My basement workshop is poorly ventilated, and whenever I do a job that requires lots of sanding, sawing or routing, the air turns hazy with airborne particles. A friend suggested combining a disposable furnace air filter with a standard window fan. Since I had a couple of fans I decided to try it and am pleased with the results.
As shown in the drawing, I position one fan near the machine producing the dust and the other across the shop, facing the opposite direction. This sets up an air current that continually directs the dust particles through the filters. 1 used duct tape to attach the filters to the fans, and I’ve found that occasionally spraying them with Endust dramatically increases their ability to grab dust particles. To clean the filters, I simply vacuum them when the fans are off.
These filter fans are also handy to take along to the job site during cleanup. A pair of them will clear the air in a good-size room in a couple of minutes.
Tom Eckblad, Minneapolis, MN
