Flatscreen TV & Dust in the shop

[Eric Commarato]

Got a cheapie 19" LCD TV for Christmas to go in my woodworking shop. I know lots of you are saying I'm crazy for using machinery with the TV as a distraction, but that's beside the point. Is dust a real concern, and will this shorten to the life of the TV? I know I've been in businesses where computer monitors are just covered with all kinds of dust, dirt etc. and they seem to just work fine. Would it be a good idea to construct a cabinet that can be closed when there is a lot of dust being produced in the shop. Since the TV was under $100 bucks, should I just use it and chunk it when it quits and go get another one. I would like to see anybody's solution to this.

 

[HOTFR8]

A cheap dust cover would see it last longer.

 

[darkk]

Just blow it out with an air gun every week and you should be good...

 

[passatryde]

If you build a cover it would need vent holes so i'd just throw it away when it dies

 

[wrench409]

A real danger is a socket flying off an impact, or a something else going flying while working could easily take a TV out.

And usually, anything breakable is a magnet for such items.

 

[coljar]

A friend of mine built his own flat screen enclosure for his woodshop using cabinet grade plywood and a piece of glass on the front and an old cabinet type computer fan that has a filter housing on the suction side. The air discharge on the other side just has a louver on it. I'm sure you can push or pull the air through it depending on where you put your filter, but he wanted to keep a positive pressure on it to keep from sucking in dirt from any hole in it and just has to worry about cleaning the filter off once in a while.. He said he couldn't afford the prices they wanted for enclosures online. He also hooked up external speakers, naturally. He had all the materials laying around his shop except for the glass, but I would have used Lexan, instead.

 

[48Classic]

I have built enclosures for special projects, build a box frame with plexiglass with the front and in the rear of the box design were you can slide in an air conditioner filter. Just change the filter when it gets too dirty. Had to design several boxes for a manufacturing company the had several 42" screens. Loads of dust...