Mask and air filtration system recommendations for a woodworker with COPD

[Bethany Rae]

My father, who is a woodworker, was diagnosed with COPD a week ago. Dad is 74 and also has a fairly severe case of rheumatoid arthritis. I'm looking for woodworker-approved recommendations on how to improve the air quality in his shop so he can keep doing the work he loves for a few hours a day. His workshop is in the one-car garage of my parents' home (their car remains outside). So far during my research I've learned that he should get a decent face mask (instead of the little paper masks he has been wearing) to wear when he's cutting, sanding or finishing his projects, and that he should get a better dust collection than the one he has and also install an air filtration/ventilation system for his shop. The 3M P100 particular filter respirator mask has been recommended to me. Is there anything better on the market? And what dust collection and air filtration systems would you recommend for his situation and shop? I have heard that the dust collection receptacle should be moved outside. And do you have any other tips for him?

[Greg Peterson]

First off, sorry to hear of your fathers diagnosis.

Your father is a very skilled and talented woodworker.

Now then, when discussing woodworking dust, or fines as we often refer to it, you will quickly see there are many opinions.

We are not concerned about wood chips, what the the layman would call saw dust. The fines, particles that around 1 micron, are the culprits we attempt to capture. I say attempt because often times, depending on how the fines are created, collecting these particles requires multiple dust collection methods and devices. Often times we are left to construct our own devices for capturing the fines. It is a rare tool the has DC included as part of its fundamental design. Almost always, DC is treated as an after thought by most manufacturers, hence the end user is left to their own devices.

So, let's put the DC part of the part off to the side for the time being, and go after solutions that offer the greatest ROI.

Dust mask. Get the most effective unit available. Perhaps the wood turners will have some suggestions. I understand there is active air filtration systems that supplies filtered air to the user. Kind of like being an astronaut or scuba diver.

Install an air filter unit, or two, like the Jet AFS-1000B. This will go a long way towards cleaning the air in the shop. Fines tend to stay airborne for a very long time. The air filter units do a great job of cleaning the air in the shop.

Regardless of the DC methods we employ, one little thing often gets overlooked. And that is our clothes and hair collect/capture fines while we are in the shop. How your father chooses to address this is obviously his business, just be aware that it is all to easy to bring the shop into the living space.

Good luck and I hope your father is able to manage this condition.

[allan kuntz]

I have a Trend Airshield Pro and it works very well for cutting and sanding. It takes a bit to get used to but the fan blows a nice cool breeze. I also have a 2hp cyclone that vents outside and a JDS Air-Tech HP filtration system. Even with all this equipment there are still fines floating around. IMHO if You can get used to the Trend Airshield that would be the way to go
Al

[James Baker SD]

I have COPD myself plus a full beard. Cheap masks and respirators did not seal tightly around my facial hair AND more important, I just don't have the lung power to pull air through the filter myself, so shaving the beard really would not have helped. I ended up with a 3M PAPR (makes me look like a first responder and not cheap) with a big filter and battery on a belt around my waist and a hose up my back to the enclosed helmet. It does work for me and I wear it almost all the time I am in the shop if tools are running. It supplies enough filtered air to me that I can keep going several hours. I have different filter cartridges that I change when going from making dust to spraying organic vapors (lacquer etc). I keep extra batteries charged all the time.

For a DC, I also went over kill and installed a 5HP cyclone with fixed metal ducting hung from the ceiling to each machine which are essentially stationary. This is a big big improvement over the portable bagger DC connected to one machine at a time I had before. My wife graciously empties the dust bin when it gets full so I have a small bin to help her with minimizing the weight.

I also have the Jet air filter hung from the ceiling and set it to run while I am in the shop and for 2 hours after I leave.

Finally I replaced a lot of perfectly good portable tools with Festools because of the superior dust collection.

I tried to go Neander, but the lung power to push a hand plane for more than a few minutes just isn't there and ripping a long board by hand--out of the question.

I did this because woodworking is my only hobby and passion and my pulmonologist flatly said "either spend the money to protect your lungs or find a new hobby"

James

[Roger Rayburn]

I have a cheap dust collector but I upgraded the filter bag to an American Filter from Highland Woodworking that filters to 1 micron. Others go with a Wynn filter cartridge. I hang my Jet air cleaner directly next to the bag so that any dust that escapes the bag gets drawn to the air filter before it can start to fall toward me. I start the air cleaner when I enter the shop so that any dust that may have settled the night before that my walking will now stir up has a shot at being collected by the air filter. I let the air filter run at least two hours past my departure from the shop. The Jet has a built in timer. Keeping it going constantly may also help reduce dust from settling on his cloths. It has made a difference in my environment.

[Paul Wunder]

James Baker has given some useful advice. I too, have severe lung issues. May I add several additional specific items:

Fine dust from sanding, sawing, etc must be picked up at the source, Every power tool must have excellent dust control so harmful dust does not even escape to the air. There is too much to cover here.

After you implement a dust control program I would highly recommend a "Dylos" meter ($200 to $250). This device electronically measures the quantity of minute air particles that could arise from woodworking, I use it as my final safety device to tell me if my shop air is safe from excessive dust


Woodshop Dust Control [Sandor Nagyszalanczy] is a good readable reference for woodworkers seeking better dust control. Bill Pentz's web site on dust control was an outgrowth of his experiences with his own lung disease.

