Ducting

Table of Contents
(click on topic to go there)
A. Disclaimer
B. Ducting Introduction
1. Getting Started
2. Airflow
. !esistance
". Ducting Diameter
#. $eaks
%. Airflow !e&uirements
'. (ower !e&uirements
). $a*out + Ducting Design
1. ,ire Safet*
2. (ipe Si-e
. Ducting !esistance
". Ducting !eductions
#. Ducting .aterial
%. Ducting )ost
'. Ducting )onnections
/. Duct 0anging
1. (ipe 2nder ,loor
D. Ducting )omponents
1. Ducting Accessories
2. Blast Gates
. ,le3 0ose + 0ose )lamps
". ,ittings
#. 4ransitions
5 4ool Ducting
1. Dust (orts
2. Dust 0oods
5 Static 6lectricit*
5 7oise )ontrol
5 (8) )onfusion
5 ,re&uentl* Asked Ducting 9uestions (,A9s)
A.Disclaimer
4hese drawings: plans: procedures and words are for information onl*. 2S6 40IS
A4 ;<2! <=7 !IS>? 0I!6 A (!<,6SSI<7A$ 67GI766! to design:
specif*: test: and certif* performance of an* industrial dust collection s*stem if
*ou ha@e a commercial or an industrial application: allergies: other medical
proAlems: people working for *ou: a large shop: work with ha-ardous materials:
or are suABect to regulator* o@ersight. 7either I (Bill (ent-): American Air ,ilter:
nor an* other references or links on these pages will accept an* liaAilit* for the
applicaAilit* of this information to *our specific situation or an* damages or
inBur* caused to people or propert* from the use of this information or from an*
associated links. 7o claims are e3pressed or implied as to the safet*: usefulness:
or accurac* of this information. ;our actions are *our responsiAilit* C 86!I,;
and )06)> information out Aefore proceeding: and donDt attempt an*thing
without the re&uired skills.
B. Ducting Introduction
4his information focuses on what we need to do to fi3 our tools: tool hoods: tool
ports: ducting: and ducting la*out to pro@ide good fine dust collection.
.ost do not reali-e how much tool ports: tool hoods: duct si-e: ducting t*pe:
ducting la*out: and leaks impact dust collection? In m* testing e@er* shop Aadl*
failed their air &ualit* testing regardless of how Aig their c*clone or dust collector
if the* did not ha@e a taAle saw Alade hood that Alocked the sawdust Alasting off
the Alade and had a good airflow from either a "E dust collection port or a 2.#E
port connected to strong @acuum that generated at least a 1FE of pressure. Also:
not one single shop with t*pical "E ducting passed again Aecause that si-ed
ducting pre@ents most dust collection Alowers from mo@ing ample air to pro@ide
good fine dust collection at our larger tools. $ikewise: those shops that had large
enough ducting Aut had poor la*outs and leak* fittings also had e3cessi@e dust
le@els. Sadl*: most of these proAlems are created A* small shop @endors. .ost sell
nice "E ducting solutions that Bust will not mo@e enough air for good fine dust
collection at our larger tools. 4he remaining few mostl* sell commercial ducting
s*stems and graduated ducting designs intended for shops where collection runs
to all machines running at once. In our small shops that onl* run one machine at a
time: these wonderful looking designs end up with too little airflow in the mains
resulting in plugging: dangerous dust piles: and potential fire risks. 4his mi3 of
information leads to consideraAle unneeded ducting confusion and contro@ers*.
,ortunatel* we each alread* understand airflow and ducting la*out far Aetter than
most reali-e? At normal dust collection pressures air Aeha@es like water and is
almost incompressiAle. 4hink of our Alowers as sucking water through a series of
pipes. .ost small shops use tin* Alowers with Aarel* enough suction pressure to
collect from one tool at a time. Blast gates act as dams to di@ert that suction to a
single machine. Gust like with a water hose: an* restriction: sharp Aend or small
hose will limit how much air will flow. <ur ducting from start to finish must Ae
Bust Aig enough to carr* the air needed to collect from our largest tool. =ith a one
tool at a time collection s*stem we reall* need a main with Aranches and down
drops all si-ed nearl* the same: otherwise smaller pipes will act Bust like a water
@al@e and kill our flow. If that flow drops too low the chips will Auild up piles in
the mains that further hurt our airflow and pose a fire ha-ard. $ikewise our tool
ports and hoods must not limit how much air will flow. Gust like with water: nice
straight runs of the shortest length with long sweeping cur@es will mo@e the most
air. Also leaks can kill our limited flow.
1. Getting Started
Before staring we need to first decide on what le@el of dust collection we
want Aecause our le@el of protection defines what we need to do. =e need
to choose Aetween Hchip collectionE or pick a le@el of fine dust collection
that will ser@e our needs. =e ha@e now four different standards for fine
dust collection and none are currentl* enforced in the 2.S. 4he <S0A air
&ualit* standard went into effect in 111/ and was o@erruled Aefore Aeing
full* implemented. 4he American )ouncil of Go@ernmental Industrial
0*gienists (A)GI0) de@eloped a standard fi@e times tougher than the
proposed <S0A standard. 4he 6uropean 2nion and 6n@ironmental
(rotection Agenc* (6(A) instead recommend a standard that is fift* times
tougher than the o@erturned <S0A standard. As a Aiomedical engineer:
long time uni@ersit* engineering instructor: and one who got Aadl*
Alindsided after I trusted e3isting e&uipment to protect m* health: I
strongl* recommend that all small shop workers pa* @er* serious attention
to fine dust. I personall* ha@e m* shop now setup to meet the 6(A
standards and recommend *ou do the same. =ith all hoAA*ists and si3 out
of se@en professional woodworkers working in small shops that are not
co@ered A* an* go@ernment air &ualit* standards: our onl* protection is
what we choose for oursel@es. 6ach le@el of protection re&uires a different
approach: more work: and higher cost.
In commercial facilities suABect to fire marshal and Auilding inspections
Hchip collectionE means picking up the same sawdust and chips we would
otherwise sweep up with a Aroom ampl* to a@oid fire risks and personal
inBur* accidents: plus properl* configuring and locating the dust collection
e&uipment. .ost small shop tools and dust collection e&uipment pro@ide
at Aest mediocre Hchip collectionI. )hip collection has Aeen a standard
since the 112Fs so is well understood and researched. H)hip collectionE
poses known fire and e3plosion risks with larger dust @olumes so must
compl* with 7ational ,ire (rotection Association (7,(A) regulations.
=oodworking shops located in commercial Auildings suABect to fire
marshal inspection must compl* with local codes which mostl* mirror the
7,(A codes that re&uire use of all metal ducting and either use of dust
collection e&uipment certified for indoor use or e&uipment placed outside
Aehind a fire and e3plosion proof Aarrier. =ith most small professional
and hoAA*ist shops located in or ne3t to homes not suABect to fire marshal
inspection: Hchip collectionE is unregulated: meaning onl* selfCregulated.
63perience shows that for good Hchip collectionE almost all small shop
stationar* tools re&uire one of the Aetter 1.# hp or larger dust collectors
and at least "E duct or fle3 hose. 8acuums and smaller collectors Bust miss
collecting too much.
Starting in the earl* si3ties insurance data and medical studies showed a
strong causal relationship Aetween airAorne wood dust e3posure and
health proAlems with woodworkers in commercial facilities that complied
with 7ational ,ire (rotection Association (7,(A) dust collection
guidelines. 4rees produce strong to3ic chemicals to protect themsel@es
from predators plus man* woods are further contaminated with other to3ic
chemicals from insecticides: herAicides: preser@ati@es: etc. 4hese to3ic
chemicals can Ae poisonous: cause neurological damage: poisonous:
strong irritants: carcinogens that increase our risk of cancer and sensiti-ers
that cause us to Auild allergic reactions. Additionall*: the high silica
(glass) content in wood creates sharp Bagged fine in@isiAle wood dust
particles that damage our skin and respirator* cells. !oughl* one third of
all woodworkers e@entuall* de@elop some allergic reaction to wood dust
and aAout se@en in thousand de@elop such strong allergies the* must stop
woodworking. In facilities that follow the 7,(A dust collection guidelines
and @ent outside roughl* one in eight woodworkers de@elop such serious
wood dust triggered permanent health proAlems that the* are forced into
earl* retirement. 4he medical data clearl* shows there is no safe le@el of
wood dust e3posure. Every wood dust e!osure causes some
measurable loss of res!iratory function" some of t#is loss becomes
!ermanent" and continued e!osure over time builds debilitating
!ermanent damage.
4he 2.S. Department of $aAor: <ffice of Safet* and 0ealth
Administration (<S0A) is charged with protecting the health and safet* of
workers. =ith most facilities alread* Alowing most of their fine dust awa*
outside woodworking facilit* owners complained strongl* sa*ing cleaning
up the air further to meet <S0A recommendations was cost prohiAiti@e.
Studies commissioned A* facilit* owners soon appeared. Some claimed
woodworking makes no fine dust. <thers showed most facilities alread*
Alew the maBorit* of the fine unhealth* awa* outside. Some showed there
are no health risks from wood dust. <thers showed commercial
woodworkers recei@ed so little e3posure there were no health risks. A long
heated deAate o@er the man* conflicting stud* results dela*ed <S0A
issuing air &ualit* standards for woodworkers. Soon after the much
watered down <S0A standard was issued which totall* ignores the
unhealthiest fine in@isiAle airAorne dust: large facilit* owners successfull*
loAAied the politicians ampl* to get this standard remo@ed Aefore it was
full* implemented.
Air engineering firms that make dust collection e&uipment for larger
woodworking facilities had *ears to prepare for long e3pected <S0A and
6(A standards. 4hese firms needed to ensure their large woodworking
facilit* dust collection s*stems suABect to proposed <S0A air &ualit*
inspections met the new standards or their customers could Ae cited: fined
and e@en closed down. 4hese firms did consideraAle stud*: engineering
and testing with most reaching the same Aasic conclusions with similar
solutions. 4he* found fine dust s!reads so ra!idly even a big air
cleaner or e#aust fan needs #ours to bring t#e dust level down
enoug# to be safe. During t#is time t#at dust will #arm wor$ers and
s#o!s will fail air %uality c#ec$s. ,ine airAorne dust spreads so &uickl*
that good air %uality re%uires collecting t#e fine dust at t#e source as it
is made Aefore it can spread. Air engineers went through *ears of testing
and decades of refinement to work through the details to meet proposed
<S0A air &ualit* regulations. 4hese firms found the most e3isting tools
came with no dust collection or at Aest poor Hchip collectionE Auilt in: so
worked poorl* for good fine dust collection. =ith costs to replace e3isting
tools prohiAiti@e: air engineers found the* could get good fine dust
collection at most older tools A* mo@ing enough air and upgrading tool
hoods to Aetter contain: control: and deli@er the fine dust for collection.
4he* de@eloped new ),. re&uirement taAles for each si-e and t*pe of
tool that with hood upgrades mo@ed enough air to ensure capturing the
fine dust. 4he* found t#e only effective way to get good airborne dust
control at eac# tool source is to u!grade tool #oods to contain and
control t#e fine dust" u!grade tool !orts to not restrict airflow" move
far more air to ensure collecting over a large area to ca!ture t#e fine
dust before it can esca!e" use larger diameter ducting able to carry
am!le airflow" se!arate off t#e #eavier sawdust and c#i!s" t#en get rid
of t#e fine dust. It was most cost efficient to e3haust the fine dust outside.
=hen climate or local laws preclude e3hausting outside: far more work
and cost is re&uired to ampl* filter the air for returning it safel* into our
shops. In 11/1 when <S0A finall* declared wood dust a nuisance and set
air &ualit* standards: most large commercial shops were alread* running
<S0A compliant dust collection.
.an* e3perts called <S0A air &ualit* re&uirements too la3. .edical
studies and insurance records alread* showed most workers in <S0A
compliant facilities e@entuall* de@eloped dust related medical proAlems.
4he Australian .inistr* of 0ealth sa*s this e3posure le@el e@entuall*
lea@es all ill with roughl* one in fourteen forced into an earl* medical
retirement due to dust related health proAlems. 4he American )onference
of Industrial 0*gienists (A)GI0) responded recommending fi@e times
lower airAorne dust le@els and these recommendations were supported A*
the 6n@ironmental (rotection Agenc* (6(A). .an* large commercial
woodworking firms now @oluntaril* follow A)GI0 recommendations.
Although that upgrade helps: wood dust has since Aeen classified as a
cancer causing agent so medical e3perts recommended a fift* times higher
than <S0A air &ualit* standard which has alread* Aeen adopted A* the
6uropean 2nion. .eeting these higher air &ualit* standards re&uires the
same hood: port: and tool upgrades: Aut more airflow. In spite of A)GI0:
6(A and the 6uropean 2nion acti@it*: the 11/1 <S0A standard remains
the onl* 2.S. standard. .oreo@er: onl* the largest woodworking facilities
recei@e regular <S0A air &ualit* testing: so most professional
woodworkers and hoAA*ists remain on their own.
&. Airflow
,ortunatel*: the Aetter air engineering firms share most of what the*
learned on the Internet co@ering what we need to do to capture the fine
dust Aefore it can escape. 4he* estaAlished in taAles like the )incinnati
,an 6ngineering Data the air speeds measured in feet per minute (,(.)
we need to collect @arious si-ed chips and transport those chips through
ducting without plugging or Auilding up dust piles. (lugging and dust piles
pose a potential fire ha-ard and when these piles Areak loose o@er time
the* will destro* Alower impellers: Aearings and filters. 4his reference is
also one of the Aest to understand more aAout airflow and Alowers. It gi@es
the airspeed we need to pickup and transport the dust. =e need the same
airspeed to pickup the chips as we do to keep it mo@ing in @ertical ducting
runs: so collection and @ertical transport speed are often interchanged. =e
can get A* with a little less airspeed to keep the dust mo@ing in hori-ontal
runs Aecause hori-ontal runs do not ha@e gra@it* working against us.
4hese material handling taAles show we must maintain airspeed inside our
ducts of at least 'FF ,(. to collect (and @ertical transport) most normal
sawdust Aut larger chips need up to "#FF ,(. airspeed for collection.
AAout 2/FF ,(. is needed to keep the hori-ontal runs clear. Air
engineers estaAlished most woodworking operations that do not make
hea@* Aig chips are well co@ered if the* target their Alowers and ducting to
mo@e "FFF ,(. airspeed. If *ou tr* to pickup larger chips and small
Alocks this is not enough airspeed.
4he* did consideraAle e3perimenting and testing: followed A* decades of
refinement to estaAlish the ),. re&uirements taAles similar to the one
linked from AA, that show what airflow measured in cuAic feet per
minute (),.) we need to collect at each t*pe and si-e of woodworking
tool Aefore it can escape. 4he* also found these ),. taAles are worthless
unless we also modif* our older tool designs that spra* fine dust all o@er
with Aetter hoods: ports: and internal ducting to protect: control: and
deli@er the fine dust for collection as it is made. Also with permission
Aelow shares some of the @endor recommended hood and collection
designs for most maBor tools.
Air engineers also came up with the formulas and taAles to ensure we ha@e
the right ducting and Alower. 4he* came up with simple formulas and
approaches to help design our ducting to mo@e the needed air with ample
@olume and speed at each tool. 4he* Auilt static calculators like the one
linked here that estimate the resistance created A* our ducting: fle3 hose:
duct fittings: hoods: filters: c*clones: separators: etc. 4he* pro@ide Alower
fan taAles that let us use our airflow re&uirement and resistance le@el to
look up what si-ed Alower with the right si-e impeller and motor to mo@e
the amounts of air we need. 4he* also formali-ed this process into
something that most can follow without special training or e3pertise to
come up with a good dust collection s*stem. Since we use the same si-e
and t*pes of tools as smaller commercial tools: most of what we need to
do for good fine dust collection is alread* laid out in detail. 6ach of us can
go through this process to determine our needs: pick a Alower large and
strong enough: configure our ducting: separate off the hea@ier dust: and
either e3haust the fine stuff outside or appropriatel* filter that dust.
