air filtration for a small hobby room?

[Deuce Lee]

hey guys,

I have a small room in the basement (12x12) that i do some minor wood working in a couple days a month or so. Any suggestions for a portable or smaller air filtration unit for it? Since I don't use it that often, I don't need a $300 unit, or maybe not even a $200 unit.

I was thinking about the Shopvac portable air cleaner but the reviews are MEH at amazon.

Would using one of those HOME air purifiers suffice?

thanks
Deuce

[Dan Hintz]

You say you don't need one of those $300 units, or even a $200 unit, but do you think your sander or saws creates any less dust than someone with a larger shop? You have a smaller room, which is good in terms of needing less CFM in cleaning, but it also means you have a higher density of dust in the air. You'd be best to get rid of that dust as soon as possible. If you think that unit will work for you, you have nothing to lose (other than the cost)... may be slightly quieter, too.

[Tom Matthews]

I bought a Rikon 62-400 when it was on sale last month at Woodcraft for $140. It's a nice little unit. Three speeds, timer, and a remote. I was going to build one myself but I couldn't justify it at that price. For a small room it would be perfect.

I wish it took a standard filter size. It looks like it is the same unit Grizzly sells (just painted white) so I can probably use their filters but it'd be nice if I could just pick one up at the BORG.

[Rob Feldner]

I fully agree with Dan, this is where you shouldn't be afraid to spend some money. Lungs are much more expensive to repair. Even with the filtration unit, I'd suggest wearing a mask if you're sanding or doing anything else that kicks up a lot of dust.

[Harvey Miller]

Here's a homemade one that seems to fit the bill:
http://woodgears.ca/dust/air_cleaner.html

[Jerry Olexa]

Jet has a great overhead one for ambient air....Works great but about $300.

[Judson Green]

What's making the dust? Is there a way the dust can be collected at the source?

tackling the dust at the source is a much better way of dealing with the problem.

Or if you'd rather keep your investment very low buy a decent respirator. I know its not very comfortable but will provide the cleanest air.

Just my 2¢

[John Schweikert]

Depending on projects and what surface is being cut or sanded, a multiple approach to air cleaning is key. For instance, I'm building a 16 ft boat. I use a dust mask, my sander is connected to my vac and I installed the small Grizzly ceiling mounted air filtration unit. All that keeps the air clean and my lungs clean. I don't have dust sitting on shop surfaces. Mind you it's not a spotless space but since I build, sand and paint all in the same space, I have to be more thorough in keeping the space pretty clean. All that comes at minimal cost overall for my 12x24 space.

The Grizzly ceiling unit was about $160+ on sale last summer. It is basically the identical unit to the Rikon. For a small, quiet and efficient unit, I think it's a wise investment for any small shop.

Woodworking is not a cheap hobby. But it doesn't need to be expensive either.

[Deuce Lee]

good points guys...better safe than sorry...i'll look into that rikon and grizzly. thanks for reinforcing the obvious.

[Ray Newman]

Here are some other alternatives:

Rikon 3 Speed Air Cleaner, 400 CFM US$199.00. Inner filter 1 micron; outer 5 micron

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2083293/45254/Rikon-3-Speed-Air-Cleaner-400-CFM.aspx

Jet Air Filtration System, Model AFS-1000B $369.00
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2004673/7332/Jet-Air-Filtration-System-Model-AFS-1000B.aspx

WoodRiver 3 Speed Air Cleaner Item #154523 $299.99 -
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2085335/39176/WoodRiver-3-Speed-Air-Cleaner.aspx

As another posted stated best to capture the dust at its source with an effective dust collector.
With the air cleaner units, the quality of the filter is very important. In a nutshell, the small dust particles that can’t be seen are the most dangerous to your health.

[Mike Heidrick]

Buy an attic fan, light switch, some wire, and some furnace filters and make a box. Done.

[Jim Andrew]

If you have a sander with a dust collection bag or filter, you can connect your shop vac to it with a 1 1/4" hose. That's what I did. Makes it a little clumsy but a LOT cleaner. If you have a gas furnace or water heater, you don't want to create a dust cloud in the basement, as it could possibly flash. Sawdust is flammable. No problem though if you have a room without either of those appliances in it, and it is fairly well sealed off.

[Todd Hyman]

You also need to check the cfm requirements as the Rikon is about half of the Woodriver and Jet model.

[Justin Rapp]

I have the JET AFS-1000 and it works great, although my space is a little larger. It takes a 12x24" filter which I order by the case on the internet when I find them on sale.

[scott vroom]

I bought an expensive JDS ceiling mounted filtration system about 4 years ago....I used to run it whenever making dust but got tired of constantly cleaning the 2 filter system. Now I just use it to clean the air prior to spraying. To move day-to-day sawdust from the shop I installed an 18" high velocity floor fan, w/stand removed, in an exterior window. There's a door on the opposite wall that I leave open and the cross draft quickly moves airborne dust out of the shop, and much quicker than the JDS. I do have a dust collection system in the shop which helps a great deal. I should note that I live in central California where winters are mild and bringing in outside air isn't a problem year round. The fan cost 50 dollars. It works for me.