A really easy way to attach the filter to the fan is to use vinyl siding "J Channel". A 1" thick filter fits perfectly in the channel. Remove the intake grill from the fan and using the same screw holes and screws attach the J Channel to the fan leaving one side of the J Channel open so you can slide the filter in.

My mom has had a cough for 10 plus years. Spent all kinds of money, including multi trips to mayo to try to figure out what was wrong. Never could stop it. About a month ago I seen this filter showing up in your videos. I put one in my living room and my sinuses improved. Suggested my mom try one. She did and her cough is gone. Thanks!

Box fan on amazon amzn.to/2Egoscx Good Merv 13 filters on amazon amzn.to/2sb1ajC My instagram instagram.com/the_hand_e_man/

LOVE THE WAY YOU THINK! Good to hear from brains like yours

It's a really good thing you made these filter fans, because according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) sawdust is a group 1 carcinogen, regardless of wood species. Asbestos is also a group 1 carcinogen. Some people will never feel any affects from sawdust, while in others it can cause anything from minor allergies to respiratory infections, all the way up to and including cancer and death. The more extreme of those conditions are usually found in industrial settings, but even weekend warrior DIY types can be affected, depending on other health and lifestyle conditions. A good quality respirator is always a definite must, although for those of us who rock beards, the facial hair can decrease the effectiveness of the respirator.

I still use a Mask while working when I'm not in a rush or lazy but I use a blower motor out of an old furnace. Build a nice box to hold motor and slots for filter and mount to ceiling. Works great and keeps dust to a minimum, especially while staining or whatever. Another option, look into down draft sanding table. Some just ideas for you. Thanks for all the videos you post!

Thank you for the info Hugh Jackman!

This is the best fan filter build I've seen here on You Tube. No fancy box build or using 3 to 4 different layers of filters. Yours is easy 1,2,3 its done. Great job.

I love the simplicity of this design. Most of the designs I’ve been looking at are needlessly complicated.

Use the furnace cheap filters to protect the MERV 13 ones, on top of them.

They used to sell box fans that had brackets/rail already attached to them that would receive a filter. Don’t know why they stopped. This is simple enough to build vice spending $300/$500 on a filter box.

Just some tips, filters with that high of a MERV rating are really overkill for what you're trying to filter. A MERV 13 would be marketed towards laboratory/institutional settings, heavy smokers, etc... You can catch all that fine sawdust with something around a MERV 7 / 8 without issue, and get the benefit of cheaper filters + better airflow. Higher MERV means finer particle screening (tighter mesh) at the detriment of reduced airflow. Better airflow means more suction (therefore dust catching capability) and less strain on the motor. Another GREAT tip is switching up to 2" (or higher) air filters. 2" vs. 1" means 2x the surface area for filtration so it can 'hold' more dust, and gives an additional boost to airflow due to 2x the air permeability. I've found my local Menards (which I know you have access to) to be the absolute best in terms of price / quality on these filters. Their house brands BestAir / True Blue have the 2" versions for VERY reasonable prices. Love the channel!

You could also put a prefilter in front that would catch larger items and save the more expensive HEPA filters first. Grab a bag and put around the filter or use the bag the filter came in and start putting it on from the bottom while changing. Great video on the filters!!!!

Just FYI Duct tape works just fine without the extra work for anyone that does not have all the tools. :)

Simple, cheap, workable even for beginners like, me....genius!!!!!

Thank you Logan for the helpful tips. You are my favorite X-Men!

A good project. Thank you for sharing.

Introduction to HVAC!!!! That’s awesome sir. The only difference is the heating and cooling but that’s the basics of how it’s done.

Cool idea. It seems like you'd end up saving money buying or building a scrap shed. I'm not even a professional handyman and I have a problem throwing away good scrap. But unless you live in the boonies and have a bunch of old barns and sheds you have to draw the line on scrap somewhere.

Nice simple solution. I would only question the choice of mounting with the filter at the bottom. When the fans are turned off, even small vibrations would cause some of the dust to rain down.

I have something similar in my garage, but I use a washable filters that I got for around $20 each (I have 3 of them). The reason I went with washable filters is that I figured I would burn through MERV 8-10 filters fast enough to pay for the washable filters in no time. It did cost me a little more up front, but I think it has more than paid for itself at this point.

I thought it was cute when you were explaining about getting rid of stuff you haven’t used in six months and how you hate clutter. And there in the background of the video hanging on the wall of the shop was a toilet seat cover. Yeah. It was worth a chuckle. Carry on You’re my kind a guy.

If you have these filters in your home HVAC, make sure you're checking/ changing them every 1 to 3 months. Great video!

I'm making a box fan filter. This video gave me some great ideas. Thanks and you got another sub!