4his engineering information shares most of the minimums we need for
each t*pe of dust collection. !oughl* #F ),. pro@ed ample air @olume
to do good Hchip collection at most of our larger small shop stationar*
tools and dustier operations. 4heir ducting formula ,(.J),.KArea
shows that for our "FFF ,(. and #F ),. we need almost e3actl* "E
diameter duct. =e can use smaller pipe: Aut then ha@e to ha@e a much
Aigger Alower to generate e3tra pressure. $ikewise: if we use Aigger pipe:
we then ha@e to use a Aigger Alower to keep the airspeed up enough to
a@oid our pipes plugging and Auilding up dust piles. 2nfortunatel* the #F
),. needed for good Hchip collectionE falls far short of the airflow
needed for good fine dust collection. 4he* found that meeting <S0A air
&ualit* re&uires Bust o@er '1# ),. and larger Aetter hoods. Instead of Bust
ha@ing to co@er a "E diameter area the* found for good fine dust collection
our hoods needed to co@er roughl* an 1/E diameter collection area. 4he
same simple ducting formula feeing in our #F ,(. needed to collect the
fine dust o@er that 1/E sphere shows we need. !ounding that to /FF ),.
and keeping our "FFF ,(. airspeed in our ducts to keep them clear sa*s
we need %E diameter duct to mo@e the /FF ),. needed to meet <S0A air
&ualit* standards. 4heir testing found we need aAout 1FF ),. at our
larger tools to co@er a little more area and roughl* 1FFF ),. to meet
medical air &ualit* recommendations that are now the 6uropean standard.
4he same formulas show we need to use 'E diameter ducting to mo@e the
air for Aoth the A)GI0 and medical standards alread* adopted in 6urope.
'. (esistance
Because air will compress: we assume we will get nearl* the same flow on
Aoth sides of a small oAstruction Aecause the air will speed up to get
around a small oAstruction. Based on that knowledge: I assumed that we
could minimi-e the length of that oAstruction A* using tapered adapters
right at our machines and still use their Auilt in "I ports. I then recei@ed an
email that asked me to further clarif*: Aecause in man* instances this will
not work. I pulled out m* gauges and found out I was dead wrong.
Air at t#e low !ressures we use in dust collection" air is more li$e
water" and does not com!ress. Any obstruction" small !i!e" or tig#t
turn will $ill our airflow dramatically )ust li$e closing a water valve.
4his means an* oAstruction: small port: undersi-ed hood: restricti@e
internal air pathwa* in a tool: small section of hose: or restricti@e duct
fitting will act Bust like a water @al@e and seriousl* reduce flow. 4his also
means our tapered and smaller adapters from our ducting to our tools are
all Aut useless Aecause the* also kill our needed airflow.
=hen we ha@e high resistance from an oAstruction: that resistance will
control the flow. 4o test this for *ourself: tr* a simple e3periment I
learned in engineering classes long ago. Get a few feet of 1K/I interior
diameter clear hose. 7ow cut off aAout a 1K2I of this hose. =ithout
choking on that tin* piece: tr* to Areathe through it. .ost can Aut find it
difficult. 7ow tr* to Areathe through the longer piece. .ost cannot
Aecause it has too much resistance. 7ow go Aack to the small piece and tr*
to Areathe through it &uickl*. ;ou cannot Aecause our lungs cannot create
the pressure needed to o@ercome the high resistance of that small pipe.
4he same is true of our ducting. 4he resistance of the duct will define the
airflow. If we use too small of ports: duct: fittings: or outlets: we kill the
airflow needed for fine dust collection. (m* thanks to Da@e for reminding
me that under t*pical dust collector pressures air is @irtuall*
incompressiAle).
Because air is near incompressiAle at the low pressures we use in dust
collection: we end up with the pipe diameter controlling our air @olume.
4his is Bust like water. =e open and close a @al@e to regulate how much
water comes out of our faucets. To su!!ort t#e *++ C,- we need for
good dust collection" we need to u!grade t#ose ./ !ort connections to
0/ and t#e ducting inside our mac#ines to 0/. ,or machines like m*
taAle saw with an interior duct: I had to use a larger port and a larger
interior hose. Another serious resistance issue is the use of standard fle3
hose. .uch of that hose is poorl* made with riAs sticking into the airflow
adding up to nine times the resistance of smooth pipe. Alwa*s Au* and use
a minimum of smooth interior walled fle3 hose as it that onl* adds aAout
three times the resistance of smooth pipe.
.. Ducting Diameter
Ducting Diameter affects the amount of airflow Bust like the si-e of the
pipe and water @al@e si-e affects water flow. 2nlike a shop @acuum that
generates roughl* ten times the pressure: air from our Alowers will not do
a good BoA of s&uee-ing around oAstructions or through small openings.
As a result si-e has e@er*thing to do with how much air *ou can mo@e at a
gi@en pressure. =e must si-e our ducting correctl*. If made too small it
kills our airflow needed for good fine dust collection. If made too large it
does not maintain the airspeed in the ducting to a@oid plugging and a
Auildup of dust piles. 4his makes sense as a garden hose would empt* a
cit* water tank far slower than a %I diameter pipe Aecause the garden hose
is too small. =e control water flow A* opening and closing our faucet:
meaning add Bust one constriction in the line and it can kill our flow.
<pening the faucet wide gets *ou a flow limited A* the si-e of the pipe.
Getting a larger central storage tank has little effect unless *ou put it
higher in the air where it can generate more pressure. As with water:
getting a Aigger Alower with more horsepower does little good if the
airflow is too restricted A* the si-e of the ducting: tool ports: hoods: and
duct openings.
,or instance a 1.# hp dust collector that can mo@e a ma3imum of 11FF
),. mo@es far less air than that ma3imum depending upon what si-ed
ducting we use. 4his t*pical small shop dust collector Alower onl*
generates "I to %I of pressure when working. =ith the added o@erhead of
our filter and minimum ducting: that pressure is onl* ample to mo@e aAout
/FF ),. when hooked up with a short piece of %E fle3 hose. 4hat
pressure will onl* pull aAout ##F ),. when connected with #E fle3 hose
and onl* aAout "#F ),. when hooked up with "I fle3 hose.
=hether *ou ha@e a modest 1K2 0( %FF ),. Alower to a roaring # 0(
ma3imum 2FF ),. Alower *ou need to Aalance the ducting si-e. =e
constantl* trade off our ducting si-e to mo@e the right air @olume at ample
speed with minimum resistance. 4o get the needed /FF ),. that larger
tools need for good fine dust collection through a "I duct or hose *ou need
aAout 1:FFF ,(. that takes a monster impeller and huge motor. 4hatDs
wh* knowledgeaAle woodworkers use %I ducts and %I fle3 right to their
larger machines e@en with portaAle dust collectors. =ithout a monster
Alower: if *our duct is smaller than %I to *our larger machines: then it will
not mo@e enough air to capture the fine: most unhealth* dust. 4he Aest *ou
can hope to do is make *our s*stem a little more efficient.
1. 2ea$s
$eaks kill s*stem performance and can cause all kinds of other proAlems.
A leak Aetween the collection Aarrel and c*clone will &uickl* clog *our
filters Bust like when the Aarrel gets too full killing an* aAilit* to collect
the dust. $ikewise: man* small leaks in the ducting &uickl* add up to the
e&ui@alent of ha@ing an e3tra open Alast gate that will se@erel* cut the
airflow at *our machines killing performance and potentiall* leading to
plugged ducting. I donDt want to waste m* electricit* or limited capacit*
Alower on leaks.
0. Airflow (e%uirements
Airflow !e&uirements for good dust collection are a parado3. It takes @er*
little airflow to mo@e reall* fine dust: *et we need far more airflow to
capture that same fine dust than we need to pick up the same dust we get
with a Aroom. 4o make sense of this on m* other pages I share a simple
e3perimental game with a Aalloon and two straws. <ne person is onl*
allowed to Alow and the other to onl* suck. 4he one who Alows alwa*s
wins Aecause sucking pulls air from all directions and re&uires a lot more
air mo@ement to make an* effect e@en a tin* distance awa*. An* fine dust
that does not get trapped A* the dust hood gets launched A* almost an*
airflow from our tools: Aelts: cutters: motors: etc. 4he onl* wa* to pre@ent
this is to ha@e good hoods that keep the fine dust controlled and mo@e
enough @olume of air to capture it Aefore it gets launched. =e measure
that @olume of airflow in cuAic feet per minute or ),. for short.
3. 4ower re%uirements
(ower re&uirements to mo@e more air also differ from water greatl*.
Because air is compressiAle to douAle the amount of air *ou mo@e
measured in cuAic feet per minute (),.) *ou must douAle the fan speed
or douAle the surface area of the fan. 4his will re&uire a fourCfold increase
in static pressure that will cost *ou a 7I76Cfold increase in horsepower?
4his fan law sa*s adding 1K2 horsepower and a Aigger impeller to a 1.# 0(
11FF ),. Alower nets *ou onl* 1FF ),. in additional airflow? 4he
wrong pipe si-e: leaks: fittings that change the air to aAruptl*: o@erl* long
runs: an inefficient separator: and a poorl* designed c*clone can each cost
far more ),. loss. 6@er* time *ou force air to make a sharp direction
change *ou lose lots of efficienc*. Between use of the @er* inefficient fle3
hose: too small of a diameter pipe: and too man* sharp angled fittings in
their ducting: most hoAA*ist woodworkers se@erel* kill the potential
airflow needed for good dust collection. T#ese !ractical suggestions can
#el! you to first address t#e inefficiencies before #aving to !ay for
e!ensive motors" bigger blowers" and more electricity.
C.2ayout 5 Ducting Design
Although we all enBo* ha@ing Aragging rights and a shop full of all different si-es
of ducting looks incrediAle: the realit* is with our small shop Alowers we onl*
mo@e enough air to power a single machine at a time. =ith Bust one ducting run at
a time open: we need a totall* different ducting design than the traditional larger
woodworking shops that run dust collection to e@er* tool working at once. If we
did that: we would need monster si-ed Alowers that would cost a fortune to Au*:
install: maintain: and run. As a result: we end up with simple s*stems that should
all Ae the same si-e duct from the Alower right to the machine. At the machine the
duct ma* split into two e&ual diameter collection pipes for two collection points:
Aut otherwise our ducting remains @er* simple. Sadl*: a numAer of small shop
@endors offer commercial ducting design programs that offer a wide range of
ducting si-es with each down drop si-ed Bust right for each machine. 4hese
designs can cause fires and e@en e3plosions in our ducting Aecause the small
pipes kill the airflow needed to keep the larger mains clear.
4o design *our ducting la* all out to make the shortest straightest runs possiAle
with minimal sharp Aends or Boints. 7o short 1F degrees Boints should e@er Ae
used. 6ither use cur@ed duct with a Aig radius or Areak up the 1FCdegree Boints
with a straight run Aetween two "#Cdegree Boints. All should Ae long sweeping
cur@es or ; t*pe takeoffs with narrow angles. In addition: most want to put the
dust collector off in a corner. It reall* goes right in the middle of the wall closest
to *our tools that re&uire the most ),. for good dust collection. ;our main duct
manifold should make a straight run down the center of *our shop: not around the
perimeter? Also: for ma3imum efficienc*: particularl* with a c*clone: *ou want a
straight run for at least "D or longer going into *our inlet. 4his keeps the incoming
air @er* smooth making for far Aetter material separation and impro@ed efficienc*
as turAulence kills efficienc*.
1. ,ire Safety
;ou need to setup *our dust collection in a wa* that will !rotect against
fires6 If *ou ha@e a unit where material can directl* hit the impeller: then
rocks and pieces of metal can hit that impeller: cause small sparks and
those sparks fall into *our sawdust and slowl* grow into a disaster: often
man* hours after *ou lea@e *our shop. If *ou ha@e this kind of setup: *ou
should ne@er clean *our shop floor or other areas that might ha@e metal or
stone Aits with *our dust collector. ,or this reason: most agree that dust
collection Ains should Ae metal. I used a FCgallon metal trashcan on one
unit and a "FCgallon metal trash can on the other: Aoth with metal lids and
metal fle3 duct going to them from m* c*clone. 4hat makes the dust more
awkward to empt*: Aut safer and the metal fle3 duct is much less
e3pensi@e. =ith a twoCstage unit using a separator or a c*clone Aefore the
Alower this Aecomes less critical.
&. 4i!e Si7e
Alwa*s use the largest diameter duct that *our Alower can use with the
least numAer of restrictions. If *our ducting is too small: then it instead of
*our Alower defines the ),. that *our s*stem can pro@ide at *our
machines to pick up the dust. If *our ducting is too large *ou might not
maintain the airspeed needed to keep sawdust and chips from Auilding up
and Alocking *our ducting. ;ou need aAout FFF feet per minute (,(.)
airspeed to keep light sawdust mo@ing hori-ontall* and aAout 'FF ,(.
to mo@e it @erticall*. Air engineers target their designs to maintain aAout
"FFF ,(. to keep the dust entrained (mo@ing). ,(. is simpl* ),.
di@ided A* the area of the duct in s&uare feet instead of inches (1""Ks&.
in.). If *ou do the math for the 1FFF ),. we need at our larger tools and
the "FFF ,(. airspeed we need to keep our @ertical runs clear: most small
shops should run at least 'E duct. 4his si-ed duct is rare and the more
commonl* a@ailaAle /E duct is so large we end up with the airspeed falling
so low our @ertical runs plug. .* personal solution has Aeen to use %E duct
which will normall* onl* carr* aAout '1F ),.: and to get that to o@er
1FFF ),. A* using an o@ersi-ed impeller of at least 1#E diameter running
at "#F !(.. 4his makes for more noise Aut results in great fine dust
collection. It also means m* whole s*stem of mains and down drops ends
up using %E duct.
'. Ducting (esistance
Ducting resistance is known as static pressure. 6@en a short run of duct
that is too small for a Alower will cut the airflow down to the highest
speed that pipe can sustain. 4he impact on most hoAA*ist Alowers is
terriAle. A K" 0( Alower with a ma3imum airflow of aAout %FF ),. will
rarel* pro@ide more than aAout FF ),. real air flow when connected to
a "I pipe. <n that same "I ducting a 1 0( unit that gi@es %#F ),.
ma3imum rarel* will maintain #F ),.. A 1.# 0( rated at 11FF ),.
Aarel* gi@es "#F ),.. And a 2 0( capaAle of 12FF ),. is luck* to
pro@ide #FF ),.. Bumping up to #I pipe adds aAout 1FF ),. to each of
these configurations. Bumping up to %I pipe causes proAlems for the under
1.# 0( units Aecause the air speed (,(.) can fall too far and make dust
Alock the pipes: Aut with this Aigger pipe: the Aigger units end up going to
/FF and 1FF ),.. As a result: *ou need to use at least #I duct for an*
hoAA*ist Alower rated up to 11FF ),. and %I or larger duct for Alowers
rated 11FF ),. to 1/FF ),..
.. Ducting (eductions
2nlike Aig industrial sites: most hoAA*ists should run the same si-ed
ducting: fittings and hose right up to their machines. DonDt do like man*
and run a %I or /I main trunk line then come off with smaller duct or fle3
hose. 4he smaller pipe will kill the airflow needed to keep the air in the
mains mo@ing fast enough to a@oid plugging and Auilding up dust piles.
;ou ha@e to keep three I ports open at once or two "I ports to a@oid the
plugging a %I main and e@en more open for larger mains. 0a@ing so much
open often kills the airflow needed to collect the fine dust. If *ou use
standard hoods *ou should still con@ert o@er to %I ports. 6@en reducing
ducting si-e right at the machine for the shortest possiAle distance to a
small "I port will still kill s*stem performance. 4he smaller ducting: fle3
hose: and small ports limit the ma3imum airflow Bust like we pro@ed in
that little air test sucking e3periment? If *ou do change si-e ducting: use a
Aig enough Alower to support opening multiple Alast gates and appropriate
connections for enlarging and reducingL
.* friend Sugi found a Aetter wa* to do ducting reduction and e3pansion.
0is mi3ed comAination of Imperial and .etric si-ed ports on his tools
re&uired lots of different reducers and e3panders to work with his %I
mains. 0e found a @er* elegant solution that gi@es far Aetter airflow than
we get with e@en the nice tapered reducers shown aAo@e. >anafle3 makes
a pol*prop*lene rigid duct hose the* call >anaduct with interlock
construction which allows the inside diameter to Ae changed A* twisting
the hose. 4his duct starts off as a flat strip rolled into a spiral. <n one side
of the strip is a male riA and on the other a female socket @er* similar to
-ipClock Aags. Depending upon direction of twist this duct either e3pands
or contracts in diameter up to aAout #FM. 4his results in @er* smooth
clean transitions without all the nonsense of e3pensi@e transitions. 4he
retail price per meter is aAot N2" which is cheaper than ha@ing to Au*
metal reducers and fle3iAle hose. =e can easil* make long transitions that
@er* effecti@el* reduce pressure loss.
1. Ducting -aterial
4he ne3t most important aspect of Auilding a good ducting s*stem is
which t*pe of ducting material *ou will use. =e need to Ae careful when
Au*ing either dust collection ducting or 08A) metal pipe. =e can easil*
spend a small fortune and still not end up with a nice leak free s*stem.
