Woodturning Respirator

Anyone have a recommendation for a respirator to use while turning? Will a cheap dustmask help enough, or do I need something better?

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Im a big fan of these, however there is no telling when that might come back into stock since they are N95 rated. They’re like $16 normally. a cheap dust mask might have to suffice for now.

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Thanks. I’ll keep an eye on it.

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If you have the resources to sew something, there are patterns around for masks that fit better than the cheap dust mask. I would layer them – a nice sewn mask that fits your face (restricting dust from coming around the mask), and the actual dust mask to cut down the dust, and be more disposable.

Or, I don’t know… the stuff on the medical side is talking about microns being excluded. I’m not sure that that is relevant when you’re talking wood dust. I think the better N-whatever masks work better for construction, etc. because they keep dust from coming around the mask. And, since we’re not talking about germs, a properly-fitted cloth mask should do the same.

I’m using an Elipse P100 mask. I bought it at Wood World, where it was more expensive than the link.

23%20PM

The things I like about this one is that it
(a) comes in two sizes; S-M, and M-L (with a sizing guide)
(b) is a P100 filter so therefore traps more and smaller particles than an N95

But ditto what @Lordrook says about unavailability …

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Read the manuals carefully… They work better on a clean shaven face. If you have facial hair you could be in for a surprise when you go blow your nose after a session on the lathe.

Why I prefer the RZ mesh mask. It does a better job sealing sealing on a beard (according to the booger scale). It’s better than a cheapo dust mask but not as good as a proper sealed on a smooth face mask.

The things we sacrifice for beauty :smile:

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Read the manuals carefully… They work better on a clean shaven face.

That is so weird! I had been planning for months to shave off my beard for April Fools’ Day.

It took a surprisingly long for my wife to notice. I actually had to kiss her.

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I bought one of the new RZ masks with the super-filter (M2?). I’ve not ever used it (yet) but was reading the box today. It is rated to N99.

I use the Resp-o-Rator mask. It has a scuba-like mouthpiece, and the air intakes are behind your head.

Benefits:

  • no face seal, so works fine with beard, mustache, mutton chops, and facial hair in general.
  • air filters are behind your head, so intake is further from your workpiece and the debris being created there.
  • once on, you can enable/disable it by simply removing the mouthpiece from your mouth. Will hang stably around your neck.
  • If you’ve done snorkeling/SCUBA-diving, this approach is natural. The device was developed by a SCUBA instructor.
  • fits under a welding helmet. Rear intakes are also nice for welding fumes.

Biggest advantage: it is in stock on Amazon.

Downsides:

  • requires a nose clip which is not super comfortable
  • looks funky
  • a bit on the clunky side for putting on/taking off.
  • if you put it between your teeth (instead of between your lips and in front of your teeth), you’ll end up drooling out of the air output and onto your workpiece.

If you watch this MichaelCthulhu the blacksmith video on YouTube, he discusses one of these which (in addition to spraypainting it brass color) he has modded with a baby bottle to catch his drool (gross, I know). Drooling hasn’t been an issue for me since I use the mouthpiece correctly.

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