Does anybody know of battery operated floor sweeper suitable for wood shops? It would be preferable to have a small cyclone upstream from the filter. I often wonder how many man hours we spend sweeping the shop. We have dust collection, but it just doesn't get all of the sawdust.

How clean are you looking to get?

I've got decent dust collection on equipment. Sanding is done at either a downdraft table or with a vacuum.

Unless somebody makes a disaster, we generally don't touch a broom until Friday. Everybody spends an hour picking things up, organizing, and cleaning. There is four of us so we spend about 4 hours a week cleaning. Or 2.5% of the work week. That also includes taking all garbage, sawdust, and scrap/drops to the dumpster.

I've found that one you get a shop clean, it's pretty easy to maintain it. Habits need to be altered. Slobs need to have their slob ways beaten out of them. After a while, everyone gets used to it and it becomes self managing and they prefer working in a clean environment rather than some dirty dump.
We usually take one day in the spring and another in the fall where all we do is clean. Blow off all the dust collection pipes, clean windows, open up covers on equipment and blow out nooks and crannies. Things like that. Basically making it ready for auction.

The rest of the time we blow off work areas and just sweep up. In the heating months I'll chase the floor with sweeping compound to pick up the ultra fine stuff the broom can miss. Sometimes damp sawdust which helps bump the humidity up. 40" wide brooms cover area quickly too.

When it's nice out and the doors can be opened, 8k ft³ takes half an hour or less by one man after being swept to blow everything out with a leaf blower and works extremely well.

I regularly have salesman tell me I have the cleanest shop they call on.
I regularly have other cabinet shop owners make fun of me. I ask them how a dirty shop has a better return than a clean one. Haven't gotten an answer yet.
Cleaner is healthier, safer, and it breeds a mindset that is difficult to achieve otherwise.

I think it is time well spent.

View higher quality, full size image (2992 X 2992)

Karl,
Your shop organization is impressive! I’m sure it pays dividends.

Using a leaf blower in a wood shop is a very dangerous undertaking. Ask the fire marshal about it. With a leaf blower you are creating the dust cloud and the blower is the ignition source.

There are many battery floor sweepers available. They save an incredible amount of time. Keep an eye on the used market. They are not perfect but very fast.

Dust explosion