I finally saw why my dust collection was killing my finish

Was at a shop in Portland last weekend helping a buddy dial in his new CNC. He had his filter bag changed regular but the fine dust was still everywhere. Watched him wipe down a panel before spray and it hit me - my own setup had the same problem, just never noticed it till I saw it from someone else's bench. Anyone else catch a dumb mistake by watching another guy work?

3 comments

3 Comments

grayc2719d ago

The particle meter idea is solid. I found one on Amazon for cheap, worked great.

caleb26229d ago

Wait did his dust collection have a leak somewhere or was it just the filter not catching the really fine stuff? I mean I had the same thing happen with my setup and it drove me nuts for months. Turns out the bag on mine was letting fine particles through even though it looked clean from the outside. Swapped it for a better micron rated bag and sealed up a few little gaps around the hose connections and it made a huge difference. The real trick for me was running a cheap particle meter in the shop to see what was actually floating around after a cut.

robinj2929d ago

That particle meter idea is actually pretty smart... how much did that set you back though? I've been thinking about getting one but the prices I've seen online are all over the place. The thing is, I swapped my bags too and sealed everything up but I'm still getting that hazy feeling in my lungs after a long day of sanding. Makes me wonder if my cyclone separator is actually pulling enough air to begin with. Did you notice a difference in your meter readings just from sealing the small gaps, or was it really the bag change that fixed it? I'm trying to figure out if I need to throw money at a whole new system or just keep tinkering with what I've got.