Cool home made tool!

[ChrisHerzog]

One of my favorite home made tools in the shop. This is a little off topic post but still somewhat relevant, and also cool!

If you spend a lot of time in your shop cutting wood, sanding, cutting things with your Dremel or even spraying paint, you need to think about making something like this. Basically all it is, is a box with a used blower and motor out of an old AC unit. These blowers make great shop fans but when you install it into a box and surround it with filters that the air has to pass through before it reaches the blower…. You have just built yourself a clean air system for your shop.

I use my air compressor all the time to clean up but it forms a cloud of dust that is unbelievable in a short amount of time. When this blower is on it cleans the air in about a minute or so. Just think how much of that crap your breathing in while using a Dremel or elec sander. Anyway, this is a popular item in wood shops but I thought it could be relevant in your hobby work space.

On a side note, it also works great with a box fan and filter taped to the intake side for smaller shops. I have even seen smaller boxes built to fit a box fan into the inside with filters on both the intake and exit side, hung from the ceiling. There are tons of vids on you tube to watch, go check them out!

 

[DON MAHER]

Great idea, basically a swamp cooler without the water!

 

[Joe Wiebelhaus]

.Basically 8 x 8 panels, breaks down in about 20 min if I need to, I keep rarely used stuff like my bike and treadmill in it.
upper rear show fresh air in, blower box keeps the junk out while painting.
This is located in my garage, plenty of air in and out, no problem.
Minimal fumes, no particulates/dust sticking to everything

 

[Grimracer]

Joe,

While in IL I had a similar setup (Basement) BUT.. placed my blower motor OUTSIED the booth.. in to fresh air. The lighting was above the top plastic sheeting so that to was not in the booth as well.

No sparks, no flash, no boom!

On that note.. anytime I had to use the booth I would have to open the flue on the fireplace or it would down draft the furnace!

Grim

 

[Martin Law]

Joe,

While in IL I had a similar setup (Basement) BUT.. placed my blower motor OUTSIED the booth.. in to fresh air. The lighting was above the top plastic sheeting so that to was not in the booth as well.

No sparks, no flash, no boom!

On that note.. anytime I had to use the booth I would have to open the flue on the fireplace or it would down draft the furnace!

Grim

A simple large box fan framed in outside the booth with a furnace filter in front of it works great to pressurize the booth. I built mine in the basement corner by one of the small upper windows to exhaust the fumes outside. Make the entrance door swing inward to stay shut by pressure when in use but be sure to put the fan switch inside the booth otherwise you can't get out (learned that one the hard way and I think the wife wanted to leave me in there, lol). Nothing too fancy just a bunch of 2x4s, some plastic sheeting, a furnace filter, and a box fan.

Marty

 

[Grimracer]

My door was a full inlet filter.. all switch's to power the fan and lights were on the outsides of the booth.

There was NO power of any kind inside the booth or in the fume area.

Was easy.. Still wish I had room for one...lol

Grim