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There seems to be some sort of correlation between my guitar building and the perceived level of (saw)dust in not only the basement (ground zero) but also the rest of the house. I say that more sawdust means I'm more happy, but this argument is wearing thin with the rest of the voters.

So I'm curious what my options are and what others do? There are lots of good sites on dust collection so I can figure that out, but what I'm asking is will dust collection solve my fine sawdust problem? I think of "dust collection" really as chip collection, does modern dust collection take care of finer particles as well? Do I need air-filtration as Diane has mentioned? And ultimately do I need to put up some sort of barrier between my workshop area and the rest of the basement? The main culprits are the sanders and bandsaw so my gut is to get some sort of dust collection on those along with something like the Wen air filtration system and then see how things go. The good news is that getting funding passed for this bill will not be a problem!

Thanks for any thoughts

I've got one of these https://www.amazon.com/708620B-AFS-1000 ... 374b3&th=1

It doesn't solve "the sawdust problem" but it does help make the air fit to breathe.

I use the wen air cleaner in the basement shop. It has helped a lot with dust settling on everything down there but not completely. I certainly is critical for me to clear the air I’m breathing even with a mask I feel it in my lungs when I’m going a bit much with the sanding. In fact I got called out this morning for the dust on the washer and dryer but again it’s far better with the air cleaner. I just wipe up the washroom more and try not to leave much else laying around to collect dust

Thanks - those units seem to help with the finer particles. Making some progress will help.

I work in a garage separated from the house by a fairly well sealed exterior door. I don't have a filtration system but I do religiously use a dust collector on my sanders and bandsaw, and elsewhere if I can figure a way to hook things up (routers, drill press, etc.) There does not seem to be a problem with the rest of the house, but there is still a fine layer of dust on surfaces in the shop. So I would start with sealing the workspace well if you can, and getting a dust collector if you don't already have one. Mine is basic, but you can get models that will vent outside, and they may have different levels of filtration. Lee Valley seems to have gone into it in a big way. Bruce W.

Same here, I got all my “sawdust producers” in the my garage, separated from the house with an exterior/weatherstripped door. I don’t have any dust collection but after each session I sweep up the sawdust. I then open both garage doors and use a electric leaf blower to blast all the remaining dust from all walls and surfaces, out the open doors. I don’t open door to the house for a few. Now this jacks up the humidity and temperature, so I do 100% of my fine fitting and assembly in my climate controlled basement. Main house stays dust free.

+1 for the electric leaf blower, if you don't have close neighbors. I's what I do. Even if you can't chase all the dust out, you can move it out of he corners and out from under tools where you can sweep or vacuum it after it settles.

Ha. I blow my garage shop dust into the alley too. I’m always afraid someone will walk by and get blasted.

I might give that a try, having recently bought a skookum leaf blower for - um - blowing leaves. But I hope you are all wearing dust masks when you're doing this?

I don’t generally wear a dust mask blowing out the garage, but it definitely is a good idea. Years ago a doctor told me sawdust is too large to actually make it to one’s lungs, but I imagine it doesn’t do a person’s nose, sinuses, or throat any favors.