Building a storage shed

Posts Tagged ‘woodworking’

Yeah, the whole reason / thinking behind it is twofold.

#1. LOML wants to park the car in the garage.

#2. I measured out what I am currently working in, because the garage has all the lawn and garden, BBQ, camping gear etc… and I am currently squeezed into 10′ x 10′ working space. 12×16 would feel cavernous, and with it being a dedicated space, I could actually keep LOML from moving her flower pot projects onto my workbench…

Both my city, and my HOA want engineered drawings for the project, which I cannot provide without either hiring an engineering firm, or buying pre done plans. Which brought me to http://www.barnplans.com/minibarn.html and while there are cheaper plans out there, this is one of the few commercially available plan sets that meet the standards.

I talked with a friend of mine that recently put up a larger version as a garage, and his ran $5,000.00 or so with a poured concrete slab, insulation, and electrical.

Another advantage of this particular plan is ceiling height. At least in the 16×24′ size it has an 8′ ceiling before the supports for the loft.

I figure I am going to have to chuck my quarters into a REALLY big jar to get this done…

12×16 = 192 sq ft, plus the loft, which I figure I will build out to 12×12. Max out as much area as I can while still allowing for passing larger material up. I have a Window unit AC that the box says is good for 400 sq ft, I plan on using that, and my radiator for climate control, bringing 60 amp electrical service in, and insulating the snot out of it…

A couple of items that are going to push my cost up, and I am bargain hunting for those are…

#1. Windows. Since I am in a coastal county, my new install windows have to be rated for Category 3 hurricanes.
#2. Siding. I don’t want to mess with it once it’s on, so Hardi Panel here I come!
#3. Peg board line all the walls. If I want to hang a hook somewhere I am going to be able to!

Woodworking Patterns and Templates increase your skills dramatically. Once you make the woodworking templates, you can use them many times over the years. Since these patterns are shop-made, there cost is very low.

After you gain some experience, you can make nearly any Pattern or Template that you want. With a little guidance, you will find it easy to do. Most of these patterns are FREE, unless you desire a pre-made template.

The Woodworking Patterns & Template List:

Baby Crib Templates Baby Crib “Spindles” Featherboards Miter Gauge Enhancement Push Shoe Router Table Insert Plate Table Saw Custom Blade Guard Threaded Inserts on Edge How to Make a Template: Porch Glider – Update

Baby Crib Templates

A baby crib is much easier to make when you have Woodworking patterns and templates. In the picture below, you can see that the crib Top Rail has curves in it. The crib spindles fit only if the Bottom Rail matches the Top Rail. Why not have templates to make those curves?

I have a Gift for you – Free! on making a Baby Crib. Go to Free Gift.

Baby Crib “Spindles”

Are you a wood-turner?If not, you can still make attractive “spindles” for your Baby Crib. These woodworking patterns and templates allow you to make these nice spindles.

There are more ideas on spindles in the Baby Crib Templates Page.

Featherboard

Featherboards make excellent Woodworking patterns, and you can build several of them. They are easy to make, saving you a lot of money. I think they are better than the store bought kind. You will love having these ready for your tablesaw, bandsaw, or router table.

Table Saw Miter Gauge Enhancement

This sub-fence is easy to make. It adds stability and precision to your crosscuts. Take the time to make one. You will never regret it!

Push Stick or Push Shoe

Here is an explanation of the differences between a Push Stick and Push Shoe. You can make a Push Shoe in short order. This adds protection to narrow rip cuts. You should have this safety and precision in your woodworking repertoire!

Router Table Insert Plate Template

This page shows you how to make your own Insert Plate template. You can mount your router anywhere on your Router Table Top with this shop-made template. It is easier than you think!

Table Saw Custom Blade Guard

You can make a Custom Blade Guard for your table saw. This template molds the Lexan sidepieces for the custom blade guard. Once you make this template, you can make custom blade guards for your fellow woodworkers.