Also: most IofficialI dust collection pipe uses proprietar* connectors and
si-es that often limit *our e3pansion to working with Bust that firm. =ith
special tools re&uired to make Bunctions: *ou also end up generall* pa*ing
for a numAer of custom made parts. $ikewise: 08A) metal ducting
thickness and si-e can @ar* consideraAl*: Aut most recommend getting at
least 2% gauge pipe. .ost Isnap lockI ducting in the larger home centers
comes in light FCgauge or hea@ier 2% gauge gal@ani-ed steel.
2nfortunatel*: if *ou make *our duct pipes or c*clone out of the thinner
metal: *ou could collapse *our c*clone and long metal duct runs if *ou
ha@e a large Alower and should lea@e all the Alast gates closed. 4he fittings
e@en in the light metal ha@e enough support the* are not at risk of
collapsing. Another ine3pensi@e option is Auilding s&uare or rectangular
ducts from .elamine coated particleAoard. (articleAoard ducts can Ae
&uite ine3pensi@e and are @er* efficient. 2nfortunatel*: many alternative
ducting materials are flammable so are totally ina!!ro!riate for use
anyw#ere ece!t in !lain sig#t. (utting a flammaAle duct material in a
ceiling area or enclosed attic can create an unacceptaAle risk of fire.
Although I am a fan of and personall* use the higher end steel snap lock
t*pe ducting that is @er* price*: I started off using 08A) pipe which
worked well: then shifted to use of the thinner (8) pipe that is readil*
a@ailaAle in m* area due to all the agricultural irrigation. 4oda* with the
price of oil dri@ing (8) pipe costs cra-*: if cost was a maBor concern I
would use 08A) pipe. I suspect most of m* pipe and fittings would come
from one of the large Ao3 stores with m* w*es and longer radius Aends
coming from a local ducting supplier. 2se of two "# degree fittings with a
short segment would work in place of these long radius Aends almost as
well if those are not a@ailaAle locall*.
Ideall* we need the smoothest pipe we can get to minimi-e resistance and
still ensure the le@el of safet* in our shops. 4o minimi-e resistance: the
interior of the pipe needs to Ae as smooth as possiAle and *ou need long
smooth sweeping smooth Boints on all *our fittings.
4here are lots of ducting choices and often we slip into a mode where we
think if something costs less it is not as good. 4he smoothest walls that
make for the least resistance come with using plastic coated pipe and
fittings such as (8) pipe or plastic coated metal or wood duct. 4he ne3t
Aest is smooth walled laser welded steel pipe followed A* a tossup
Aetween top &ualit* metal spiral dust collection ducting and fittings and
08A) metal ducting: followed at a far distance A* corrugated metal pipe
and fle3 hose. 4he low cost S+D (8) (plastic) pipe (see m* (8) site if
*ou want to do ImagicI with fitting (8) into *our ducting.) is generall*
one of the Aest small shop dust collection material choices Aecause it is
smooth: far stronger than most 08A) metal pipe or spiral pipe: costs less:
and fittings are a fraction of the price. Airflow depends upon ducting
friction. 0ere are the 0a-enK=illiams friction factors for @arious duct
t*pes (a higher ) numAer is Aetter).
1. )orrugated steel ductJ %F
2. Spiral Duct J 1FC1FF
. $aser =elded Steel Duct J 11FC12#
". C(8) Duct J 1"%
7otice that corrugated duct is so restricti@e it should ne@er Ae
used? 4he same is also true of fle3 hose that has a rough interior.
Also notice that in spite of some @endor claims: these @alues show
that (8) mo@es more air with less friction than e@en e&ual si-ed
spiral ducting. I recommend the (8) AS4. 2'21 HSewer and
Drain (S+D)E pipe for most small shop woodworkers. 4he 2'21
(8) pipe and fittings cost far less than metal or standard schedule
"F (8): are much stronger: donDt leak like metal pipe: and ha@e a
much lower coefficient of friction than e@en spiral metal ductwork.
4he 2'21 (8) is rated for man* times the pressure that e@en large
industrial Alowers generate. ID@e seen no fle3 with m* (8) pipe
e@en when doing testing on 1F hp Alowers dri@ing a 1%I impeller.
Alternati@el*: *ou can use either the more e3pensi@e Aut less
efficient hea@ier spiral pipe or the 2% gauge snap lock 08A) pipe.
0. Ducting Cost
It is Aest to Au* *our dust collection pipe: fittings and fle3 hose from either
a firm with free shipping or from a local supplier: otherwise *ou can easil*
pa* nearl* as much for shipping as for the cost of the ducting.
3. Ducting Connections
.aking *our dust collection connections can Ae done with glue: screws:
special duct sealant: and man* other things: Aut most find that slipping all
together works Aest. 4his is especiall* true if *ou Au* the S+D (8) for
*our main runs with the Auilt in seals. 4he* onl* cost a little more and
make tight Boints that normall* donDt need an*thing more to hold them in
place. .ost agree that not gluing is A* far the preferred wa* to go: as *ou
ma* change *our mind on *our shop arrangement: and *ou will for sure
e@entuall* catch something that clogs re&uiring *ou to take one or more
Boints apart. 4he Aest wa* to seal leaking temporar* Boints is with standard
2I aluminum duct tape found in home and 08A) stores. Be careful when
handling his tape as it is @er* sharp? (ermanent Boints are Aetter sealed
with either duct sealing compound or pol*urethane caulk.
Although the >anaduct shared aAo@e in 4ransitions works well for Boining
different materials and diameters: this can Ae a little price* and re&uires
mail ordering. Gohn >oster reminded me that standard plumAing neoprene
InoChuAI connectors pro@ide a good less e3pensi@e locall* a@ailaAle
solution for those who need to connect dissimilar pipe materials. 4hese
HnoChuAE connectors come si-ed to mate )ast IronK(8): SteelK(8): and
(8)K(8). 4hese connectors are easil* placed and remo@ed for access:
pro@ide a good seal on an adBustaAle range of diameters: and act as good
IdampenersE for @iAration and noise transmission.
*. Duct 8anging
4here are lots of wa*s to mount *our ducting to the ceiling or wall.
a. 9ylon Cable Ties
I found at an electronics outlet some nice screwCin mounts
designed to Ae used in electronic caAinets. 4hese mounts work well
to hold hea@* n*lon caAle ties right to the ceiling or wall. I snapped
a chalk line then put in one of these e@er* other stud held in place
with a 2I deck screw. 4o use Bust thread a n*lon tie (took me using
two linked together) and lea@e in a loop. Insert the %I duct and then
pull the ties up tight. A good metal caAle tie gun will cinch these
up tight enough e@en hea@* (8) pipe will not slip down a wall.
b. Band Clam!s
Another approach is to mount Alocks with regular stainless steel
Aand clamps. 4he clamp threads through a thin slot I cut in the side
of the Alock. I then secure that Alock to a stud with a deck screw.
4hat screw also secures the open edge of the Alock and s&uee-es
down on the clamp to hold the clamp in place. 4his same approach
works e&uall* well with the n*lon caAle ties.
c. :ire
4he traditional approach to ha@e hanging ducts from a high ceiling
simpl* uses hea@* gal@ani-ed steel wire or plumAers strapping
screwed to the ceiling or looped around a pipe. 4his works well:
Aut is difficult to adBust without a lot of practice.
d. :ire (o!e
Another solution for hanging duct is to use stranded metal caAle
(called wire rope) with special clamps that let *ou adBust the
length. A numAer of firms make and sell different t*pes of caAle
connectors. 4he most simple are the I/I shaped metal ferrules that
*ou s&uee-e onto the caAle with a crimping tool. .ost Aoat suppl*
stores sell Aoth the caAle and ferrules: or *ou can get them from a
caAle suppl* store. I Aought a large spool and a pound of ferrules
for what it would ha@e cost me to Au* Bust a few pieces from a Aoat
store.
e. Sus!ension System
A far more elegant and e3pensi@e solution for hanging duct is to
use wire rope with special adBustaAle fittings that allow *ou to
&uickl* do the installs and set the pipe height. Gust aAout all 08A)
suppl* stores and ducting suppl* firms offer one or more of these
t*pes of s*stems. <ne of the Aetter known that man* woodworkers
ha@e used successfull* is the Gripple S*stem.
&. 4i!e ;nder ,loor
Although most prefer to hang their ducting from the ceiling: there are also
lots of wa*s to put *our dust collection pipe under *our floor.
a. Subfloor
,or those who ha@e a shop that sits on a hea@* suAfloor: it can Ae
@er* con@enient to run *our ducting under the floor. I like a
wooden suA floor in a shop Aecause it is much easier on the legs.
Both of m* two larger shops had nice suA floors and I ran most of
the ducting under those floors. ,or m* first: I carefull* designed
and put e@er* hole Bust where it needed to Ae. 4hat worked for
aAout two weeks until I Aought a few more machines and ended up
ha@ing to crawl Aack under the floor and redo all. ,or m* second
shop I put a fitting e@er* si3 feet along the walls and down the
center of the shop. 6ach had a plug and was co@ered A* a piece of
tile: so when I needed to make a change: I Bust had to lift the tile:
remo@e the plug and put in a fle3 hose to the machine. 4hat
worked prett* well.
b. Concrete Slab
)ost and con@enience often end up with man* shops ha@ing a
concrete slaA floor. If *ou are fortunate enough to Ae Auilding *our
shop from scratch: *ou can Auild in some trenches. ID@e helped
Auild one of these t*pe shops and did most right: Aut also learned a
few lessons the hard wa*.
1. Because I included Aoth a sink and small shower: I ran
water and drains in dug trenches: plus another trench to
Aring in power. $i@ing right on the edge of an industrial
area: I was fortunate enough to Ae aAle to Aring in threeC
phase power. 4he floor I Auilt was put o@er those utilities
on wellCtamped ground co@ered in "I of crushed rock then
a @apor Aarrier.
2. I also tapered each of m* trenches with Bust a little grade
and put drains at the end of each trench. 4he mistake I
made with those drains was sharing them with the sewer
drain without a water trap to kill an* odors. I ended up
ha@ing to reconnect them to m* *ard drains instead.
. I Auilt m* trench with a lip that will hold a 23/ flush with
the rest of the floor. 4hat let me co@er up the trench and not
create proAlems mo@ing around m* e&uipment and taAles
that were on rollers. If I were to do this again toda*: I
would make the trench si-ed with a lip to use the surplus
aluminum raised computer room floor tiles. 4hese are
much stronger than the 23% and much easier to install and
remo@e for access.
". Into m* trench went the ducting: compressed air: and
power. I protected the power A* putting it in wellCsealed
(8) coa3. 0ad I used that raised computer room flooring
m* trench would ha@e Aeen Aig enough to also include lines
for m* shop @acuum: drainage: and possiAl* water if
permitted A* m* Auilding codes.
#. I carefull* framed in the trench to make a nice rectangular
pour. 6@en with reAar sides: m* straight walled trench
cracked. 4hose cracks made for a moisture proAlem that
was not compatiAle with m* gal@ani-ed ducting. A far
Aetter wa* to go is to make a nice smooth pour as shown in
the picture.
c. Com!uter ,loor
=e are in an interesting time right now where the computer world
is changing so fast that this lea@es an opportunit* for
woodworkers. 4here are huge &uantities of surplus @er* well made
raised computer floor that pro@ides a raised floor of /I to 12I to
permit running electrical: communications: caAles: etc. under the
floor using easil* remo@ed tiles mounted on stands. 4hese surplus
computer floor s&uares and uprights are readil* a@ailaAle for little
cost. 4he* create a floor that is nothing short of incrediAle for
woodworking. ;ou can put in *our ducting: power: water: and
whate@er else *ou need or want to run under that floor: then ha@e
eas* access to make changes.
B. Ducting Com!onents
1. Ducting Accessories
4here are man* nice accessories that *ou can use with *our dust
collection: Aut reali-e that e@en with these accessories a dust collection
s*stem does some functions poorl*.
a. .* first accessor* mistake was Au*ing a transition that mated m*
"E dust collection hoses to the tin* 1.2#E port on m* Aand saw. So
little air was mo@ed I went Aack to using m* powerful shop
@acuum on all tools with small ports. I also Aought the #E Delta
replacement port for m* Aand saw lower port: plus used $ockline
adBustaAle pickup duct with hood pickup aAo@e A* the taAle
attached to m* strong shop @acuum. 4he rule is ne@er hook a dust
collector or c*clone to an* si-e pipe less than E in diameter.
A. .* dust collector came with an upper and lower filter Aag that
worked poorl* and re&uired constant empt*ing Aecause I made lots
of dust from preparing rough stock. .* ne3t mistake was Au*ing a
metal trashcan and trashcan separator lid. 4he trashcan separator
reduced the fire risks and sa@ed on empt*ing the dust collector.
=hen I Aought a set of air gauges and did some testing: I reali-ed
that m* trashcan separator was not good news at all. It pulled the
real 11FF ),. I got from m* dust collector through a %E test pipe
to under "#F ),..
c. .* ne3t mistake was replacing the dust collector Aags with an eas*
to empt* lower plastic Aag and fine o@ersi-ed fine upper filter Aag.
Aut I still constantl* struggled with the new upper filter Aag getting
so full of dust it felt like cement and would Aarel* pass air. 6@er*
filter cleaning left me and m* shop co@ered in the fine dust I
Aought that fine Aag to a@oid. I later learned during the medical air
&ualit* testing done on m* shop that m* so called filter was a sie@e
that freel* passed most of the finest unhealthiest in@isiAle dust.
d. I made m* ne3t mistake Au*ing a HAestE hoAA*ist c*clone s*stem.
It mo@ed less air than m* dust collector: Bust aAout half of what the
@endor claimed in the ad@erti-ing. 4hat c*clone killed the airflow
Aelow aAout "#F ),.: plus did not mo@e enough air to keep the
ducting clear. After digging into the engineering Aehind c*clones: I
reali-ed that almost all small shop c*clones were copies of the
same original design. 4hat design was ne@er made to Ae used
inside with fine filters: so I designed m* own more efficient
c*clone. It works well to power m* downdraft taAle: collect chips
from m* router taAle and larger tools: and pick up the lea@es that
constantl* get Alown into m* garage shop. It also is a huge help in
cleaning m* shop when used with a ShopSmith @acuum
attachment. Do not use a dust collector as a vacuum because
any steel screw or nail !ic$ed u! #its t#e im!eller and can !ut
a s!ar$ in t#e collection bin. Also: most dust collectors make
poor @acuums Aecause the airspeed is too low for good pickup. .*
c*clone mo@ed more air and also separated off the material Aefore
it got to the impeller so worked well with m* new floor sweep. I
hot melt glued in Aig neod*mium super magnets on the front of
that sweep to collect nails and screws Aefore the* get sucked up.
e. 6@en with a good c*clone and @acuum: I found some tools still
spra* dust. =hen using them I wear m* mask: open up the side
door and garage doors and then run a Aig fan in the side door to
keep that dust Alowing outside. ,or &uick cleanup after using these
dust* tools I wear m* mask: open all up with the fan running: and
use m* Aig compressor or leaf Alower to &uickl* Alow out the
whole shop then turn on and lea@e on m* ceiling mounted air
cleaner.
&. Blast Gates
;ou close the airflow to a machine with a Alast gate. 4here are man*
different t*pes of Alast gates including man* that can Ae opened
automaticall* through electric motors: air pressure: and e@en h*draulics.
T#e best !lace to !ut your blast gates is net to t#e wyes off your main
line u! #ig#. 4he more open pipe or hose *ou lea@e e3posed Aetween the
main run and the Alast gate: the more resistance it causes. Also: if that pipe
fills too much: opening the gate will cause all that material in the down
drop to slam into the impeller potentiall* ruining motor Aearings and e@en
Areaking impellers. It then goes into the filters potentiall* poking holes
and greatl* reducing filter life A* re&uiring far more cleanings.
.an* Au* or make poorl* designed Alast gates and get @er* frustrated.
.an* of these gates: including e3pensi@e metal commercial gates: leak
Aadl* and we can make this proAlem worse A* installing them Aackward.
4hese gates come with a screw that pushes down on the slide portion of
the gate to lock that slide in place. .an* install these gates Aackward so
the screw pushes the slide awa* from the @acuum source creating a nois*
air leak. <ne s*stem I tested had so man* leaks from installing the gates
Aackward that he had less than half the total airflow that we got after
re@ersing the gates so the* sealed well.
