It took about another 30 minutesm after that for the level to go back down to the roughly 600 reading that we had prior to starting the experiment - so that means that the airbourne dust took about an hour to settle back down to a normal level, which I found quite interesting - I didn't expect it to take that long, I kind of expected it to take around half an hour at the very most, based on a few previous experiments I've done with dust monitoring in the workshop. Your nose and lungs really don't benefit from the dust in your workshop. Does this seem like a logical trade off to an air filtration device to others? Not ideal but hopefully that doesnt affect the performance too much. Works great and is a fun project. I made it for about $100 including the remote switch. Is it OK to copy projects from the magazine? And for the first experiment I'm going to leave the air filtration switched off. Thats all a bit technical for me, but hopefully those numbers are useful to someone! Place the filtration unit app. And I'm only going to measure the smallest particles of dust for this experiment as they're the ones to worry about the most, and that's the top line on the display which is for particles greater than 0.3 microns, and you'll see here that the number of particles in the air prior to the experiment ranges between 500 and 600 and that's pretty typical of what I normally get in my workshop during spells of inactivity - i.e. Standing tall between their office space and their furniture design studio, the Blueair Pro XL took on the task of sawdust air filtration like a pro. And I'm going to be sanding this piece of beech as vigorously as possible for 1 minute. The filters for the unit are available to buy and are priced at 12 which isnt too bad, although what Ill probably do is remove the filters, take them outside with my respirator on and blow them with my air blower and re-use them, because Im a bit of a cheapskate. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, Editor's Letter: Technology and the future of woodworking. depends on how much you value your lungs and ability to breathe. Yes I would, although I don't have any experience with the other alternative units that are available to buy so I can't say whether they work any better or any worse. Professional performance with a minimalist design - Pro is perfectly suited for a large workshop, studio, or office environment. Thanks again everyone! Learn how clean air ensures a healthier, brighter future for ourselves, and especially for our children. The Thor however, is much smaller, much lighter in weight, and is designed for 40 cubic metres. Get an air purifier that works as fast as you do. I have a basement shop with dust collection to the tools. I agree that there's no substitute for a good respirator! Most of the units that are available to buy in my opinion are designed to clean spaces much bigger than my workshop, which isnt necessarily a problem because its better to have more air movement than you need rather than not enough, but the biggest problem for me was the size of those units I simply didnt have enough ceiling height and there was just no good place to put one. I'm amazed at how much dust my ceiling-mounted air filter picks up. Designed for a life with less cleaning - DustMagnet blends in as a Scandinavian-style end table. And by the way I was speaking to Peter Millard from the 10 Minute Workshop channel about these devices recently and he suggested plugging it in in the home saying that I might be surprised, so I did, and I was surprised to find that the readings in my home were actually about 25% higher than in my workshop, which was quite shocking. After 1 minute, the reading was 48573 but you'll see that it actually continued to increase for the following three minutes peaking at 65464, and then it gradually started to drop over the course of the next 30 minutes when the reading was 4722. 2022 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Normally I use dust collection system hooked up to this machine, but as I'm trying to create airbourne dust for the experiment I'm not going to turn that on. In-depth articles, up-close photography, and detailed illustrations. Yes, it's worth it. Air filters do not replace dust extractors!!! Plus tips, advice, and special offers from Fine Woodworking. On any given day, there is a lot of particulate matter floating around, more some days than others depending on the project, Aaron says. Founded on the belief that the freedom to breathe clean air is a basic right. To the left of the benchtop sander you'll see that I have a camera set up pointing at a stopwatch app on my phone which is on the left, and my air quality monitor which is on the right. If you are a weekend wood worker it works fine. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Wood dust becomes a potential health problem when wood particles from processes such as sanding and cutting become airborne. So I started the stopwatch and sanded the piece of beech as vigorously as I could against the disc sander for 1 minute. Enables basic site functionality such as user browsing or user login. I really like that method of testing the performance of the filters, I think its an easy tangible way to check. The best thing about it in my opinion is the compact size. Ive been using it for a few weeks now so lets see how it does now. Let's see how it does now That held for 16 seconds so the filters aren't as efficient as they were when new but I wouldn't expect them to be. Saw Blades for Laminated Chipboards & MDF, Saw Blades for cuttting Laminated Chipboards & MDF without Scorer, Solid Surface, PVC & Plexiglass Saw Blades ( Corian ), Diamond Saw Blades for Ultra-Hard Materials, For ferrous and non-ferrous metals and plastics, For construction wood, nonferrous metals and plastics, Grooving, Rabbeting & Planing Cutter Heads, Cutter head accessories, knives and HM standard carbide knives, Straight Router Bits with Reversible Knives, Pattern & Trimming Bits with Reversible Knives, Center Drills and Accessories for Holesaws, Flexible Templates for Curved & Arched Routing, Panel Sizing Saw Blades for CNC machining, Router bits with replaceable knives, razors, How was wood crafts fair Holz-Handwerk 2022 in Nuremberg, Opening Hours during Christmas Holiday 2021. Most manufacturers list the volume of air per minute, mainly it is the power of the ventilator. I have a ceiling mounted unit. I have always thought an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure, but as I vent my dust collection air outside I have always thought that an air filtration device was overkill. 