which air cleaner jet or powermatic?


tcarswell

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I need an air filter in my shop I'm a perfectionist and I constantly hand sand. However having the shop vac blaring nearby my hand sanding isn't cutting it and I constantly have dust everywhere despite cleaning a lot. I'm down to the jet 1000b and the powermatic pm 1200 . Any thoughts guys ? Or like a lot of jet powermatic items are they very very similar ?  

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The Jet one is very good and goes on big sale fairly often (certainly don't pay that full 370 for it).  I've had no problems finding filters for mine that just pop in. Hanging from chains it's nice and quiet despite a bedroom being directly above it.  No complaints so far. 

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I have the Jet and it works fine but I don't know how much it really helps with fine sanding dust. If you want to get rid of sanding dust in the air you have to get it at the source. This sander is a joy to use and when you pair it with a CT dust is virtually eliminated. Not cheap but it does make sanding suck a lot less.

http://www.festoolusa.com/power-tools/sanders/ets-1505-eq-random-orbital-finish-sander-571916

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I thought about a downdraft table would be great but I sand at my bench. So short of adding another work station I don't have room for I thought I could hang a jet filter right next to my work area . For power sanding I use an extractor and it let's almost no dust loose which is fantastic . For hand sanding I try to keep something near. But a vac hose does little if anything. 

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I suggest rethinking the downdraft. You can fab one to only be two or three inches tall and sit on top of your bench when you need it. Might not work, but worth a dig into the data that can be found. 

Edit: Googled "table top downdraft table" and Bill Pentz addressed the topic. Lots of hits. 

Edited by C Shaffer
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I'll check stumpy nubs next. I like bill pentz I do but when I read his stuff I end up at a crossroads of overwhelmed and basically wanting to unread everything I just read.  Hard to explain. I almost walked away from woodworking early on because I read his dust collection basics article  . 

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Thanks guys for all this fantastic input. I can't find the hand sanding block with dust extraction elsewhere that looks perfect though ! 

Funny you mention that Mike. I had a fella come by to pick up my old 12 inch single bevel dewalt miter saw.  He offered 410 for one of the slabs . I took him up on it for one of the slabs without the crotch figure. I get almost perfect dust extraction with my extractor and power sanders now it's the hand sanding with a block that really stirs the dust. 

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I had bought one of these when I first started woodworking back in 2007. http://www.amazon.com/Ridgid-72957-Portable-Filtration-System/dp/B0026RHATE

 

I keep it near my lathe when I'm sanding my turned pieces, It does a good job of collecting most dust. It's not a super fine filter or anything, but it keeps dust from getting everywhere. The fines that you can't see, well I don't know where they go.

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I think the block in the link is 67 $ 

Well that's cheaper ... I just did a quick Google and that was the only one I saw.  Granted it was 5 seconds of work.

I would think that the advantages of hand sanding would be completely canceled out by having fancy block with a hose attached to it.  Maybe I'm missing something?

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I know what you mean 68 plus shipping is no drop in the bucket!   For me I do hand sanding because it leaves 0 visible scratches when done correctly.  I also lately have been doing a lot of small curved projects . Power sanders do a lot of my projects but for half it's easier to hand sand. 

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Can I toss in my vote for the JDS airtech? That is the unit I have had for a year. I think it was $370 for me last year. Anyways, when I was looking at purchasing an air filter, the JDS moved more air, had an RF controlled remote(dont have to point it at the machine, or even be in the same room), the outer electrostatic filter is washable and does a great job, AND the inner filter was a higher MERV rating. I also want to say there was something off with the Jet's filter size. You had to buy the filters through them and the JDS had a more universal filter size. 

 

Granted, this is 16 month old research with my memory at play here. With that said, I love my JDS, and i think everyone should have an air filter. I know a lot of guys say they are snake oil, but both filters really catch a ton of crap. This is in a shop running a powerful cyclone with tools retrofitted 6" dust ports, overarm TS collector, and using a vac with sanders/routers. 

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Eliminate dust while hand sanding, huh?  Sorry, that problem hasn't been solved yet.

The Festool hand sander is ridiculous.  Trying to sand with the hose connected would be cumbersome to say the least...unless you're sanding a flat surface, in which case you may as well just use the ROS.

The ceiling-hung filtration units are good for cleaning the air after you leave the shop, but they're not doing anything for you while you're creating the dust and it's hitting your face as it travels toward the ceiling.

A respirator is the only solution if you're that concerned about it.  Or do what I do and live in denial.

If you end up with respiratory disease or cancer, just trade a couple of those slabs for some new lungs.

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