This sawdust myth needs to be debunked!

I hate sawdust which may sound a little strange coming from a woodworker but I work hard to keep a clean shop and that means having a good dust collection system but I learned early on that one of the biggest myths in woodworking is that it's possible to have a completely dust-free shop I've spent years and many thousands of dollars chasing that unattainable goal there was always a bigger vacuum better duct work better filtration more blast skates and fittings and accessories I wasted so much time and money over the years it's ridiculous don't get me wrong I'm not saying you should not invest in a good dust collection system you absolutely should because keeping your shop clean is important for a lot of reasons including safety and that's what a dust collection system does keeps the dust from piling up but a dust collector or a vacuum or whatever you use to keep your shop floors and benches clean is not going to keep the air you breathe clean your tools are still going to put fine dust in that air and that's the stuff you should really worry about the question is how much should you worry about breathing in that fine dust after all we breathe in dirt and pollen and bugs and all sorts of stuff outside the shop every day few people drop dead from it so I'm always a little skeptical when I hear people act as if sawdust is going to wipe out all of mankind starting with us Woodworkers for example I often hear that wood dust is classified in the US as a group one carcinogen the same group that includes cigarettes and plutonium the implication is that your table saw is going to give you cancer I think that's a little misleading don't you I mean steak and whiskey are also classified as group one carcinogens is that going to kill me too I doubt it because I consume those things in moderation and I think that's the key to protecting yourself from fine woodworking dust too I don't worry about stirring up a little dust when I walk around the shop I may even make a cut or two at the table saw without holding my breath but I do avoid immoderate consumption of fine dust and I think you should too because even though I joke I do believe that overexposure to copious amounts of it will at the very least shorten the amount of time you can enjoy this hobby be it because you develop sinus allergies or even severe health problems down the road so it's an important topic but as with everything we need balance and in this video I hope to help you find that prop balance so that you can keep yourself safe and healthy without getting tricked into spending more than you should for equipment that promises more than it can deliver as I said good dust collection systems will keep your tools and your benches and your floors clean and that's important but it will not collect all the fine dust because no matter how much your vacuum sucks our tools are simply not designed for 100% fine dust collection the ports are often too small or too poorly located to pull pull all that dust off a blade that's throwing it at hundreds of miles an hour in all different directions so the best way to protect your lungs is with a dust mask and that mask needs to be properly rated and fit to your face different masks carry different ratings and it can be confusing to make sense at them all usually though they will tell you the size of the particle that it will filter away and the percentage of those particles it'll catch you may have to do some digging to find that but any reputable mask will give you that information you want something that will catch at least at least 95% of anything larger than about a third of a micron or 0.3 which covers pretty much all wood dust this mask for example is Nash approved to filter out more than 99% of anything larger than 0.3 microns masks with and 95 ratings are also common that means they'll filter out 95% of of 0.3 Micron and above sometimes you also see respirators with p100 cartridges that's very similar to this mask and that it will catch over 99% of 0.3 Micron particles but it has the added benefit to being resistant to Industrial petroleum something you're not likely to encounter in a woodworking shop but any of the Nash to proove ratings that I just mentioned will capture the fine dust a woodworker is concerned with however a mask is only as good as it seal I have yet to find regular paper masks that seal well and I find those larger respirators uncomfortable to wear over very long periods in the shop so after years of searching I found this mask the stealth light that is not only very light and comfortable but it also features a rubberlike seal on the back much like a respirator this is by far the best sealing mask I have ever found and I've been using these in my shop for about 5 years now and I'm still a big fan I'll link to them below this video just get one and try it you will see what I'm talking about but that said as some of you may have noticed I recently grew This Magnificent beard and it is just a fact that a beard makes it more difficult for any mask to seal on your face now my beard is pretty short and the Rubber seal on this particular mask does seem to do okay with a little bit of hair between it and my skin but only a clean shaven face can offer you the best protection and that's the price bearded people pay for looking this good masks are simply not going to seal as well so if I'm cutting a lot of really dusty material I'll use a full face powered system like the airshield pro that goes over my beard but that's a whole different animal if you have a beard and something like this is not in your budget just consider keeping your beard short and at least where wearing a mask with a double strap system that will pull it tightly onto your face and seal as much as possible now once you have a well-fitting mask with the proper level of filtration you need to know when to wear it because none of us wants to have something over our face the entire time we're in a shop this is where balance comes in if you have sinus or lung problems you should get your doctor's advice in fact it may be a good idea to run anything I'm saying by a doctor if you have any doubt about your specific Health situation I'm not a doctor I can only speak to what works for me based on my personal experience and opinions personally I don't worry about making one or two cuts without a mask as I said I use a blade guard on my table saw and I have a dust collector running so I'm not showering my face with wood chips I'm sure I do breathe a little bit of the fine dust in the air but I doubt it's much worse than what I breathe when I walk my dog along the corner or wheat Fields by my house but if I'm going to be using the table saw for more than just one or two cuts or a rotor or any Dusty power tool I slip on a mask same with the sander even if I have a vacuum hose attached I wear a mask and I can tell the difference after just a few minutes of working I'm not coughing I'm not digging in my nose for dust boogers later on that's when you know you've exposed yourself to too much dust all of this comes with a caveat though if you're working with manufactured material such as plywood particle board or MDF wear a mask for every cut that stuff is full of all sorts of nasty cancer-causing garbage you don't want to inhale any amount of that finally the most common question I get about dust masks is how do I know when it's time to throw it out or change the filters this one for example has a filter that breaks away from the frame so you can replace just the median instead of the whole thing and save some money you can't put a time limit on filters because it just depends on what you're doing if you're working in a loud of dust the filter will obviously plug up much quicker and as it clogs less air will be able to go through so when you feel like you aren't able to breathe as well as you should maybe it's time to get a fresh filter don't worry a dirty mask isn't going to let more particles through so you'll still be protected if you go a little too long between changes but don't stress out your lungs just to save a couple bucks on masks either I'm a firm believer of having a good dust collection system I made many videos about that but there is no substitute for a good dust mask get one and use it whenever you're making a lot of fine dust but don't freak out about it so much that it takes all the joy out of woodworking as with everything in life common sense and balance goes along way see you next time

Channel: Stumpy Nubs

Views: 167,194

Keywords: woodworking, stumpy nubs, tips, workbench, table saw, scroll saw, drill press, quick tip, band saw, bandsaw, lumber, hack, hand plane, sharpening, tormek, worksharp, diamond stone, water stone, wood turning, bowls, lathe

Id: VcWPaQN1UZg

Length: 8min 48sec (528 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 12 2024