Respirator

[Ron Hedrick]

Question, I have a single stage DC I also have a (shopmade) air filtration system that does a pretty good job. I still wear a respirator. How many find this necessary or is this over-kill?

[Lee Koepke]

according to the theories, the mechanical setup you have should work for most particles (and maybe eventually the finer ones ) . My theory is, if you are used to wearing one, and its not horribly uncomfortable, wear it.

Lots of opinions out there, and of course it all depends on what you are cutting, how much, etc.

[Will Blick]

> How many find this necessary or is this over-kill?

Ron, this question is like asking, who thinks stopping smoking is overkill? Some will argue their family lives to 90's smoking every day, while others argue, it kills them at 40 and others say it provides miserable health problems along the way....

If your question revolves around whether a respirator will eliminate small particles you are breathing, the answer is YES. If you have been following the threads on the dust meters we have all been using, you will learn that when we cut wood, the particulate matter is quite extreme. you may want to run a search on this so its not all rehashed.

Whether these particles will cause you health problems is an unknown....some will develop severe reactions, some will have no noticeable symptoms...of course, a lot depends on how many hours a day you spend in the shop.

I think the previous posters advise is wise.... respirators are cheap, and they don't bother you, and you are concerned about your health, than you should wear one...

[Scott Long]

I do the same thing. But the only difference is that I paid $150 for my Jet filtration system. I would rather be safe than sorry.

[Peter Quadarella]

I would wear my respirator much more often if there was one that didn't bother the bridge of my nose so much (which is somewhat square; I'm not sure if I fractured or broke it at some point in my youth ;) ). Even given that, I wear a respirator whenever I can; dust collection is never 100%.

[Pat Germain]

I have a DC and I still wear my respirator almost all the time. I'll probably add an air filtration system eventually, but I'll still wear my respirator.

Having a good, comfortable respirator makes all the difference. I recently bought a 3M 7500 and I'm very happy with it. The big difference with that particular model is the exhaust has a "downspout". This has completely eliminated my safety glasses fogging up. I had to order the 7500 from Amazon.com. None of the respirators I found at my local stores had a downspout. Mine came with all necessary filters to get going and numerous extras to keep going.

Breathe easy!