Shared Shop

dlane

dlane

Active User
Registered
Joined
Sep 27, 2014
Messages
3,123
Hi all, I moved here a year and a half ago to be closer to family and am useing 1/3 of my brothers shop for machine tools . His hobby is making high end wrighting pens and he makes some really really nice pens ,
I knew there was a dust problem when I came out but didn't realize just how bad it really was. I've talked to him several times about building a small shed off the shop and putting his dust collector outside in a shed with no real responce . When he turns collector on there is a cloud of super fine dust that fills the shop, 40x60' it is mostly acrylic and exotic wood dust" the top bag dosn't filter the super fine stuff" and it's a good bag. My main concern is he is breathing this stuff the acrylic is mostly Chinese "who knows what is in it"
The wood comes from all over the world .
When I talk to him about it he says he dosn't have time for shed he has pens to make, the weekends he goes to shows to sell them , he has a full plate with keeping the misses happy and his grown kids problems.
Most of the fine stuff comes from sanding operations, belt sander on lathe rounding the square blanks and
the stationary belt sander.
I've sent him several articles about how bad breathing this stuff is to his lungs , it dosn't seem to bother him.
HOBBY GONE WILD !.
I've been collecting some pretty decent machine tools and would like to use them more often , when his dust collector turns on I leave the shop , when I return every thing has this fine stuff everywhere especially on oiled metal surfaces. I try to cover things up but this stuff still gets everywhere I'll get a pic of the mess and post it shortly . This area is way over priced for me to build a shop in, for that matter everything is overpriced here. I have a spread out in Arkansas with a good shop but moving machine tools half way across the country would be the prob and I'll be stuck out there mowing grass jungle everyday again .
Any suggestions, advice, much appreciated
Thanks
 
Well it sounds like he is doing you a favour by letting him use part of his shop and it means you don't have to build one yourself which sounds expensive.

Have you offered to see if you check out his bag filter to see if it is operating properly or if it can be fitted with another stage? Perhaps you could even offer to pay for an upgrade if it a lot cheaper than getting your own place.

Is it possible to put up a temporary curtain for similar around your equipment area?

Sounds like this fine dust could be a fire hazard as well as a health hazard.

David
 
Always a problem using loaned space. The final answer is a space of your own. If financial considerations make it impossible, then you may have to endure. Maybe you can offer to do the upgrade for him?

I had a problem mixing wood and metal. I solved it by separating the two. The same is true of blacksmithing/welding and wood or metal machining. Not really compatible.
 
Could you put up a wall between your side and his? 2X4 frame with 2 foot between the studs and a plastic tarp and a pre framed door would be inexpensive.
 
Use grill covers over your machine tools.
 
Seems to me that he is doing well by you letting you use his space.
I have a really big central dust collection system with a cyclone and a ton of filters in my woodshop.
It helps, but there is absolutely no way to control and collect dust from sanding machines - you have to use full room recirculation to deal with it. All you can collect is the bulk, the really fine stuff that sprays off the top of sanding and cutting machines goes airborne.

If I let some one borrow some of my space and then they started sending me stuff on how dangerous the dust is, and asked me to move my dust collection system outside into a shed, I would tell them to find a new place.

If his shop is not to your liking, you need to either move your shop, or present him with a plan to make it work, get permission, then go do it on your time and dime so that it does not interfere with his business and does not cost him a penny.

Even if you are paying him rent for the space, it does not entitle you to interfere with his life or business.
 
Thinking of getting him a double window fan to pull out the airborne dust as a temp fix , at least then he won't be working in a stationary cloud breathing that crap.

image.jpeg
He said In the spring we'll move the dust collector outside to a shed. As rite now is his busiest time with pens .
Thanks for all the advice
 
What dust collector make/model is he running? You might be able to buy a canister conversion kit for it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top