Hafco Woodmaster AP-12

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are interested in.

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THE REVIEW:

Regardless of the colour and branding, this is a popular, quiet, cost-effective, and reliable air filter for wood working spaces, capable of filtering over 1000CFM, down to dust particles of 1 micron... which at this price point is quite a lot, and surprisingly good.

I'm not entirely sure who makes the actual device, but I know it's sold by both Hare and Forbes under the "Hafco" (Short for Hare and Forbes Company) brand and model "AP-12", and is painted white (or off white), and Timbecon sells it under their Sherwood brand, with their signature orange paintwork, under the model: "SWRC-1000". It wouldn't surprise me if many other re-badged offerings exist globally.

What I find interesting, is that each supplier has their strengths and weaknesses.

The Hare and Forbes site offers spare parts (as in, pretty much every part you'd ever need to replace) as cost effective parts/accessories listed their public catalog, that you can simply order off their web site, AND the listing provides key information about the unit in general like how loud it is at each motor speed. Whereas Timbecon's page for this unit does NOT provide all of these key "specs" (even their specs are slightly "rounded off and down, so forgive some of the discrepancies"), but instead tells you how to calculate whether this unit will be enough for your space, or if you need several.

So between the two sites:

https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/w326

https://www.timbecon.com.au/collections/dust-extractors/products/sherwood-1000cfm-room-cleaner-air-purifier-workshop-air-filtration

You can order one based on your needs and preferences...

I bought my Hare & Forbes model because it's white, and was cheaper than the competition due to a sale, and offered the spare parts... despite the comparative drawback of the mere 12 month warranty. That said, Timbecon offers 4 extra years of warranty (5 years total) but is much more distant and would cost a fortune for a Canberra dweller like myself to ship it back. I'm reasonably proficient with soldering, electrics, and a screwdriver, so I went for the cheaper "self-service" route.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU NEED AN AIR FILTER?

Even vacuuming up the shop at the end of the day.. I’d come back in the morning, and there’d be a fine layer of dust on everything… It’s not that I missed large tracts in my mad rush for a home-cooked dinner, it’s because the finer dust simply wasn’t on the ground when I cleaned, and floated in the air for hours afterward, only settling long after I’d gone. When I come back, the mere act of allowing a breeze to enter the workshop by opening the door (even momentarily) would mean that at least some of the settled dust would be kicked up again, and anyone not fully decked out in PPE was at risk.

I even had a minor issue where a grinder spark + airborne dust flared up when my dust extractor stopped working, (I was ear-muffed and facing away while operating noisy tools, so I had no idea, it just looked like my goggles were fogging up, but that was actually dust) and if the garage doors weren’t partially open, a fire extinguisher wasn’t available, and everyone wasn’t trained in safety…. could have been catastrophic. Many DIYers like myself don’t have OH & S officers, or air particulate level measuring devices (or know how to calibrate/maintain them) and if it’s not being measured, can barely be seen when airborne, and always around, despite our best efforts… it’s hard to be vigilant… or even effective.

LET’S NOT DO THAT AGAIN… I NEED AN AIR FILTER/SCRUBBER…

So after some research, I bought the Hare & Forbes AP-12 air filter. This was back in early 2021 and it has made a huge difference to the cleanliness, the safety, and the enjoyment I feel when doing my DIY stuff in the Garage/Workshop.

WHY THE HARE AND FORBES AP-12/SHERWOOD SWRC-1000 FILTER WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY (DIFFERENT) OTHER OPTIONS?

It’s true, there’s a LOT of air scrubbers out there. Big tool brands like Jet, Laguna, Scheppach, Record Power, Grizzly, and many more each have their own offerings. Here in Australia, Carbatec and Timbecon each have their own branded models too, like this Hare & Forbes AP-12 which is no-doubt a Chinese/Taiwanese made, distributor re-badged offering as well.

I had several goals in mind:

1. Greater than 800CFM airflow (due to the size of my workshop) during heavy activity, and preferably above 500CFM if I’m just doing lighter work. 2. Filtration better than 5 microns, preferably down to 1 micron. 3. Had to be no louder than conversational levels at every speed due to the close proximity to neighbours. 4. Ideally, less than 40Kg for installation ease. 5. Relatively affordable consumables (filters) 6. Ideally good warranty and/or spare parts availability in Australia.

It’s honestly amazing how few places provide this information. So I often had to ask folks on wood working forums for input. I continued to whittle down the options until I decided on this one.

