Official Luthiers Forum!

Brad, your post suggests you are worried about your health. If so, you're getting a lot of bad advice in this thread.

I'm not looking to argue with people. But this is a science, and whether a system is capturing the dangerous particles (which are not visible) is more complex than whether someone subjectively feels their system is doing a good job. The science tells us that there is a certain amount of airflow necessary to capture the dangerous particles. There are formulas that will tell you exactly what kind of system you need to generate that airflow at the tool. Bill Pentz's site has a static pressure calculator that will tell you exactly what system will work given your tools and shop layout.

Things you will quickly learn from Bill's calculator:

(1) There's a big difference between a system that keeps the shop looking clean and a system that keeps your lungs healthy; and

(2) There's just no way to capture the unhealthy stuff without a 5HP cyclone with a 15" impeller and 6" mains. But don't take my word for it -- plug your system into Bill's calculator and see for yourself.


I had a 2-HP cyclone that kept my shop pretty clean. But if I worked all day in the shop, I would wheeze at night and have a few other symptoms. It was not a minor thing -- if my wife was out for the day, she would always be able to tell whether I had worked in the shop much based on my breathing. Since I upgraded to a 5HP ClearVue and made a few modifications to my ductwork based on what I found necessary based on Bill Pentz's calculator, I can work in the shop all day for days in a row without any symptoms.

Math is your friend. Use the calculator.