Introduction: DIY Shop Air Cleaner
After building my new shop I soon realized that it was really hard to breathe with all the dust I was making. After coughing up a lung I decided to hurry up and make a DIY Shop Air Cleaner before my lungs get caked with sawdust. This is what I came up with.
It is essentially just a wooden box with a blower motor sucking dirty air through a set of filters and blowing out fresh clean air.
If you would like a FREE copy of the SketchUp drawings for this project you can download them from my website by clicking HERE
Materials and Tools used:
3/4 – Sheet of 3/4″ Plywood
CAMERA EQUIPMENT USED:
Step 1: Cutting the Lumber
Using the free plans that you downloaded from my website ( Click HERE if you haven't ), cut out the 3/4″ plywood according to the cut list. I used a hand held circular saw to cross cut the pieces to rough size, then finished them off on the table saw. I like this method because it allows me to break down the pieces to a more manageable size before ripping them to final dimensions on the table saw.
Step 2: Cutting the Specialty Pieces
Now that you have all of your pieces cut, it is time to cut out the the circle for the blower fan, cut out the bottom section, and cut out the square for front air register. You can use any tool you have available that can cut through wood but I used my trusty Black and Decker Matrix with the jig saw attachment.
Step 3:
Now it is time to assemble the wooden box. The construction of the box is very simple, I used glue and brad nails to attach the pieces together. Reference the plans and the video above for details on how I do this and hopefully it helps you figure out how to assemble yours.
Step 4: Attaching the Filter Frames
The filters that I used for this air cleaner measure 16"x20"x1" so I designed my air cleaner to accommodate this size filter. As per the cut list in my FREE PLANS, I cut plywood strips 1" wide and use them to create a frame to house the filters. I measure and mark the locations of the filter frames and attach the strips with wood glue and brad nails. Once I have all the frames attached, I then attach the bottom of the box. This piece has a large square cut out that holds the filters in place but also allows full airflow through the filters.
Step 5: Make It Air Tight
Now that most of the box is assembled it is very important to make sure that the intake portion of the box is air tight. Any type of sealant will work for this but you must not skip this step. It is vital that all air being blown out of the discharge of your air cleaner passes through the filters first. If you have gaps or leaks in your box air and dust will get sucked in and re-circulate back into your space.
At this point you should also install your blower fan and make sure that you seal that as well.
Step 6: Attach the Front and Air Register
Now you are almost done. There are only a few steps left.
Attach the front piece with the 8"x8" square cut out of the center to the box using some more wood glue and brad nails.
Insert the air register into the 8"x8" opening and use the 2 screws that are provided with the register.
Step 7: Install Filters and Turn It ON
Not much left to do except popping in the two filters and installing the air cleaner somewhere in your shop.
I hung mine on the ceiling right above my miter saw because that is where the most sawdust is generated in my shop. I have had mine running for a few weeks now and I have to say that having an Air Cleaner makes a huge difference in the air quality in my shop. I am very glad that I took the few hours it took me to build this project.
Thank you so much if you made it this far.
Please view all of the detailed photos, download the FREE PLANS, and watch the VIDEO for reference.
If you have any questions at all please leave a comment.
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