How to Center Threaded Inserts on Edge:

This is an excellent Woodworking patterns jig. It is difficult to center a hole on the edge of a board. It is needed for some knock-down furniture, such as the Transitional Baby Crib. I tried using a drill press with its table tilted 90-degree. This template makes it easier.

The picture shows a Template to center a 3/8″ pilot hole on the edge of the Youth Bed Rail. This piece is 3/4″ in thickness. Since the hole is 1 1/2″ deep, it must be on the centerline. Once you make the template, you will find many uses.

It is nothing more than a 3/8″ centered hole on piece of wood that has a 3/4″ rabbet. The rabbet fits the edge of 3/4″ stock and centers the drill bit. The thick piece of wood helps you keep your drill in a 90-degree position. It is surprising that something this simple can be so practical!

How to Make a Template:Porch Glider – New Woodworking Patterns

This is an initial template of the porch glider leg. You can make one of these! The original plans call for a short backrest. It looked awkward to me.

You want a taller backrest for support when relaxing. It is nice to have lumbar support, as well. However, you don’t want the back to be too vertical.

The back legs are the legs and back angle all in one. You want to design this to fit your body. I transferred this design from my dining room chairs.

You take a long piece of paper and tape it to 1/4″ plywood. Use this to trace the shape. Once you trace it, take graph paper and slide it between the paper and the plywood. Now take a pencil and transfer the pattern to your plywood.

Since the back legs of the porch glider are 2 1/2″ wide, you trace the same shape 2 1/2″ apart. Remove the tape; slide the paper over 2 1/2″ and trace again.Take a can lid to make the round top and bottom.

In the case of the back legs for this Porch Glider, it looks like the template is too straight at the top. Let’s try again.

Take your original template and place it on another piece of 1/4″ plywood. You trace the original template onto 1/4″ plywood, except for the top lines. Then you make a little more slant at the top, using a straight board for both lines.

If it looks okay, you are ready to cut the new pre-template.

You can make a prefab to test how it sits. Make any changes prior to creating your final templates.

All of the template pictures for the porch glider are on the Porch Glider Plan Page.

Here are a couple of pictures of the templates to make the basic Structure.

More Woodworking Patterns & Templates forthcoming

Woodworking Jigs assist woodworking equipment to reach their full potential. You can Bandsaw circles free hand. If you want two of them the same diameter, you’ll need a jig.

The point is quality jigs help you become a quality woodworker. And your skills will increase as you make these woodworking jigs!

A good jig allows quick set-ups, and efficient cuttings. With a superior jig, few mistakes are possible and not much skill is required for good results. Can you ask for more?

Some jigs take time to make. A machinist square is necessary to insure proper alignment. Once completed, you can use them repeatedly. This is an excellent reason to use first-rate materials and take time to align the pieces.

Many woodworking jigs have inherent problems.I made this simple mortise jig years ago. Here is what I found:

1. You cannot lock this jig to your workpiece. If the wing nuts loosen slightly, the jig drops a little, and you lose consistent depth of cut.
2. You must use a different router bit depending on the width of the mortise – more error potential.
3. Any error allows mortises that are not perpendicular to the joint surface. This makes open joints and twisted assembly.
4. It is limited to boards 3/4″ in thickness. Do you make several jigs depending on your workpiece?
5. You cannot cut a mortise on the face of the workpiece, such as a porch glider.
6. You cannot precisely set the length of the mortise.
7. You cannot duplicate multiple mortises.
8. Why would you want to build an inferior jig?

Superior Woodworking Jigs

Mortise Jig With this mortise jig, a plunge router with two edge guides will lock the tool on the work.

You can rout a mortise in less than a minute.

You can rout a mortise on multiple pieces in exactly the same place and depth.

This mortise jig will bring a smile to your face.

Tenon Jig This Tenon Jig is easy to make.

Along with the Mortise Jig, you can instantly have a mortise and tenon joint that fits snugly and aligns correctly.

With this jig, the cutting results are excellent, the process fast, and guaranteed safety. All that you need is a little patience to make this jig.

