Homebrewing and woodworking

If wood can’t get you with a sliver… the dust will quietly assist…
I was lucky, most my wood working was outside… Plywood/OSB and treated woods have chemicals… It become airborne cutting, drilling or sanding… And don’t go throw that stuff in the recreational fire pit either…
I’ve worn glasses most my life and I wouldn’t even consider contacts because of the hazards with being a carpenter…
Hearing? What? I play guitar… alot… There are tones I cannot hear and makes fine tuning the guitar, even passages in songs difficult to do…
If I woulda known, hell, even cared 40 years ago, would today be better? I’d have to believe it would…
How about applying a finish to that wood? There’s another hazard…
Sneezles61

Are N95 masks adequate for wood dust?

Yes… If you do finishing, then the chemical masks that painters use are the next step… they have cartridges that are replaceable…
Sneezles61

Right. I have both types.

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Respirator cartridges are activated carbon to attract target vapors. For oil based varnishes you are only caring about VOCs really so you should get the cheapest cartridge that targets what you are working with instead of the cartridge that targets everything.
When not in use keep it sealed in an airtight container because the filter is still working even though you aren’t wearing it. I use a 1 gallon ziplock bag.
Cartridges with a P100 prefilter are like wearing an N95 mask on top of your chemical cartridge.
Cartridges in general have a limited lifespan and only really work for 8 hours of use. So 16 x 30minutes sessions or 2x4 hour sessions… you get the idea. After that they stop being able to bond with their targeted vapors. Write the date you installed the cartridge on the cartridge as a reminder of how old it is.
All of these cartridges prefer attracting moisture and water to what they should be working on. So if you have a really old cartridge strapped to your face and you are working in wet/humid conditions the cartridges will be dumping what they have capture for the water in the air. In this case it’s better to put on a new cartridge.
The V in VOC stands for volatile. The volatility in this case means that UV or sun light degrades the organic compound. That’s a good thing. It’s good that it’s volatile not bad. You should be more suspicious of strong solvents that are labeled VOC free. Unfortunately most of the great alternatives to VOC paints and varnishes are 2 part resins. While amazing to work with, almost everything that requires a catalyst to work is dangerous and one should take precautions.

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Better than standard dust masks but mostly I use a regular resparator. The N95 let’s the dust around the edges.

I am never clean shaven so none of these masks work as well as they should.

Hmm so I’m assuming this is mostly important for dust with the power tools

I’ve had a full beard all my adult life. Shaved it a few years ago when it started greying. Never had one of those Freudian things. Mask works better. When I was an EMT we were taught that beards negated the efficiency of the masks.

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I’ve seen some nice air filtration setups using a big shopvac

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My Dad woodcarves with a Dremel tool and has for years. He wears a respirator mask with changeable filters and carves in front of a giant dust collector hood to try to mitigate the dust. Even with carving into the dust hood, his shop is perpetually covered in saw dust. :innocent:

:beers:
Rad

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Any time your shaping/machining wood there’s dust… A dust collection system is another great tool for the shop… Mine is not hooked up properly, but I do have it on wheels so I can move it next power tool… If I can keep 75% of the dust collected, I think I’m doing good… I also have an air scrubber… and a close to HEPA rated shop vac to attach to my finish sander with… duct tape!!!
Sneezles61

Anyone care to share pictures or any of their projects?

Part of squeezing a family into a NY apartment.
I built this suspended loft in the room it is in.
The stairs are storage that cannot be seen from this angle. Simple tools, a circular saw and a cordless drill.

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The fabric privacy screen is a new thing as one of my kids is now a teenager.

Do you need permits and such to do things? To a degree… We don’t…
Sneezles61

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That looks good

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It is not a definable thing. We aren’t allow to build rooms without an architect and permission from the condo board. This is more a bed I suppose. No real walls and no interference with sprinkler systems.

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Curious more than anything else… A city north of us is REALLY overwhelming in regards to “control” of what’s happening inside their limits…
Sneezles61

Had my 7yr grandson old out canoe fishing last week up north. He had me stop on some islands to search for pirate treasure. Knocked this out so next time we will find some.

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