How to extract dust while woodturning?

When you are woodturning you will find that a huge amount of excess wood debris and dust generated by carving out the wood, the idea is to extract the dust and debris before it reaches you so don’t breathe it in.

Dust particles are very bad for your breathing and can lead to some very serious health conditions, so making sure the room is well ventilated is a key part of keeping your workspace clean.

Dust Extractors

Dust extractors are a great way to keep the dust level low as they extract the dust from the source and keep it in a bag until you need to safely dispose of it. With a dust extractor, you can mount the hose near where you are woodturning so that it will extract while you are woodturning.

Low priced dust extractors are very widely available on the market and we have even reviewed the best woodturning dust extraction units, As they are priced so low you can have a whole system set up in your garage or small workshop to enable you to work for a long time with no risk of dust getting into your lungs.

Masks

Masks are a great way to keep fine particles of dust out of your lungs however you need to ensure you wear a tight-fitting mask, the cheapest masks out there are the disposable ones which should be replaced after every 8 hours of use. There is also Masks that use a small disposable pad filter that can be replaced without changing the whole mask and these are great because they are light and comfortable.

Fans

Fans are also a great way to keep dust to a minimum; as you can position it next to your work area which will blow the dust away from the work environment. You can buy fans very cheap from any hardware store or supermarket so this is a very budget-friendly option if you are looking to keep the costs down for your workshop.

I would recommend when using a fan to keep the dust away to keep the room well ventilated with an open window or door as you can easily just have a room where the dust particles are getting blow into the air.

Powered Respirators

If you are very sensitive to dust particles and you want a more lasting a professional solution a powered respirator may be an answer for your woodturning needs. A powered respirator uses a small battery-powered blower that sends filtered air into the mask, the inside of the face shield runs under a slight positive pressure so even if the mask isn’t fit on tight no dust can enter the lungs.

The Respirator also works as a shield to flying debris that might happen when woodturning, occasionally excess wood chippings will come at speed if the chisel gets caught in the piece of wood.