I read an article by a well-known publication. It said, “Despite the best efforts of many imaginative woodworkers (which have created some real humdinger gizmos), we have yet to see a reasonably simple and affordable jig or method that enables the router to cut tenons as efficiently and accurately as the tablesaw or bandsaw.”

I disagree! This gizmo (jig) leaves tenons made with a tablesaw or bandsaw in the dust! Don’t take my word for it. Read the testimonials at the links below!

Unsolicited Testimonials: A Fellow Woodworker gives his testimony after building and using the Mortise & Tenon Jigs. Read his story here!

Here is another woodworker, who actually built the Tenon jig and his results!

With the correct jigs, you too can make excellent joints quickly and easily.

You will need Adobe Reader (the latest version is recommended) installed on your computer in order to open and read the pdf files. You can get Adobe Reader here (a new window will open so you can download without leaving this page).

Baby Crib Spindle Jig Are you a wood-turner?

If not, you can still make attractive spindles for your Baby Crib.

It is worthwhile to use this jig to make these “spindles”. They look real nice, and they are all the same. You will find more detail in the link above.

A fellow woodworker took this jig and made some nice looking spindles. See his picture and a report at the link above.

Inlay Jig Woodworking inlays are a great way to create a distinctive look.

Invest a little time and money learning to make inlays. Your skills will increase, and your confidence will soar.

Dovetail Jig Review Dovetail joints are strong and resist pulling apart. That is why they work extremely well for drawers. You can use them on cabinet doors, legs and rails.

Most woodworkers question which Dovetail Jig makes the most sense. This review will provide answers.

A woodworking jigs extra.

Router Plate Insert JigDid you know that you can make your own jig (template) for a router table insert plate? It is easy to do. You will have the template any time you want to change your top.

Woodworking jigs are a necessary part of any woodworking shop. They are great for repetitive tasks in many wood working projects. They make complex projects easier to manage and faster. You can purchase pre made jigs or make your own. Although they are inexpensive, making your own from scrap wood is even cheaper. Depending on the type of projects you like to do, you will need a variety of different jigs.

Types of Woodworking Jigs

Dovetail jigs are great for making dovetail joints accurately. These can be purchased relatively inexpensively. Another option is to make your own dovetail jig. You can find templates for making your own jigs on the internet or in most stores that sell wood working supplies. Many of these templates allow you to make up to twelve different size jigs.

You may want to puck up a dovetail bit for your router and a dovetail saw. These are great tools if you intend to make your own jigs. Templates allow you to make variable spaced or fixed dovetails for a variety of projects, including cabinets, drawers and small boxes. Some systems come with bits and templates together in one kit. These save money compared to purchasing the components separately.

Dovetail saws are used to cut not only dovetails, but other fine joints for projects. The blades on these saws are thinker than other saws. This allows for greater accuracy. It’s important to purchase a good quality tool for making tight joints and professional looking projects. Look for about fourteen to seventeen points per inch in a good quality saw.

A dowel jig is used for making quality, consistent dowels. If you are using a thick timber, get a self centering jig for better accuracy. There are a variety of sizes from a quarter to one half inch. Complete kits are available that include the dowel jig with several hundred dowels in a variety of sizes. Glue is sometimes included in these kits.

A kreg jig is great for cabinet making. Perfectly positioned slides are necessary if the movement in the drawer is to be smooth. Using kreg jigs save time because you won’t need to measure and mark the spaces for drawer slides. These make it easier to mount metal drawer slides. They can be used for center, bottom or extension mounted drawers. This is an inexpensive, yet versatile piece of equipment.

Making Woodworking Jigs Yourself

Making your own woodworking jigs saves money in supplies. Use inexpensive materials and scrap pieces of plywood for making your own jig. Since you use the jigs for one project only, you don’t want to spend much on materials. If you plan to re use your jigs, use a stronger hardwood to make them.

