Grateful New Member: First Post: Unusual Question About Dust Collection

[Scott Memmer]

Hello, Everyone. Thank you for inviting me into your wonderful community. I've been visiting here for years, but never got around to registering. Finally I did. This is my first post.

Okay, so here's my question. I am redesigning my shop and exploring dust removal and filtration.

Here's the thing: I HATE wearing a N-95 or N-100 mask. I naturally run at a high metabolism, so I'm almost always overheated. To make matters worse, these masks always fog up my glasses, and in general I find them miserable to wear.

I don't necessarily need this right away. However, I'm willing to invest in the best possible lung protection.

Here's my question. Does anyone make a mask and filtration system that would kinda be like a scuba, with regular air being filtered and drawn in from outside the shop, and then being exhausted into the shop.

I may be asking for something that doesn't exist, as I was having trouble finding anything like this through multiple Google searches.

Thanks in advance for your knowledge and expertise. If you know a system, please, if you wouldn't mind, place a direct link in your response.

Thank You Very Much,
Scott

[Steve Mathews]

Trend Airshield Pro is one example.

[Ron Selzer]

try this
https://www.google.com/search?q=supp...hrome&ie=UTF-8

[Ken Fitzgerald]

3-M and Trend Airshield are the two most common. A lot of us use both DC and a respirator when we are sanding.

[Scott Memmer]

Thanks so much, everyone, for your responses. I'm a big fan of just about everything 3M does, so I will indeed explore.

Thanks Again,
Scott

[Matthew Hills]

I do find the 3M P100 masks to be reasonable. In particular, they don't fog up my glasses.
I think any sort of filtering (or non-filtering!) air mask is a tough search these days.

A box fan is also handy: cools you on hot days and if temperatures reasonable, you can open the doors/windows and move air through the shop, which helps to keep the air cleaner, too.

You can buy the ceiling-mount filtration units to work in the background (I'd normally use in conjunction with my respirator).
Powermatic has an expensive fan with filter.
Some folks by hvac filters and run with various fans to move and filter the air, too...

Matt

[roger wiegand]

Google "powered air purifying respirator". Good luck buying one right now, but supplies should build over the coming weeks. Vastly more comfortable to wear than lung-powered masks.

People have jury-rigged a variety of setups using everything from CPAP machines to air compressors and vacuum cleaners that you can read about here and elsewhere. I'm sure most of them eventually work, but the commercial HEPA filtering belt pack and quality face shields are nice. I'd rather spend my time working wood than reinventing the wheel trying to MacGyver something .

[Bill Dufour]

Racal is one maker. They got bought out by 3M. Not to be confused by the other Racal that makes electronic stuff.
SCBA/Scot makes a lot of fire department breathing apparatus. Also bought out by 3M?
I do not understand the need for the fancy exhalation fan or control.
Make sure any air is not from a regular compressor or you breathe oil.
Years ago workers at Gallo wine went into a large tank to clean it. They plugged into factory airline to breathe supplied air. Problem was they connected to a nitrogen line instead. CO2 did not build up and they passed out and suffocated with no warning.
Standard, low pressure, fire fighter air bottle is only 30 minutes. Human breathes 5 liters/minute resting in hospital bed according to ventilater information kicking around these days.

Bill D.
My Racal belt worn fan unit uses two regular D-cell batteries which can be recharged without removing them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racal_suit

[Alan Lightstone]

I find that a 3M P100 plus two very good Jet air cleaners is the best way to work for me. I can measure the particles in the air of my shop with a particle meter, and having the air cleaner is extremely helpful. But it's only part of the solution. Dust collection at the source is more important.

If your glasses are fogging up, then the respirator is not properly sized to you, or tight enough, and is leaking upwards.

Not using any kind of protection for your lungs is a VERY bad idea.

PAPRs are very effective, but probably impossible or nearly impossible to buy now, and please don't. Anesthesiologists, and ER docs, plus a few other first responders (no offense guys, just listing those off the top of my head being one) NEED the PAPRs. They are risking their lives, so don't buy one for woodworking. Please.

I hated my Trend Air-Shield pro, and never used it. Eventually got thrown out. It's noisy, and bulky, and just not comfortable.

It is very hard to wear an N95 mask for long periods. I know this, as I have worn masks for long hours all day in the OR. And those weren't N95 masks. Wearing them all day is extremely difficult. I also wouldn't take that route for woodworking.

I'd try a different brand of P100 respirator. One of the wood magazines recently reviewed another brand, besides the 3M, and liked it a lot. But respirator/mask sizing matters tremendously. Before the COVID-19 mess, we all would get mask fittings. It was/is very important. Here's a 3M link to fit testing:
https://sassafety.com/respiratory/

Get a properly fit respirator, and you'll be much happier.

Hopefully sage advice from a professional mask wearer. My $0.02

[Scott Bernstein]

A PAPR is different than a mask connected to a filtered, external air source. The external air source is nice, but I think being attached to that long hose would really get in the way of moving around the shop - that would drive me crazy.

A PAPR is self-contained. One wears a mask with a short power cord or hose connected to a waste-belt-mounted battery pack. I have two PAPRs that I use in my garage shop. Both are a very high-level of filtering. One is made by MSA and has a full face mask (covers nose & mouth with an integrated visor over the eyes), which fits tightly over the face with a rubber seal. The blower and filter are both mounted on the front of the mask and there is a skinny electrical cord to the battery pack one your waist. There is a simple switch for on and off. Battery last about 8 hours, although I never wear it for that long...never get that much shop time all at once! The MSA product line is kind of a la carte...you can choose the particular model of mask, the filter, and the blower. I can even convert my mask to "non-PAPR" when I prefer that.

My other unit is a 3M VersaFlow TR-600. It is basically a large helmet with integrated visor, hard-hat, and hearing protection. There is an elastic seal which goes under the chin and unlike the MSA full face mask, this seal fits more loosely and so I find more comfortable if I am wearing it for longer periods (2-3 hours). I like the integrated ear muffs. Also if you wear glasses the 3M helmet is compatible...you cannot wear regular glasses under a tight fitting mask, like the MSA PAPR. The 3M helmet is connected by an air hose to the belt pack. The VersaFlow belt pack is much larger and heavier than the MSA battery pack because it contains the filter cartridge, blower, and large battery. It has 3 speed settings and gives you warnings as the filter media runs out. I have had mine for a year and using it a few hours on weekends I have yet to require a new filter. Both the MSA and 3M PAPRs work great - the filtering is excellent. Even with applying strong-smelling finishes I cannot smell anything at all wearing either one.

I obtained these units when I was grinding my concrete garage shop floor, to protect me from Silica. Obviously, they worked very well for this purpose. And of course they are way overkill for woodworking, but I do like the constant, coole breeze and no worrying about fogging glasses with the 3M helmet.

Good luck!

[Jim Tobias]

I also use the 3M VersaFlow TR-600.....comfortable and lightweight to wear ( as far as a helmet type unit can be). I like knowing that the air is clean and does not fog up glasses.

Jim