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Board hears woodshop dust-collection update; district bought portable collectors amid larger system cost concerns
Summary
Facilities staff described dust-control problems in the high school woodshop, reported purchase of two portable collectors and discussed filter schedules and the high cost of a full ducted collection system.
Facilities staff told the Hiawatha School Board they have purchased two portable dust-collection units for the high school woodshop and described continuing concerns about airborne particulate and system design.
The presenter said staff recently “picked up 2 portable units” and described portable units as having a small cyclone, a large filter and a plastic bag for fine particles; the units are on casters and are roughly two by three-and-a-half to four feet in footprint. The presenter said the portable collectors are more mobile than a full envelope system and can be routed to multiple machines.
Staff warned that a fully ducted dust-collection system would be costly. “We did visit … and we all saw with those prices where you're looking for $300,000 by the time you get to it,” the presenter said. As an intermediate step, the district purchased two portable units and some stand-up units and has kept a stock of prefilters and bag filters to change regularly.
The presenter described ongoing operational issues: large particles sometimes discharge rather than drop into cyclonic collection, suggesting a possible vacuum leak or routing issue; the shop also has three hanging air-cleaner filters that will be checked and replaced. Staff recommended replacing prefilters more frequently than every three months in heavy-use areas and said the prefilter swaps are straightforward and will be handled in-house.
Staff provided other details about equipment and costs: the district's larger CNC router costs about $2,200 to replace and the partial dust-collection purchases and accessories to date exceed $4,000; staff said they are still evaluating available space, electrical circuits and airflow routing as potential limits on any larger installation.
Board members were invited to tour the shop and staff said they will continue troubleshooting, adjust filter-change frequency and explore longer-term engineering drawings and options for a permanent system.
