J. Phil Thien's Projects

Does someone have a quick/cheap way to measure air-flow, like in feet per second or feet per minute?  Preferably something that doesn't have to be calibrated.

In a perfect world, I would love to have a cheap 'attachment' I could hook onto or put in-line to a duct that would measure the flow rate.

Years ago (high school, back when dinosaurs roamed...) I built a wind tunnel.  And my Dad got the specs to build a pitot/static tube that I used in a science project.  It measured in inches of water the pressure differential.  I just don't remember the specs to re-build it.

TIA ... Jack

Has anyone tried an electric leaf blower as a vacuum?

I have one that has a 3" blowing hose, but a 6" vacuum hose (used to vacuum up leaves) and 'blow' into a bag.

Since I already have it, using that as the vacuum might be useful.

Thoughts?

I know we all would like to have Wynn or similar filters, but for the budget minded of us, I saw where someone built a box that fit house type air filters.

Does someone have suggestions on building 'proper' fine particle exhaust filters for the fine particles (down to half a micron) that come out?
Any pans, pictures, drawings, etc would be appreciated, along with how it is working for you.  Do you need/have to clean or replace them often? (Yes, without knowing how you are using them it is difficult to truly compare.)