quick qiestion before I dust up my shop.

[betacrash]

I have finally got a space that I can call a workshop. I previously purchased a harbor freight 2hp dust collection system. I have had a Rigid dust collection kit laying around (for use with a shop vac) I know I will not get the same results that I could with 4" or 5" ducting, but I figure that it should still help with keeping dust off of the floor. Right? Or should I not even go that direction? thanks -shawn

[Wood_workur]

A long run of small tubing will probably be about the same as 4 or 5", I think. Higher velocity with the same cfm at 2.5" as opposed to 4 or 5". If you wiln't get anything that has 4 or 5" dc ports, then that SHOULD be fine. (I'm not sure, though)

[dkhoward]

Consider picking up a couple of joints of S&D pipe at the local borg. It is relatively cheap ($6.00 for a 10ft section), the fittings are pretty cheap ($2.00 for a long 90) and at a 4" cross section does a credible job of handling the air flow from the HF 2hp DC system. I have plumbed my whole shop with it and it works good.

[dlminehart]

I wouldn't bother with the shopvac hose except for short runs, and then when doubled up (e.g., hose to back of BT3100 and another hose to the Shark guard on top). You'll starve the DC of air, like trying to use a drinking straw with your garden hose. The white S&D pipe at HD is so cheap it's a no-brainer.

[betacrash]

wont static be an issue though?

[Tom Miller]

I wouldn't bother with the small diameter stuff -- you'll be very disappointed with the results. You might as well spend that time getting a 4" system up and running. The S&D pipe and fittings are pretty cheap, as was mentioned. You could sell the small diameter stuff and recoup some of your $$.

Static has been discussed, and is basically not an issue, other than a small shock here and there if you're holding onto a fitting or hose.

Regards,
Tom

[LarryG]

I'm going to not-exactly-disagree with Tom. For your main dust collection, no, you don't want to use small hose or tubing. The cost and effort required for 4" will be similar and you'll get far better results.

However (you knew that was coming, right?), you might still find a use for your Ridgid kit. I plumbed part of my shop with a combination of a 2" clear tubing kit from Lee Valley and a Ridgid hose/ends kit. This is connected to my shop vac and serves my miter saw, spindle/belt sander, and handheld power tools (routers, sanders, plate jointer, etc). The same blast gates that serve these handheld tools are also where I connect the hose and floor wand when I need to tidy up the shop. IOW, it's essentially like a small central vac system, and for these purposes it works extremely well. You can catch glimpes of this 2" dust network in the pictures in my Shop folder.

BTW I have noticed no appreciable dust build-up inside the clear tubing; I agree that the severity of the static problem is often overstated.

[betacrash]

Well, Im taking what everyone said into consideration. Having the smaller fittings around doesnt seem like a bad idea. I am going to price the PVC tonight or tomorrow. Do you guys recommend T's or Y's? And I am looking for 4" correct?

[Tom Miller]

quote:Originally posted by LarryG

I'm going to not-exactly-disagree with Tom.

FIGHT!!!



Seriously, though, I used to keep a small vac (little corded dust demon, soil satan, whatever) around for tidying up areas that the DC was too much for. It was pretty useful. I finally stopped using it when I realized it was the loudest thing in my shop! And I don't have room for anything bigger.

Concerning shopping for 4" PVC: The stuff I get at HD is blue/green, and is Schedule 35, or ASTM3034, or sewer & drain, and has a wall thickness of ~1/8". There's some thinner stuff (ASTM 2729), but at ~1/16" wall thickness, it may be too thin. Schedule 40 is the thick stuff, BTW.

The fittings may be polystyrene as opposed to PVC, and are also thinner walled than Schedule 40 fittings. Definitely use wyes instead of tees.

Regards,
Tom

[dkhoward]

Just remember that schedule 40 PVC is heavy and expensice in 4" diameter. S&D is much lighter and much cheaper. If you go to HD, the S&D is usually stacked in a different aisle than the PVC and the fittings are located on a different rack. At our local HD, the S&D is on one aisle and the fittings are located an aisle over and on the far end. Makes no sense to me why the fittings aren't racked right below the pipe, but hey, who am I to question their marketing tactics.

[betacrash]

well then i will have to go out tonight and get me some pipe. I really appreciate all of the advice guys.

[betacrash]

well, i just went over to home depot and they had it in 10ft sections. Do you guys use regular white pvc connections for the bends and such?

[Tom Miller]

quote:Originally posted by betacrash

well, i just went over to home depot and they had it in 10ft sections. Do you guys use regular white pvc connections for the bends and such?

Depends what you mean by "regular" white. The fittings I use are white, but not the thick wall Schedule 40 stuff. It's noticeably thinner wall, and might be referred to as "polystyrene" rather than pvc. At my HD, it was in the same aisle as the pvc, but in a different section all by itself.

Regards,
Tom

[jbalders]

I recently built a dust collection network for my dad. The shopping list was:

BORG or Lowes:
1) three 4"x10' S&D (schedule 20) pipe
2) two 4" 45° S&D elbows
3) four 4" S&D wyes
4) tube of silicone caulk
5) a box of gutter screws (a little longer than usual -- like 1/2" or 3/4")
6) twelve 5"-7" hose clamps
7) six 4" J-hooks

Woodcraft:

1) five 85O06 blast gates
2) one 145986 4" Schedule 20 to 4" hose adapter
3) two 03H71 4"x10' hose
4) some 144534 4" to 2-1/4" adapters (like to connect to the back of the BT3K)

Total cost was somewhere around $150. I wish I had thought of taking pictures of it while I was assembling it. It went something like this:

BlastGate----Wye----Wye---45°
             /      /        \
           BG     BG      BG  45°
          Hose              \ |
         Tool                 Wye
                          BG  |
                            \ |
                              Wye
                              |
                              Sch20/Hose Adapter
                              Hose
                              DC

Where "|", "/", "\" and "-" are sections of the S&D pipe, cut to the appropriate length. Everything was cemented in place with PVC cement. There was a 6" section of pipe sticking out of each Wye, and a blast gate was attached with screws to each one. Caulk was then used to seal the seam where the blast gate met the pipe. One of the 45° joints wasn't cemented, but screwed (to help clear clogs, if necessary). The whole assembly was mounted on the wall with the J-hooks, about 2" off the ground. In this particular case, the tools ring two adjacent walls of the shop, so it was a very simple run.

My dad said it helped considerably over his previous Craftsman clear 2-1/4" DC network. I'm very happy with the way it turned out, although I haven't had the chance to use it.

Some notes:

1) Wyes should be oriented up or out, but not down, whenever possible. Dust could get deposited in a down-facing wye, possibly leading to a clog.
2) Wyes should point in the direction of the airflow -- the air should only make the 22.5° bend, not a 112.5° turn. This is also why I made the corner two 45° bends instead of a single 90° -- this might have been even better as four 22.5° elbows.
3) Use large hose, and reduce it near the device. A short restriction will accelerate the air through it, while a long restriction (like reducing down to 2.5" hose) will slow it down. A good example of this is running 4" hose to the 144534 adapter, and attaching the adapter to the back of the BT3K. The only restriction would be while it's in the adapter. The air will accelerate through the adapter since it's a fairly short restriction, without slowing down too much.
4) Clean up and file all cuts as much as possible. The smoother the pipe, less resistance, less possibility of clogs, less turbulence and better CFM.

Jeff