I just tape the cord down. This works great! Your gonna have a fan on anyway. I've also given them(box fans)a wider footprint so it doesn't knock over so easy.

awesomeness. I`ll be adding one or two of these to my humble shop. thanks for the vid bro!

rockin those socks with the flip flops lol I love it!

Love the high tech "steel brake" =D Nice vid; air cleaner is something I desperately need, and the inexpensive way is the way for me!

I just use 2" painters tape and tape a 20x 20 filter (or two) onto a cheap fan for each job site I have. A better filter (with a cheaper one in front of it) will remove most of the airborne dust. I often leave it with the home owner to continue clearing the air. I use a version of this next to my lathe to blow clean-ish air toward me as I turn/sand. before I had a downdraft table I placed one on the end of my workbench while sanding. It is easier to remove dust while it is being made than to 'dust' an entire workshop or worksite. I still have one of these operating in my basement to help clean the air, It helps clean the air as my wife setup a craft area down there and has asthma. Pro-tip: get the best filter you can find, to remove as much airborne particles as possible & put a cheaper filter in front of it to help prolong the life of the expensive one. Also use the best shop vac bags, like the ones for drywall dust, it makes NO sense pumping dust back into the air.

Couldn't you just zip tie the cord to the grill so it comes off the side of the fan? Just an idea!

how would velcro patches work instead of the metal tabs?

I removed the plastic grill on the intake side and this increased the flow by eliminating the static pull. The filter shielded the fan blades and there was a noticeable sound difference. Give it a try.

Thanks I need to include this in my jerry rig work shop/area! Hip to run into at home Depot one day to say hi.

These work great for sure. All I would add is a 3m face mask with particle filters is much more efficient and comfortable than the ones you are using. You can change the filters to protect you when using chemical products ... CA glue, VOC finishes etc.

Nice work ! Don't forget the bearings on most box fans are designed to remain in a vertical position relative to the ground, NOT the horizontal and not much off vertical. If you are going to hang any fan significantly off the vertical, make sure its bearings (and the fan) are rated for non-vertical use! Unfortunately, fans that are designed to accommodate a variety of mounting locations are likely to be more expensive. For example, most Vornado fans and some Air King fans can be mounted horizontal to the ground.

Thank you for posting. Great solution!

I really like the band saw you have. Please tell me about it Handyman. Thanks

I notice the grille that protects the filter is facing outward. There’s a different guy on KZfaq that built one for his home.He has the grille facing inward. Which method is best?

The Legend again....."The Need is the mother of all inventions"

Not sure if it was mentioned, but I'd like to see you use that IR thermometer to measure the temp of the motor of one of those box fans running for an hour or two with a MERV 13 filter on it vs without

Does the exhaust from the fans stir up a lot of dust and spread it around the shop?

I have this in my house. All I did was taped the filter on all four sides so it wouldn't fall. The pressure from the airflow is enough to keep the filter air tight enough. It literally took me about a minutes to do everything.

I built one. Works great. Sure beats expensive air purifiers and their filters.

after seeing your video - definitely going to clean out all the material I've saved for 30 + years 'just in case" hah-ha ! great idea with the fans and filters!

thank you! that's a game changer for me and my guitar finishing has become a lot cleaner = TIME & $$$.$$

If I can see a a personal use for materials -- I'll keep them around for at least a year. I used to save materials with the thought of offsetting cost to customers -- not worth it at all. Doing so didn't save enough, or any in the long run. I wasted too much energy keeping everything organized and safe. I agree, let the big box stores be the stock room.

Look around on youtube and you'll see very nice DIY air filters for the workshop. They are made in the shop so it's right up your alley. I'll be building one this year. The manufactured filters are just too expensive.

Yeah. Still not sure why there’s all these other videos where guys are engineering these crazy boxes when your set up works just fine. This is on my to do list for my shop for sure. So simple

Zip tie the cord over going out the side. Whet the filters are full, take them outside and blow them out to reuse.

Hey can you show more on the distressing tool and how it works/ is built? Great vids by the way thank you!

Looks like a simple solution to improve your air, thanks for the post.

Nice little shop there buddy !

this is GREAT! I'm gonna try it.

Someone help please what's the correct way to have the filter on the back of the fan when air is pushing forward?

Could you shop vac the dirty filter a few times in between the full take apart cleaning to save some time and effort ? I also use my small Makita 18v lxt blower to clean my other filters rather than high pressure air. I think it's safer for the air filters as HP air easily ruins the paper elements. Thanks for the video.

Hi, how do you replace filters once you riveted

HOME DEPOT sells LASKO box fans under $20. The spec on their site shows the fan produces up to 2500 cfm. Filters will reduce that, however with the number of fans such as you are running, you are exchanging a large amount of air throughout your shop in a short amount of time. Excellent video! Thanks

Great vid very innovative

The higher the merv the smaller the particle it catches. I hardly think you need 13 for sawdust. Maybe 5 or 6

Self tapping screws would be faster than pop rivets

I ordered these 20 x 20 x 2 inch merv 13 filters and they seem to work better than the 20x20x1 that I was using. @t More surface area? Anyone care to comment on 1 inch vs 2 inch effectiveness?

