Hello!
I should be receiving the LaserBeam somewhere in January.
Was wondering what were your ideas for Fume Extraction for a 30x12 longmill NOT in an enclusure.
The Longmill is in the Garage, i can open the door (may be cold this winter )
Without direct/nearby fume extraction to the exterior, a 40 x 16 room will fill up with non-breathable fumes in just a short while. It will take hours to dissipate even with fans moving it around.
At least an enclosure will allow containment until some extraction can be performed.
I havent setup mine yet. heck still need to install the laser. But that fan you posted is very low CFM( cubic feet per minute), thats more designed for desktop useage. I have used those at one of my old jobs I had that we soldered .
I happen to get a killer deal on something like this (https://www.amazon.ca/SUNSTREAM-Inch-Plastic-Inline-Duct/dp/B07KRPFSZQ)
I have turned it on and it really MOVES air.
I’m also in Canada and I’m not really wanting to leave the garage door open , right now its -1C outside and +8c in the garage(I have home automation and have a temp sensor in the garage) it rarely goes below +5C in the garage even when its -15c outside. And when I’m working on something it actually jumps 2-3c up …
So my plan to keep the garage door closed is to remove one of the Plexi glass windows from the garage door and replace it with a panel with a hole to vent out. HOPEFULLY its not going to be a problem with the neighbors front door which will be about 10ft away.
@webbit_NJ In addition to the advice you’ve received so far, I suggest that you keep two things in mind:
What material will you be burning with your laser? Solid wood, for example gives off fumes much less dangerous than painted ceramic tile.
A good fan will be much less effective the farther away it is from the source of the fumes - the laser itself. (As an aside, this is a big issue with dust/chip collection woodworking machines. The best dust collector in the world is only as good as the outlet port on the actual machine.)
FWIW, WRT to inlet, I use the inlet normally used for my dust collection on the Mill. I can bungee it very close to the project and then I use a fan similar to the one that @digital linked to to move the fumes out of my shop. I agree with @CrookedWoodTex that a good respirator provides protection, but that does not keep the fumes from rising from my basement shop into the rest of the house.
Hi all,
Great advice!
I am now realizing A LOT of “Simple Laser Project” videos on Youtube are not doing it right:
-Open Frame/No enclosure
-Not using facemask
-Not using fume extraction
Also seen:
-Painted Ceramic Tiles projects
-Slate Coasters projects
That will be great once i figure things out with Wood!
I understand the FAN Link I provided was not that great…
But what about filtering the extracted air?
If i am to send a hose outside, does that mean there will be bad stuff/odors, or filters can help for that? (neighbors?)
@Dudley4166 I wouldn’t. I thought of that, too. My DC does not vent to the outside, though. It uses a fine canister filter. Even if it vented to the outside the chips in the barrel or bag would really start to smell.
@webbit_NJ It’s really a question of degree, I think. I run mine through a charcoal filter and while some odour remains, it’s acceptable TO ME. It may not be acceptable to you. I would think that if you have a vent in your garage door and use an in-duct fan to push the smoke out, your neighbours would not notice it. Keep in mind that, along with the smoke, that duct will have a lot of make-up air, so the odour will be significantly diluted.
That said, the fumes produced by laser engraving painted ceramic tiles are particularly nasty, so you will need to try your system out before knowing for sure.
@webbit_NJ I think you just need to play. I’ve done some paper cutting and some mat board cutting. Paper needs such low power that I didn’t smell anything at all. That’s not to say that there were ZERO fumes. I simply didn’t detect them. In fact, when I used a bit too much power, the fumes were coming more from the scorched spoil board beneath the paper than from the paper itself.
Mat board was another story. Whatever dye or stain they used to colour it gave off some reasonably nasty fumes. You may encounter the same thing with cardstock.
Finally, I think it’s fair to say that we cannot burn anything without producing fumes. Each of us has to decide our tolerance to those fumes and take whatever actions we consider appropriate to remove them from our workspace.
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