1/3 of the shorter wall. To test how effective the air filtration unit is I've come up with a simple experiment, it's not going to be super scientific or anything, so please just take it for what it is. The unit comes supplied with chains to hang it from the ceiling, I took out some of the links in the chain so that I could get it placed higher up. And once again the level kept rising after the 1 minute duration peaking at 35043 after 1 minute 30 seconds, much much lower than the 65464 number which was the peak without the air filtration unit, and also the peak dropped much more rapidly with the air filtration unit turned on, and continued to reduce over the course of the next 30 minutes again. Environmental Filter or Damn Filters are good choices too. To turn the unit on or off, there are two options, the first is to use an app on the phone, and on the iPhone its a bit cumbersome, because I first need to unlock my phone, then open the app, then press the button to turn it on or off. Get complete site access to video workshops, digital plans library, online archive, and more, plus the print magazine. Here's a graph showing both experiments, and the results speak for themselves really - and I am really surprised at how much of a difference the air filtration unit makes - this simple experiment really convinced me that these things are absolutely effective at significantly reducing airbourne dust particles, and are totally worthwhile. And even in a shop where there is an air filter, it is still a good idea to wear a mask, they can't remove all the particulate from the air fast enough to skip out on the respirator. Great to know about the Wen and Jet units. I chose beech because it's a hard wood and I've read that hard woods are create small microns of dust which are the most harmful to your lungs. Please see our privacy policy for more information on how and why we use your data. For custom furniture makers Aaron Pahmier and Bladon Connor of Aaron Bladon, Ltd., the new Blueair Pro XL, with a. It has an airflow rate of 400 cubic metres per hour. Be sure you get one that can turn over the air in your shop several times an hour. That's a good thing. Even though some installs can be expensive, air filters are worth it in the long run. When I first got the unit it held for ten seconds, so based on that I should replace the filters when it only holds for five seconds. That said, Aaron Pahmier and Bladon Conner of Aaron Bladon, Ltd. were concerned about the daily effect of breathing in dust and other potentially harmful particles over time. I have copd and the last thing I need is the fine powder hardwoods leave when they're worked. After reading these responses, I'll definitely be picking up one of the filter units, sized to filter the air in the room several times per hour. What do you do when your job involves polluting the air you breathe? 2,5 - 2,8 m above the floor (not lower than 1,8 or 2/3 of the height of the ceiling). from 25 - 40% for filtering, according to the type of filter, that is why you can use the loss coefficient 1,3. True HEPA filters are 99.97% accurate in dealing with finer dust particles. (CADR) of up to 900 cubic feet of clean air a minute, turned out to be the perfect workshop air purifier. I still wear a high quality respirator when running power tools but at the great price of this unit I think its a great addition to my overall dust management and I can feel and see the difference. It allows us to improve our site according to how you use it. The placement of the filter is of the same importance as the size of the filter. I found a picture of it (part of it) hanging from my ceiling but the file was too big to attach. I dont have the budget for a huge dust collection upgrade right now and I wonder if these air filters are worth it in the meantime? The good news is that onsite testing showed that after just one cycle (12 minutes), the Blueair Pro XL reduced woodshop particles by approximately 25%, an excellent start to Aaron and Bladons ongoing battle against what they call sawdust nose., Aarons and Bladens awareness of indoor air quality made them especially pleased to see the difference the professional-strength performance of the Blueair Pro XL could make in their quality of life at work. Blueair air purifiers are simple to use and have something special: We are the only major air purifier brand to verify 100% of our models for performance for Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR). Apologies for the reflections on the screen which make the readings a bit difficult to read. Im not sure if the Android version is different. If yes, any particular brands or models you recommend? If you can find space for one in your workshop, you can justify the expense, and you're concerned about breathing in airbourne dust then yes definitely - they really do make a big difference, but use it in addition to some sort dust collection or shop vac hooked up to the tool you're using because collecting dust at source is always going to be the best way of reducing airbourne dust. I always try to collect dust when working but I dont ALWAYS And finally, one lesson that says: spending money for a quality extractor and air filter is a much better investment than trying to save your health afterwards. Id therefore recommend buying the unit that comes with the remote control instead, and I wish that Id have ordered that one too. One more thing before I do some testing, and thats to talk about where you can buy it. Instead, I usually leave my dust collector on while I work with the blast gate open on whatever tool I used last, and I leave it running for a few hours after I leave the shop. What do you do when your job involves polluting the air you breathe? Since the Pro XL has been running 24/7, we have felt a positive change in our quality of life and office cleanliness. But if you, like me have limited space then the machines available from Thor are a great solution. In this video I review and test the Thor Filtration TF470 Air Filter, also/previously known as the MicroClene MC420. And then I'm going to create some dust and for that I'm going to use the disc sander on my benchtop sander. So, at least it's important to me to keep that nasty sawdust to a minimum. Cookies fot remarketing