You can find instructions for making your own jigs in woodworking books or magazines. Instructions are also available on the internet. You can print these out for future reference. Consider getting a good binder to keep your jig making instructions organized in your workshop. Using plastic page covers will protect the instructions from getting dirty, ripped or damaged.

Woodworking jigs are a necessary part of any woodworking shop. They are great for repetitive tasks in many wood working projects. They make complex projects easier to manage and faster. You can purchase pre made jigs or make your own. Although they are inexpensive, making your own from scrap wood is even cheaper. Depending on the type of projects you like to do, you will need a variety of different jigs.

Types of Woodworking Jigs

Dovetail jigs are great for making dovetail joints accurately. These can be purchased relatively inexpensively. Another option is to make your own dovetail jig. You can find templates for making your own jigs on the internet or in most stores that sell wood working supplies. Many of these templates allow you to make up to twelve different size jigs.

You may want to puck up a dovetail bit for your router and a dovetail saw. These are great tools if you intend to make your own jigs. Templates allow you to make variable spaced or fixed dovetails for a variety of projects, including cabinets, drawers and small boxes. Some systems come with bits and templates together in one kit. These save money compared to purchasing the components separately.
Dovetail saws are used to cut not only dovetails, but other fine joints for projects. The blades on these saws are thinker than other saws. This allows for greater accuracy. It’s important to purchase a good quality tool for making tight joints and professional looking projects. Look for about fourteen to seventeen points per inch in a good quality saw.

A dowel jig is used for making quality, consistent dowels. If you are using a thick timber, get a self centering jig for better accuracy. There are a variety of sizes from a quarter to one half inch. Complete kits are available that include the dowel jig with several hundred dowels in a variety of sizes. Glue is sometimes included in these kits.

A kreg jig is great for cabinet making. Perfectly positioned slides are necessary if the movement in the drawer is to be smooth. Using kreg jigs save time because you won’t need to measure and mark the spaces for drawer slides. These make it easier to mount metal drawer slides. They can be used for center, bottom or extension mounted drawers. This is an inexpensive, yet versatile piece of equipment.

Making Woodworking Jigs Yourself

Making your own woodworking jigs saves money in supplies. Use inexpensive materials and scrap pieces of plywood for making your own jig. Since you use the jigs for one project only, you don’t want to spend much on materials. If you plan to re use your jigs, use a stronger hardwood to make them.

You can find instructions for making your own jigs in woodworking books or magazines. Instructions are also available on the internet. You can print these out for future reference. Consider getting a good binder to keep your jig making instructions organized in your workshop. Using plastic page covers will protect the instructions from getting dirty, ripped or damaged.

• A Diy Guide On Woodworking Jigs
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Tags: diy, Home Improvement, jig, machinery, power tool, safety

Wooded acreage filled with trees is one of nature’s beautiful scenery. Those trees are a wonderful gift for woodworking enthusiasts. Wood is a never ending supply as it can be replenished. Lumber from trees represents every conceivable object that man can dream and create with his hands.

Today we will focus on how to build a beautiful shed with wood. The first question that comes to mind is what type of wooden shed is to be built?

As you look about your property consider the purpose and the function that is expected of that building.
Are you building a simple lean to for storing a few garden tools, or a love project such as a play house for your son or daughter, a greenhouse for your better half, or a more elaborate shed to house office space for a work at home person, or a study room for a student?

Perhaps, your hobby is landscaping and you wish to add a cottage type shed duplicating the architecture of your house, and it would be located at the end of a winding pathway, over the bridge, into a covey surrounded by weeping willow trees and an assortment of your favorite flowers.

As you think about how to build a shed with wood here is a list of other considerations.

Wood Choices:
There are many wood choices available. There are about a hundred varieties of woods. Lightwoods would include pine (most commonly used for shed construction), ash, birch, maple, and poplar. Red woods of cedar (excellent, but expensive), cherry, mahogany, and red oak may be considered. Brown woods of beech, oak, and pecan may be used. Lastly, dark woods of mahogany and walnut.

