Dust in the Workshop

[Chris Padilla]

You need a "floormat downdraft" table!

I'm picturing one of those "shower tubes" you see folks getting scrubbed down in when they are subjected to high radiation or the "body drier" seen in Blade Runner where you can go shake yourself and have the air movement take all the dust away.

[Brian Penning]

I've always felt that having these high end DC units is a bit of a joke. Sure you may get all the sawdust, etc. when you use whatever jointing, planing, cutting, routing machine you have BUT until you can get all the sawdust from hand sanding you're still gonna get dust all over the place. I hear the Festool sanders come close but I still have to do a lot of hand sanding after.
I like Chris's idea though...lol

[Art Mulder]

The best solution is to have dedicated shoes for in and out of the shop.

This.

I also have a mat -- but it is a very "open" mat, with 3/4" diameter honeycomb holes in it, and it traps a lot of dust. But taking my shoes off outside the shop door is probably the best solution for keeping sawdust out of the shop.

I have also recently become a convert to wearing a shop apron. It hangs right by the door inside the shop. That also keeps dust off my clothes.

(and of course the DC is running and the air cleaner is running...)

[Greg Peterson]

... until you can get all the sawdust from hand sanding you're still gonna get dust all over the place...

Getting shavings and larger particle saw dust is the easy part. Getting fine particles is the challenge. Even having a cyclone doesn't guarantee that you will capture the fines. For hand sanding, if you want to capture the fines, you'll need DC on the sander and a downdraft table as a minimum. Otherwise you can expect the fines to go wherever the air current in your shop takes 'em.

Effective dust collection is an entirely different matter from collecting saw dust and shavings.

Regardless, my shop shoes are also my yard working shoes. Steel toed low cut boot. They stay out of the house.

[Raymond Fries]

I have shoes I wear only in the shop and just leave them at the door before entering the house. Myshop is in my attached garage.

[JayStPeter]

The day I can walk into the house with my shop shoes is the day my DC is working effectively.

Ahhh, the mythical 100% dust collector. Wish I had one of those too

[Scott Holt]

Greg-
I spent some of my former life working in a factory environment. In the paint prep area, people were given very lightweight Tyvek coveralls and slippers. I am sure that you don't want to be seen in this sort of get-up, however the premise is the same. To keep dust out of the house, see if you can find a lightweight coverall at a local industrial supply house to wear while working. This will also keep you from ruining your clothes.
As for the shoes, leave them in the shop. Also, I work in my downstairs garage, and in order to contain the dust in that one room, I'm planning to put up some "freezer/cooler" style, see-thru pleated curtains. If you are not familiar with these, ask to see them at any grocery store / Sam's Club freezer/cooler section. They will hang just inside the doors, and are designed to contain the temperature while the big doors are open. Something like this should keep the dust from making it's way upstairs into your home.

Scott

[JayStPeter]

I'm picturing one of those "shower tubes" you see folks getting scrubbed down in when they are subjected to high radiation or the "body drier" seen in Blade Runner where you can go shake yourself and have the air movement take all the dust away.

When I get my hair cut on base they use a vac on my head afterward so I'm not walking around with little itchy hairs on my head and neck. It feels pretty good when they do it, a massage of sorts. I imagine the full body version would be pretty nice ... but that could take this thread in entirely the wrong direction

[Louis Rucci]

As I vacumn the house on a weekly basis, my wife can't much complain. If she feels the floor needs to be vacumned, I remind her where the vacumn is stored.

As for dusting, don't much remember when it was last done.

[Gene E Miller]

Greetings & Salutations,

The Air Hose works good but since I live in a rual area
and my shop building is about 300 feet from the house I built
a complete 10x10 bathroom in the shop building when I put up
the 30x50 building.

So if I get really dirty a shower and clean clothes rule the day.