Also: man* of e@en the e3pensi@e gates get clogged with sawdust that
pre@ents them from closing full*. .ost used a slide that slips out of the
wa* lea@ing an open track that will pick up sawdust e@en if the gate is set
with the slide pointing down. 6@er* time *ou close a gate like this it Bams
sawdust into that track. 6@entuall* *ou pack in the dust so tightl* that the
gate will not full* close: will Bam: and can e@en split. <ou need to install
t#e gates so t#e slide o!ens downward" but t#is often causes t#e slide
to fall out on !oorly made gates" so wit# t#ese we need to clean often. I
found a #eavy !a!ercli! and s#o! vacuum wor$s wonders" but need
to clean every few mont#s. A muc# better design is s#own #ere w#ere
t#e !ortion t#at closes goes all t#e way t#roug# ensuring t#ere is no
!lace for t#e sawdust to clog.
T#e only retail carrier I=ve found w#o t#at sells t#ese ty!es of >self
cleaning? blast gates in 0? for an affordable !rice is 2ee @alley Tools
Asearc# on blast gateB. Ct#erwise buying t#is ty!e of blast gate is
difficult wit#out a commercial license to buy from a w#olesaler.
Because t#ere was no available source w#en I needed my gates" I
found 4#il Bumbaloug#Ds Building a Blast Gate !rovides an ecellent
set of well !ictured directions on #ow to ma$e t#ese ty!es of gates.
-a$ing your own similar gate is fairly easy. T#e only c#anges to
4#il=s design t#at I recommend are using a s!lit female 4@C
connector instead of !i!e on t#e gates. T#e cou!lings let me connect
directly and tig#tly to my 4@C and metal ducting wit#out lea$s or
#aving to use anot#er often e!ensive and for sure bul$y fitting. Cn a
few of my gates t#at end u! net to my mac#ines and get connected
wit# fle #ose I instead use a s#ort lengt# of 4@C !i!e for t#e lower
!ortion of t#e gate outlet. I !re!are t#at !i!e before gluing by first
cutting si &? long slits in t#e end made by my band saw in t#ree cuts
t#en wra!!ing t#at !i!e wit# a #eavy wire in a s!iral t#at I #old in
!lace wit# glue. T#is creates a t#readed ta!er t#at lets me screw on
my fle #ose onto t#e !i!e for an easy tig#t fit and no need for anot#er
e!ensive clam!. T#e result is tig#t enoug# t#at a !iece of ta!e is
am!le to ma$e a good seal.
T#is ty!e of blast gate will wor$ great if !laced between your tools
and cyclone" but for ma$ing t#e gates to go on a wye coming off of
your blower outlet" you need a different $ind of gate or valve. T#ese
gates wor$ because t#e suction !ulls t#e flat !ortion down tig#t to
ma$e a good air seal. :it# a gate on t#e ot#er side w#ere air is
blowing on t#e gate" t#en t#e air !ressure o!ens t#e ga! in t#e gate.
,or t#ese it is better to ma$e a :ye wit# a diverter valve as !ictured
below t#at will swing to ma$e t#e air close tig#tly on one side or t#e
ot#er.
Cne ot#er im!ortant note is don=t go wit# t#e cutesy 8@AC metal
flanges on your blast gates t#at I see !o!!ing u! on woodwor$ing
forums as a recommended way to ma$e t#ese gates. T#ey do loo$
!retty but greatly increase t#e cost of your gates" don=t seal well" are
ra7or s#ar! so will cut wit# even a small touc#" and unless modified
don=t fit eit#er standard dust collection !i!e or even &3&E S5D 4@C.
'. ,le 8ose 5 8ose Clam!s
T#e internal ridges on roug# or !oorly made fle #ose can create as
muc# as nine times more resistance t#an smoot# walled !i!e of t#e
same diameter. Even good smoot# walled fle will increase resistance
t#ree or more times over straig#t duct. T#is resistance $ills airflow" so
w#en you use fle #ose" always use minimum lengt#s and only use fle
#ose wit# smoot# interior walls to get t#e best !ossible airflow from
your blower. Additionally" t#ere are fle #oses available wit# !lastic
reinforcement ribs" but t#ese !lastic ribs !rovide !oor crus#
resistance and ma$e t#is ty!e of #ose generate so muc# static
electricity t#at it is not !ermitted in commercial s#o!s sub)ect to fire
mars#al ins!ections. ,inding 0/ smoot# walled fle #ose wit# metal
reinforced ribs t#at can be grounded can be a !rice s#oc$. Good fle
#ose costs considerably more t#an t#e bul$ roug# interior walled ./
stuff t#at many buy only to eventually learn t#at small diameter will
not su!!ort t#e airflow re%uired. I found Ama7on.com" :ynn
Environmental" and 9ort#ern Tool sell very good %uality larger
diameter smoot# walled fle #ose. :ynn continues to #ave t#e best
!ricing on #ose if you buy &1= lengt#s. 2esser %uality #ose wit#
roug#er ribs can be !urc#ased t#roug# Gri77ly.
Alt#oug# most buy stainless metal band screw ty!e clam!s for
securing t#eir fle #ose" standard stainless steel band clam!s wor$
!oorly. :#en we use normal clam!s t#e #ose reinforcement ribs
create a ga! w#ic# $ee!s t#e #oses from sealing tig#tly all t#e way
around" so t#e )oints lea$ air and fine dust. A bridge or wire #ose
clam! !rovides a muc# better seal as t#ese clam!s bridge over t#e
ducting reinforcement rib to create a good seal all t#e way around.
Ama7on.com sells e!ensive good wire clam! t#at bridge over t#e
ribs. :ynn Environmental and 2ee @alley sell t#e best stainless steel
bridged band clam!s" but you need to buy t#ese in eit#er left or rig#t
#anded versions to matc# t#e s!iral on your #ose.
.. ,ittings
Ty!esF -any c#oose to run to t#eir local bo store and buy 8@AC
A#eating ventilation and air conditioningB fittings. ,or t#e most !art
t#ese are a !oor c#oice )ust as t#ey are for ducting. ;nli$e t#e t#inner
'+ gauge ducting !i!es t#ese fittings will not colla!se" but if you loo$
closely t#ese fittings are all made for t#e air to flow away from t#e
blower. T#e result is every )oint is bac$ward w#ere t#e air ends u!
)amming against an interior li!. -ost fittings can )ust be turned
around" but some li$e wyes re%uire c#anging t#e gender on eac# of
t#e !orts to $ee! from tra!!ing sawdust and strings. I use a roller to
flatten all t#e male ends and a crim!er to convert t#e female ends to
male. -oreover" few of t#ese fittings seal real well or are t#at smoot#
inside. -any also #ave very tig#t angles and bends. T#e result in
terms of efficiency is not too bad for eac# )oint" but unless you are
careful t#e total can add u! to terrible !erformance. -any c#oose to
avoid t#e wor$ needed to clean u! t#e 8@AC )oints by buying eit#er
4@C fittings or using actual dust collection fittings t#at are smoot#
walled wit#out t#e )oint reversal !roblems.
a. :yes
<ou come off your main run wit# :yes. T#ere are many
different ty!es of wyes" but t#e best are going to be t#ose t#at
are smoot# and eit#er t#e most gentle angle or longest radius.
-any c#oose to use t#e ine!ensive s#eet metal 8@AC wyes
found in #ome centers" but t#ese #ave far more resistance and
!otential to cause !lugging t#an w#at is a!!ro!riate for dust
collection. As s#own some configurations are far better t#an
ot#ers.
b. Elbows
<ou c#ange ducting direction wit# elbows. As wit# wyes" t#ere
are many different ty!es and t#e best are going to be t#ose t#at
are smoot# and #ave t#e longest radius. As wit# wyes t#e
ine!ensive s#eet metal 8@AC units found in #ome centers
#ave far more resistance and !otential to !lug. As s#own some
configurations are far better t#an ot#ers.
8omemade ,ittingsF :it# t#e cost of bot# 8@AC and 4@C fittings so
#ig#" many c#oose to ma$e t#eir own fittings. I made %uite a few of
my own bot# in s#eet metal and in 4@C. At first I used a free s#eet
metal transition !rogram I found on t#e Internet t#at let me !rint out
full si7ed !atterns and t#en cut out my own !atterns in eit#er 4@C or
metal remembering to add for t#e 4@C etra t#ic$ness. 2ots of wor$
wit# my metal s#eers and soldering torc# or #eat gun and 4@C
cement created w#atever custom fitting I wanted. Eventually I
c#anged to two different a!!roac#es after reali7ing I was mostly
ma$ing .1 degree wye fittings in 0? 4@C. I setu! my lat#e wit# a 0?
!iece of 4@C made into a sanding drum by slotting t#en wra!!ing
tig#tly in #eavy sand!a!er. T#e slot $ee!s t#e final drum diameter
wit# sand!a!er t#e same as t#e rest of t#e !i!es. I use a !rotractor to
set t#e angle at .1 degrees wit# a )ig to move !i!e into t#at !iece. I
also #ave a stubby !recut !i!e !iece t#at I lay on ot#er !i!e w#ere I
want to mar$ a #ole t#at gets cut wit# a saber saw. Gust a little #and
sanding on t#e #ole leaves a near !erfect )oint. T#e ot#er nicer
a!!roac# I use is a little more wor$ and ta$es far more s$ill" but
ma$es better )oints and allows using longer !i!es. ,or t#is one I also
mar$ w#ere I am going to cut my #ole in t#e !i!e" but ma$e t#e cut 1?
all t#e way around too small. I t#en #eat t#e !i!e wit# a !air of #eat
guns and use a custom made wooden mandrel t#at I sli! into t#e #ole
from t#e inside !us#ing out a !erfect female fitting t#at w#en cool can
be used to )oin a !i!e.
Stan 8arder develo!ed a resource to #el! woodwor$ers save money
w#en building t#eir dust collection transitions. 8is free online
software !rogram Aclic$ #ere forF #tt!FHH#arderwoods.comH!i!e.#tmlB
creates tem!lates to assist in cutting 4@C !i!es t#at can be )oined
toget#er wit#out t#e use of e!ensive !i!e fittings. 8e #as #ad good
success using t#e t#ic$er CA glues used by wood turners to ma$e t#e
)oints. T#an$s for s#aring Stan6
1. Transitions
<ou need a way to go from your 0/ round ducting to your filters" your
blower" your cyclone" and some tools t#at #ave s%uare or rectangular
duct. T#ese !ieces are called transitions. T#ere are t#ree relatively
straig#tforward a!!roac#es to getting a transition. T#e best is to
build a transition t#at ma$es a !erfect fit. 9et best is to buy an
8@AC fitting t#at is close t#en modify it to wor$. It turns out a ./
1+/ to 0/ round 8@AC #eating register fitting easily c#anges to be a
..1/ E/ to 0/ transition. 2i$ewise" I found by measuring t#e
!erimeter of t#e blower outlet t#at it )ust so #a!!ens t#at eac# of my
designs is a !erfect fit wit# one of t#e various si7ed round transitions
w#en you com!ute t#e circumference. 2east best is to c#ange your
tool or ot#er unit to fit a standard transition. <ou can follow t#e
below information to ma$e your own transition. If you would li$e to
learn more on ma$ing a transition and #ave a s!reads#eet to calculate
all of t#e s!ecific distances" !lease see Goe Emena$erDs Transition
4age.
T#ere is a fairly sim!le but lengt#y way to build a transition. S#eet
metal wor$ers call t#is an evolution. Because my !lans are scalable"
your evolutions will c#ange based on cyclone and blower si7es. IDve
done one by #and for a 1'.1/ and anot#er for an 1*/ cyclone.
(onald Scalise s#ared an easier )ig tec#ni%ue #e learned from a friend
to %uic$ly layout a transition for metalwor$ing. (onald said #e is
more used to wor$ing in t#ousandt#s of an inc# and was ama7ed at
t#is tec#ni%ue because it comes out )ust rig#t every time. (onald says"
?<ou need t#ree t#ings" a wood dowel a round disc t#e si7e of your
incoming duct and a wooden rectangle t#e si7e of your inlet. ,ind t#e
center of bot# t#e disc and rectangle t#en drill a #ole t#roug# eac#
and connect t#em using a dowel. T#e dowel needs to be eactly t#e
lengt# of t#e desired transition. 4lace t#e )ig on t#e s#eet metal and
carefully roll it around using t#e )ig as a ruler to mar$ your lines on
t#e s#eet metal. T#e result after mar$ing all four sides of t#e
rectangle is a !erfect layout t#at only needs cut and formed to be
done.
-y friend w#o #as done t#is for years made t#is loo$ too easy. I
ended u! wit# way too many lines on t#e s#eet metal my first try.
Alt#oug# it turns out to be easy" I do recommend starting wit# some
!ractice !a!er to get t#e tec#ni%ue down. It only ta$es a few tries to
get it down !at. I learned to start wit# t#e longest side and draw a line
t#en follow t#e circle around as I turn t#e disc.?
T#e traditional way to build a transition is fairly sim!le and also
wor$s well" but ta$es more time. By drawing a view of t#at fitting
loo$ing down at t#e circular inlet you can see a circle and t#e
rectangle t#at it )oins.
Add to t#at drawing t#e fold lines used to transition
from t#e circle to t#e rectangle. T#e fold lines in
t#is view are red. 2oo$ing at t#ese fold lines from
t#e circle inlet gives us t#e actual lengt# of a base of
rig#t triangle w#ose #eig#t will be t#e lengt# of t#e
fitting.
T#e diagonal for eac# of t#ese rig#t triangles is t#e actual lengt# of
t#e line used to layout t#e metal cuttingHfolding diagram. <ou can
eit#er use mat# to calculate t#e lengt#s of t#ese fold lines or you can
get t#em by drawing a rig#t angle. T#is angle forms a rig#t triangle as
tall as t#e #eig#t of t#e fitting and base ta$en wit# a set of dividers
from t#at view !icture. <ou can t#en use dividers to go from t#e to!
to t#e base to get t#e diagonal. T#e more fold lines" t#e smoot#er your
circle. -ost metal wor$ers find it is easiest to divide a circle into &.
!arts ma$ing for &. fold lines. Draw a fold line from eac# corner to
t#e seven closest circle divisions. T#is means t#e first and sevent# line
eac# end u! going to two corners. Cnce you #ave t#e lengt#s of t#e
seven fold lines t#at go from eac# corner" you #ave all it ta$es to
layout your cutting diagram.
T#is is all t#e information you need to actually draw your layout for
your cutting diagram. Start by drawing wit# a #ori7ontal line t#at is
t#e lengt# of t#e longest side of t#e fitting rectangle. ;se a com!ass to
set t#e lengt# of line one. Swing arcs from eit#er end of t#at
#ori7ontal line to set t#e to! of t#at triangle. I used a second com!ass
t#at is set to t#e lengt# of an arc t#at is 1H&.t# of a circle. To get t#at
lengt# I drew a full si7ed circle" t#en divided t#e circle into sit#s"
t#en twelft#s" t#en twentyIfourt#s. If you donDt $now #ow to do t#is"
you #ave to loo$ it u! yourself. A(adius will give you sit#s" s!litting
any angle will give you 1&t#s" t#en one more s!lit for twentyIfourt#s.B
Carefully in order add
t#e lines t#at go to t#at
corner )oining t#e first
two to ma$e a triangle.
Eac# successive line
ma$es anot#er triangle
w#ose base e%uals t#e
lengt# of a segment t#at is
&.t# of a circle.
After drawing seven lines" t#e eig#t# line starts from w#ere t#e
sevent# ended and creates a triangle w#ose base is t#e s#orter
rectangle si7e.
Any#ow w#en it is all said and done" t#e result !lus 'H*/ of soldering
tabs gives t#e transition duct. I only s#owed t#e soldering tabs for t#e
sides. <ou also need t#em for bot# t#e circular !art and t#e
rectangular !art. I used t#ose etra tabs to solder a &/ ring onto t#e
circular !art to mate wit# my 4@C.
C.Tool Ducting
Eac# mac#ine needs t#e dust collection to !rotect" control and deliver good
fine dust collection. Eac# mac#ine re%uires a!!ro!riate #oods to $ee! t#e
airflow from our blades" bits" cutters" belts" motor fans" etc. from launc#ing
t#e fine dust before it can be collected. T#ese #oods need to control t#e dust
and t#en deliver it rig#t to t#e dust !ort for collection. Sadly" most small
s#o! tools come wit# internal ducting" #oods" and !orts far too small and too
restrictive to effectively !rotect" control" and deliver t#e fine dust. T#at
means we almost always #ave to do etensive tool modifications. In some
cases we cannot am!ly fi our tools" so we must use t#em wit# a !owerful
downdraft table. Some even a downdraft table cannot #el!" so t#ese eit#er
need used outside or re!laced.
1. Dust 4orts
T#e connection from your mac#ine to your ducting is often a !roblem
wit# #obbyist e%ui!ment. In loo$ing at t#e C,- re%uirements table it
is clear t#at most stationary small s#o! tools wit# a single !ort
connection need t#at !ort enlarged to a 0/ !ort. -ost wit# t#e need
for two collection !orts s#ould #ave a larger 1= !ort and a smaller '.1?
