Ait filtration

[tony ennis]

This may not be such a big deal in metal shops as it is in wood shops but... dust.

I'm setting up a basement metal shop and it is pretty dusty - we haven't used the basement in 15 years. Even once I hose it and vacuum it, it will be dusty. Does anyone have any experience with affordable air filtration systems?

[Mad Scientist]

How about make our own?
A used furnace blower, or something similar, mounted in plywood box with large furnace filter on the input side. It won’t catch micro fine dust but should pickup your generic run of the mill dust and small bugs.

[Uncle O]

How about make our own?
A used furnace blower, or something similar, mounted in plywood box with large furnace filter on the input side. It won’t catch micro fine dust but should pickup your generic run of the mill dust and small bugs.

I built one just like this , however I put filters on 2 sides of the box instead of just one. I used GOOD(Read expensive) filters that claimed to trap even smoke. It worked pretty good actually.

[mechanicalmagic]

Tony,
I'm cheap, and I really don't care about a little dust. I do have a 1500 cfm attic fan sucking at the end of my shop, the wood saw end. But, if I had a continuous dust issue, I'd start by duct taping high quality furnace filters to a box fan. That might, in a short time, fix your problem. If there is dust being dumped in the basement, that's another problem.

When I was working, we sometimes needed really dust free enclosures. Instead of purchasing expensive units, it was easy to use a boxed HEPA ~12" x 12" x 24", with a squirrel cage blower on the input.

My shop is above ground, but not heated, in a relatively low humidity area. I run a de-humidifier 24/7, (actually it doesn't turn itself on for days, if the humidity is low). You might need to keep some LPS #2 around to squirt your stuff.

[tony ennis]

Our upstairs smelled like an attic when we moved in, and we bought some Home Despot air filters. They did a superb job of removing the particles that caused the smell. However, I was looking for something that moved more air.

My basement isn't particularly dry - there's a sump well in the opposite corner and the basement will flood on occasion, up to 6" in places. A musty dusty smell is part of the problem.

I really want to make a nice working environment. I have plenty of 1/2" ply and a spare 1/4 hp motor. No squirrel cage however.

What's LPS?

[Mad Scientist]

To get rid of the musty smell you need lots of good ventilation when the weather is nice a window fan is the way to go but for hot muggy days you want a de-humidifier .

basement will flood on occasion, up to 6" in places

Place all important stuff on 7” legs.
Seriously, I have done this with my house furnace and a corn stove that I use to heat the shop. Other then that only things that can afford to get wet are directly on the floor.

If you can find a decent size fan blade the ¼ HP motor could make a nice fan.

[Evan]

If you are going to push air through a filter you need a centrifugal blower like a squirrel cage. Propeller fans don't work against back pressure unless they are ducted and even then not well.

As for wood dust, you really want to keep it out of the air, especially certain types. Cedar dust was reclassified back in the 90s to a semi toxic dust/allergen rather than a nuisance dust. Various tropical hardwoods are very irritating or toxic.

[wierdscience]

Grizzly sells shop air filters,it's just a pleated hepa filter mounted in a housing with a blower.Delta and a few others have them.

There is an additonal option to help,water based urathane varnish.It's being used in buildings here with blackmould.They clean and kill the mould,but to keep the spores stuck down so they don't migrate they spray everything down with the varnish.The same thing has been done with asbestos fibers.

It's nothing fancy,they thin the varnish with water and spray it with a pump up garden sprayer,once it's dry whatever is on the surface is stuck down and won't become airborne unless disturbed.

[tony ennis]

Well truth be told there IS a lot of dust down there. However, my concern is asbestos. The floor tiles down there are almost certainly asbestos. I'm half afraid to sweep (or use a shop vac, which could have a pin-hole in the filter) for fear if stirring something up. So a filtration unit could suck up lots of things I don't care to breathe, asbestos being among them.

I'm probably way too paranoid about it.

[mechanicalmagic]

Tony,
First, you are probably paranoid about the asbestos. But I have my issues too. You might look into an epoxy or other floor paint to cover the tiles. You need to be comfortable to enjoy your "man cave".

LPS is a brand of lubricants that are sold in many tool stores. The LPS #2 is a lubricant, and barrier to water, thus no rust. It doesn't solidify, and you don't need to remove it before using tools or off stock. I use it a lot for stock of drill rod, and tools that don't get a lot of use.
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