extractor for bandsaw

[Noho12C]

Hi all,

would need your advice :

I bought in december a PT from Axminster (Craft AC250PT Planer Thicknesser / very happy with it btw) with an extractor (Hobby Series FM300BC Extractor) which comes with a cloth bag filter (rated 30 microns)

Im planning to buy a bandsaw from them too (most probably the Craft AC2606B Bandsaw) and was wondering if the extractor with the bag was enough (for a hobby use..) or if a filter cartridge was necessary due to the dust particles size of the bandsaw?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Jacob]

I've never bothered with an extractor on the band saw - the dust goes straight down and doesn't get blasted around as with a TS or planer.

 

[sunnybob]

As long as you use the largest size hose that you can to connect them then you will be fine.
Those type of extractors dont perform well with hoses less than 100 mm diameter.
And i think jacob needs new glasses if he cant see the fine dust that rises up from a bandsaw :shock: :roll:
I have extraction on mine and I also use a dust mask. 8)

 

[Chris152]

My understanding is that you do need a fine filter for a bandsaw, down to 0.5 microns. I think that's generally accepted as the case for any machine producing fine dust in a confined space.
I find most of the dust can be extracted using a LVHP extractor (see a-guide-to-dust-extraction-by-member-siggy-7-t102025.html for an explanation by siggy_7) as close as possible to the point that the cut's made, but however you set about it, filter out the harmful small stuff rather than breath it into your lungs.

 

[Jacob]

..
And i think jacob needs new glasses if he cant see the fine dust that rises up from a bandsaw :shock: :roll:
....

yes with MDF etc but not so bad with wood. If dusty I tend to just switch the dust extractor on and leave the hose end near the band saw. If you leave it on in a very dusty room it's surprising how quickly it clears the air. Unless you are doing a lot of mdf the micron thing may not matter too much - a cloth bag slowly clogs up and effectively filter ever finer particles

 

[Noho12C]

Thanks all for your inputs. One things I forgot to mention : I'm not using MDF (and rarely plywood)
95% of the work is on hardwood.


Sent from my VKY-L09 using Tapatalk

 

[sunnybob]

99.9% of my woodwork is hardwoods.
They make finer dust.
Protect yourself from fine dust. Heavy dust falls straight to the ground and can in most cases be ignored as far as extraction is concerned.
Fine dust can stay afloat for minutes. and even once settled can be disturbed just by a small breeze. Its the fine dust that will settle in your lungs.

 

[Inspector]

I'll correct sunnybob on one thing he said. "Fine dust can stay afloat for minutes." That should read "Fine dust can stay afloat for hours."

Know that most hobby dust collector airflow specs are up to double what they actually draw. They take a reading on the DC without any filters and in the middle of the airstream where the velocity is the highest. The 30 micron bag will only stop chips and coarse sawdust. The fine dust will blow right through it. If you are going to keep that machine then an upgrade to a cartridge is a good investment but a better solution to the ones sold by the tool sellers is an industrial filter like this company sells.
http://www.djnuk.co.uk One of the other forum members wrote about his experiences with them last year and the money he saved.

Capturing the dust from a bandsaw is best done with three points of pickup with 4" ports. One in the lower cabinet, one under the table by the guides and the last behind the upper guides. With a small DC one under the table and one above.

If you don't have a particle counter to check the air a dust mask with cartridges should be worn while you are in the shop or if you are lucky enough to live in a warm climate like sunnybob lots of ventilation will keep the dust levels down. With a counter you will know if you need to wear protection and know how effective improvements actually are.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from ... r&_sacat=0

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CALISTOUK-2-8I ... ty+Monitor

Pete

 

[Maurizio]

Hi Pete,

How effective are those particle counters? I seem to recall reading a paper stating they werent very accurate for wood dust - but I may be confusing myself with particle counters for home air quality.


Chris - one thing that is often not mentioned is that aside from the rating of filtration of the bag, there is another, more important, rating that need to be paid attention to: the rating of sealing of the dust collector. Unless the collector is sealed to the size of the particles all it is doing is helping re-circulate the air. I'm afraid the name for the standard slips my mind - I'm sure someone will know!

 

[Inspector]

The inexpensive particle counters are not laboratory level tools. They will be in the ballpark normally within 10% so are a good indicator that dust levels are changing.

To do it right you would take readings outside your shop for half an hour to an hour to get an understanding of what the air is like there. Then do the same inside when there has been no activity for a day or more to get a baseline of the air inside. Then when you are doing a particular task you can see if the air is staying the same or if it is increasing as time goes by. If it is climbing that can mean you aren't getting all the dust with the DC at that particular operation. If it normally stays at a level in the shop and the counter suddenly starts climbing you might have sprung a leak. The reason for checking outside is that if you have high readings in the shop you need to rule out the variable like a dusty day throwing the readings off. Anyway the gist of what I'm saying is that they do show small changes in air quality but the actual particle count may be off a little.

I haven't used one of the ones I linked as I have a Dylos and the Ministress of Finances would not approve of a second. The Aussies have been playing with the cheap ones for at least a year and find them a useful tool. You'll have to go to the woodwork forum there to find out more.

I came across a paper on the accuracy of low to medium priced meters.
https://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/bitstream/ ... sequence=5
It has a lot in it that is over my head. The PMS7003 sensor they looked at is similar to the one I linked. There is more about them here.
https://aqicn.org/sensor/pms5003-7003/

Pete