!ort. Cften we cannot get t#e '.1? ducting" but using a 1? wit# a .? on
two !ort mac#ines still wor$s well. T#e total area of t#e !orts s#ould
closely matc# t#e area of our ducting. If t#at total area is too small we
$ill our airflow needed for good fine dust collection and can create
dangerous dust !iles in our ducting. If t#e combined area is too large
we lose t#e airs!eed needed to !ull in t#e dust and $ee! all moving in
our ducting. Because t#e small s#o! industry remains in t#e /dar$
ages/ of c#i! collection in terms of only going after t#e same dust we
ot#erwise swee! u! wit# a broom" most small s#o! users will #ave to
u!grade t#eir mac#ine dust !orts t#emselves. It is a real s#ame to buy
a to! notc# !iece of e%ui!ment and suddenly #ave to ma$e a big 1? or
0/ #ole in it. Alt#oug# many use 8@AC connections it is far better to
use actual dust collection !orts t#at at least leave a good loo$ing
smoot# strong !ort. I li$e t#e 2indab and 9ordfab smoot# walled
laser welded steel ta$e off flanges !lus t#ey and #ave a built in gas$et.
I #eard from Steven T#om!son t#at a good source for t#ese !arts and
ot#er DC ducting com!onents is -ec#anical E%ui!ment in Georgia at
A33+B E0'I0&&0. 8e said t#ey #ave great !rices and are willing to s#i!
;4S.
&. Dust 8oods
Dust collection #oods and !ic$u!s are one of t#e least e!lored areas
in small s#o! dust collection" yet one of t#e most im!ortant. Alt#oug#
many vendors would li$e us to believe good fine dust collection is all
brand new and about as com!licated as roc$et science" t#e reality is
we #ave decades of air engineering e!erience t#at s#ow )ust w#at we
need in terms of our #oods and airflow. A good #ood must do t#e
following t#ingsF
a. Safety I A good #ood needs to !rovide a reasonable measure of
safety. T#is means it #el!s us $ee! away from our blades" bits
and cutters w#ile also !rotecting us from $ic$bac$ and flying
debris. ,or saw blades I strongly recommend use of #oods t#at
incor!orate at least a s!litter or riving $nives !lus use antiI
$ic$bac$ !awls. Cur #oods also need to be made of somet#ing
strong enoug# t#at if t#ings go flying we get good !rotection. I
strongly recommend #oods be made of eit#er metal or t#e
!olycarbonate !lastic used in safety glasses" bullet!roof
windows" etc. I made t#e side of a blower from t#is ty!e of
material to see w#en it was time to clean t#e im!eller. Cne of
my test im!ellers e!loded inside my blower. T#at 1H*/ t#ic$
!olycarbonate !lastic #eld u! better t#an t#e metal !arts.
b. @isibility I A good #ood also in my o!inion needs to let us see
w#at we are doing. Strangely" some saw blade and router
guards are smo$y or solid steel li$e t#e one t#at came wit# my
Euro!ean saw. I admit my saw guard soon got removed and
ignored because ta$ing it on and off to ensure my cuts were
aligned correctly was too muc# trouble. I strongly !refer a
clear !olycarbonate !lastic saw guard because it gives ecellent
visibility and minimi7es a buildu! of static ad#ered dust so we
don=t #ave to do a lot of cleaning.
c. C#i! Collection I A #ood also must !rovide good c#i!
collection meaning collect t#e same sawdust and c#i!s t#at we
would ot#erwise swee! u! wit# a broom. It is real sim!le. Cur
saw blade ti!s along wit# many of our ot#er blades" bits and
cutters launc# dust at over 1++ miles an #our. Even a !owerful
cyclone li$e my design only moves air at about 0+ miles an
#our. ;nless our #oods bloc$ t#e fast moving airflows" we lose
and are going to #ave sawdust and c#i!s all over.
d. ,ine Dust Collection I ,or t#ose w#o want good fine dust
collection" a good #ood must also move enoug# air in t#e rig#t
!laces. If our tools are made from t#e ground u! to totally tra!
all t#e sawdust and c#i!s we ma$e t#en a good s#o! vacuum
will !rovide ecellent dust collection. Because most of us use do
not use tools built from t#e ground u! for good fine dust
collection we need to instead use a different a!!roac#. :#at
decades of air engineering found wor$s wit# our older tool
designs is #aving #oods t#at bloc$ t#e fast moving streams.
T#ese #oods t#en also must move a large volume of air around
t#e wor$ing areas of our tools. :e $now t#at t#e slig#test
breat# can move t#e fine airborne !articles" so to $ee! t#e fine
dust from being blown all over our s#o!s" we need to surround
t#e wor$ing areas of our tools wit# air moving fast enoug# to
overcome normal room air currents. Again t#e researc#
followed by decades of refinement s#ow w#at we need in terms
of #oods and w#at is needed in terms of total airflow. It only
ta$es about 1+ feet !er minute airs!eed to overcome normal
room air currents" but we #ave to !rovide t#at airs!eed over
suc# a large area t#at we need about t#ree times more total
airflow for good fine dust collection as we do for good >c#i!
collection?. Because air at dust collection !ressures will barely
com!ress at all" any undersi7ed #ose" duct" or !ort will restrict
our flow. T#is means almost all of our ty!ical .? tool !orts and
!orts on our .? #oods must be need increased to 0? to carry
am!le air. ,or tools wit# two !orts" we generally need a 0?
down dro! t#at ideally s!lits into a 1? and '.1? se!arate #oods.
Since t#e '.1? !orts and ducting is near im!ossible to find" we
still can go fairly well using a .? instead. I originally t#oug#t I
could get by wit# using my eisting &.1/ !ort on my s!litter
mounted blade guard on my table saw. T#e C,-
(e%uirements c#art s#owed I needed at least '1+ C,-" but
testing t#e airflow wit# t#at smaller !ort s#owed only 1*'
C,-. In s#ort" for good fine dust collection we almost always
#ave to rebuild our #oods and use larger !orts.
I recently did air %uality testing all over t#e State of California. Cne
of t#ese tests was at an engineer friend=s s#o! wit# t#e testing coming
out worse t#an ugly. 8e carefully followed my instructions from t#ese
!ages building #is own cyclone from my !lans" u!graded to a big 10?
blower im!eller and built one of t#e !rettiest carefully laid out metal
ducting systems I=ve seen. :it#out doing any woodwor$ing at all" our
)ust moving around in #is very clean loo$ing s#o! stirred u! enoug#
of t#e fine invisible dust t#at #is s#o! failed t#e E4A" medical and
Euro!ean air %uality standards. I saw t#e !roblem but rat#er t#an
tell #im w#at was wrong we t#en did a standard test. :e started using
#is table saw to cut 1. linear feet of J? t#ic$ -D,. :it#in seconds #is
s#o! air %uality went well over fifty times worse to eceed t#e CS8A
air %uality maimum. I s#owed #im w#at was wrong w#ile #is big
e#aust fan and cyclone ra!idly made t#e air %uality safe.
T#e !roblem was t#e normal. Decades of air engineering s#ow t#at if
we do not ca!ture t#e fine dust as it is made" we are going to fail t#e
air %uality test. T#e only way to ca!ture t#e fine dust as it is made is
to start wit# #oods t#at bloc$ t#e fast moving air streams. 8is dust
!roblem was sim!le. 8is big new over arm blade guard was wide o!en
in front so launc#ed t#e dust off t#e ti! of t#e saw blade rig#t out
under #is guard. A '.1+ (4- blade s!eed wit# a 1+? diameter blade
creates a 1+& miles an #our air stream. 8is saw !ulleys increase t#e
blade s!eed closer to .+++ (4- so t#e blade ti!s launc#ed t#e dust
even faster. A ty!ical dust collector or cyclone only moves air at about
.+ miles an #our. :it# t#e #ot rod oversi7ed im!eller on #is cyclone"
#e was got 0+ mile !er #our air s!eed w#ic# #ad 7ero c#ance of
ca!turing t#e well over 1++ mile an #our dust stream. To effectively
control t#e fine dust as it is made we
must #ave #oods t#at mec#anically
bloc$ all t#e fast moving air streams or
t#ere is 7ero c#ance of effectively
ca!turing t#e fine dust before it esca!es
collection.
S#ar$ Guard I -y friend suffers from a common engineer disease
meaning #e is a touc# obsessive sort of li$e a mule is a touc# stubborn.
8e was really u!set at t#at air %uality test and soon called me bac$
ordering me to give #is s#o! a retest. In !lace of t#e blade guard t#at
came wit# #is over arm blade guard system my friend added a !retty
ama7ing !roduct. 8e re!laced #is over arm saw guard wit# a new
S#ar$ Guard !ictured #ere made by 2ee Styron. T#at guard rested
on t#e wood and bloc$ed t#e fast moving airstream t#at was s!raying
t#e fine dust all over. T#e bottom line is we again tested #is s#o! and
wit# t#at guard in !lace #e got none of t#e dust t#at s!rayed out all
over in front of #is saw and #is air continued to test clean. ,ran$ly" I
was so im!ressed t#at I contacted 2ee and ordered u! t#e wor$s for
myself including #is .? dust !ort" tail gate" and s!ecial s!litter wit#
antiI$ic$bac$ !awls t#at fits my Euro!ean saw !lus !ic$ed c#ose to
#ave t#e metal !arts in a big#t easy to see safety red.
In addition to #aving good collection over t#e saw blade" it is even
more im!ortant to #ave good collection below t#e blade because most
of t#e dust from table saw use gets sent downward. Cabinet saws
enclose t#e lower !ortion of t#e saw and generally come wit# a ./
!ort in t#e cabinet. A .? !ort will only su!!ort about '1+ C,-" but
t#e airflow c#arts say we need 11+ C,- for good fine dust collection.
T#is means we need to o!en t#e !ort below our saws to a full 1/.
Dustroyer I Contractor saws also
need good collection below t#e
blade" but most lac$ t#e
enclosures needed to control t#e
dust s!rayed below t#e blade. T#is
ma$es collecting t#e dust from
cabinet saws one of t#e more
difficult dust collection c#allenges.
Eric ,uller" a fellow woodwor$er
decided to address t#is !roblem
and made some clear !lastic covers #eld in !lace by magnets to do t#e
)ob. T#ese wor$ed so well t#at #e s#ared and suddenly found #imself
t#e e!ert on cabinet saw dust collection. 8e #as t#e needed covers to
!rovide good under t#e table collection for a wide range of contractor
saws. C#ec$ out #is covers and #is video on #is Dustroyer web !age.
T#e same is true for all our tools. If we don=t #ave good #oods t#at
control t#e fast moving airflows and move enoug# air" t#ere is no
c#ance of getting good fine dust collection. ,ortunately" t#e better air
engineering firms w#o certify t#at t#eir customer s#o!s will !ass t#e
air %uality tests #ave been $ind enoug# along wit# t#e E4A to s#are
different #ood designs t#at we $now wor$ well. Eac# of t#ese #oods
does a good )ob catc#ing t#e fast moving #eavier sawdust and c#i!s"
!lus mec#anically bloc$s t#e fast moving air streams. Even wit# good
#oods" t#at still leaves most small s#o! dust collector and cyclone
users in trouble because our vendors sell us e%ui!ment t#at moves
about #alf of t#e maimum airflows t#ey advertise. T#ese lower
airflows leave us wit# a bad false sense of security" meaning clean
loo$ing s#o!s t#at tend to build u! dangerously #ig# amounts of fine
invisible dust. AA, was $ind enoug# to let me s#are one of t#eir
!ublications wit# t#eir designs for dust collection #oods. I also #ave
slowly been adding ot#er #ood designs t#at wor$ wellF
AA, 8ood Design suggestions
Ct#er !rofessional #ood designsF
A9oteF '.1/ ducting is difficult to find so you can substitute ./B
(andom Crbital Sanders 9ICS8 (ecommendation
T#e dust generated by random orbital sanders is sometimes
controlled by a vacuum in combination wit# a !erforated sanding
!ad. T#e vacuum draws wood dust u! t#roug# #oles in t#e sanding
!ad. It was found t#at" in s!ite of t#is control" large amounts of wood
dust were still emitted into t#e wor$room. Adding more suction to
t#ese units causes t#e sanding !ad to be !ulled to t#e wor$ surface
ma$ing t#e tool difficult to use and !otentially damaging t#e !iece
being sanded.
To alleviate t#is !roblem a slotted sanding !ad !rovides u! to E+K
better fine dust control. Cutting curved slots into t#e sanding !ad as
s#own relieves t#e !ressure caused by t#e etra suction and !rovides
additional dust control at t#e !ad edges. T#is c#ange does not
interfere wit# t#e o!erator" re%uires no s!ecial maintenance and is
ine!ensive to ma$e. T#is dust control device is not currently
commercially available" but is !atented so you can ma$e t#ese
c#anges for your own unit but cannot go into commercial !roduction.
S#a!er 9ICS8 (ecommendation
:ood s#a!er emissions are usually controlled by an e#aust #ood
located at t#e bac$ edge of t#e wor$ table w#ic# allows t#e o!erator
to freely move t#e wor$ !iece over t#e table. 4lacing t#e e#aust #ood
nearer t#e cutting #ead would maimi7e dust collectionL #owever" t#is
would restrict t#e o!eratorDs freedom to move t#e wor$ !iece.
To overcome t#is !roblem" a #ood etension wit# a fleible face
o!ening is added. T#e fleible face o!ening consists of clot#Icovered
c#ains t#at allow t#e wood to !ass t#roug#" but sto!s t#e wood dust
!articles. T#e etension also increases t#e #ood face velocity by
minimi7ing t#e o!en face area.
D.Static Electricity
T#ere is always someone w#o will bring u! t#e concerns about duct static
!otentially causing an e!losion w#en you use 4@C !i!e. 4@C !i!e is an
ecellent insulator t#at will build u! a static c#arge" !articularly in a dry
cold climate. Alt#oug# t#at c#arge can s#oc$ you" t#e e!erts say it is not
am!le to cause an e!losion in #obbyist based systems. Dr. (od Cole wrote
an ecellent article in ,ine :oodwor$ing t#at debun$ed t#e static myt# wit#
4@C !i!e. 8e also !osted t#at article on a woodwor$ing forum and gave me
!ermission to include a lin$ to #is article. If you are still concerned" go read
#is information. Dr. (od Cole #as some ecellent additional information on
grounding 4@C on #is siteF Dr. (od Cole on Grounding 4@C AClic$ #ereB.
E!losion or not" getting a good 7a! w#ile net to a s#ar! blade or cutter can
be !lenty dangerous" so if you live in a dry climate and c#ose to use 4@C" you
mig#t want to seriously consider grounding your ducting. (unning a single
grounded wire around t#e outside of your 4@C t#at also attac#es to t#e
metal coil s!ring inside your fle #ose #el!s if you ground t#at wire bot# at
your mac#ine and your blower. 8owever in dry climates" static can be a real
!ain around tools and doing a better )ob of grounding your dust collection
!i!ing is wort# doing. As I said before most grounding a!!roac#es do not
wor$ well at all and often lead to !lugged !i!es. 8ere is a wor$able solution
s#ared by one of t#e many contributors to t#is site. T#an$s for s#aring
Brent6
Brent Dugan was t#e -aintenance Su!ervisorH4lant Engineer for a large
D-eltblownD !oly!ro!ylene manufacturer Aoil sorbentsB for E years. 8e
s#ared #is way to eliminate t#ose nasty static s#oc$s" /Cur !roduct was
!lastic and our conveying systems bot# air and mec#anical were !lastic.
4oly!ro!ylene fibers traveling t#roug# '/ or ./ 4@C !i!ing creates massive
amounts of static electricity. Cur !roblem was so severe t#at we #ad s!ar$s
)um!ing 1 1H./ from our !i!ing t#at would leave burn mar$s on your s$in.
Cur em!loyees dreaded wor$ing wit# t#e e%ui!ment. :e tried all of t#e
available met#ods you !ro!osed and moreL e.g." wire inside" wire outside"
wra!!ed wire outside" etc. :e s!ent %uite a bit of my com!anyDs money to
try and solve t#e !roblem wit# consultants and e!erts all to no avail.
I finally came u! wit# a solution. It was so sim!le and ine!ensive t#at you
will not believe it. As you stated" static means electrons building on t#e
surface of an ob)ect. :ell" I solved t#e !roblem by stic$ing &/ wide
aluminum foil ta!e to t#e outside and inside of t#e 4@C !i!ing and t#en
grounding t#at ta!e. It is easy to )ust stic$ t#e ta!e on t#e outside of t#e !i!e.