Now on to what I dont like about it, and there are two things. And for some tools, like my chop saw or belt sander, the dust collectors only do so much. I disagree I wouldnt say it is very quiet. Mount up to 10-15 cm away from the wall. By continuing to use our website you are consenting to our cookie policy. In addition, air filters are incredibly useful in spaces where there are several people working to make and stir up sawdust. Rabbeting a shelf; Strength vs. appearance, Editor's Letter: A new tool with every project. Best of all it is cheap. My take is whatever you can do to reduce dust is a good thing. To the left of the camera set up is the air filtration unit itself, ceiling mounted. You can change your cookies settings at any time. Now that the dust in the air was back to normal I turned on my air filtration unit and repeated the experiment again, sanding vigorously for 1 minute. WithHEPASilent technologyand its contemporary design, the Blueair Pro line (M, L, XL) sets a new standard in premium air purifiers. Learn more about how the professional, yet stylish,Pro XLcan help you clear the air in a big way. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. So in summary, would I recommend getting an air filtration unit? If Ive got my radio on at a reasonably low level, which I often do while Im working, then I cant really hear it anymore while the filter is switched on. Try to vacuum and extract efficiently from all machines and power tools. Get an air purifier that works as fast as you do. Your browser's Javascript functionality is turned off. It's my opinion you can save yourself some physical grief by using whatever's available to you and your budget. Required:Cookies necessary for the operation of the website
Secondly, and this applies only to the wifi version of the unit which is the one that I have. Have you tried Wynn Environmental? They're way cheaper and take up practically no space. To extract power tools, use vacuum cleaners. I wouldnt say it was loud either though. Be aware, however, that you will experience losses induced by the filters, those can be app. I have the Jet unit hanging from the ceiling of my 13x24 shop. Doesnt sound like a big deal but it does get annoying, especially because when Im in the workshop I often have dirty hands covered in glue, dust and whatever else, so I dont really want to be reaching for my phone regularly. When you are a custom furniture maker, you come to accept that sawdust comes with the territory. You can buy this machine at the following places: Poolewood TF470: https://bit.ly/2nhNJsR current price: 189.59 or 213.59 with remote, Yandles MC420: https://bit.ly/2MbZZcy current price: 175.99 (not sure if remote is included), The Toolpost TF470: https://bit.ly/2KA8SYg current price: 176.40 (not sure if remote is included), Charnwood MC420: https://bit.ly/2njdyss current price: 235 (not sure if remote is included). Hi, I have an excellent small ceiling mounted air cleaner that I added last year. We use cookies to improve and personalise our services, for marketing and for social activity. The outlet lets out clean air, that is the spot you want to work in. I also repeated those two experiments and while the readings were obviously different, it was quite clear to me that the results and the trends were pretty consistent showing that the air filtration unit works really well and in conclusion, throughout both experiments, the airbourne dust particles were generally between 50 and 75% lower with the air filtration unit switched on than they were with it off. So at the end of the day, I can leave it on for a bit and it will shut off on its own. JET filters can filter particles up to 1 micron, which are particles generated when finely sanding wood. A second for a cheap box fan with a cheap filter. Cookie Notice|Privacy Notice|Terms & Conditions|Sitemap, Blueair's Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19), Why air purifiers for childrens rooms are a must, Blueair account required for viewing order history. The remote control is nice, and the timer is nice. If your workshop is oddly shaped or you work in two smaller rooms, it's better to have two smaller filters than a big one. I wonder if anyone here has experience with air filter units, to help reduce dust, like the one from Jet or the new circular one from Powermatic? I finally found an air filter designed for the small workshop. To make matters even worse, sometimes I load the app and its signed me out and it wants me to sign in again very annoying. Firstly, its louder than I expected. