Continue to the second machine. Would such a small system work, in your opinion? I also exhaust the cyclone outside so I dont have to deal with filters and breathing very small particles. As I will probably end up with a right-angle run with the dust collector at the right angle, one on each arm should suffice. Size matters in dust collection. These are just a few examples of how we service pollution control. Once it is started hopefully it will slide the rest of the way in without a problem. For the smaller machines I use a big shop vac! With our fully stocked inventory we can get you what you need, when you need it. As you state regarding PVC/ABS pipe dust collection which places extremely low pressure the negative pressure is way too low to collapse anything. Does that sound better? For tools that are farther away, you might need to drop down to 4 to keep the air velocity up. On metal you will likely need to seal the joints to minimize leaking. Or should I stick with the 6 inch ducts? A 10 length of 6 PVC costs about $20 at a big box store, and it probably costs $100 to ship it to someones home. The sharp point and threads of the screw inside the ductwork will tend to catch and hold onto small pieces of wood chips that can build up over time. Some tools provide adequate dust collection ports, while others (most) dont and you will need to devise your own enhancements. You are probably better off going with 4. X-Treme Tape, Self fusing silicone rubber tape 20 ft. roll, $14.99 Hi Scott, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. That way your investment is protected when you expand the system later, and all you need to buy are a bunch of plastic tubes and fittings. True, a large pipe has less resistance, but a smaller pipe allows for faster air travel through the pipe. Keeping in mind that ideally you will place a 6 port as close to where the dust is being produced as possible, and I have never purchased a tool that had a standard 6 port, or even an optional one for that matter. Paul-Woodworkers Guild of America. This can also provide a nice cleanout in a convenient location should something ever get lodged in your ductwork. Love the system but for one thing: Insurance companies (Pretty sure every single one of them) will not cover a house fire if there is a non metallic DC system and they can claim that the fire started there. But if I didnt have good access to PVC pipe and fittings, I would be comfortable going with metal as well. We thank you for your support and your business and we hope that this will all be over soon. I have never gotten a shock in 10 years of running PVC ducting in two Our fabrication department is dedicated to producing quality products. As ar as static discharge, living in the South it is typically humid, but there are some days I get zapped while using my orbital sander with the dust collection hose attached. Call us at (800) 367-3828 to discuss your next project or email your quote to sales@airhand.com. On vertical runs, and some horizontal runs where connections are slightly loose, I put a couple #8 x 1/2 self tapping sheet metal screws into the joint to hold it securely. Additional charges may apply. all I can find is 6 inch pipe. They allow no substitutions like ground wires straps etc. In a separate article I will walk through the dust collection design at each tool in my shop to help you complete your dust collection system design. Does that make sense? Be sure to get the stuff with the thinnest walls that you can find. This electrical discharge may. At the output of the collector, there will be 2 lanes. Typical metal ductwork can dissipate this fairly easily, as it is often attached to metal building structure parts. If that doesnt give you enough wiggle room you might need to either try different flex pipe that might have a different diameter. Thanks. Upcoming Events | Feel free to comment, this is an important subject. We are shipping orders on time, with no delay in manufacturing. Hi, many thanks for the informative discussion. If you use PVC, particularly 6 where there is so much overlap at the joints, you shouldnt need to seal most of your joints. The thinner and lighter the PVC, the easier to work with. Be careful out there. For your second question. 2) if you do run your trunk line (main line) on the ceiling or in the middle should you include a slight angle on the run like you would a sewage drain? Only one tool at the time will work on this collector. In my research I found some web sites that may interest your readers. The table saw is farther away, and the chop saw is a bit farther. 800-867-8968, Tags: Blast Gate, Ducting, Ductwork, dust collection, Pvc, Spiral Pipe, Tool Port. After years of searching the plumbing depts for fittings to connect different tools I now look at how a tool will connect BEFORE I buy it and sometimes buy the brand that put more forethought into connecting to my dust collection system. Shipping Methods. Paul Thanks, is aluminum flexible pipe a good alternative to steel. These are easily removed when rearranging ducts. Attach the bare ground wire to each stationary, woodworking machine and attach to the dust collector. Texan63, which DC did you end up purchasing? Pharmaceutical manufacturers need special flexible hose for clean rooms. Thanks You dont have to worry about a slight angle on your duct runs. Good for wood dust, paper trim. Thanks, one of the best and simplistic explanations on the web. Our fittings are up to 20% thicker in comparison to other competitors. That port allows massive air movement, and allows my dust collector to pull everything that is not attached to the tool. Non-metalic duct is prohibited by both OSHA and NFPA-664 due to potential static electricity issues. It would be better if it was on the inside, but this is not always practical. Remove the old ones with a razor knife, then lube up the new ones with a little liquid dish soap. 220 + 395 = 615 which would be a 5" duct. We are here to meet your needs. Privacy Policy | The part left inside the ductwork is smooth and shallow and