;nfortunately t#at was not enoug# and I also #ad to !ut a stri! of ta!e on
t#e inside of t#e duct.
4utting t#e ta!e on t#e inside was an interesting c#allenge. I wanted my ta!e
inside and ta!e outside to end u! rig#t net to eac# ot#er wit# )ust t#e 4@C
in between so I could use a screw and nut to ground t#e two layers toget#er. I
was only able to ma$e t#e aluminum ta!e wit# a bac$ing li$e doubleIsided
ta!e wor$ on t#e inside. To do so I started by stic$ing t#e aluminum ta!e to
t#e bottom edge of t#e 4@C !i!e. Slig#tly !eel t#e bac$ing and ad#ere t#e
aluminum ta!e to t#e end of a !iece of 1H&/ E-T" conduit !i!e" or ot#er long
rod. ,eed t#e aluminum ta!e t#roug# t#e !i!e as you unroll it from t#e roll.
:#en you #ave t#e ta!e t#roug# t#e 4@C" stic$ t#e aluminum ta!e to t#e
end of t#e 4@C !i!e. 9ow Dta!eD t#e bac$ing to t#e rod t#en stretc# t#e
aluminum ta!e tig#tly angling it towards t#e to! of t#e 4@C !i!ing A1&
oDcloc$ !ositionB. T#is $ee!s it from stic$ing !rematurely. 9ow gently !ull
t#e rod out of t#e 4@C t#at also removes t#e Dbac$ing stri!D off as you go.
Mee!ing t#e aluminum ta!e stretc#ed tig#tly lower it to t#e bottom side of
t#e 4@C !i!e. To smoot# it onto t#e inside I sli!!ed in a longer !iece of 4@C
and sim!ly rolled t#at !i!e inside to /iron/ t#e aluminum ta!e down.
8aving t#e ta!e bac$ to bac$ made grounding easy. I drilled a #ole near eac#
!i!e end t#roug# bot# layers of foil" inserted a 1H.I&+ screw from t#e inside
of t#e !i!e" !ut on a nut to ma$e a good circuit" t#en connected eac# section
using 1. gauge wire. I connected eac# end wit# alligator cli!s to anot#er stri!
of t#e aluminum ta!e ad#ered to t#e concrete floor. T#at totally eliminated
t#e massive static electrical disc#arges and earned me a bonus6/
E. 9oise Control
Cne of t#e most difficult !arts of dust collection is #aving enoug# airflow
wit#out so muc# noise t#at it drives you out of your s#o!. T#e difference
between an air raid siren and a blower is im!eller s!eed and clearance
between t#e blades and im!eller #ousing. -uc# of t#is noise is lower in
fre%uency" so not too bot#ersome" but it is im!ortant to address noise
t#roug#out your dust collection and ducting efforts. I measured almost every
ma)or brand of small s#o! cyclone t#roug# &++' and all !ut out between *1
to E1 dB measured at blower #eig#t at 1 feet distance by a calibrated digital
dB sound meter. Sadly" t#e vendor ads strongly disagree wit# my
measurements because most c#oose to measure at different #eig#ts and muc#
furt#er distances. -y own galvani7ed steel cyclone measured E& dB. I found
t#at by ma$ing a few minor c#anges I could cut t#e overall noise created by
my cyclone from E& dB to 3' dB" meaning a %uarter as noisy. (emember t#at
t#e dB scale is a log scale so every 1+ dB saved #alves t#e overall noise.
Nuieting my cyclone involved a lot of wor$. Cn t#e test benc# my cyclone
was over 1++ db. I #ung t#e w#ole setu! using s#oc$ mounts and dro!!ed it
to about E& dB. I used a big #omeImade muffler t#at !ulled it down a few
more dB. I !ut a !iece of neo!rene foam between t#e blower and cyclone to
isolate t#e blower and $ee! t#e cyclone from being a sounding board" !lus
s!rayed t#e inside of t#e cyclone wit# rubberi7ed Anot as!#altB automotive
undercoating saving anot#er few dB. I also tried s!ray coating t#e cyclone
outside" but t#at did not seem to #el! any more t#an )ust s!raying t#e inside.
S!raying t#e outside metal sides of t#e blower #el!ed some" but wra!!ing t#e
outside of t#e entire blower ece!t for t#e motor in #eavy foam rubber foam
#el!ed more. ;sing a 4@C !i!e from t#e blower to t#e muffler wra!!ed wit#
!i!e wra! #el!ed a little. ;sing -D, instead of my original !lywood to! on
my cyclone and blower #el!ed some. I also tried !utting t#e cyclone outside"
but it was way too close to my wifeDs studyHcraft room and it %uic$ly found
itself bac$ inside. 4robably t#e biggest #el! was building a new cyclone t#at
was far more carefully finis#ed so t#e airflow was very clean. 8ere is more
detail on some of t#e t#ings I did.
1. 2ocate your dust collector or cyclone so it does not im!act on ot#er
!arts of your #ome.
&. If you bolt directly to your framing" most of t#e noise is fairly low
fre%uency so li$e a subwoofer will go all over your s#o! and #ouse if
t#ey are attac#ed. I $now as 1&/ of wellIinsulated !lenum between my
and my teenDs room still let me #ear t#e bass. <ou need to c#ange over
t#e mounting to use a floor mount or use s#oc$ mounts so t#e low
fre%uency stuff does not ma$e your s#o! and or #ome walls into
sounding boards. GraingerDs carries t#em Asearc# under vibration
#angerB" but !ic$ a set t#at is si7ed near t#e overall weig#t as #eavier
mounts !rovide little vibration !rotection. ;sing s!rings" #eavy
rubber cords" or nylon stra!s instead of metal bolts for mounting will
#el! $ee! t#e noise from transferring into your s#o! or #ome
framing.
'. Ducting can ma$e considerable noise and often serves as a transmitter
or even s!ea$er cone to s!read noise all over your s#o! and into your
ad)acent #ome. ;sing 4@C !i!e instead of dust collector s!iral !i!e or
t#ic$ 8@AC !i!e #el!s considerably as you donDt #ear nearly as muc#
sawdust rattling in t#e !i!es. If you use a small section of fle #ose
between your ducting and your blower and cyclone t#at will also
ma$e a #uge difference. T#e fle #ose absorbs t#e vibrations. ;sing a
!iece of insulated 8@AC fleible duct on t#e e#aust !art of your
blower will also #el!.
.. -uffling t#e e#aust side of your blower is a #uge #el! because t#at is
t#e source of most of t#e noise. <ou can do t#is wit# a muffler or a
long lengt# of #eavily insulated 8@AC fle #ose. 2arry Adcoc$"
creator of t#e :oodSuc$er" told me t#at using a lengt# of fiberglass
insulated 8@AC fle duct instead of building a muffler is easier and
costs far less. 8e is rig#t" but it ta$es a fairly long lengt# to be as
efficient. 4SI sells an ine!ensive muffler t#at saves about 1+ dB" but
it only fits a 1/ outlet t#at is too small. :e really s#ould use *?
e#aust !orts on our cyclones and t#at re%uires a muffler wit# an *?
center tube. Nuite a few #ave made t#eir own mufflers out of
!erforated !i!e wra!!ed wit# screen t#en wit# fiberglass followed by
being sli!!ed into a larger tube. I tried ma$ing one using 4@C !i!e
because 4@C #el!s dam!en t#e noise" but found sliding t#e outer !i!e
onto t#e insulated inner was difficult. Ta$e a loo$ at my -uffler 4age
for more details on #ow to build your own muffler.
I did a little testing on t#e various forums of mufflers. Cn my cyclone
wit# its biggest blower" a 11.1? diameter im!eller !owered by a 1 #!
motor" my galvani7ed metal cyclone measured E0 db wit# t#e blower
)ust going directly into t#e filter t#roug# metal duct. Trading t#e
metal duct from t#e blower to t#e filters for 4@C dro!!ed it to E& dB.
Adding my #omemade muffler in !lace of t#at duct dro!!ed it to **
dB. ;sing *= of insulated 8@AC duct in !lace of t#e muffler dro!!ed
it to *3 dB. ;sing insulated 8@AC duct and my own #omemade
muffler it went down to *& dB. T#ese test results will vary
considerably de!ending u!on #ow you made your blower" your c#oice
of im!eller" motor c#oice" any coatings or insulation you use" and
de!ending if you use antiIvibration mounts.
1. ;se one of t#e rubberi7ed automotive under coatings Anot oil or tar
basedB s!rayed inside of your cyclone. T#is !rotects wear areas and
ma$es a #uge difference in noise. <ou can get better results by ta$ing
your cyclone to a truc$ bed liner retailer and #ave t#em s!ray t#e
inside wit# t#e #eavy bed liner s!ray w#ic# wor$s even better. <ou
can also use com!ounds suc# as Di!IIt or a !lastic based coating. Be
careful as t#e odors from some of t#ese coatings can be terrible.
0. Adding t#e baffling and sound deadening materials around t#e
blower and blower outlet #el!s considerably. Don=t cover t#e motor as
t#at needs to be o!en for cooling. Also" I suggest using somet#ing t#at
is covered so it does not becoming a !lace for dust to gat#er.
3. <ita# (. :u saysF /:it# regards to cyclone noise" I wor$ in
automotive and one !roduct w#ic# !robably be good for reducing
cyclone noise is w#at we call !eel and stic$ mastic. ItDs usually in *1+
s#eets and is basically a 1H10/ s#eet of as!#alt and recycled rubber
wit# ad#esive on it. T#is t#ic$ material adds bot# mass and dam!ing
for sound deadening of t#e cyclone itself. Auto !arts and auto stereo
stores ty!ically carry it" some brands are Evercoat NI4ads and
Dynamat./
*. I #ave not tried an enclosure myself" but I $now a few of t#e fol$s w#o
#ave. T#ey consistently said it did little to no good in terms of
reducing t#e noise. Since t#ose early comments" ot#ers #ave
res!onded wit# solutions t#at a!!arently do wor$. T#ey #ave built
enclosures wit# enoug# room to access t#e cyclone using eit#er two
layers of s#eetroc$ inside and a t#ird outside or s#eetroc$ outside and
a '- construction sound deadening board inside. T#ey also
recommended mounting t#e cyclone on a wall wit# isolation dam!ers
to $ee! t#e wall from being used as a sounding board.
,. 4@C Confusion
2etDs see if I can #el! wit# t#e confusion on 4@C caused by many mied u!
terms and names t#at often refer to t#e same $ind of !i!e. T#ere are many"
many different classes of !i!ingHtubing used for many different a!!lications
and #ave different c#aracteristics. -any of t#ese !i!es are used for irrigation
and would be suitable" but most limit t#eir loo$ing to one of t#e t#ree most
commonly found classes of 4@C !i!es. :#en it is all said and done" most end
u! going to an irrigation su!!lier and buying S5D 4@C !i!e for t#eir dust
collectors. It wor$s well" is !lenty strong" is easy to s#a!e" and it costs 1H' or
less t#e cost of t#e ot#er forms of !i!e.
1. In readily available ./ and 0/ 4@C !i!e t#ere are two regularly used
classes of /drain !i!ing/" t#is includes D:@ Adrain waste" ventB and
4@C sc#edule .+. T#ese are /t#ic$ wall/ relatively e!ensive
!roducts t#at are normally used inside t#e #ouse and buildings for
carrying clean water. T#e cost to use t#is material often eceeds t#e
cost to use ine!ensive metal ducts.
&. In areas w#ere we need to install drainage or t#at do lots of irrigation
for agriculture" we often #ave some ot#er less e!ensive t#inner
walled !i!e o!tions. T#e least e!ensive is rarely found today w#ic# is
styrene !lastic used to wor$ wit# standard yard drain !erforated
!i!e. Alt#oug# t#at 0? !i!e is rare and useless for ducting because of
its very roug# interior" t#e ine!ensive styrene fittings t#at wor$ wit#
it are about #alf t#e !rice of better %uality 4@C fittings. -ost end u!
instead #aving to use a little better and muc# more e!ensive sewer
and drain !i!es $nown as SD(I'1. SD(I'1 is t#e /common name/
for t#e ./ and 0/ range of t#is !roduct t#at #as t#inner walls t#an
normal sc#edule .+. T#e standards" fittings" and details are s!ecified
in t#e AST- DI'+'. standard. Sadly" almost all of t#ese standards
w#ic# were initially free on t#e Internet are now !ublications we must
!urc#ase from A #refO/#tt!FHHwebstore.ansi.orgH/
targetO/Pnew/QAmerican 9ational Standards Crgani7ation AA9SIB.
-any c#oose to use t#is class of !i!e because it is readily available in
or can be ordered by some of t#e larger #ardware stores.
'. T#ere is a less costly 4@C o!tion t#at is !riced between styrene and
SD(I'1 !i!e. It comes in lig#t weig#t 0/ and */ !i!e commonly
$nown as )ust /Sewer and Drain 4i!e/ or S5D. T#e standards"
fittings" and details are s!ecified in t#e AST- DI&3&E Standard.
4ersonally" if you cannot afford nice s!iral smoot# interior walled
ducting and smoot# sna! on fittings" t#is is my net favorite c#oice. I
li$e it not only for cost reasons" but because you can wor$ wit# some
effort standard 0/ 8@AC fittings into t#e !i!e. T#at gives you tig#t
instant connections" t#e ability to %uic$ly c#ange out !orts on your
mac#ines" and a variety of fittings t#at can let you ma$e a floor swee!"
#oods" and )ust about anyt#ing else you would want including
transitions to my cyclone from offIt#eIs#elf !arts.
.. Bot# SD(I'1 and S5D come in solvent weld systems and fittings wit#
built in gas$ets. Bot# SD(I'1 and S5D are available at t#e #ome
#ardware stores in ./. T#e amount of 0/ is limited t#ere" but
generally found in most irrigation and farm su!!ly stores t#at carry
!i!es. T#ese two !i!e standards are by far t#e least e!ensive and
#ave t#e least e!ensive fittings. -any say t#ey are best way to go
w#en building ducting for your s#o!. Because it is t#inner walled it is
relatively easy to wor$" you also can minimi7e t#e use of connectors
ASee wor$ing wit# 4@CB.
G. ,re%uently As$ed Ducting Nuestions
1. IDm at t#at nice !lace in life w#ere money is im!ortant" but not going
to drive my ducting decision. After retiring I fell in love wit#
woodwor$ing" #ave )ust finis#ed building a large s#o!" and am slowly
adding one mac#ine after anot#er. It seems t#at every time I add
anot#er mac#ine" I #ave to move at least one or more of t#e eisting
mac#ines. :#at ducting would you recommend for someone w#o
wants minimum u!set and trouble to do t#e install and later move
t#ings aroundR
I am also in a fairly similar !lace" ece!t I #ave $ind of been t#ere and
done t#at wit# all t#e different ty!es of ducting. T#e sim!le answer to
your %uestion is wit# time instead of money being a driving force in
my world" I would install #ig# end laser welded duct wit# t#e built in
seals and sna! loc$ !i!e. Airflow is great because t#e seams are so
smoot# you can #ardly tell w#ere t#e !ieces were )oined. I also am an
admitted tool )un$ie w#o $ee!s adding tools" so #as to constantly
reconfigure my ducting and s#o! layout. T#e airtig#t seals and
clam!s allow %uic$ installation and even faster reconfiguration. To
reconfigure )ust release t#e clam!s" ma$e t#e c#anges and t#en
reclose t#e clam!s. 4lus" wit# my now in retirement and t#in$ing
about a downsi7ed new #ome wit# a se!arate s#o!" t#is system would
allow for easy disassembly and reassembly. If finances !reclude t#at
e!ensive duct t#en I would go for all 4@C. I t#in$ t#e s!iral !i!e and
8@AC ducting solutions wor$ well" but t#ey are a bloody !ain to
install and even more difficult to later c#ange.
Bac$ as a #obbyist w#en 4@C !i!e was c#ea! I built a nice ducting
system from t#e agricultural 4@C t#at is readily available in t#is area.
It wor$ed really well" was not a constant blood letting to install" was
fairly easy and c#ea! to c#ange" and once I learned t#e tric$ of
!utting a &? wide stri! of aluminum ta!e inside and outside t#e !i!e
to drain t#e static" static electricity sto!!ed being an annoyance. I am
still a big fan of 4@C ducting because of its ease of installation and
ma$ing c#anges" !lus it moves t#e air wit# less resistance. At t#e same
time using 4@C !oses a serious fire danger for t#ose w#o use a tiny
blower and large 4@C !i!e. T#at combination creates !iles of dust in
t#e ducting )ust waiting for a s!ar$ for t#e duct airflow to %uic$ly
blow into a fire t#at t#e 4@C will ma$e worse. S#o!s sub)ect to
commercial fire mars#al ins!ections are not allowed to use !lastic
duct. T#e big issue wit# 4@C is cost. Since I originally wrote t#ese
!ages t#e cost for !etroleum based !roducts li$e 4@C #as gone
t#roug# t#e roof. T#e last cou!le of ducting systems I #el!ed friends
build ended u! using steel 8@AC and s!iral !i!e solutions because
t#ey cost far less t#an 4@C today.
