Dust Control . . . Making woodworking a healthy hobby

Don't let the hazards of wood dust keep you out of the shop or even worse ruin your health! Dust Control is what keeps this hobby safe and enjoyable for everyone.

If you are an experienced woodworker or new to this hobby there are some new concerns that you need to be aware of that can severely affect your future health.

Every time you cut or sand a board you create a new product...no not that great chair or table...that seriously evil wood dust that lurks and hides in every nook and cranny of your pristine workshop.

The dust that you see is definitely a nuisance because it leaves a fine layer on everything in your shop, gets in the way and totally destroys a beautiful finish on an otherwise perfect piece of furniture and then works its way into the rest of the house affecting the rest of the family.

But are you aware that this dust is not the real danger. Oh, all of the dust is dangerous and bad for you but the fine microscopic particles of wood dust (especially some of the exotic woods and coincidentally most beautiful ones) that you never see and goes straight into your lungs...now that's the dust to be scared of!

There are a couple of steps you need to take to ensure the safety of yourself and family as well as making your woodworking easier overall and cutting down on clean up times.

Dust Respirator
Make sure you find a comfortable and proper fitting respirator that you will use faithfully...it does no good to use it every other time.


Shop Vacuum
You'll need and probably already have a shop vacuum and if this is all you can afford that's fine. They make a set of tubes and blast gates to hook up to all your tools specifically to work with your shop vacuum...plus it's great for cleaning up other messes too!


Dust Collector
If you can afford it at all this is the way to go. These have way more power and filter down to the very tiniest particles to give you the most protection. These dust collectors also hook up to a network of pipes and blast gates then to each tool so that the collector remains in one stationary position allowing you more room to work. You can also purchase remote controls for these dust collectors to allow you to start and stop them from anywhere in the shop...this saves a lot of time!

Don't forget to do some searches on the web for dust control and the health concerns of microscopic dust. I'm not even close to an expert on that so I'll leave that subject to them.

Happy woodworking and good health in your future!

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