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We are looking at a new shop-space location (about 75x35). Because there is abundant room in this facility, one of the things I am thinking about is to build an 8 X 12 enclosure and to locate our Belt, Disc and Spindle sanders in it as well as a shop built 6 foot down-draft table. Currently these tools and the table are being serviced by a dedicated bag-type 1 ½ HP DC which I think I would also put inside the enclosure.
Any thoughts about whether this is a good idea or not?
It depends on your work flow. If you have to go out of your way to go over to the sanding room, people won't want to do it. Think about how things will move through your shop and place it appropriately and it should be fine.
If you can swing it, buy an actual down draft table. They move and filter a lot more air.
Another thing to look at would be a sanding booth, similar to a spray booth, but typically cycles the air back into the space instead of exhausting it outside.
A normal small dust collector doesn't move much air, but does so at a higher static pressure. If you're just scrubbing the room air you want to move a large volume.
I agree with Martin that an open front sanding booth would be a better option. Closed spaces don't work well in factories I have observed. It becomes either shunned or someone's Territory, neither of which is productive. Cheers
Sounds like an interesting idea for a separate room. If it were me and I had a room like that, I would put a good air filter in their. I also think that the 1.5 hp Dust collection for is not big enough for a 6 ft down draft table.
Can you construct an air blower to vent outside?
Baggers are not well know for their filtering qualities. They are good at infusing the air with sub-micron particles that float down and cover everything with a fine dust ;). Venting a bagger back into the enclosed airspace creates at best an isolation of most of the dust until someone opens the door. At worst you create a very particle rich atmosphere that I would not want to work in. I do have visions of putting all my sanding machines into a rogues gallery sort of config so all that work is done in one area with some sort of flow. Enclosing sanders in a small room and having the DC recirculate within that room sounds like a bad idea from here. JMHO.
I've seen it mentioned that baggers do not filter well. All the largest machines are baggers. Curious if folks are only talking small 3hp and less baggers.
There's a discussion going on now about dust collection at work. The hobby,doesn't know what he's talking about at work wants Festool sanders and vacs about 15x$1000 and this isn't going to work vs the correct way would be down drafts and a dedicated booth.. I don't think any bagged system is going to do much. the room needs air in/out with filters..
Vacuums on the sander works well, but that hose is a pia. You still have to clean stuff after the fact with compressed air and the vacuum doesn't help at all in that respect. That's where the downdraft table and/or the booth shine
If you really want to go hog wild, do all three