T#e two main firms t#at ma$e t#e laser welded steel duct are 2indab
and 9ordfab" but t#is duct is resold by many ot#er vendors. By t#e
time you add additional mar$u!s for w#olesaler" distributor" and
retailer t#is laser welded duct gets ridiculously e!ensive. :orse"
most of t#e firms t#at resell t#is duct strongly disli$e getting involved
in #obbyist and small woodwor$ing s#o!s. -ost are no w#ere near
ready to !ay t#e #ig# cost for t#is ty!e of duct. :orse" it ta$es far
longer sales and air engineering time to #el! a small s#o! owner as it
does to #el! a large s#o! owner. T#ey invariably #ave to s#are w#y
we need bigger duct to move enoug# air and few small s#o! owners
ta$e $indly to being told t#ey are going to #ave to rema$e most of
t#eir tool #oods and !orts for t#e result to be effective.
If you want t#is $ind of duct" it is best to get it directly from one of t#e
manufacturer=s main distributors. Cnly two large distributors #ave
come forward willing to wor$ directly wit# #obbyists and small s#o!
owners" Duct Incor!orated *33IB;<ID;CT and Air Cleaning
S!ecialists Inc. A*00B .11I&1'+. T#ese two are wit# t#e largest
manufacturers A2indab and 9ordfabB and offer to! %uality all ;SA
made smoot# seam laser welded steel ducting wit# clam! connections.
T#ey $ee! all t#e wyes" bends" dam!ers" reducing cones" branc#
!ieces" fittings" etc. in stoc$. Bot# #ave ecellent re!utations and en)oy
wor$ing wit# #obbyists and small s#o! owners" !lus #ave wor$ed out
fast affordable s#i!!ing for our orders.
If you=re interested in 9ordfab 2aser :elded Clam! Toget#er
Ducting my friends at Air Cleaning S!ecialists Inc. AACSB A*00B .11I
&1'+ are #a!!y to wor$ wit# #obbyist and small s#o! owners
interested in a clam! toget#er duct system. T#ey !rovide detailed
CADH4D, drawings" !arts list" and engineering recommendations for
t#e low cost of S1'.++ !er dro!. Clic$ #ere to view more information
about t#e ACS ducting design service. If you !urc#ase t#e ductwor$
t#e drawings are free. Everyt#ing is made to order and s#i!s wit#in 1
wor$ing days. T#ey maintain !lants on bot# t#e east and west coasts
for faster less e!ensive s#i!!ing.
After installing bot# 8@AC and wit# s!iral !i!e ducting" I !ic$ed u!
a bit of $nowledge" some unfortunately from ma$ing dumb mista$es.
I !ut my 8@AC ducting in t#e attic above my s#o! roof w#ere local
building codes re%uire metal. I got a big sur!rise w#en my #eavy
blower colla!sed t#e lig#t 8@AC !i!e. It turns out our bo stores sell
two gauges of t#eir sna! loc$ !i!e and I boug#t t#e really lig#t stuff
but s#ould #ave used t#e #eavier &0Igauge metal or instead used real
steel s!iral !i!e made for dust collection w#ere its ribs ma$e it muc#
stronger. I also learned many vendors offer s!iral !i!e ducting
solutions and %uite a few local vendors ma$e t#eir own !i!e and
fittings saving lots on s#i!!ing. <ou want to do your #omewor$
carefully before buying. 8idden costs li$e for s#i!!ing can really add
u!. S#i!!ing ducting is toug# because it is so bul$y it gets s#i!!ed
wit# #eavier items. All it ta$es is a #eavy bo to slide into or get
stac$ed on to! of our ducting and fittings to ruin t#em. T#at is w#y
you only want to buy from a firm t#at eit#er will re!lace anyt#ing
t#at does not arrive intact or buy locally. Even buying locally !oses
some c#allenges. T#e same S0 elbow I could buy at t#e local bo store
cost S&1 from my dust collection ducting firm" S1& from my local
8@AC firm" and wit# s#i!!ing S1* mail order. I #ad multi!le sales
!eo!le tell me t#eir elbows were only for dust collection. T#at=s silly"
fli!!ing an 8@AC elbow end for end ma$es it identical to a duct
collection elbow. T#e only time t#e dust collection elbows are more
im!ortant is if you do t#ings rig#t and buy t#e more e!ensive large
radius elbows. T#at is not t#e case on reducers and wyes. ,or t#ose
you need a good roller crim!er to c#ange t#e end genders" or s!end
t#e larger amounts needed to buy actual dust collection fittings.
If you #ave an establis#ed s#o! wit# little need to relocate tools I
favor t#e use of s!iral !i!e wit# real large radius dust collection
fittings. <ou can buy and install s!iral !i!e yourself" but most c#oose
to #ave a local firm do t#e installation. Alt#oug# t#ese wor$ well" t#e
inside of t#e s!iral !i!e is !retty roug# and adds considerably to t#e
overall resistance of t#e ducting. Additionally s!iral !i!e ducting is a
!ain in t#e tail to c#ange. 4ersonally" I !ut a s!iral !i!e system under
t#e floor of one of my s#o!s. Even wit# a .= tall crawlway under t#e
floor installation was a !ain. By t#e time I sold t#at s#o! two years
later t#e floor loo$ed li$e a !rairie dog village wit# !atc#ed #oles
everyw#ere. -y tools $e!t moving because I $e!t adding more tools.
Any#ow to avoid t#at w#ole mess" I strongly recommend over#ead
ducting. If you want a s!iral !i!e system and $ee! t#e costs down by
doing your own install because s#i!!ing is so #ig#" you s#ould c#ec$
out your local su!!liers. I #ave also #eard many are !leased wit# t#e
s!iral !i!e fromF
S(I!Amir )orp.
%'/F Sierra )ourt:
2nit I.I
DuAlin: )A 1"#%/
(honeL (12#) /FC
/"""
,a3 L (12#) /FC
AirCDuct .fg.:
Inc.
12F 7. $omAard
!oad
$omAard: I$
%F1"/
(honeL (%F)
Die Stamped
(roducts: Inc.
12F S.
.anufacturers !ow
4renton: 47 //2
(honeL ('1)/##C
FF"F
/""/
%2FC1/%%
,a3 L (%F) %2FC
1/'/
,a3 L ('1)/##CF"%F
&. T#ese firms are $nown for offering good %uality s!iral duct" elbows"
fittings" and ot#er s#eet metal !roducts for about 1H. t#e cost of some
of t#e /dust collection ducting/ vendors. AT#an$s Amer from AmerDs
:oodwor$ingB
I also #eard S!iral -anufacturing offers good %uality metal ducting.
T#ey sell directly to individuals" ma$e t#eir stuff from t#e better
#eavier &+ gauge" and #ave CM !ricing. AT#an$s Grant Erwin6B
'. Does a ./ connection at t#e mac#ine negate t#e benefit of t#e 0/ duct
going rig#t to t#at mac#ineR <es" it $ills t#e dust collection
!erformance. At ty!ical airs!eeds and !ressures for dust collection"
air is virtually incom!ressible. Air can s!eedu! some to get around a
s#ort obstruction" but )ust li$e a water valve" closing down t#e
o!ening greatly restricts flow. T#e standard ./ connections on our
larger #obbyist mac#ines $ill t#e C,- below w#at we need to collect
t#e fine dust. :e !retty muc# #ave to re!lace all t#e ./ !orts on our
larger mac#ines if we are going to collect t#e fine dust at t#e source.
T#e ot#er !art of your %uestion is w#at is t#e im!act on airflow w#en
using a ./ dro! attac#ed to a 0/ lineR -y engineer friends at Dwyer
Instruments t#at build most of t#e air measurement meters say
roug#ly 1+ diameters of !i!e will bot# stabili7e t#e airflow and set
t#at airflow to about t#e same duct s!eed as your main. -ost air
engineers t#at are )ust interested in getting sawdust build systems
targeted to get an airs!eed of .+++ ,4- in t#e main. T#at .+++ ,4-
w#en !ulled t#roug# more t#an about .+? of .? diameter duct will
end u! wit# a total air volume of '1+ C,-. T#at is !lenty for good
c#i! collection at most small s#o! stationary mac#ines" but far s#ort
of t#e 1+++ C,- I recommend for good fine dust collection. T#e bad
news is t#at roug#ly '1+ C,- ends u! wit# our main only #aving an
total airflow of about 13*& ,4-. T#at is way s#ort of t#e minimum
&*++ ,4- needed to $ee! a #ori7ontal main clear. T#e result is t#e
main ends u! building u! first t#e larger c#i!s t#en finer dust. It will
continue to build u! t#is dust until t#e duct is sufficiently restricted
t#at t#e airflow is again fast enoug# to $ee! t#e remaining area clear.
So" !utting t#at .? diameter down dro! on 0? diameter is bad news.
T#ese ducting !iles are a serious fire #a7ard. :#en airflow is restored
from o!en more area t#ese !iles go slamming down t#e ducting. T#is
slamming ruins blower im!ellers" blower motors" $noc$s t#e ducting
)oints loose and destroys filters. :orse" w#en t#ese !iles brea$ loose
t#ey create one of t#e few times t#at small s#o!s end u! wit# a
!otentially e!losive dust to air ratio. T#e slig#test s!ar$ say from a
nail #itting a steel blower #ousing is enoug# to cause a serious
!roblem. 4lus" it is un!leasant to listen to t#is dust rumble around in
t#e ducts.
:e can easily do t#e mat# to understand w#y t#at .? diameter is )ust
too small to be used wit# a 0? duct unless we o!en u! more airflow
downstream. ,rom t#e area formula AOrTrT4i we $now t#e area of
our circles more formally $nown as t#e cross sectional area of a !iece
of duct. ,or .? t#is is &T&T4i O.T4i and for 0? ducting t#is is
'T'T4iOET4i. T#e difference is t#e 0? duct #as 1&1K more area and
t#e .? duct only #as .HEt#s t#e area of a 0?. 9ot only will t#is cause
!iles in t#e #ori7ontal runs" if we #ave any vertical runs t#ere is a
good c#ance t#at we will develo! !lugging because we need at least
'*++ ,4- going u! to $ee! t#e #eavier stuff moving. T#at 13*& ,4-
is less t#an #alf of t#e '*++ ,4- minimum we need to $ee! t#e dust
from !lugging in t#e vertical runs.
I $now of four solutions and t#ere may be more" but I only
recommend t#e firstF
i. ;se all 0? duct rig#t to your tools. ,or tools t#at #ave two
!orts li$e a table saw" use a 1? duct to t#e larger cabinet !ort
and a .? to t#e smaller blade guard !ort. Cutting into my
!recious tools to !ut on big enoug# !orts was one of t#e
toug#est t#ings I #ad to do" but t#e result made a #uge
difference. Some tools #ave internal ducting t#at re%uires use
of two .? !orts. T#is will wor$ but not nearly as well as a 1?
and a .?. It is all a matter of trying to $ee! t#e areas as close to
t#e down dro! !i!e as !ossible.
ii. Go wit# over#ead ducting so you donDt #ave to !ull dust u! at
t#e end of t#e run by t#e blower. T#is wor$s only if t#e
difference between main and down dro! is minimal. T#at more
t#an double .? to 0? area is )ust not going to wor$.
iii. Stay wit# all 0/ and )ust use a ta!ered wye on t#e end wit# t#e
etra !i!e going to a dust #ood to #el! wit# u!!er collection.
4eo!le do t#is all t#e time and it sort of wor$s. I tried it and
measured t#e airflow. T#at 0? to .? ta!er cost me about a
t#ird of my total airflow.
iv. Build at t#e end of your main as far from t#e dust collection
system as !ossible a weig#ted door t#at o!ens a little w#enever
t#e !ressure in t#e line becomes too large. T#is will $ee! u! t#e
main airflow am!le to ensure no !lugging but you $ill t#e total
airflow needed for fine dust collection and often don=t end u!
even wit# good >c#i! collection?. I #ad to do t#is wit# my
airfoil im!eller as it will stall if I let t#e !ressure get too #ig#.
&. <ou commented at one !oint about t#e !ossibility of using melamine
coated !article board to build solid ductwor$" rat#er t#an using !i!es.
But I could not find anyt#ing to advise t#e !ros and cons of t#is
a!!roac#.
Is t#ere any !roblem wit# static buildu!" as t#ere is in 4@CR
Assuming t#at IDm careful wit# building smoot# and tig#t )oints"
would melamine !rovide as #ig# flow efficiency as 4@C or metalR
:ould melamine be %uieterR IDd li$e to $ee! t#e noise down to a
reasonable level" since itDs in t#e basement" rig#t under t#e $itc#en
and dining room. Are t#ere any ot#er concerns t#at you can t#in$ of"
wit# using melamineR
:ould a combination of melamine and flat s#eet metal be even
betterR Gust li$e your blower designL sandwic#ing s#eet metal in a
groove between two !lates of melamineR
IDm )ust in t#e !reliminary stages of !lanning a cyclone dust collector
based on your airfoil blower. I already got a !rice %uote from 4aul"
and I see t#at t#e Delta motors are still available via eBay. IDm
!lanning on #aving a weig#ted duct o!ening at t#e end of t#e duct to
eliminate t#e stall condition.
-elamine wor$s fine wit# t#e normal concerns for rectangular
ducting building u! !iles in t#e corners" !lus some concern about
flammability. <ou really do #ave to ensure am!le airflow in t#e ducts
and use long smoot# radius turns wit# t#is to $ee! t#em clear always.
-elamine does not normally !resent a static !roblem. And" it does
#el! to dam!en t#e noise considerably. :it# a basement s#o!" ma$e
sure your blower is not attac#ed to a ceiling or wall and t#at you go
from t#e blower to t#e melamine wit# fle #ose to dam!en blower
noise. If you do #ave to attac# t#e blower to t#e ceiling or wall" use
good s#oc$ mounts to $ee! from sending t#e noise u!stairs. Also a
cou!le layers of #eavy foam above t#e blower will absorb %uite a bit
of t#e noise going u!ward.
T#e only cons for using melamine are you #ave to si7e t#e ducts
!ro!erly and ma$e sure you ma$e cleanouts at t#e end of eac# run. It
is near im!ossible to ta$e a!art t#at duct later in case of a !lug"
!articularly if you use t#e !referred (ooGlue melamine glue. T#e cost
for t#e #ardware bolts would be far more to sandwic# s#eet metal
between melamine #alves" so would not go t#at way.
-a$ing your ducting from -elamine creates rectangular ducting.
T#e corners in rectangular duct reduce airflow. <ou need some
different si7ing wit# rectangular duct to !rovide t#e same airflow as
we would get wit# round duct. T#is web !age will give you t#e
information you need to calculate si7ing t#at will overcome t#at etra
resistanceF (ectangular Duct Calculator
'. <ou seem to say t#at ./ ducting" categorically" is not sufficient. :#yR
Sadly" t#is is not w#at I am saying. T#ere is not#ing wrong wit# ./ or
even smaller si7ed duct if it is am!le to carry t#e volume of air needed
for good collection at your mac#ines and you #ave made sure t#at you
o!en enoug# ducts to !reclude !lugging in your larger main duct
runs.
