In a small/home workshop, there’s different sides to dust management. You’ll want to (1) scrub the air clean, (2) control dust at tool level, (3) get tools as close as possible to the collector, and (4) make it all easy to do…so you’ll do it every time. 

Why dust management? Because every time you route, cut, shape, anything with wood, you’re adding bacteria, molds and fungi into the air around you, alongside resins, paints, glues, paint stripper, vanishes, dye, sealants…formaldehyde, copper naphthenate, pentachlorophenol, etc.

Scrubbing the air around you

When dealing with smaller spaces, like workshops set up in winterized garages or any space that’s well insulated, there’s little to no air movement. Unlike outside, dust can and will accumulate in the air. Lighter-than-air particles that have nowhere else to go, they just sit there. 

An Air Filtration System is great for a home/small workshop once you have your main collector set up. This is a tool that will circulate air around your workspace, running it through a 5-micron outer filter and a 1-micron inner filter, collecting 99% of all airborne particles. This way you always return to a clean-air workshop.

A smaller model like the POWERTEC AF4001 retails for well under USD200 (when it’s on sale, under USD130). This model comes with a 3-speed system, 300 CFM, 350 CFM, 400 CFM. At 300 CFM, cleaning the air once every 12 minutes in a 500 square-foot room, or just over 3 parking spots. (Its big brother, the AF1045 tops out at 1060 CFM.)

Controlling Dust at Tool Level

Not everyone has the need or space for a large single-stage collector. The model above is the DC5371, it’s the sister model of the portable DC5372. The specs on this model are identical except that this model swaps out the caster base for a wall-mount attachment. Just to recap though, at 560 CFM, this style of dust collector will vanquish even the largest of vac-style collectors that usually top out at around 150 CFM. 

And, it filters down to one-micron while vac-style collectors usually stop at three-micron filters. Capabilities aside, the first thing to notice is how little space it takes up.

Casters, Getting Tools Close to the Collector

If opting for a smaller-footprint collector, remember that CFM drops the further away you get from the collector. You’ll want to move your tools as close to the collector as possible, especially some of the worst offenders, like belt sanders. 

That’s where casters come into play. Workstations that can be wheeled into position next to the collector not only save space but allow for a dedicated work area next to the dust collector. Just wheel the tools in and out as you use them.

Make it Easy…So You’ll Do It Every Time

Finally, let’s not forget simple small-shop dust solutions like the 70315 2-1/2" Three-Machine Dust Collection Kit. Connect all the tools on one workstation to a single port with blast gates for every tool. It’s one of many dust collection kits available. 

Breathe Safe Folks!