You can use j channels for siding by zip tieing them to the fan and the filters slide right in and out.

So just run a dust buster over it before removing the filters... Or do it outside. Still a great idea.

another great video handyman, ive watched all your videos and i have to say ive learned alot from them , keep them coming

J channel for vinyl siding is a good mounting device.

thanks for your video will help allot of people

You can get similar fans, the same size and shape for $17. I've had one in my room and its ran almost constantly for 3 years and is just now starting to vibrate.

Wow seems to work great very cheap solution.

Oh geeze, I wished I'd seen this a few months ago. I did find a few poor tutorials on youtube about adding a filter to a box fan. But they were bad. I needed one for cutting down on the overspray when spray tanning. This is a constant conversation on the forum I belong to. I should share this as we're all looking for an affordable solution. I pad $65 for one from a spray tan company. I knew it could be done cheaper, but I wanted a professional looking unit and didn't have the time to work on it myself.

Great idea!! Where is it best to place the filter? In front or behind the fan? I got a Lasko fan from Walmart for $ 20.00 and a good 3M filter for $ 16.00 I’ve taped the filter in front of fan and it’s working very well! I’ve noticed the dust in my bedroom has significantly decreased quite a bit! I’m just wondering if it’s better to place the filter behind the fan.

I use a 2 in filter on mine and painters tape around the edges.

How many hours do you work per week? Great channel!

I just setup two fans in my shop last month. Easy to find used fans on craig's list for $5. They work awesome! How often do you replace your filters? Do you just continue to blow them out?

Wonder how difficult it would be to take apart that fan motor housing, remove the power socket from it, and hang it out the side of the motor, secured with zip ties so it wouldn't flop around and get in the blades? Then the power cord could plug into it inside the fan grill, and exit out a new hole in the side of the fan.

Thank you for your videos and the link save time

Seems like an exhaust fan to the outside would good idea. Living in Atlanta I do all my cutting, sanding and spraying outside on my driveway even in the winter. But it's only about 10% of my work.

2:20 you have your bandsaw blade guard set way to high for those cuts. Also if you don't like the cord penetrating the filter, it should work just as well if you put the filter in the front of the fan.

Like below said, cable tie the cable out of the way. Does this firm ship to the uk.

I turned my box fan on put the filter against the fan and its held there on tape or anything else. If I turned it off the filter might fall so will put a bit of duct tape bottom and top.I think this is one of those KISS moments

Why put the filter in the back and not the front? Thanks for sharing though.

The whistling before your audience... Liberty and freedom

Hi Handyman. What was that little punch tool you were using to poke the metal?

Yes those home made filters are awesome. Been using them for many years. Biggest draw back is that they are not pretty.

Please update your amazon link

Great channel; just found you about a 1/2 hour ago. FYI, would be a lot more safe if you weren't holding the metal in your hand when using a drill or drill press. I have several friends with bad scars on their hands from doing that... I almost lost 2 fingers doing the same. Just make a simple jig to hold them, use vise grips, or instead of a 2x4 in the vise, use a 1x4 that's lower than the top of the vise and drop them in there... if the metal can't spin out of your hands, then it can't slice you open. Also saw a few comments about installing the filter on the front... using the back is better. Your fan will last longer without that fine dust in the motor (just like your lungs).

Great way to clean the air on the cheap! Ive been using the fan and filter for a litgle over a year..best idea. I thak Izzy Swan for the idea.

Save money on filters. I take fan & filter outdoors and clean with a leaf blower, then give the filter a light spray of WD40, (helps trap the fine stuff). Mine is not a "production" shop, so I get years out of a filter.

merv 8 should be sufficient for what you are doing. Would aslo improve air flow to the fans. 13 is thick enough to stop viruses, bacteria ect. 8 would be perfect for dust

Ahh so these are the videos that have been on your hard drive for a while 😂

Awesome Character.

I do pretty much the same thing myself, though I have a set of washable filters.

If you're using it for woodworking dust collection a MERV rating of 3-4 is sufficient. Don't waste your money on the higher rated filters. Wood dust particles are rather large and will easily get caught in the filter. You'll also get better air flow and more suction without bogging down the fan.

What type/brand is the awl/punch you used?

Double the filters up - cheap one on the outside to save the more expensive one a little longer

They must have sold out on amazon. All that’s available is in black and $22

You need a pre-filter on those so the filter will last longer and wont need to be cleaned as often

When you refer to one of your own videos you should put a link in the description. ;-)

I have the same 6 month rule if I don't use it in six months I don't need it the

Your Amazon links need to be updated. They are not working any more.

I zip tie 3 together add a power strip and put them in door ways.