Other Creekers, with more technical knowledge than I will hopefully also contribute answers

Have spoken to your Dad's Pulmonologist re his hobby and gotten his/her blessing. His Physician will best understand the results of his Pulmonary Function Tests to advise on specific hobby limitations Does he work with exotic woods? Some wood emit more irritating dust than others.

Can your Dad be referred to an Industrial Hygienist? They are trained to help with medical safety in the workplace (a bit over the top, but not excessively so).

Finally, does he have access to help from other woodworkers or family and friends to implement the needed changes? They can help him preserve his strength for the things he loves to do.

Best of luck to your Dad

[Phil Thien]

Your father makes great stuff! Just outstanding.

If your father lives is a moderate climate (not too hot, not too cold), then a large exhaust fan will blow any fine dust in the shop air outside and away from the garage. If the shop is conditioned space (heat in winder, AC in summer), then a couple of air cleaners is the 2nd-best option (but someone has to keep the filters clean). A comfortable mask that fits well is mandatory. And some sort of DC is really helpful, too, as not all fines stay airborne. There will be stuff that, without a DC, settles on the floor until your dad's walking around the shop kicks it up. So if your dad lives in an area without a restrictive homeowners association, a bag-type unit outside the shop (in a little building attached to the garage) should do wonders to get the chips and some of the finer dust out of the shop.

I wonder if there is another woodworker local to your father (maybe someone your father knows) that could help with some of this?

Smoking is apparently the leading cause of COPD, was/is your father a smoker?

[Jim Andrew]

I picked up some PureBreath N95 masks at Menards recently, and find them to be a big improvement over the previous masks I used. I also went to Sherwin Williams and bought a respirator and a bunch of filters, they set me up a cash account which allows me to get a discount, but think I like the N95's better, as they are lighter, and have a seal around the perimeter unlike other paper type masks.

[Ole Anderson]

Nice work indeed!

The fuzzy, 2 elastic band 3M N95 masks are quite comfortable to use and are a huge improvement over the non-rated thin paper masks, but COPD can comprimise lung power, so a powered filtering device that operates at a positive pressure may work best.

[Peter Aeschliman]

Agreed. This is serious enough that he needs an electric air-fed full face mask/respirator. This isn't a case for picking the inexpensive options. You'll also need good dust collection and air filtration in the shop to keep the mask's filters from clogging too fast.

[Greg Portland]

My father, who is a woodworker, was diagnosed with COPD a week ago. Dad is 74 and also has a fairly severe case of rheumatoid arthritis. I'm looking for woodworker-approved recommendations on how to improve the air quality in his shop so he can keep doing the work he loves for a few hours a day. His workshop is in the one-car garage of my parents' home (their car remains outside). So far during my research I've learned that he should get a decent face mask (instead of the little paper masks he has been wearing) to wear when he's cutting, sanding or finishing his projects, and that he should get a better dust collection than the one he has and also install an air filtration/ventilation system for his shop. The 3M P100 particular filter respirator mask has been recommended to me. Is there anything better on the market? And what dust collection and air filtration systems would you recommend for his situation and shop? I have heard that the dust collection receptacle should be moved outside. And do you have any other tips for him?

Frankly, I'd skip the filtration & collection systems and go straight to an industrial quality respirator system (3M PAPR versaflow, etc.). The alternative is 1-2 filtration systems + a large dust collector and that will cost more than the PAPR system.

[Bethany Rae]

Thanks all, for your compliments on my dad's work. I'll be printing out this thread and giving it to him, and I am sure it will make his day.

Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with us. There's a lot to consider here.

My father is always clean-shaven, so that will help with masks sealing properly. He is not and never was a smoker. He has had a chronic cough for decades and that is probably linked to or even caused by his rheumatoid arthritis. His lungs are still clear and in good shape and it is his airway that seems to be the problem. He has had pneumonia twice in the last year and a half.

Asking his Pulmonologist (whom I don't believe he's seen yet) specifically about the woodworking is good advice, and possibly also getting a referral to a Industrial Hygienist. His asking his woodworking friends may also be a good idea. He does seem to know every woodworker for miles around!

My parents live in Southwestern Ontario, in a small town, where it is very cold and snowy in winter and very hot in summer. His shop has space heaters for winter but no AC - he just leaves the garage door open in nice weather. He does have a dust collection system but it probably needs upgrading. There is no homeowner's association for their neighbourhood that I know of.

Dad does like working with different or exotic woods when he can get them, although I don't know how much time he spends working with what kind of wood.

Please add any further advice you wish. I won't be printing this thread off until the morning of Saturday, June 1st, and even after that I can relay any information to my father. He has no computer skills or I am sure he would be a regular on this forum!

[Paul Wunder]

Bethany,

If it is possible consider seeing a Pulmonologist at a University based teaching hospital. It sounds like he has multiple medical issues that need to be considered and understood. University Medical Centers usually have a broad range of services and the latest protocols. A useful link for info is below

http://nihseniorhealth.gov/copd/whatiscopd/01.html

In the U.S. there are many good pulmonary rehabilitation programs that are run by hospitals. (In the US this is covered by Medicare). Canada, being more advanced than we are should also have such programs This type of program, which is an outpatient program of 2X-3X weekly for several months helps patients to maximize their capabilities through exercise, proper breathing, understanding one's limitations and educating lung patients on proper health habits. I have severe Restrictive Lung Disease and the rehab programs have added immensely to my quality of life.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions

Good luck to your Dad

Paul