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Shop-Built Down-Draft Table Ideas
Question
Forum Responses
From contributor B: I bought a salvaged squirrel cage fan from a Coleman furnace (mobile home type) from a local HVAC company. It is a three speed and moves a lot of air. I built a frameless base cab on casters, mounted the fan blowing out the front, and closed off the rest of the front. I screwed cleats, 1" square to set the filter on, and sized cab to fit filters. I used 20 x 25. The lowest was a small micron job with a cheaper one on top then a grid of 1/4” hardboard above that. It took two hours or less to build. I run mine all the time as a cooling fan and ambient air cleaner. From contributor C: I have used a number of shop-made sanding tables, but I've never actually built one. I seem to recall they were just tied into the shop dust collection system with an upside down hood. Instead of holes in the table, one place had a latticework top with the tops of the upper rails padded with carpet to prevent scratching. Your idea, although imaginative, may not work. You'd have to have a fan underneath, blowing up, to overcome the natural effect of gravity. Then, your hood would have to pull a ferocious vacuum or the dust would be all over the shop. From the original questioner: Rockler offers a kit for this. I strongly prefer to build mine with a Leeson or Baldor motor. I suspect they use an impeller, like on a dust collection system. I have also seen the squirrel cage used. From contributor E: I’m a woodshop teacher in a high school and I had students build one in our shop and it works great. The link below takes you to the plans that we used and modified to meet our needs. It sounds a lot like what contributor B described. Just get in touch with a local HVAC shop and you can probably get a used blower pretty cheap. Related Web Site: Downdraft Sanding Table From contributor F: I do not understand your statement about buying with after tax dollars - plus the 25% taxes. I buy tools with before tax dollars, write them off and save on average 1/3 of the intial cost on income taxes. That makes my $1495 plus $110 shipping, table cost about $1100 after taxes. From the original questioner: To contributor F: Perhaps I am wrong or perhaps part wrong. You save by writing it off but you are still paying for the item with after tax dollars. The $1605 didn't make it in your pocket free and clear. From contributor G: I built one similar to the one contributor E mentioned, using a free blower from HVAC friend. The only modification I eventually made was to take out the filters and have the blower output going to a shuttered vent from Grainger. Now the stuff simply blows outside, with no cleaning of filters. Would you like to add information to this article? Interested in writing or submitting an article? Have a question about this article? Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below? 
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