Traditionally, dust collection for floor sanders consisted of attaching a cloth bag to the exhaust pipe of the sanding machine and taking a "something is better than nothing" attitude. It was better than no collection but it was still very messy, not healthy and left a lot to be desired. Blue Knight Hardwood Floors using the patented Oneida Vac Dust Containment System has thrown that method of collecting dust out the window. Our dust containment system is a totally new and innovative solution to the problem. Dust bags don't work so we got rid of them ! Without a bag, sanding machines breathe easier and there is no back pressure, so dust is picked up at the floor where it should be.
In place of a bag, a super efficient cyclone that attaches to the exhaust of the sanding machine is put in its place. Cyclones are centrifugal separators that use gravity and air speed to separate material from an air stream. The cyclone spins the dust-laden air stream and drops the dust out of the bottom into a clear dust cup. The air stream which now has only a small amount of ultra-fine dust in it, exists the top of the cyclone and goes through a high-efficiency cartridge filter. The filter removes particles down to below 1 micron in size. A pencil point is approximately 100 microns, so there is essentially no dust emission from the filter.The dust that is separated into the bottom cup is carried away by a vacuum pump through a 1 1/2" diameter hose that transfers the dust outside the work area to a 35 gal. drum. The drum uses another small cyclone to drop the dust into a plastic bag. The airstream continues through the pump and through a last filter that removes any fine dust from the air used to convey the dust from the sanding machine. The results allow for a clean surface when preparing your floors for application of stain and finish and further eliminates the concerns for any air bourne dust settling into the finish after it has been applied as was the case with the old bag method.
