Can I safely engrave balsa wood in my home?

[James Higgon]

I have my laser set up in my house. I'm after some 5-6mm wood that cuts easily and won't be harmful to my health using my hepa filter. Have been looking at balsa. Would this be suitable? Also looked at alder wood. Thanks

[Gary Hair]

Unless you have a charcoal filter you are not really safe cutting anything with just a hepa filter.

[James Higgon]

Anything? As in wood or absolutely anything? I cut gravograph plastic, can I not even do that? Can I get a charcoal filter for my hepa unit?

[Scott Shepherd]

Not if you're venting it back inside the house. That would be crazy.

[James Higgon]

No one even mentioned this to me when I bought it. I thought this filter was all I needed... Very worried now as I've been doing this for two years in my home.

Can I get a pipe that will go from my filter that I can hang out the window?

[Doug Griffith]

If you've been using only a hepa filter inside your home, I'm guessing you don't use a blower as it would be quite loud. I'd get yourself a decent blower, build a sound deadening box for it, and put it outside the house. Run the exhaust side of the blower through a pipe that extends upwards above the roof line (if you can). Use as few bends as possible. After you do this, you won't really need your hepa filter anymore.

[James Higgon]

Excuse my ignorance but what is a blower

I have the HEPA AD350

[Scott Shepherd]

What laser do you have? Can you take a couple of photos of the setup with the filter and post them here?

Burning most anything, certainly plastics, is not something you'd want to be cycling into your home under any circumstances. I hope you don't have children in the home.

It either needs to go outside or you need the proper setup to scrub it and make it safe of dump back inside.

[James Higgon]

it says it includes a chemical/gas filter

The standard chemical filter contains a multi purpose media to give
protection against the large range of VOC’s (volatile organic
compounds) generated when lasering polymers (plastics) and other
organic materials

It has got a blower i just googled it. Its not that loud as it has a built in silencer. So am i right in thinking i just buy some pipe and connect it to the exhaust and vent it out the window? the fumes will be very minor as they are not visible inside my room

[James Higgon]

setup1.jpgsetup2.jpgsetup3.jpgsetup4.jpg

i have a trotec rayjet. The filter has an attachment to connect a pipe to vent it externally. Is it safe for me to cut wood inside if i vent this out the window? i am confident that it will not be venting any smoke outside. Just the invisible fumes that it gives off.

[Rich Harman]

Is it safe for me to cut wood inside if i vent this out the window?

That is how most of us do it - venting outside, not necessarily through a window.

[Dave Sheldrake]

A few considerations James:

Do you just make things for fun and amusement or do you sell the things you make?

In the UK if you are selling / trading or disposing of for gain any item you make with the machine then you are considered an "Industrial process"

If that process takes place in the home you often need a planning variation (for industrial / manufacturing within a domestic environment) and are liable for business rates on the percentage of your dwelling you use.
If you vent outside you are subject to inspection by the local authority or HSE under the "Clean Air Act" to ensure that none of the byproducts are harmful to persons or the environment.
You are not permitted to dispose of offcuts in the domestic waste (as it is classed as manufacturing or industrial waste)
If other persons have access to the location depending on their ages you need warning signs showing the class or laser and radiation hazard signs as well as methods that prevent unauthorised access.
To get fire insurance you need extinguishers placed in locations as required by the local fire prevention officer.
You must retain copies of noted escape routes for persons operating the laser (if you have one door to the flat you are on to a loser from the start)
The items may or may not require CE marking to current standards (if so then you have to keep the technical and safety files for 10 years after last production)

There are a few other considerations.....

It is up the each individual if they decide to follow / not follow the requirements but the penalties are HUGE, including seizure of the equipment, close to unlimited fines , prosecution for various offences (criminal not civil) recovery orders for every item you may have sold in the last 7 years (product recall) and that's just for starters. Similar circumstances came up a while ago with somebody John Bion and I know, the penalties cost the person their house and business.

As to extraction, if you can smell it then it is doing harm whether the fumes are visible or not (Hydrogen Cyanide for example is invisible but lethal within seconds)

The Uk has some of the most stringent laws on *making* of anywhere in the world, it's a minefield for sure.

cheers

Dave

[Dan Hintz]

I have the HEPA AD350

I looked up your machine... it has a charcoal bed, so it will remove the bad stuff from most materials (but not all). If you're cutting just wood, this is acceptable to vent back into your room... if you decide to cut certain other nasty items, this will not be enough. Also, keep in mind that you will need to replace your charcoal bed from time to time, more often the more wood you cut. Once it's saturated, it's the same as having no charcoal bed in there at all, which means you're breathing the bad stuff.

Be aware... these filters get expensive FAST!

[James Higgon]

Thanks for your help Dan. So what stuff should I avoid engraving? Any particular woods etc? I take it the pine stripwood I am using is still a no go? Shouldn't the extractor tell me when the filter needs replacing? It has a light that they say tells you this.

How much life can I expect out of a filter hours wise with wood cutting?

[Michael Hunter]

Pine is one of the cleaner burning woods : if you are having trouble with that....

Do the vent thing - up to the roof or even a bit higher if you have near neighbours.
The laser cost lots - spending perhaps 100 on some metal* ductwork to make it usable isn't unreasonable.
Paint the ductwork grey or black (to match any existing pipework on the house) and nobody will notice it.

* Metal for fire resistance. PVC soil pipe could carry a laser fire up to the roof.