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); | IGM nstroje a stroje s.r.o. All my tools are already connected to good dust collectors but they dont seem to capture 100% of the very finest dust. These cookies are used by advertising and social networks to modify the displayed ads so that they are of interest to you. Thor filtration also make some other models in various sizes and shapes that are available from the same website. ChipSawdust said it really well, whatever we can do to reduce dust is a good thing! Like others, I am amazed at how much dust it picks up despite having a pretty decent dust collection system for source dust. Click for full details. Start your 14-day FREE trial - and get building! Learn more about how Blueair's technology does what others can't. The initial particle count readings were unsettling for Aaron and Bladon but they also confirmed that they are breathing in as much dust as they feared. We don't recommend installing the filter completely on the ceiling. Its a great price, there are 2 sizes so you can size it to your space. Enter now for your chance to win more than $2,000 worth of woodworking equipment from Woodpeckers. Commenting has been disabled. It pulls a lot of dust out if the air that my dust collector misses. These filters filter out 95% of dust at 2 microns or larger, 80% of dust down to 1 micron and 65% of dust down to 0.4 micron. This will give you an indication in cubic metres per minute, an indication stated on air filters. If you want to determine the size or required air flow, use this formula: The dimension of your workshop (length x width x height) times the number of air exchanges per hour (ideally 6-8) divided by 60. What would make it much easier is if there was a widget for the app that could be on the lock screen which would speed things up, but there isnt one on the iPhone. So I was really happy to find a unit designed for a small workshop - its advertised as being designed for the garage sized workshop and its great that someone is catering for that especially because theres a lot of that here in the UK. Plug and play simplicity - Blue features our signature performance with colorful style in a lightweight, compact package. If you are a pro and in the shop all the time a more expensive solution is warranted. Get instant access to over 100 digital plans available only to UNLIMITED members. Ive had mine or a few months now and Ive been generally happy with it, but I want to find out more about how its performing, so Ill be doing some testing later in this video to figure that out. The purpose of the air filter is to keep the level of airborne dust to a minimum. Im very pleased with the air quality difference when it is running. Something else thats interesting to mention is the method of testing the filter performance that is detailed in the instructions which is to put a piece of a4 paper on the bottom of the unit, turn the unit off and time how long it holds. Plus, you can't really work efficiently with dust everywhere. For custom furniture makers Aaron Pahmier and Bladon Connor of Aaron Bladon, Ltd., the new Blueair Pro XL, with aClean Air Delivery Rate(CADR) of up to 900 cubic feet of clean air a minute, turned out to be the perfect workshop air purifier. So some of the Blueair team made a visit to Aaron and Bladons studio to help them find the best possible place for a Blueair Pro XL to have a maximum impact on air quality. Dust collection systems are helpful if they are of good quality. And it recommends changing the filters when the time reduces by 50%. Meaning you can use the Jet AFS-500 filter, however, we recommend the AFS-1000B, which fulfills these requirements on the lowest performance. Do not rely only on the air filter, it's not just a dust collector. But thats also not very well designed in my opinion as because the unit is mounted to the ceiling and the button is tiny, its very difficult to find by feel I was standing there fumbling for it for ages on more than one occasion, so what Ive done is put a blob of hot glue just beneath the switch, so that its easier to feel with my hand. Save 50% on Classic & Pro family air purifiers. Analytical cookies
The exhaust is the biggest determinant of the air circulation and filtering quality. Some people to swear by them and some people say theyre a waste of money. Air filters are a great investment, but in order to justify the investment, and the real estate it will take up in your shop, you'd have to have a fairly large shop. The model I have is WEN 3410 3-Speed Remote-Controlled Air Filtration System (300/350/400 CFM) Purchased from amazon. Place the unit along the longer wall so that the entry port (suction) is distanced app. The two most important criteria forJET filtration system are the volume of filtered air and filters, which help you to remove various particles of different sizes. It says on the Poolewood website that its very quiet. The price for this model currently is around 190 without the remote control or 214 with the remote control. You can get two and still be ahead. Since my shop is part of an attached garage my wife appreciates me getting and keeping the dust down. Our biweekly podcast allows editors, authors, and special guests to answer your woodworking questions and connect with the online woodworking community. Would I recommend the machines by Thor filtration? UNLIMITED membership - Get access to it all. I clean the filter fairly often and also have a respirator I wear especially when sanding or routing. Get a cheap box fan, some plywood and some filters. | All rights reserved. This forum post is now archived. I hope you enjoyed this video, please subscribe if you haven't already for more weekly woodworking videos, and thanks for watching! Start your 14-day FREE trial - and get building. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Open doors can completely change the air flow. Designed for spaces up to 1,180 sq ft (110 m2), the Blueair Pro XL quickly and efficiently eliminates dust particles, chemical allergens, and even viruses cleaning the indoor air up to five times per hour. Trusted by allergy suffers - Classic is a timeless option that gets the job done quietly and effectively. Breathing these particles may cause allergic respiratory symptoms, mucosal and non-allergic respiratory symptoms, and even cancer. I live in a very built up area, and I would say that its definitely not loud enough to be a nuisance to neighbours, but its not very quiet. All I would say is that I'd suggest going for the model with the remote control as opposed to the wifi version if you're going to be using yours in a similar way to how I use mine. The extent of these hazards and the associated wood types have not been clearly established.. Embedded video for Air Filter For The Small Workshop - Review and Testing The Thor Filtration TF470 (AKA MicroClene MC420).