What amazed me about this AP-12 is that it actually checked ALL of the boxes, because it:

1. Had superior airflow 1044CFM to many at it’s price point (or put another way, it was only 25% more expensive than models that had less than HALF of it’s maximum output at the time). 2. Had the dual filtration system down to 1 micron. 3. Ran on less power (one 150W motor as opposed to the 250W, and even 300W models). With good bearings and proper ceiling mounting, It ran at a completely acceptable noise level, even on the highest setting and I could still hold a conversation across the workshop (without raising my voice), I even run it through the night without issue on occasion. 4. Came in at 27Kg which is still unwieldy when on a ladder, but installable by a single middle-aged man that is MUCH happier now that I no longer go to the gym. :-) 5. The filters seem expensive, delivered price for a complete set is about $125 Australian, but I can get years of use, as long as I vacuum the first stage every month or so. Also, factoring in the additional airflow, these filters come in just a little bit cheaper than the Carbatec’s, have superior availability (often in stock… which Carbatec isn’t always so great at... I know because I own Carbatec gear as well) 6. Ok, so the 12 month warranty isn’t as good as some of the other suppliers, but what they DO have is pretty much EVERY spare part available. Lost a remote? (I bought a second one). Motor start capacitor dead? (Mine died after 4 years of heavy use, so I bought another one.. that said, rudimentary soldering of two wires is required to swap them out). Has the motor burned out or the entire control panel/circuit boards released their “Magic smoke?” (Replacements are available, and they’re an actually a viable fraction of the price of a new unit to be worthwhile!).

Point 6 means one important thing…. It’s ACTUALLY serviceable! With little more than a Phillips #2 screwdriver, a metric Allen key set, a soldering iron, solder, and some heat shrink. However, please be advised that the instructions for disassembly are extremely low quality. General service instructions are included below to help with that.

…But back to my reasons for choosing this particular model over its clones and competition.

At the time of purchase, the AP12 was simply the best offer. Anything bigger was a HUGE increase in both purchase price and the replacement filter cost, not to mention much louder, heavier and generally poorly suited to my needs. I think the AP12 was on sale that week, and they even had a discount code on the filters as well…. So I bought a spare set without a second thought in order to save even more on combined shipping. I’ve been very happy.

USE & GENERAL OBSERVATIONS:

Turning it on with the remote is easy, after some abuse my original remote sometimes needs a little persistence to work, but it still does.

Three speeds is very handy, depending on the amount (and type) of dust being generated. That said, hitting the speed button multiple times scrolls though the three options. If there were ten speeds, that'd be annoying, but this is good enough.

The timed "turn off" function for the end of the day, has 1 hour, 2 hour, and 4 hour run times. Hit the timer button once for 1 hour, twice for 2, and three times for 4 hours. It beeps loudly to indicate that it got the message each time a button is pressed, so it works quite well.

What I absolutely love about this unit is how quiet it really is. I've mentioned that I can hold a typical conversation across the room when this unit is operating by itself, even at high speed. (Obviously if louder equipment is being used, then we obviously have bigger noise issues) I leave it on overnight at times to help circulate air on hot nights as well as filtration. Neighbours living less than 8 metres away have no complaints. In fact, I sometimes forget that it's even on, the noise level is on par with a mid-sized pedestal house fan at high-ish speeds.

HAS IT MADE A DIFFERENCE? & CONCLUSION:

Absolutely. The amount of fine dust is VASTLY reduced. It’ll never be gone fully, and I understand that. I still need to vacuum the floors daily and blow out the shelves occasionally, but overall my workshop is not the dust bowl it once was. Now even my family spend time out there, making and fixing things, 3D printing, building furniture, or carving spoons. Having filtered air, more lighting, and a clean space to do things made the shop a far more efficient, enjoyable and usable place to be.

I regret not buying one of these sooner. Looking for issues... I really can't complain about it. It's clocked at least 13,000 hours of continuous use, and with routine vacuuming of the first filter, I'm only on the 3rd set of filters now. The motor is still great, the bearings are perfectly fine, the remote is a little worse for wear, (which I've just bought a spare) and the original start capacitor died after 4 odd years... which is normal for a capacitor of this type.

TROUBLESHOOTING & SERVICE INSTRUCTIONS: (THAT AREN'T PROVIDED ELSEWHERE)

As I said, I had years of trouble-free operation, and having little more inside than a fan and a controller, problems with this unit are relatively easy to diagnose. The only real problem I've had is a worn out starter capacitor. However, here's my troubleshooting and disassembly instructions:

Problem 1: No signs of life at all…

There’s actually a light on the control panel that indicates whether or not the unit has power (even when the motor’s off). It’s like the standby light on TVs. If that’s not illuminated, check the plug (and switch), then check your circuit breaker panel for anything tripped. If the breaker is tripped, turn it back on, but if it immediately trips (turns off) again then something (not necessarily this air filter) has an electrical problem, unplug EVERY device on the circuit, then add them back in, one at a time to find the device with the fault (the circuit will trip again). If it still doesn’t work, try plugging this unit into power point on a different circuit. NOTE: Many power boards/“power strips” (if you prefer the American term) have an overload breaker as well, so if you to check if that’s been tripped to if you have one (or more) in the place.

Problem 2: No response from remote? But it works when pushing the buttons on the control panel directly…

The most common reasons are:

1. Remote’s batteries are flat, so re-seat them if they’ve come loose, and if that’s no good, replace them… (obviously) 2. The remote is outside the “viewing angle” of the sensor on the control panel. Try pointing directly at the front of the control panel, or remove any items getting in the way. 3. There’s a light build up of dust on the sensor and control panel. This happens when someone forgets to turn the air filter on.. a light wipe down of the air scrubber is all that’s needed. 4. Power button on the remote has worn out (mine's getting a little dodgy, but I have had kids play with it, and I may have stepped on it once or twice...)

