ok here goes. I do not want to build an enclosure. nothing against anyone that likes them i just know it will get in my way as I break stuff and i know i will break stuff I also know that the vacuum system will no doubt leave dust in the air. soooo I have been thinking about this item. has anyone used one of these TREND AIR/PRO Airshield and Faceshield Dust Protector - Battery Powered and Air Circulating For Use With All Woodworking Applications? I know it will look geekish but if it works and can protect my xxl, glasses wearing, bearded noggin, then I will spring for it
Hey Rober,
I think what has proven itself in the practice of woodworking workshops is a good dust extraction, e.g. like a Felder AF 22 (which is a Modular System) with a Dust Class “M” HEPA pleated filter cartridge and in addition a workshop air cleaner somewhere in the workshop (many people build such themselves). That is what I see in most woodworking workshops. Or, if you have more money to spend, a clean air dust extractor like the Felder RL series. Such systems facilitate the disposal of dust by allowing the bags to be changed during operation as shown here and closed immediately when they are full.
I have no experience with such masks like the Trend Airshield (I wear half-mask respiratory protection with appropriate cartridges for spray painting work or for sanding which I rarely do since I am a scraper user) but I imagine that such masks are made for job sites where you cannot have a dust extraction. There’s nothing wrong with protecting your respiratory system directly if the mask is comfortable to wear, but with a dust collection system in your workshop you also protect the rest of your workshop from wood dust, e. g. oiled mechanics like ball screws (like they are found on Onefinity CNC) are incompatible with even small amounts of wood dust.
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Hey Rober, I don’t have the Trend sheild but I do have its predecessor , made ( but not any longer ) by 3M. I have essentially the same problem ( beard and glasses ) which makes it difficult or useless to wear a conventional mask. The Trend shield has a one up on the 3M in that it hinges up out of the way but other than that they are quite similar.@Aiph5u has it quite right that you don’t want to leave your machine unprotected but I think there’s no reason not to add some extra personal protection for yourself. It’s how I work in my shop.
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They work. Woodworkers use them all the time. The problem is that it’s a last line of defense. You really want to reduce the dust at the source first. You don’t need an enclosure. A dust boot with a good dust collector (I use a Harbor Freight 1hp DC) will work wonders. If you just use something like the airshield you are going to find you will have dust all over your shop.
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From what I’ve been able to find, the best dust collection is something like a cyclone system that will pick up the chips and most dust in the cyclone and then vent the rest directly outside. You don’t have to deal with filters and wondering what they’re still letting through. The vacuum strength remains consistent too.
Of course, this won’t be possible in many shops.
I did not intend to imply that I would not use dust collection .I will indeed use dust collections systems with separators. but we all know that that is never going to be enough.so I want to protect myself more
thank you all for your reply’s
Agreed, I use a 3hp dust collector for my shop (moving about 1400cfm) with 1 micron cartridge filters in it. It is contained in an enclosure which is sealed and I have (2) 20x25x4" 0.3 micron filters in the door of the enclosure, inside that enclosure a layer of fine dust will settle over time meaning some dust makes it though the filter cartridges. Even with dust collection you should take measures to protect yourself further IMO. I wear a half mask most of the time and have 2 box fan with filer attached to them type filters to help clear air of anything that didn’t make it into the dust collector.
My shop is in my basement so keeping the dust contained is a must.
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Hey brianekins,
a “cyclone” is a dust separator for bigger dust particles. What they let through is the finer dust. You can use it on any dust collection system, on both shop vacuums (high pressure, low air flow) or workshop dust collection systems (low pressure, high air flow). However the difference between the two will remain, with or without cyclone.
What I think is also important in practice, is how you dispose of the dust. If you only have a can as a dust receptacle and you dump its contents into your trash can, all the dust spreads out and you breathe it in. But if you have a have a dust receptacle with plastic bags, you can quickly close them and dispose of the dust without spreading it around.
And the best thing is if you can change the bag during operation, like in the video shown here.
Filters are always necessary if you have humans around or if you don’t want your workshop be covered with dust all around. Shop vacuums have a filter behind the bag in front of the fan, and one or two behind the fan. For workshop dust collection systems, the simplest filter is a cloth bag, but it lets a lot through (that you breath in) and it clogs up quickly. For better filtering, there are pleated filters which usually are rated dust class “M” / HEPA, which have a large surface area and therefore do not give so much resistance to the air flow. Their material filters even fine dust. For these filters there is usually also a mechanism available to drop the dust inside.