wont catch small pieces. I have a smaller 11/2 hp dust collector with a 4 inlet port on it. Hi Timothy. I would try to arrange your tools so that the big dust producers are closest to the DC, and pipe them using 6. I am setting up a new wood shop and havent decided where the different tools will be located. Blast gates. Pretend you are designing a race car track, and you want to keep the cars going at high speeds into the turn, because once they slow down it is hard to get them moving fast again, and we want to avoid a pileup of cars, or in our case, dust. The real danger is having a spark occur at the same time. Hi, I read your article on dust collection and have a couple questions, 1-I will be using 6 pvc. New shop in new house, so I installed a Harbor Freight DC, Oneida Dust Deputy, 4 ABS for most of system, and a blast gate at each drop. Appreciate you sharing this. This is the beauty of on-line articles; the ability to keep the discussion going long after the articles are published. These are good points, Scott, and I understand the theoretical risk; wood dust is flammable, and under the right conditions it can ignite. How do you attach the flex inside the coupling? Hi Jim. The benefits are significant. The branch would be sized at 5-3-4, with 5" being the largest reducing to 4" with a 3" branch going out the side at 30 degrees. Basically, I have a 10 table saw, a 10 miter saw and a small router table that I want to connect to such a system. I have done a lot of research on this recently, and I must warn you is is VERY IMPORTANT to ground your pipes and system. Do you recommend reducing the run to 4 to the miter saw box to increase air velocity? The jointer and planer are the closest to the dust collector, both within a 14 horizontal run. It's extremely difficult to move or reconfigure flanged ducting systems. Our on-site staff will follow the appropriate best practices and guidelines set forth by OSHA's latest release of "Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19.". I just keep going back and forth what to do off the main. Paul. Run the ducting so that it ends directly above each dust port. Source: My original design that added up to 57 had a main run going around the periphery of the shop, which I now realize is a bad idea. Wide Belt Sanders | Its probably no more expensive than plastic. Problem is, the wiring is all done for the DC in a certain place in the shop. At the end of the 30 feet, it will have about 16 feet of 4 inch pvc to reach the tools. Help Ordering Online | Paul-Woodworkers Guild of America. To the extent possible, put your tools with the greatest CFM requirements closest to the dust collector. If you have chosen a dust collector with enough suction for your shop configuration, then the simplest approach with PVC is to run 6 pipe wherever it is feasible, and 4 pipe wherever you find it necessary. Copyright 2022 Air Handling Systems | All Rights Reserved | Site by: Dust Collection Frequently Asked Questions. If this is the case, blast gates should be implemented to isolate machines that are not in use away from the dust collector system by closing the appropriate blast gate. We will be happy to provide a quote. I have learned all this and more by going it alone with my first system. I disagree with your suggestion of using screws whenever possible to secure joints. I have seen this topic debated in woodworking forums for nearly two decades, but I have not seen any compelling evidence to support the theoretical risk. Here is the experts response, thank you for the question: I havent tried it, but it seems like it might be too soft and could potentially collapse. To determine CFM, measure the diameter of dust ports and use this chart to estimate your machines CFM requirements. Volatility in the steel industry has led to unprecedented steel price increases since August 2020, and this surcharge affects all Nordfab distributors & customers. On the floor?, on the ceiling?, or same level as the intake port? Paul, I am also about to set up a 6 system. I have one bell end of pipe that I managed to get flex onto, though if I wanted it to connect more deeply I would have needed a heat gun. I know how much dust woodworking produces, even with hand tools, and I love to read and hear other ideas on dust collection systems. How about a shooting range that needs ventilation for gun smoke? I did find an article by Rod Cole, who works at MIT, and has extensive knowledge on the subject. I would think that the speed that the air flows through the pipe and dragging the dust with it would be a better standard. Its like having ABS in your car, you might not know how many times it saves you. I go back and forth from tool to tool so frequently that I am nearly certain I would make many quick cuts without dust collection if I were setup that way. I slip the PVC over the small end, and then the bell slips over the dust port on the tool. Good article. Updated hourly. Add up the CFM requirements for all dust posts on your machines. Whether you need one special fitting or a thousand custom parts, we fabricate many custom components to meet the needs of our diversified customer base. However, according to the OSHA Combustible Dust ANPR (Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking), No single, universally accepted definition of combustible dust is available. Im planning to use 6 ducts to the tools, and 4 for the vertical runs to keep the velocity up. Here is an effective ways to make quick disconnect fittings for 4 and 6 PVC. Great advice! Paul, I just got around to trying a friction fit with the 6 coupling and the flex. Wire connections. cause an explosion and subsequent fire inside the system. One of the other members here wrote that he saw and felt a very large spark when he was dumping his bags. Now you want to make sure that you are doing everything you can to get the most out of it. Our dust collector ducting is designed to withstand high air pressure, minimize air resistance and reduce static pressure loss making it ideal for material handling applications. We