Dust Mitigation - Respirator Advice

[Kirk Simmons]

Greetings!

I am looking for some advice on buying a good respirator.

I have a garage shop that I am trying to get set up in Minnesota, and it gets cold up here so I can't just vent my atmosphere by opening the doors during the winter. I do own a dust collector which I wheel around, but it's a stock Jet DC-650 which catches the large particles but not the small ones. Right now I do not have the money to sink into a new cyclone system and all the piping required to really make it work (1K+?) so I am looking at alternatives.

That leads me to the respirator. I'd like to know what you other folks might be using, and recommendations on what I should look for. I do have a full face beard (curly, neatly trimmed, maybe 1/4 - 1/2" at most) which can complicate things.

- Kirk Simmons
- Eagan, MN

Other ideas are also welcomed.

[Craig McDaniel]

Can't offer much advise on respirators (I just use the face mask/filters that you can get at Home Depot).

I would recommend, however, recommend making an air filter for your shop to go along with your respirator.

Even something as simple as a box fan with a filtrete filter taped to it can catch a surprising amount of dust. I made one with a reclaimed squirrel cage blower for a total cost of around $100 (including the filters) and it makes a noticable difference.

Mine runs while I'm in the shop and I set the timer for another 30 minutes after I leave.

One other side effect is that you get a lot of air circulation that can help even out the temperatures from your heater.

Craig

[Scott Hildenbrand]

I use a 3M #7503 Large Half Mask coupled with NIOSH-Approved Particulate Filter (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BL85QE/ref=ox_ya_oh_product) style filters..

Truth be told, it's not the dust that you can see that you have to worry about.. It's the stuff you can not see which gets lodged in the bottom of your lungs.

An air filter for the shop is a good idea.. For a quicky, pick up a box fan and a few furnace filters and bungee them on, like Craig says. Works wonders.

Pine makes me sneeze... Filters are good.. ;)

The beard will indeed mess with the performance of the mask, regardless of what you choose. Short of a hood and air tube, that is.. But I don't think you want to go that route.

[John Thompson]

I have a full beard and use the North CFR-1 (Amazon.. Highland WW) which is a half mask also. Very comfortable fit.. filter change quick and easy and takes care of dust ver well. I am in the shop 5-6 days a week retired and if I had to use a respirator.. I probably wouldn't be in the shop as they are uncomfortable if used for hours on end as I am. I do use a respirator when finishing for fumes with vapor cannisters.

[Dewald van Lamp]

Triton makes a respirator that vents under a vizored helmet from behind your head, blowing the air forward over your face. This may be worth looking at, because of the full beard.

I have one, but I find it uncomfortable to use. I do use the helmet when turning. I know that they have improved the system, but I have not upgraded it.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Kirk - specs on that Jet DC indicate it is good for 30 microns. Wow, those are big particles....

I would suggest looking into upgrades for the filter - even a cannister (I see Wynn cannisters mentioned a lot). For comparison, my DC has a 1 micron filter on it, and most DC's I see mentioned are in the 1-5 micron range.

[Henry Ambrose]

I use these and really like them -- 3M™ Particulate Respirator 8511:

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Health/Safety/Products/Catalog/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LES9MG812H2_nid=GSZL75D568gsF 3RH7CD92NglSNG7LFMH4Pbl

I'd also suggest you get a better bag or filter for your dust collector.

[Maurice Ungaro]

You may also want to upgrade your DC with a Winn Environmental cartridge filter - I believe they are good to one micron, and at around $120 to $135, they are a great, cheap upgrade.

[Kirk Simmons]

I noticed the 30 micron thing myself. Sawdust and chips and that's about it.

The good news is I didn't actually pay anything for my dust collector. When I bought my current Jet JWTS-10 table saw off of Craigslist, I negotiated the DC as a throw-in. The owner didn't want to move down any more on the price (I paid $300) no matter how long I squeezed him, but I finally got some movement through the add-on of the DC. I thought $300 for my Jet was a pretty good deal, and the DC made it better.

So. I know it's a crappy DC, and I am hesitant to sink much money into the thing as I'll certainly end up replacing it. That's why I was looking at respirators. The box-fan thing seems doable to me, but how long do the filters on that last?

All of Bill Pentz's stuff says my DC is inadequate to the task, as it is only rated at 650 CFM and I need at least 800 CFM to capture the fine dust. Wynn filters, now that I look at them, seem pretty spiffy - but cost $140 + Shipping? Is it worth buying one for my small DC, or should I just suck it up and try to save for a bigger DC and sell this one for $100 or something?


