises.

JR

[poolhound]

Again FWIW and IMHO I agree with JR. I have an old blower motor that I intend to get around to turning into a shop filter/downdraft table. I did look into how I might use it for a DC but it was problematic and wouldnt really have worked well. That plus the effort nixed the idea for me and I just bought a new Delta DC. it has plenty of CFM and a 1 micron filter. Bottom line I figured my health was worth the money.

[steve_b]

To make an ambient air cleaner as suggested - suggestions on the 'box' design - just a box that houses the filters and holds the blower - filters on the 'in' side or 'out'? (on the 'in' I would think, but then I have also been wrong before )
Links, ( I will be doing the google thing)

Thank you

Stephen

[JR]

Thre are loads of discussions on this topic. You might try a search for "air filter" or "blower motor" or some such. Here are a couple of threads I found in quick search:

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...+filter+blower

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...+filter+blower

[LCHIEN]

technically the kind of blower you have does not lend itself well to having to drive any pressure head. As such it will do to move air at moderate velocities for air conditioning/heating or, as suggested above, an air filter unit.

An air filter can be very effective at removing very fine dust particles from the shop that have escaped the primary dust collection system.

Dust collectors have large impellors, take quite a bit of HP to move high velocity air at up to 8-9 inches of water column head (pressure).

[footprintsinconc]

Totally agree with what JR has stated in his reply.

by the way, hello to a fellow mississaugian . i think you are the first one that i have come across on this site who actually lives in mississauga!

[ironhat]

Hey there, Sephen and welcome to the forums. As in most things that we imagine that we can cobble together and save a dime we usually come close to or go over the cost of buying new. There were adds long ago which, I believe, GM ran in magazines which compared the cost of buying all of the parts for a car vs buying a completed, new car. The parts car was about four times the cost, IIRC. Now, maybe that's an unfair comparison since we don't have as many part involved here. But, the premis is the same; with the buying power of a corporation which is purchasing in quantity it is hard to come close to their finished price when you are forced to buy retail. Yes, you can buy impellers and bags, etc but then you also have to fab or pay for fabrication of bag holders and mounts and countless other things. If your buget is still too thin for a DC go with the air filter as suggested for the time being. Best of luck!