This is not a "before" picture!...
This is not a "before" picture! This shot was taken immediately after rabbeting the opposite side of the same disc with the dust collection turned on. Notice the complete absence of MDF dust on the table. The dust is collected as it is created, so there is no airborne dust.
While I was happy to see that the 6" ducting was doing a great job of capturing dust from our table saw and inverted router station, I still noticed that a considerable amount of dust was still covering all areas of the woodshop. As it turns out, most commercially available dust collectors (with cloth filter bags) actually act as a "dust pump," sucking dust from the source, then pumping the finest dust back out through the filter bags. Cloth filter bags are not a good idea for situations in which the dust collector is in the same room where the dust is being collected, which is usually the case with car audio shops. They are very porous in relation to the size of the fine MDF dust particles that we create and pass a large amount of the smallest and unhealthiest dust back into the air. The only point in time when the cloth filters start to filter some fine dust is when they start clogging up, which impedes airflow and restricts suction at the machine. Some commercial dust collectors have incorporated 0.5-micron filters into their designs, but run into the problem of clogging up even more quickly than the cloth filters.
The dust collection system...
The dust collection system from Clear Vue Cyclones is designed for mounting to a wall. The intake is on the left side, and the exhaust is through the filters on the right. More than 95 percent of the dust spins down the funnel shape into a metal dust bin.
The solution to the catch-22 of regular single-stage dust collectors is to incorporate a "cyclone" system that spins the coarser dust and debris into a container before reaching the filters. Unfortunately, most cyclone designs that are marketed towards consumers as "wood dust cyclones" are not effective for separating fine MDF dust and quickly clog up the filters, which is why Pentz's research in cyclone design is so important to us. Pentz's unique cyclone design separates over 95 percent of the dust and debris before it reaches the filters, leaving less than 5 percent of the dust up to the filters. This allows the filters to work effectively for a long time before they need cleaning. Pieces of debris are spun and dropped into the dust bin, never making contact with the impeller (fan) blades, which is an added safety bonus of cyclone separation.
"As it turns out, most com-mercially...
"As it turns out, most com-mercially available dust collectors (with cloth filter bags) actually act as a 'dust pump,' sucking dust from the source, then pumping the finest dust back out through the filter bags."
Thanks to Pentz's hard work and research, an affordable solution is now available to help combat the dust problem that plagues car audio woodshops across the country. Clear Vue Cyclones (www.clearvuecyclones.com) is a company that builds dust collection cyclones that are to Pentz's specifications using a durable 1/8" clear PETG plastic. Believe it or not, theirs is not a solution just for people with businesses; check out the price on their website. You'll see it's even affordable for a dedicated do-it-yourselfer. They also have a great video clip in their "Videos" section that demonstrates the principle of cyclone separation. I have been very happy with the long-term performance of our unit since purchasing and installing it well over a year ago. Many of our industry's top fabricators have visited our shop and have been impressed by performance of the system. My favorite aspect of the system is that emptying the dust bin is as simple as throwing out a trash bag (full of dust) and replacing it with a new bag, which is a nearly dust-free process. This is in contrast to the messy job of "shaking" the dust out of the cloth filter bags into a trash can, then dumping the dust into a trash dumpster which usually sends clouds of dust into the shop and the air.
Since a dust-collection system only works when it's on, I upgraded our system so that it turns on and off automatically when the blast gate is opened and closed at each machine. This makes it much less of a hassle to turn the system on and off with each operation. Other upgrades like our dust collection table, table saw blade guard with dust collection and router table dust port have made working in the woodshop incredibly dust free, efficient and comfortable. When I look back on my early days of woodworking and remember the time when I used to think, "What can you do about all this dust?" I no longer have to shrug my shoulders. Now I know that the answer is: "A lot."