The wisest and the best decision for choice of woods is to follow advice from your local lumber professional as they would be familiar with the best woods for your project in your local community.
Exterior Finishing:
Much of the lumber that you will prefer will be pressure treated. If not, it would be advisable that you use weather proofing stain on natural wood. You may also want to consider sealing, stains, and/or coating with polyurethane for natural woods. Paint is economical and offers wide choice of colors as needed for your children’s playhouse or the duplicate cottage shed matching the family home.

Exterior trim can be added as well as flower boxes and other types of exterior decorations.

Roofing materials:

Roofing materials are determined by the pitch of the roof. A roof that doesn’t leak is very desirable. A flat roof can use felt, metal or plywood decking. These same materials can also be used on a pitched or gabled roof. Other materials to be used are wooden shingles (cedar is a favorite), clay tiles, felt tiles and the new green roof is growing grass or plants of low maintenance offering a very natural appearance. Read manufacturer’s recommendations to make the most practical decision and also consider the life of the roof.

Doors:

Single, double, simple lift up, and roll up.

Windows:

Windows are available in many shapes and styles. Selections would include square, octagon, single hung with or without screen, crank out jealousy with or without screen, louver window shutters, transom windows, skylights – vented or not.

Tools:

Shed blueprint or shed plans, level, framing square, hammer, electric saw, electric drill, paint brushes, paint sprayer, paint, stain, smooth and rough galvanized nails and screws.

Shelving:

Construct your own shelving from your favorite woods or purchase pre-manufactured light weight shelving of metal, or industrial weight. Or you may prefer a shed rack. Corner shelves are available which will utilize more storage space. Consider polyurethane coated shelves. Design your shelves and workbench according to your needs.

Are you ready to get started? Visit http://www.infotrish.vpweb.com/ and get your free copy of shed and woodworking plans.

Wouldn’t it be just great if you could find free shed designs and free shed floor plans for building that outdoor storage shed you have been thinking about since last winter? Fortunately, finding free shed designs and woodworking plans to do your home projects is simple. After considerable research and review, I have discovered a great website where you can not only obtain thousands of shed and woodworking building plans and designs, but where you can download a free set of plans for building a great outdoor structure.

Yes, that’s right. Free shed designs, free shed floor plans and free building plans. These are complete plans for building an entire outdoor shed or garden building. In the next few minutes you can change the way you build outdoor structures by accessing proven step by step instructions and woodworking guides just in time for your next weekend project.

In addition to the free set of plans, there are over 12,000 woodworking plans for building everything from barn sized structures to gazebos and arbors. These plans are packed with full blown detailed illustrations, materials list, step by step building instructions, roof plan and rafter details, and everything else you will need to build a quality outdoor structure. You can not only save money by building it yourself with a quality set of plans, but can also construct a great structure which will have you the envy of the neighborhood.

For the weekend warrior and home handyman, free shed designs, as well as comprehensive shed building plans are available online, which you can access by clicking the link below. These plans provide plenty of options to customize your shed to almost any situation. Every shed plan is ready for instant download.

Discover some of the best plans for building a storage shedwhich include step by step instructions, blueprints, guidelines and woodworking tips written by a master of woodworking and design. Whether you are building your first shed or your tenth, whether you are a beginner or seasoned woodworker, you can create amazing outdoor structures with help from the experts. To tap into this woodworking expertise and to download your free shed building plan, visit ShedBuildingPlans.Info today.

Well now that you have decided you want to build a wood shed, there is actually a few more decisions you still have to make. One such decision is how big are you going to build your shed, how much space do you have to build it, what kind of material will you be using to build your shed, do you have all the tools you require and how much the whole project is going to cost you. Most of these ask you to have the plans first in order to be able to figure out exactly what it is you require.

