Help us buy State-of-the-Art Dust Collectors!

Started in the year 2000 by Industrial Arts Teacher and professional Blacksmith Dereck Glaser, the New England School of Metalwork located in Auburn Maine has prided itself in providing the finest education in Blacksmithing, Bladesmithing and Welding. With the burgeoning excitement surrounding Bladesmithing on TV and online, in 2014 it became necessary to renovate an old 1950’s service station into a state of the art Blacksmithing/Bladesmithing shop, adding two forge stations and two more belt sanders, bringing the number of students we could accommodate to 8. With this expansion we noticed a new problem: Dust. With now 8 2x72 belt sanders running a full speed, grinding metal, plastics and wood, even our large industrial air cleaner’s ability has been outpaced. Facing the future of more dust creating machines and more interest in this craft, we are planning yet another expansion. Adding a 30 x 40 grinding room, we are faced with the task of finding a way to safely capture wood, metal and phenolic dust with no fear of fire and the assurance of student(and staff) comfort and safety. After a year of consultations and testing we have decided on the best product for us; a self contained downdraft table for every belt sander we have. Each belt sander will be mounted on top of this unit, and all sparks and dust will be immediately be pulled through the grating on which the machine is mounted. If only one grinder is being used, only one downdraft table needs to be used, saving us significantly in energy costs. This is where we need your help! With our educational discount and shipping, these units are $4700 a piece. Help us purchase 8 of these and keep our students and staff as safe and comfortable as can be!
NESM Website