- Kirk Simmons
- Eagan, MN

[Jason Strauss]

I don't always use a respirator and probably should more often, but when I do, I wear a 3M N95 mask. They're relatively inexpensive and do wonders when you're sanding. I really only wear mine when I'm sanding or cleaning out my dust collector. It seems like a lot of people wear one full time...

[glenn bradley]

I have a 95190 respirator from AOSafety (http://www.amazon.com/AO-Safety-95190-Woodworkers-Respirator/dp/B0000BYE9Q). It is inexpensive and effective but most important, it is comfortable and doesn't block my vision. If it isn't practical, it can be the best respirator in the world and I won't wear it. Get one you'll wear ;-)

[Mac McQuinn]

Here's a link to a good supplier;

http://www.labsafety.com/store/Safety_Supplies/Respirators/Disposable_Respirators/

3 pages of disposables + lots more.

Mac

[phil harold]

I use a Survivair resperator
Silcone mask very comfortable...
http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/product/Survivair-PREMIER-S-Series-Halfmask-Respirator.html

Then I use p100 cartridges stops dust and fumes

http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/product/Survivair-P100-Organic--Vapor-Cartridge-S-Series.html

I also use a prefilter when spraying
http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/product/Survivair-N95-Filter-Retainer-S-Series.html
http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/product/Survivair-N95-Filter-S-Series.html

14 years have used the mask and I buy a 2 new sets of cartridges each year

my lungs luv it

[Jill Barnes]

First, get the Jet DC out of the shed. You are killing your lungs!

Connect your DC through wall with a couple of flanges for the hoses. If you cannot do this, at least get a cartridge filter to collect dust down to 1 micron, and wear at least an airtight 1/2 face mask with dual cartridges for very fine particles ( less than 1 micron if possible). You will know if it is airtight if you put your hands over the cartridges and you cannot breathe - while wearing it of course :)

Next, build a Thien dust separator as found here (http://www.woodworkforums.com/f200/my-thien-dust-separator-103778/) to protect the DC from your large particles, and eliminate the need to change bags of sawdust.

Thirdly, try not to use MDF - that dust is so fine and in Australia is considered as carcinogenic.

Hope this helps

Jill ( from down under)

[Kirk Simmons]

Recommendations appear to be:

1. Buy a cartridge and mount it on the Jet DC to get some increased performance. Cost $140 + Shipping. I'm going to do this, but will see if i can get a cartridge that I could then use as part of a cyclone when I go that route so I don't have to just toss the whole thing.

2. Get a good half-mask respirator. I received a bunch of different suggestions, now I just need to follow up on them. Cost seems to be around $30-50 + tax, because I'll be buying local so I can make sure it fits right.

3. Build a cheap air circulation / filtration system. The main issue here seems to be the fan, I'll need something with serious airflow to have any real effects. One poster above used a squirrel cage fan, anyone else have a suggestion that I can try?

Everyone, thank you very much for your suggestions. Now it's time to follow through =)

- Kirk Simmons
- Eagan, MN

[Maurice Ungaro]

Jill, welcome to the Creek!

[paul cottingham]

I have a full shaggy beard, and this http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=62081&cat=1,42207 works better than anything else I've tried. I know I'm late with this, but check it out.

[Kirk Simmons]

I haven't bought anything yet, so you're not late +) More recommendations are always welcome.

- Kirk Simmons

[jim tracy]

Kirk,

I too have a Jet DC650 and bought 1 micron replacement bags from Penn State Industries (http://www.pennstateind.com/) (around $74.00). The difference was like night and day. The amount of airborne dust was cut five fold. I threw the stock bags away and have not looked back!

[Kirk Simmons]

I went and investigated the cartridge filters at Wynn Industries, and after some email consultation with Dick Wynn I decided on:

Qty 1 Filter: 9L300BL
Qty 1 Pack: 1940PB

I'll need to make a donut to fit the filter to my Jet DC-650, but this filter will work well for me, and can also transfer seamlessly to a cyclone stack if I decide to fabricate or purchase one when I have some more money. As a bonus, I'll use the donut hole to cap the filter that I bought, saving a few bucks there as well over buying a prefab cap for it.

I also have to give a great shout out to Dick Wynn here folks. He was very helpful with advice, letting me know what would work best for my situation. The donut hole cap was entirely his idea, and I think it'll work great.

Dick, if you see this, thank you. Great service.

- Kirk Simmons
- Eagan, MN

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Kirk - it sounds like a great plan. Good luck, and let us know how it works out!