On Mon, 18 Aug 2003 09:47:47 -0400, "Ben"
wrote:

I have a small basment shop, about 15 X 12. And I really need and air
filter. I was wondering if anyone has ever used the little Shop Vac Air
Cleaner that woodcrafters sells? Would it be enough? It's like the small
protable canester cleaner that Craftsmen used to make. I was laso looking
at the 460 CFM kit from Penn State Industries. Have any of you made this?
If so does it doo a good job and is it loud? I am kinda in a worry that the
Shop vac will not be powerfull enough and a bigger 400+ CFM unit might be
too big. I really could use some advice. Thanks.



Yup. Got the AC465 kit.

The kit consists of just the motor/blower assembly, pre-filter, filter
bag, and enclosure drawing. No switch or power cord.

I got the optional electrostatic filter. No dust worth mentioning in
the shop now, and 99% of what I butcher is balsa, bass, and aircraft
grade birch ply : some seriously fine dust there.

Not _too_ noisy, but I used 6mm luan and 1x2 pine scraps to build the
enclosure so it would be light enough to hang from the rafters - the
combination of motor/blower noise and 'oil canning' of the sides is
just under 'intrusive' when nothing else is running in the shop. If
you use 3/8" or thicker sheet stock the noise should be lower.

When I have nothing else to do I'll add some styrofoam sheet to the
inside of the case walls and add some bracing. Should help a good
bit.

It works best when aligned with the long axis of the shop and over the
dust makers.

I can barely hear the unit when the air conditioner kicks in, and not
at all when any of the power tools are running (yeah, I know . . .
all my stuff is the bench top variety so I don't really have _power
tools_).
g

It is indeed too big for my 10'x10'x18' shop 'by the numbers', so the
draft is noticeable . . . I don't mind staying cool one little bit
down heah in Jawjah.

Pay attention to the filter bag instructions; some care needed to
avoid ripping it open while fitting it to the enclosure. The filter
bag cannot be cleaned, so the electrostatic filter is a good idea.

The AC465 kit is overkill in my small shop, but when it comes to
keeping balsa dust outta me that's just fine.
Cheers,
Fred McClellan
the dash plumber at mindspring dot com