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Article
from Rockler.com
Being aggressive in
cleaning dust from the air in your shop doesn’t necessarily mean you have to
spend a ton on new equipment.
If you don’t have a
dust collection system in your shop, now’s a great time to start. For many
hobbyists and home-shop woodworkers, such systems seem like a luxury — the last
tool to be bought. But more and more of us are beginning to take dust seriously.
That’s a fact that the tool industry now recognizes.
 Healthy
Shop Habit
There’s a reason to be concerned. Wood dust is related to many health hazards,
including irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat; skin rashes; asthma;
allergies; and some serious lung diseases. It has even been linked to a rare
form of nasal cancer. Estimates indicate that up to 13% of woodworkers have
dust-induced asthma. Breathing wood dust can also cause chronic bronchitis or
emphysema. During their lifetimes, one third of all woodworkers experience some
adverse health effects from contact with wood dust.
While shop vacuums are extremely popular among woodworkers, they may not be the
best solution for systematic dust control. First and foremost, their capacities
are generally much smaller than that of most large, stationary machines. Second,
their filters usually don’t trap some of the micro-particles that can aggravate
allergies and irritate the respiratory system. There’s no doubt: For most shops,
a complete dust collection system is necessary to protect your health.
Choose
the system that’s right for you!
Dust collection systems are now more affordable than ever. These are among
the most popular versions of dust collection systems for home shops:
If
you’re looking for a fairly powerful dust collection system, but don’t have the
space or the desire to set up a fixed dust collection system, consider the
#22878 JET Portable
Dust Collector. It’s easily wheeled from one tool to the next and doesn’t
take up a lot of space. Portable collectors use a hood near the work area to
gather dust left by routing or sanding operations into a bag. It can also be
hooked up to any power tool with a 4-inch port.
If you’re ready for
a centralized dust collection system, the
#22642 JET DC-1100
Dust Collector is a good choice that outperforms all others in its class. It
is essentially a large impeller that pushes dust and chips into a 30-micron
filter bag, then pushes air out through another 30-micron filter bag. Most shop
vacuums are low-powered, single-stage collectors, making them a far-from-perfect
choice for use with large stationary power tools.
Cleaning the Air
 In
fact, “dust collection” is really somewhat of a misnomer. “Dust collectors”
are actually collecting mostly wood chips and particles. The dust, for the
most part, winds up in the air. To protect yourself from that dangerous
airborne wood dust, you either need to wear a respirator/mask or, for the
highest degree of safety, use an Air Cleaner as part of your dust collection
process. One of the best is the
#24770 JET AFS-1000
Air Filtration System. This high-quality system features an
electrostatic filter which removes 98% of all particles five microns in size.
This technology also removes micro-particles of smokes, viruses, bacteria, and
fine dust at the rate of 25 times more effectively than an ordinary home
furnace filter. And it cleans and circulates the air in a 20 x 20 x 8 shop in
under five minutes!
Fittings and Accessories:
Rockler
Woodworking and Hardware has everything you need to set up a complete,
thorough, and efficient dust collection system.
 2-Machine
Dust Collector Starter Kit - #68665
Custom build your own two-machine dust collection system! 22-piece kit
includes two elbows, two Y-fittings, two metal blast gates and sixteen 4" wire
hose clamps.
Y-fittings are used to service more than one machine and provide increased
lateral air flow. All 4" diameter fittings are manufactured from
abrasion-resistant plastic. 4" hose sold separately. Whenever using plastic
hose and fittings, we recommend grounding the system to eliminate static
electricity.
During
their lifetime, one third of all woodworkers experience some
adverse health effects from contact with wood dust.
Dust Collection Hose, Fittings, and Accessories
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