Problem 3: Control panel lights up (and beeps as normal when changing settings) but the motor doesn’t spin.

It’s one of five things:

1. Bearing issue: If the fan is hard to spin manually, (with the motor off) then the bearings need lubricant, or need to be replaced. If that doesn't work, a new motor can be bought. 2. Dead start capacitor. If you turn the filter on and the motor simply doesn’t turn… but your motor spins up normally after a quick prod through the grill with a piece of wooden dowel to manually spin the fan, that means the start capacitor needs replacing. 3. Motor disconnected from control panel…. unscrew the control panel and check connections... or 4. Control panel fault (you can try to repair it, or just replace it). 5. The motor is burned out and needs replacing (again, that part is available)

If you think the starter cap may be dead... Bigger induction motors that have starter capacitors will often hum, and even trip circuit breakers if they don’t spin up correctly within seconds of power up (motors like this usually with a centrifugal clutch, like many dust extractors)… this one isn’t big enough to do that (at least on my household breakers)… but in any case I don’t recommend leaving the motor powered-yet-stationary for very long as it’ll heat up and potentially cook your motor.

I can say from direct experience, that even the dead starter capacitor wasn’t a big deal to replace. If you can wire a power socket in your home, do basic soldering, and have a “I’ll figure it out” mentality, it’s completely fine. If not, buy the replacement capacitor from the Hare and Forbes site (they’re hard to find elsewhere), and take it to a repair guy. It’ll take them less than an hour.

Honestly, the most difficult part for me wasn’t the repair itself, it’s the cumbersome process to pull the whole unit off the ceiling, and put it back up. That said, you basically have to disassemble the whole (albeit simple) assembly to get access to the capacitor, (PRO TIP: take the old capacitor out, and extend the capacitor wires (the extension cabling needs to be rated 10A or more) from the motor and relocate the capacitor physically closer to the filters. So that you can just take filters out next time the capacitor dies, and cut/resolder the wires (or even better yet, use a terminal block or WAGO setup to remove the soldering component). Hot-gluing the setup to the inside of the chassis in some unobtrusive spot (there's a lot of room in there) should stop any rattles that may cause an issue.

GENERAL DISASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Obviously unplug your unit if you haven’t already done so. Download the parts list from the Hare and Forbes link above. It has a parts diagram... crude as it may be, it's still helpful. For everything else... here's my process:

2. You need to take both filters out (they’re only clipped in with latches top and bottom), 3. Unscrew the control board from the front, pull it out gently (there are wires still attached after all) and disconnect the motor cable (it has a clipped plug/socket in the back of the control panel), 4. Gently pull that motor cord (and rubber grommet stopping the cable from being cut on the edge of the hole it passes through) gently into the back area exposed by the removed filters. 5. Then unscrew the 6 screws around the air vent (at the control panel end) that mounts the whole motor and blower assembly to the case (a second pair of hands will be important because the motor assembly will drop an 4-5cm (an inch or two) once the last screw is removed. 6. Gently extract the motor cable from the wall (it's held there by a rubber grommet that can be eased out) by pulling it out through the filter end (*NOT* the control panel end). Keep the grommet on the cable, you don't need to remove it. However, just note that the plug on the cable is barely small enough to be pushed through the hole in the chassis, once the grommet it out, ease the plug through carefully. 7. Gently pull the whole fan and motor assembly, with cord out of the filter end.

Now all the parts of the motor and capacitor should be easily accessible. The starter capacitor is a blocky device screwed to the cross-shaped motor mount (on top of the motor) with two wires running out of it. It’ll probably have some similar text printed on it like:

1.2 uF, 750V AC 50/60Hz

...and a temperature range going from sub-zero to 60 Celsius or so.

Look at the Hare and Forbes listing for a replacement capacitor for reference (or use the one you may have already purchased... it might not look identical, what matters is the ratings)

The cords connecting it will be cable-tied to the limb of the cross-shaped motor mount on the top, so if you’re replacing it, unscrewing the motor from the mount and the mount from the fan section will provide easier access. Then cut the cable ties (obviously being careful to avoid cutting any wires). Now you can adjust the wiring to taste, and reconnect the new one by soldering (if doing things the same way). Making sure you properly insulate any bare wires with heat shrink or tape in a pinch).

Reassembly is simply the reverse process. Take time to ensure the motor's mounted properly, the fan blades spin easily, then during reinstalltion, squeeze the rubber grommet properly into place when running the motor cord through the chassis wall back to the control panel. The edge is split in two layers, one for each side of the chassis’ sheet metal. Check both sides of the grommet to ensure the rims on both sides are fully on each side of the sheet metal of the chassis.

I hope this helps you in your air filtration journey. Be safe and happy wood working!