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A small box arrives at my desk , it’s no more than a 5″ cube. Inside the box is a new product from Demo Air Net (shown above in its packaging). A former jet mechanic turned historic-home renovator developed the Demo Air Net to clean and recycle air pollutants including carcinogens on the jobsite. While there are different sizes available, the product we received fits over a 20″ box fan. The company claims that the air net will capture dust particles down to five microns in size.
After I pulled the product from the box, I passed it around to staff members and waited for first impressions. There were many comments, but the most interesting was that the Demo Air Net resembled a laundry bag because the material felt and looked similar.
After a few additional comments, I wrote to my contact at Demo Air Net to get a few answers. The reply included a note from the inventor wherein he explained that the material was “more than just a laundry bag.” In fact, the material progresses through 15 steps, the last of which is a heat cure to 480Ã?° Fahrenheit. It’s that step that locks in the “filtration” properties. According to the company, the Demo Air Net filters down to a micron range of 0.00019685″.
Capturing the dust particles is only a part of the advantages to the end-user. The bags, after being used on the job, are cleaned by washing in a machine at a gentle cycle then left to air dry (the company suggest you turn the bags inside out). Some companies clean the bags daily.
And this is where the wheat gets separated from the chaff. After extensive testing, Demo Air Net realized that there’s a small window of opportunity to both capture a particle of dust and let airflow continue unobstructed. Lesser fabrics are cheaper, but break down under the stresses of the expansion and contraction of washing and won’t trap all the airborne threats that the Demo Air Nets filter.
Demo Air Nets are available from $40 (fits a 9″ round fan) to $290 for the Monster that fits a 42″ shop fan. Check out the available size options at Eagle America, or click here.
An upcoming project is built using mahogany , the red dust spreads all over the shop and is easily seen. During parts of the build, I plan to put the Demo Air Net to the test. I’ll run a few comparisons to other collection methods to see how this product performs. I plan to compare to a simple filter placed on the infeed side of a box fan, as well as allow a dust collector to run during the operation, but I think this method is at a distinct disadvantage given the 4″ or 6″ intake area. If you have a suggestion , a suggestion that I can replicate in the Popular Woodworking Magazine shop , pass it along in the comment section. I’ll be looking.