Complete wood shed plans should have all the details you need to construct a sturdy and rigid structure. One of the best and the most cost-effective ways of getting the right outdoor building you require is to always build from professionally designed shed plans. Don’t just go for the cheapest plans you can find. You know what they say about cheap stuff. Trust me you don’t want to wake up one morning after a storm and see your shed flattened out. Think of all the time you spent building it, now you have to do it again.

There are also some large directories on the internet that have huge databases of shed plans that can save you a lot of time wasting your precious time seaching on individual manufacturer web sites. You can also try looking for books of shed plans and garden building designs on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble or any other book selling websites. This is a great way to get ideas, tips, and good building strategies.

As already mentioned earlier wood sheds come in a lot of different sizes. It all ends up being a personal decision of what exactely you want. The bigger the stuff you want to store in the shed, the bigger your shed is going to have to be. However it may not be the size of the items you want to store as much as the amount of stuff you want to store in there.

You may find that you do not even want to store stuff in your shed, its very possible you want to grow plants or enjoy some other hobby such as sewing. In this case the smaller sheds will be a better bet for you, they are cheaper to just buy the kit or pre-made at the hardware store. When you dealing with the larger sheds, that’s when you should start to consider constructing your own wood shed. You will find it cheaper than actually going to purchase one from a hardware store.

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Barn Plans

1. About the Country Building DirectoryBuild a small, inexpensive pole-barn with a loft. Then add garages, a garden shed, a tractor shelter, horse stalls, a run-in, a workshop or a woodshed to create your ideal backyard building

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21. Shed Plans and Building Kits: Storage Sheds, Tool Sheds, Garden Sheds, Potting Sheds, Tractor BarnsFind the perfect new storage shed, garden shed, pool house, lawn tractor garage, cabana or small barn for your backyard with the sheds, shed plans and shed building kits on these websites.

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42. The Louisiana Country Home and Building GuideYour source for Louisiana country home, barn, cabin, garage, shed and garden building plans, kits, contractors, hard-to-find building products and helpful resource links.

43. The Maine Country Home and Building GuideYour source for Maine country home, barn, cabin, garage, shed and garden building plans, kits, contractors, hard-to-find building products and helpful resource links.

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DIY Dust Control Devices for the Home Wood ShopCONTENTS:

ForewordDisclaimerThe Hazards of Wood Dust and Where It Can Be ControlledWhy You Need More Dust Control Than Is Obtainable With Dust Collectors AloneSanding Downdraft Table — With FREE Downloadable PlansRoom Air Filtration UnitHow Much Filtration is Necessary for Your Shop?Original DIY Room Air Filtration UnitRoom Air Filtration Unit — Bigger And Better — With FREE Downloadable PlansDIY Ducting and Machine Connections for Dust Collection

Foreword:

Effective control of wood dust is an essential element of any woodworking shop. Inhalation of wood dust can cause serious health problems and the woodworker must minimize exposure to this hazard.

DISCLAIMER:

The reader assumes all responsibility and liability associated with the hazards of woodworking. The author has no control over how a reader will act as a result of obtaining information in this article. The author shall not be responsible for any errors or omissions that may be present in this article. Accordingly, the author shall assume no liability for any damages or harm incurred by a reader or any other person as a consequence of any information presented in this article.

This article is directed toward a hobbyist audience and is not intended for application in a commercial, institutional, or industrial setting. Commercial and institutional woodshops are generally governed by a complex set of worker safety regulations, such as those mandated by OSHA. Satisfying the compliance of such regulations is beyond the scope of this article.

THE HAZARDS OF WOOD DUST AND WHERE IT CAN BE CONTROLLED

There are generally three “points” at which wood dust can be controlled:

1. At the source;2. In the air (airborne dust); and3. At the point of breathing (mouth/nose).

Minimizing dust at the first point, its source, is the preferrable and most logical means of control, as this prevents the dust from being distributed around the shop in the first place. This is most effectively accomplished by using a good dust collection system. A dust collector, which is essentially a specialized vacuum cleaner of sorts, draws dust away from its source in woodworking machinery. Hoses are connected to the woodworking machines to collect the generated dust. The dust is drawn into a filtration system, typically a filter bag or cannister, where it can be routinely emptied. Dust collectors are rated by motor power (in HP), and by the volume of air that can be passed through the machine (cubic feet per minute – CFM). Dust collectors are also rated by the smallest diameter of particles that can be trapped in the filter, the diameter being expressed in microns. One micron is 1/1000th of a millimeter. The lower the number of microns stated, the smaller the particle that can be removed (and the better the system). Ideally, your system should be capable of filtering down to 1 micron, and there are many such models available at reasonable cost.

