Thread: Do the professional woodturners here use powered respirators ?

Saw one (Triton) in Bunnings on Friday... $197 which is the normal price so they should be able to order one in for you

Try Just Tools $199
http://www.justtools.com.au/category468_1.htm

Hope this helps,

Chipman

Personaly i don't i use a face mask at times with certain woods, a face mask is a good thing to use as you never know when a piece is going to fly out of the chuck or a piece breck of as you turn. I must admit that i do not where one full time, i tend to stand to the side when i start up if unsure of a piece. I have been a carpenter for 40yrs in and out of the joinery shop and my health has never been affected by any form of dust, im not going to get into a debate about it. If you feel you need to use respirators then thats fine , i do find them very expencive for a basball cap with a small computerfan passing air over the face, or even so called pro jobs that run from compressors, even the small cartrige ones. i think its down to personal choice. i have an extractor setup but also use a shop vac direct on the work when i sand. thats fine for me. Im 55 and apart from a naff back and lack of hair i have no problems of the resportory nature, and i am on the lathe and in the shop a lot of hours. LB

I'll occasionally use mine at the lathe, but mostly during sanding.

Now, when I was sanding plasterboard joints I definitely wear it and you can notice a BIG difference. No fine dust in the lungs. Also use it if cutting up anything masonry that throws a lot of dust.

I'm glad I have one

Im turning 6-8 hours daily and just starting to sell the odd piece.
Not pro really... semi pro maybe.
I use a Trend Airshield and wear it except when I spin green or wet wood.
(Just a face shield when its green)
Do I like wearing it ? Hell no.
I turn from a sitting position which puts my mug maybe 18 inches from
the toolrest. I was turning a big chunk of oak butcher block into a lazy susan turntable the other day and a minor catch pulled a glue joint apart and a 2x2 chunk just bounced off the shield and into space.
I'm 51 and have all my own teeth and I like the idea of keeping it that way so
a face shield is a must for me.
I need the lungpower because theres a chance I'll soon be drafted into the World Adaptive Bushkashi League or participate in the next Everest Crawl in the Himalayas.
$200 US to protect my boyish good looks and delay the inevitable cough wheeze and spew seems like a bargain to me.
My experience is that I notice the difference between using respiratory protection
and not using it.
I also use an extractor and fan during sanding.
The equation for me is simple... good health and safety means more quality time at the
toolrest and other activities.
tm

I think you'll find that the answer is: "Yes - when conditions dictate it."

I don't think any pro would use one all day every day. There are times when a simple dust-mask is all that's needed and other times when nothing is needed.

Unless you're sanding - which, IMHO, a pro would do as little as possible - or turning a "dusty" wood then I reckon you're doing yourself more harm than good by wearing one. They're heavy and my neck hurts after wearing one for a few hours...

No not all the time but always extraction and often a dust mask and fairly frequent use of face shield cos I like the old mug the way it is "not handsome but unscarred"
and the sight of my blood could cause fainting and also I'm allergic to pain. It HURTS.
AND YES wood dust can be as bad as asbestous and I am not about to put my head in a bucket of tha craop and breath deeply. so there you have it 7 differant feeling on the subject and all along a similar vein . PROTECT YOURSELF WHEN and HOW IT IS REQUIRED or you or loved ones could pay dearly the track for indiscresions. Love your hobby or business for longer Regards WW Wally

Try a Racal AH10 very expen$ive but worth it, I wear one for upto 12hrs at a time and have no problem with them... actually they have an added health benefit for me as I suffer for hayfever I dont sneeze while at work!

As most of the others above have stated, good dust extraction system, almost always a face sheild on the lathe if there is any chance of the job tuning into a missile and it keeps the larger shavings from shooting into your face and eyes, it doesn't fog up like safety glasses. Dust mask if I am sanding or I find the wood upsets me like I did with Australian Cedar which gave me chronic hayfever. I also wear one when I'm the circular saw or belt sander etc.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

I think you'll find that the answer is: "Yes - when conditions dictate it."

I'd agree with that!

I'm not a pro, but I wear mine when roughing out wet blanks, keeps the crap out of my face and from down my shirt, and when sanding, even with the cyclone running, I find it helps a lot.

I have a Japanese buddy here who IS a pro turner, and he too uses the Triton, mostly in the same way that I do, the one difference, he has a homemade fan thing for it, and a long hose that he routes up above his lathe, and out to fresh air, no filter, no batteries

Cheers!

Originally Posted by Stu in Tokyo

the one difference, he has a homemade fan thing for it, and a long hose that he routes up above his lathe, and out to fresh air, no filter, no batteries

I went and looked at a lathe an old turner had for sale here a few months back and he had taken one of those little fan heat units and disconnected the element. The unit was on a shelf that backed onto the wall of the shed, he had cut a hole for it at this location and sealed it around the unit so it drew air from outside. He had then used a mixmatch of ply, silicon and pipe fittings to encase the front of the unit so that it would take a vacume cleaner size hose. He had a basic face shield that his wife had made up a elastic edged hood for so it sealed around his face and neck, the hose connected to the top of the sheild somehow so air was constantly blown over his face and out via the elasticated hood. Again, no batteries.

Thanks kindly for the ideas. Problem for me is I've never liked things attached my head.

At work we're given ear muffs. I don't even like them. At the end of the day My ears and head ache just from the pressure of keeping them on. So, I wear ear plugs.

I find I just can't breathe with those little disposible dusk masks. even the quality ones. Feel very caustophobic.

I don't like the idea of having a hose attached to the workshop constantly, cause I gota be able to move around quickly to all parts of the shed, even though fresh air and no batteries sound like a good idea.

don't know....just a big pedistal fan still sounds attractive, and have the lathe setup partially outside. maybe. Can't be affording to buy every safety device. or might as well forget it. uno.

Maybe fishing, as a hobby, would be safer and have cleaner air.
If I am making ANY kind of dust, I wear my Trend AirShield. Breathe better and live longer.

I am an asthmatic so I always use a filtered air mask of one sort or another when I am working with any form of wood dust. It's not an optional extra for me.

The battery run Airshield is useful on some jobs...mainly when I am outside my workshop and have a dusty job on the go.

Inside the workshop I have rigged up a domestic air filter unit which has an extra large HEPA filter (an earlier model Sunbeam - it was one of the few available at the time) to my facemask via a very flexible medical quality air tube. This hose is supported by pulleys on an arrangement of overhead wires that run the length of my workshop, so I can freely move about.

It didn't take me long to get used to it (lighter and quieter than the Airshield), and I may not look that trendy when I am wearing it, but
I have used this set up for quite a few years now and it works well for me.

AND, I also run a full strength cyclone with pleated filter to remove as much dust as I can before it escapes into the workshop air.

Stay healthy

This may not suit what you are doing,but something similar may help.
I can turn items 300mm long and up to 390mm in diameter which covers most of my turning.
I find all the dust is collected but you still need to clean up the shavings.

Gidgee 1