T#e !roblem rig#t now is we still #ave old #obbyist and !rofessional
C,- re%uirements being intermingled. Bot# will get t#e same
sawdust t#at we get wit# a broom" but only t#e larger air volumes will
move enoug# air A!rovided you #ave effective #oodsB to gat#er t#e
fine stuff at its source. :it# ty!ical #obbyist si7ed blowers" ./ !i!e
will restrict t#e airflow down into t#e .1+ C,- range. T#at is well
below t#e *++ C,- t#at t#e engineers #ave found we need at our
larger woodwor$ing mac#ines to collect t#at fine" most dangerous
dust at its source. It also creates airflow well below w#at we need in
our 0/ or larger main duct runs to !revent !lugging unless you #ave
multi!le gates o!en at once. -ost #obbyist dust collectors are too
small to su!!ort more t#an one blast gate o!en at a time. I get around
t#is !roblem by #aving a 0/ down dro! to my blast gate t#at s!lits
into two ./ duct runs going to my belt sander" to my dis$ sander" and
even to a small !ortable down draft table. Cne run goes to t#e regular
mac#ine dust !ort and t#e ot#er uses fle #ose #eld wit# a su!er
magnet on to! of t#e mac#ine or table. I use 0/ to my table saws"
!laners" s#a!er" larger downdraft table" and big router table. I #ave a
wort#less reducer to 1.1/ going into my band saw t#at as soon as I
finis# u! wit# my latest cyclone !ro)ects is going to turn into a 0/
duct. AIDve been saying t#is for two years6B
.. IDm #aving a serious case of stic$er s#oc$ after trying to follow your
advice and only use 0/ ducting and 0/ fle #ose6 C;C86 :#ere did
you get good ." 1" and 0/ fle #oseR <ou are not alone in t#is stic$er
s#oc$. I #ave 0/ clear" smoot# walled fle #ose from Ama7on" Get"
:ynn Environmental" and 9ort#ern Tool. All was over tri!le w#at I
!aid for good %uality smoot# walled .? fle #ose" but t#at was not big
enoug# for some of my needs. I found t#e best !rices at :ynn
Environmental At#an$s Gac$ DiemerB and net best from Ama7on. It
was a bear to find on Ama7on and often not in stoc$ Asearc# for /)et
#ose/B. Gri77ly" 4SI and ot#ers also carry 0? fle in a few different
grades as do most local #osing su!!liers. T#e record cost I found was
a #eavy multi!le layer rubber 0? fle #ose t#at sold for S&0 a linear
foot" minimum 1+=. :ynn Environmental carries affordable clear
good %uality 0? 4@C #ose and would recommend going wit# t#em in
&1D lengt#s. I now only use 0/ duct for t#e runs to all my mac#ines
t#en s!lit after t#e blast gates for two !ic$u! ty!e mac#ines. T#is is
not c#ea!est" but saves #aving to balance everyt#ing" o!en etra !orts
w#en using small mac#ines" and it #urts not#ing to move more air
t#an needed. ,or sound deadening I used insulated 8@AC duct on t#e
outlet side of my blower going to my filters t#an$s to a ti! from 2arry
Adcoc$ wit# :oodSuc$er. -ost 8@AC s#o!s will let you buy a s#ort
!iece of t#is insulated duct ine!ensively.
1. T#ere are all $inds of different 4@C !i!es out t#ere. :#at do you use
and w#at do your recommendR IDve #ad a commercial s#o! t#at used
all ./ s!iral !i!e installed by a commercial contractor. It was terrible
and barely gave any dust collection at all. -y net s#o! was 0/ mains
going to ./ and 1/ dro!s. It was better" mostly because it used a muc#
bigger motor and im!eller in t#e blower t#at !owered it" but was still
terrible. -y current s#o! is in my garage and u! until recently was
also a mi of 0/ mains and smaller down dro!s. :#en I let my first
!rototy!e cyclone follow a friend #ome #e also got t#at ducting" so I
again started over. T#is time I used all 0/ Sewer and Drain &3&E 4@C
because it is ine!ensive" #as t#e least resistance" and t#e fittings slide
tig#tly onto 0/ 8@AC fittings.
0. I see your s#o! is as messy as mine and see %uite a bit of big !ieces of
4@C in t#e bac$. Is t#is w#at you recommend and used for your s#o!
ductingR <ou #ave a lot of nerve6 T2aug#ingT I recommend smoot#
interior walled ducting and smoot# interior walled fle #ose of at least
0/ in diameter to eac# of our larger mac#ines. IDve used s!iral !i!e"
&. gauge 8@AC !i!e" S5D 4@C" and 0/ smoot# interior walled fle
#ose wit# good success. T#e $ey is long straig#t runs" no s#ar! bends"
no rig#t angle fittings" on and on.. DonDt use anyt#ing but large 0/
smoot# interior walled fle #ose to your larger mac#ines.
3. IDm laying out a s#o! rig#t now" #ave already used your AA, C,-
re%uirements tables" wor$ed t#roug# your ducting resistance
calculator" and am convinced I do need all 0/ to eac# of my tools. I
boug#t a bunc# of 8@AC !arts and am co!ying forum advice you
gave ot#ers. -y %uestion is I want to !ut my ducting buried under a
concrete slab. :#at are your t#oug#ts on doing t#is and can you
s#are any #intsR ,irst" I would rat#er see ducting on t#e ceiling
sim!ly because t#ings c#ange and in floor ducting is not easy to
modify" !lus long swee!ing turns on t#e ceiling are easy versus #ard
to form in t#e floor. Also" over time )un$ will go into t#ose !i!es and
t#ey will be a nig#tmare to clean or re!lace. If you #ave to or want to
use floor ducting" I strongly recommend ma$ing concrete trenc#es
instead of )ust buried under t#e slab.
Steve Cater built #is s#o! and !ut #is ./ ducting under t#e floor" but
not in c#annels. :#en #e #oo$ed u! #is dust collector t#ere was not
enoug# airflow. 8e sent me a long email and again verified for t#e
um!teent# time t#at anyt#ing less t#an 0/ is going to almost cut in
#alf t#e airflow from your dust collector or cyclone. :e went t#roug#
all $inds gyrations to come u! wit# a fi for #im and were finally
successful. It came down to #aving to use a monster motor driving a
#uge im!eller to overcome t#at resistance and get enoug# airflow.
<ou mig#t want to loo$ at SteveDs Solution and some of #is discussion
or even contact #im before going too far. If you want some
inde!endent confirmation on t#e need and advantages of using only
0/ duct and 0/ #ose" t#ere are now do7ens of #obbyists on most of t#e
larger woodwor$ing forums w#o I am sure would be #a!!y to verify
w#at a bid difference it made for t#em.
Also" one of my friends locally !ut #is ducting under a slab floor. 9ot
too long ago #is s#o! a!ron t#at was #anging on a #oo$ near t#e o!en
floor swee! tried to commit suicide. It almost made it" but #is metal
cali!ers got turned sideways at t#e second bend and )ammed in so
#ard it loc$ed in !lace. :it# no clean out" you would not believe w#at
we #ad to do to get t#at a!ron unstuc$. <ou need to use <Ds wit# one
end going to a clean out for eac# buried run. T#is is anot#er reason to
go wit# t#e trenc#es.
:e #ave t#ose $inds of trenc#es in our mac#ineHwoods#o! at t#e
university. T#ey carry a co!!er airline" a water line" additional 11+"
&&+ 5 ..+ !ower" and t#e dust collection mains. :e covered eac#
trenc# wit# sur!lus com!uter room raised flooring tiles and on to! of
t#e w#ole s#o! floor we #ave interloc$ing #orse stall mats. T#at
ma$es for an incredibly comfortable s#o! t#at is easy on t#e legs and
was not too #ard on t#e !oc$et boo$.
,inally" ma$e sure you run two 4@C &/ !i!es in t#e same runs wit#
#eavy !olyIro!e inside and a few T outlets t#at come out net to your
mac#ines for future goodies li$e more !ower" remote switc#es" on and
on.
*. I need your #el! wit# transitions. I made your cyclone and low cost
blower for S103 from your Build Budget Blower web !age using a 1./
Get im!eller and 8, 1 #! motor. It moves an incredible amount of air6
At your recommendation I !urc#ased t#e 0? fle #ose" boug#t and
made some 0/ blast gates" and #ave a mess6 <our blower design #as a
rectangular outlet t#at will not fit anyt#ing6 A cou!le of my mac#ines
are Euro!ean and use a dust !ort t#at wonDt fit anyt#ing. All of my
ot#er mac#ines use anyt#ing from ./ down to 1 1H&/ dust !orts. -y
e!ensive new commercial blast gates wonDt fit my 4@C duct. 8ow do
I ma$e all t#ese transitionsR Good for you on t#at construction6 -y
twin to yours measures out at a real 1*++U C,- before connecting
cyclone" ducting" or filters. <ou are not alone wit# your connection
!roblems. -any of us end u! wit# confusion and !roblems in trying
to #oo$ u! our dust collection systems. -ac#ine outlets donDt matc#
our si7ed duct or fle #ose. :e use a combination of metal" fle and
duct t#at will not fit our blast gates" etc.
In terms of t#e transition to t#e blower" you can go to my Transitions
section above and see #ow to build a s#eet metal transition t#at will go
from eit#er round or s%uare to eit#er round or s%uare. T#at a!!roac#
wor$s and is $ind of fun" but very labor intensive. It also is
unforgiving if you are not real careful in your measurements and
cutting.
Alternatively" w#at IDve been doing lately is measuring bot# t#e si7e
and !erimeter of t#e outlet t#en ma$ing a run to my local orange bo
store A8ome De!ort or 2oweDs for meB. T#ere I go t#roug# t#e 8@AC
transitions until I find a rectangular or circular one t#at is eit#er rig#t
on or )ust a little bigger t#at mates on t#e ot#er side wit# a 0/ round
fitting. -ost of t#ese are #eld toget#er wit# eit#er rivets or metal
stam!s t#at $ind of !us# a little circle t#roug# ad)acent !ieces t#en
mus#room t#e to! a little. I drill out t#ose connections" t#en use a
!iece of angle iron and #ammer to s%uare u! t#e corners wit# t#e to!
and bottom set at t#e widt# of t#e outlet I want it to mate wit#. Slot
eac# corner and bend t#e to! and bottom at E+ degrees to be screwed
onto t#e blower -D,. T#e sides I leave straig#t and use aluminum
ta!e to #old to t#e metal sides of t#e blower.
-ating t#e 4@C toget#er is mostly a matter of staying wit# t#e same
series. I only use t#e 0/ Aremember ./ and 1/ are too small for our
larger mac#ines66B S5D &3&E series and all from t#e same su!!lier.
Different su!!liers ma$e !i!e of different t#ic$ness so not all will fit
toget#er. T#e su!!lier I use is an industrial irrigation and !lumbing
su!!ly firm and t#eir !roduct #as an ID t#at is dead on at 0/.
T#e reason I only use t#at ty!e of !i!e is t#at it also ta$es care of t#e
!roblem of mating wit# standard 8@AC ducts and transitions. <ou
#ave to wor$ at it #ard" but t#e 0/ 8@AC fittings will )ust fit into t#at
duct. T#ey are tig#t enoug# t#at t#ey donDt fall a!art. I seal t#em )ust
in case wit# t#e aluminum ta!e. Also" after ma$ing sure all fits and
before my final assembly into t#e 4@C" I !ull out my flu and solder
t#e 8@AC transition u! so t#ere are no air lea$s.
If t#e blast gates you made donDt fit" s#ame on you6 If t#e gates you
boug#t are normal" t#ey will be too small6 S#rin$ing 4@C is a ma)or
!ain t#at ta$es a mandrel" s!ecial #eating arrangement" and big
clam! similar to a !iston ring com!ressor. Instead" as -cGiver would
do" w#i! out your Swiss Army $nife and duct ta!e. 4ut a cou!le of V/
wide turns on t#e inside of t#e flange. T#ese first cou!le of turns
create a ta!er ma$ing for a better fit. ,ollow t#at wit# enoug# turns
so you get a good tig#t fit wit# your blast gate. I cut t#e end off a
metal screw" drill a #ole t#roug# t#e 4@C and blast gate flange" and
$ee! all #eld toget#er wit# t#at screw. If your gate gets moved around
or used a lot" t#en use two or t#ree screws done t#e same way.
-ating your fle #ose to 4@C can be a real !ain. T#e 0/ fle #ose I
use is )ust a touc# larger t#an 0/ ID and will stretc# a tiny bit. -y
4@C is about 0 1H./ in outside diameter. T#ey donDt fit6 But" t#ere is a
fi. I ta$e t#at 4@C to my band saw wit# t#e t#in $erf 'H'&/ blade. I
t#en cut &/ dee! in t#e end rig#t down t#e center of t#e !i!e" turn t#e
!i!e 0+ degrees cut &/ dee! again" t#en turn t#e !i!e 0+ degrees more
and ma$e a final &/ dee! cut. AIf you use a t#ic$ $erf blade only ma$e
two cuts6B T#is creates a !i!e wit# si Aor fourB cuts t#at wit# a little
s%uee7ing becomes ta!ered losing )ust enoug# diameter to fit tig#tly
into my fle #ose. <ou can use a screw ty!e band clam! and 4@C glue
to seal and ma$e stronger" but I find t#at is not at all needed. T#e
#ose sli!s on enoug# to ma$e a good seal.
-ating your fle #ose to metal !i!es can also be a real !ain because
t#ey $ee! falling off. I beat t#is wit# a sim!le but nice solution
building a sim!le t#read into my !i!es t#at t#e duct can screw onto. I
drill a small #ole near t#e front of t#e metal flange and one toward t#e
end. T#at #ole is si7ed to )ust fit a single strand of 1& gauge co!!er
wire. I !ut t#e wire t#roug# t#e #ole t#en wind tig#tly around t#e
metal flange at about t#e same s!acing as t#e coils in my fle #ose.
:it# a little solder t#at co!!er wire is t#ere for life6 Trim off t#e tags
inside t#e flange and sand smoot#. 9ow t#e fle #ose )ust screws on.
Sometimes" de!ending u!on t#e #ose I may need to use t#ic$er wire"
but in most cases t#e result is !lenty tig#t enoug# t#at it does not even
need a clam! to ma$e a nice nonIlea$ing seal6 T#is also wor$s well on
my ta!ered 4@C" but use su!er glue instead of solder to #old t#e wire
in !lace.
-ating my !i!es to my Euro!ean mac#ines is a w#ole different
tec#ni%ue. Alt#oug# #eating 4@C gives off very dangerous fumes t#at
you need to !rotect yourself against" you can do magic wit# a #eat gun
or two and 4@C. I documented my tec#ni%ues and s#ow some
etreme eam!les of #ow muc# you can do on my 8ow to Bend and
,orm 4@C !age. I was able in a few minutes to ma$e some incredible
)oints t#at fit nice and snug on all t#ose weird si7ed !i!es.
9ow wit# all t#at said" is t#is t#e way to goR 9o!e. Instead go to a real
ducting su!!lier and buy t#eir to! %uality laser welded standard 0/
flanges t#at include a seal" and re!lace t#ose often way too small inlets
on all your larger mac#ines.
T#at same #eat gun tec#ni%ue will let you ma$e most of your long
bends in your 4@C wit#out using any )oints or fittings at all. <ou
#ave to #ave a cou!le of #eat guns to get a large enoug# area #ot at
once" but t#e result is not#ing s#ort of ama7ing.
,inally" reducers for me are almost all 0/ runs t#at start wit# a blast
gate t#en come down to a wye wit# u!!er and lower collection #oses.
Cne leg of t#e wye will connect to my mac#ine dust !ort and t#e ot#er
goes to a movable #ood " often wit# a su!er magnet to #old it in !lace.
:oodcraft" 2ee @alley" (oc$ler" Gri77ly" etc. all carry fittings" but I
mostly eit#er use 8@AC or ma$e my own. -a$e sure you only get
fittings wit# smoot# )oints and ta!ers" as tig#t corners and bloc$ages
$ill airflow and !erformance.
B. Disclaimer
T#e drawings" !rocedures and words s#ared on t#ese !ages are for
information only. <our actions are your res!onsibility I @E(I,< and
C8ECM information out before !roceeding" and donDt attem!t
anyt#ing wit#out t#e re%uired s$ills. Alt#oug# IDve ta$en every care
to ensure w#at I #ave done and !resented is safe" dust collection
e%ui!ment uses electrical com!onents and blowers t#at w#en
im!ro!erly built" used" or maintained may cause serious in)ury or
even deat#" so ;SE T8IS I9,C(-ATIC9 AT <C;( C:9 (ISM6
At t#e same time" unless you as a woodwor$er !rovide a!!ro!riate
!rotections for t#e fine wood dust you ma$e" you !ut your #ealt#" t#e
#ealt# of t#ose close to you" and even t#e #ealt# of your !ets at ris$.
2ong term e!osure to fine wood dust eventually #arms most
woodwor$ers. 4lease ta$e t#e time to !rotect yourself and t#ose close
to you. 8I(E A 4(C,ESSIC9A2 E9GI9EE( to design" s!ecify"
test" and certify !erformance of any dust collection system if you #ave
a commercial or an industrial a!!lication" allergies" ot#er medical
!roblems" !eo!le wor$ing for you" a large s#o!" wor$ wit# #a7ardous
materials" or are sub)ect to regulatory oversig#t. 9eit#er I ABill 4ent7B
nor any ot#er references or lin$s on t#ese !ages will acce!t any
liability for any damages or in)ury caused to !eo!le or !ro!erty from
t#e using of t#is information or from any associated lin$s. 9o claims
are e!ressed or im!lied as to t#e safety" usefulness" or accuracy of
t#is information.