# Dust collector or Air filtration first?



## Grizzlyred (Dec 31, 2014)

Hello everyone! I just joined this forum and need some advise. I need dust control in my 13'x26' dedicated wood working shop. Should I purchase a dust collector before the air filtration unit? From what I have read the DC should be first.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

It's essentially asking should I buy a drill or a table saw. Both have very different uses. One mainly keeps the floors clean and the tools empty, the other allows you to breath. 

If I had to choose one first, I'd buy the dust collector ( make sure it either comes with or you add a canister filter) and I'd the go the box fan and furnace filter route until you can build or buy a proper air filter. I've chose to build my own 3 stage air filter, which I did for under 100 bucks. Others choose to buy them.


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## 44260 (Aug 29, 2013)

In my opinion, if you are using any tool (power or hand operated) that makes dust you should be wearing an effective respirator. Then the most effective way to collect dust is at the source (dust collector) either a stationary collector with ducts ran to each machine or a mobile collector that you move around to each machine. Do you have newer machines that have built in dust collection that already have dust collection ports or older machines that do not? Older machines that do not have ports, you need to be creative a design some sort of way to collect the dust to get it to go into the collector hose. If you have newer machines that have built in collector ports you will have to be creative in designing an adaptor to fit the hose to the port. there are some adaptors available on the market that will work but you will probably have to make some of your own.

To answer your question directly, my opinion is, definiately dust collector before air cleaner


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## tvman44 (Dec 8, 2011)

Dust collector and a good mask, then a air filter. :thumbsup:


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Dust collector first. If you could vent it outside you wouldn't need an expensive filter.


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

tvman44 said:


> Dust collector and a good mask, then a air filter. :thumbsup:


Ditto!

Eric


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