have provided solutions for these applications and many more. Wish I had read a a long time ago. I have an 8 foot stroke sander as well as a small belt sander and blow up sander, would I need to run separate runs to each of these. Place machines that require the largest CFM (cubic feet per minute) of airflow closest to the dust collector. Be sure that you extend the bare copper wire down all, branches of the system. I dont need to do all that piping and nothing is in the way! Government Purchasing | My guess is that 6 PVC is so expensive and cumbersome for them to handle and ship, and it is relatively inexpensive at home centers, so it is hard for small retailers to get into this business. Aligns perfectly to ensure long runs are even and have minimal static pressure loss. That means you will likely have to modify tool ports on some tools, which I will discuss a bit later in the article. If you have a special requirement, please call us. grounding terminal in your electric service panel. We have solved the dust collection system affordability problem. I have a powermatic model 73 with 2-4 in inlets would using 6in main line over power the unit? Extra ports. Dust collector ductwork is divided into two main categories, hard fixed ducting and flexible hose ducting. This tape does not leave glue residue, so when you rework your ducting it is easy to remove and does not require cleanup. I love it! www.xtremetape.com I am a safety conscious woodworker, and I am open to being influenced by such data, but I havent seen it yet. Shop By Brand, Machinery Repairs | You will definitely move some serious air if you run an 8 main trunk from that dust collector! I have a small shop and will only be using one tool at a time, I have also seen plans for shop made blast gates using PVC and plywood which are quite cool, but I havent been able to justify the time to build these. I would either go all 4, or remove the 6x4x4x4 reducer and go 6 for your main trunk. Normally you can remove that and have a single 6 (or whatever) larger port. It is good to hear that there is continuing research on this important topic. Add screws wherever needed to secure joints. There are four tools. I would relocate to shorten the lengths if possible. What are the odds that a DC will cause a fire? Essentially this would reduce static pressure in the overall system with increased air speed right at the tool itself. Thanks for all your help this week. I would encourage you to do some research on the specific machine to see if any owners are using pipe larger than 6, and see how their performance is. I know this from experience. If it is super tight I would cut a slit into the flex, cutting through a couple strands of the wire that wraps around it, and that should help you get it started. Look for someone who can provide both FPM and CFM. That tiny static shock you might feel is plenty to cause a cloud of dust to blow up. I used the standard PVC J hooks used to hang plumbing pipe to hang the pipe and 4 flex to connect from the blast gate to the machines. Attach ducts to a stud using plumbers strapping. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Air Handling Systems supplies to a whole array of furniture and cabinetmakers, boat builders, mobile home manufacturers, sawmills and many other wood product manufacturers that are attendees of IWF (International Woodworking Fair) as well as members of the WMMA (Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America). Paul-Woodworkers Guild of America. Hi Noah. I am inclined to include it at the design stage as the ducting will be less accessible after construction. After doing more research, I will admit that you are correct in most cases. However, if the machine can be isolated with a blast gate, you will not need to add the two air volumes. I do recommend a direct connection to all machines and a open connection to portable machines that are used sometimes. Reducing the ducts at the drop will give you faster velocity at the tool, but it will slow down the overall velocity in the main trunk where you are already struggling. Panel Saws | My plan is not to use the manifold and use a main instead. Could I have a link for it? Here is a copy of info from Shop Fox, a popular portable dust collector. If you end up with schedule 80 or even schedule 40 in an 8 pipe, it will be quite heavy and make installation a bit rigorous. Thank you. It will require a 60-degree elbow to make the run perpendicular. Thanks Hi Ted. HI, PR and other US Territories will be quoted at current rates. I know the answer is basically on the length of the main and static pressure and design. Therefore it is important to have your duct layout in mind when you buy your dust collector, and have your vendor suggest a model that can deliver enough suction at your tools. hose for now, but will be able to plumb in drops in the future if I move to a larger shop. The right lane will be on 6 inch pvc for about 30 feet (with a 5 feet of vertical duct on the 30 feet) with about four 45 degrees elbows. I have not personally done scientific analysis in this area, but anecdotally I am not aware of a prevalence of explosions due to non-grounded PVC ducting. Smooth on the inside. As a manufacturer and distributor of Air Cleaning, Ducting, and Filtration products we are proud to have been identified as an essential business. Ive gone through the design calcs, and it looks like it will work with 4 ducting, but after reading this article Im wondering if he should relocate the DC to reduce the lengths. Toward my goal of oversimplification, I offer the D.O.G. If you have trouble slipping the flex tube over the PVC just cut some slits into the PVC as you see shown in the 2nd picture in this article. My shop is located in a basement and space is tight so I have to use the manifold. Machining Services |, Company Information & History | Or would it be better to wait till I have a enough for a cyclone and then run bigger pipes for the whole system? How do we do this? Paul-WWGOA. If you use metal ducts, you should use metal blast gates.