The second point of the dust problem is when some of the dust becomes suspended in the air. This creates a breathing hazard, and also results in contamination and a possible fire hazard when the airborne dust settles onto surfaces. Airborne dust can be removed to some degree by using room air filtration devices.

Abatement at the third point can be accomplished by means of a good respirator mask. The cheap paper dust masks found in stores offer little protection; they can allow dust particles up to 30 microns or more in diameter to pass through. Avoid these and purchase a high-quality NIOSH/OSHA approved filtration mask capable of filtering particles down to 1 micron or smaller. These can be purchased for about $30-$50. The better masks have replaceable filter elements. AO Safety makes high-quality respirators that are readily available from many tool suppliers. If you do any finishing, consider purchasing a mask that also filters mists and fumes. Don’t forget to keep an extra set of replacement filter elements on hand.

This article will provide some design guidance for building a sanding downdraft table and a room air filtration unit. These devices will help remove some of the dust found at the first and second points, respectively.

Keep in mind that these devices will not remove all of the wood dust from these points, and that they should never take the place of a good respirator. A safe woodworker will take steps to control dust at all 3 points.

WHY YOU NEED MORE DUST CONTROL THAN IS OBTAINABLE WITH DUST COLLECTORS ALONE

While a good dust collector is capable of removing the majority of dust created by many woodworking activities, there are some instances where a dust collector cannot remove it all, or it is difficult to attach to the work area. This is the dust that “gets away.” Perhaps the best example of this is the dust created by sanding.

Sanding is a task that generates large quantities of fine dust that is comprised of wood particles and ejected abrasive grit. Due to the inclusion of abrasive particles, this kind of dust is particularly dangerous to breathe. My sanders have dust bags, neither of which is able to catch more than a fraction of the generated dust. The majority of this dust finds its way into the air (and onto everything in sight). What is needed is a means of limiting this airborne dust.

Sanding Downdraft Table

A sanding downdraft table is essentially a work surface that incorporates a means of drawing away sanding dust for collection. A downdraft table can be as simple as a box with a pattern of holes drilled into the top surface. The box is airtight, with a vacuum or dust collector coupled to it. When the vacuum or dust collector is activated, air (and the accompanying dust) is drawn away from the work piece during the sanding operation. The dust is sucked downward through the holes in the surface and into the vacuum or collector.

If you don’t have a dust collector to attach to the downdraft table, you can build a self-contained downdraft table. The design of the table top is similar to that discussed above, except that a filter and blower are incorporated into the device. An old furnace blower fan and some good 1-micron furnace filters (such as 3M FiltreteTM) work quite well. The filters can be periodically removed and vacuumed clean.

Below are some photos of a self-contained downdraft table I built recently:

Kevin Brady’s DIY downdraft table. Constructed from 1/2″ MDF. Mounted on casters for mobility. View of the top surface. Top is 1/4″ masonite bonded to 1/2″ MDF. Inside view of the downdraft table. Dust is drawn downward and settles into the dust collection compartment on the left side. View of the dust collection compartment and filter. Accumulated dust is easily removed with a shop vac.View with blower housing cover removed. Filter is easily removed for cleaning or replacement. Downdraft table is powered by an old furnace blower. Grooves routed into top surface to provide a better path for moving dust.

FREE plans! Download my sketch in PDF for this downdraft table. (Warning — it’s a rather crude drawing.) Requires Adobe Reader.

Room Air Filtration Unit

A room air filtration unit is a device that draws dust-laden air inward, passes it through a filter, and ejects clean air out. At its best, a room filter is capable of filtering a portion of the dust suspended in the room’s air. It is by no means a replacement for dust collection at the source, and certainly not a replacement for using a good respirator mask. But a well-designed room filter can greatly reduce the amount of airborne dust in a shop.

There are many good commercial room air filtration units available that are designed for small woodworking shops. Jet, Delta, Penn State Industries, and JDS Tools offer decent units for hobbyist use, for around $200-$300 or so.

But why pay that kind of money when you can build your own for a fraction of the cost? For around $75-$100, you can construct a good air filtration unit in an afternoon.

How Much Filtration is Necessary for Your Shop?

This mostly depends on the size of your shop. When HVAC engineers design a heating or air conditioning system for a building, they design based on the building’s air volume in cubic feet, and how rapidly the air is to be cycled through the system – how many times the building’s air is “exchanged” per hour.

When designing a room dust filter, you can apply a similar approach. Calculate the room’s air volume: length X width X height in cubic feet. Then determine how many times per hour to exchange the air. An exchange value of 6 to 8 times per hour is a reasonable rate. More is better, as a faster rate means less dust will accumulate and settle. Let’s do an example.

My shop is in my 2-car garage. The dimensions are 24′ X 24′ X 9′ ceiling height. The volume is thus 5184 cubic feet. I want to design for an air exchange of 8 times per hour. That means I will cycle the entire volume of the shop’s air 8 times an hour – about once every 7.5 minutes.

I must now determine how many cubic feet per minute (CFM) that will be necessary to meet my design requirements. I will be cycling 5184 cubic feet of air per 7.5 minutes, thus 5184 divided by 7.5 yields a rate of just under 700 CFM.

The value of 700 CFM is at an ideal rate of flow. Since I will be passing the inbound air through filters, and since filters restrict the free flow of air, some adjustment is needed in order to determine the rated blower fan capacity. Without getting into the tedious fluid dynamics involved, we can approximate by a factor of about 2 and select a blower fan rated at a free-flowing rate of around 1400 CFM. That will provide an adequate amount of “headroom” so as to yield a realistic 700 CFM under the load of air passing through the filters.

Of course, this is a simplification; there are other factors that will affect the air flow, such as filter size, area of the exhaust aperture, direction of air flow, etc. However, this formula should provide a good estimate. In fact, the blower formula can be simplified as such:

Rated Fan CFM = Room Length X Room Width X Room Height X 3.75

Once you have determined the rated CFM required of your fan, it’s just a matter of buying a suitable fan. You could use a furnace blower, and you might be able to pick up a used one fairly cheap from a local HVAC contractor, or perhaps a yard sale. Another option, one that I had used in the construction of my filtration unit, is to purchase an attic fan from a home improvement center. These attic fans are inexpensive, costing around $25-$30 or so, and are rated for moving 1000 or more CFM.

Original DIY room air filtration unit. Below are some photos of the room air filtration unit I built several years ago:

Kevin Brady’s DIY air filtration unit. The enclosure was constructed from scrap particleboard salvaged from a discarded ping-pong table. Back view of unit, showing filters at the intake. Pull-switch for actuating the blower, a 1500 CFM attic fan. View of filter side, with retaining door open. The unit uses 2 stages of filtering.The first stage of filtering is comprised of two general-purpose furnace filters. Behind the two filters in the first stage is a separator frame. The separator frame is 2″ thick, with wire mesh on each side. Turbulence created within this space causes some of the dust that has passed beyond the first stage to precipitate here. Behind the separator frame is the second filtration stage, which is comprised of a 1-micron Filtrete furnace filter. This stage traps most of the fine dust that has passed through the first stage. Side hatch for accessing the fan. As you can see, a small amount of dust passes through the filters and collects here. This hatch provides access for periodically cleaning the fan and motor.

Hindsight is 20/20.