Dust Collector Layout - Tablesaw

[ssmith1627]

I am planning to buy the HF 2HP DC the next time a 20% coupon comes out...but didn't want to list HF in the subject of this thread to make the 931st thread on the HF DC.....lol

So I'll talk in more general DC terms. I like the layout idea here in this drawing on Rockler's site:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...DADBDB&filter=

The DC could fit in a corner of my shop (garage) with the hoses running up over the garage door opening......down to a floor sweep (neat idea), router table and my tablesaw.

I can picture how the DC hose would run to the shark guard. Up and out of the way, the workpiece moving under it and under the guard as you make the cut. But where does the other hose to the saw's DC port go ? This sounds silly but I can't picture how to get that out of the way. Just over to one side and then up ? Or down and across the floor ? It just seems like if you Y it from the hose to the shark guard that it's going to be right there at the back of the saw and in the way of every rip or wide crosscut that you make.

Am I making things harder than they have to be ?

Steve

[LCHIEN]

no, that's a valid concern, and probably why I only have my DC Y'd to the port in back and a belly pan. You'd have to start out with the overhead collection hose running vertically way off to the side (at least as wide as any panel you'd want to rip) or way in back of the saw.

Of course, in the Rockler pic, you'd have to have the hose no farther back than the rear wall since that would imit the outfeed of the saw anyways.

[Tom Miller]

I have a 4" S&D PVC run across the ceiling with a drop to my shark guard. The S&D drop terminates at ~6.5' above the floor, and after a blast gate and reducer, a 2.5" hose comes down to the guard.

Then, I have another 4" run along the wall, about 2.5' off the floor, with a connection coming over to the back side of the saw. The right edge of my wide table is butted up to that wall.

Regards,
Tom

[davidtu]

Go to HF today, a 20% coupon posted on Bargain Alerts expires TODAY!

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=22122

[davidtu]

Also, and what are you using at the bottom of the saw? All I see are these 14x14 table saw flange/hoods is that what you use? How do you make that dust-tight?

I think someone one posted a pick of their setup... guess I can go look for that.

[bigsteel15]

I'm going to have a similar setup to Tom, except that I'm using all flex because I bought a bunch of it last fall before I knew that S&D would work.
My hose is running about 2 ft above the floor, a floor sweep is ready and waiting and blast gates are the only thing I haven't figured out how to mount solid yet.

With the flex, I needed a way to hold it fairly straight, so I bought 4" PVC couplings and cut 1/3 out so the flex hose just "snaps" in after the fitting is screwed to the wall on every other stud.

[ssmith1627]

I was all happy with my "island" setup:

http://ssmith1627.myphotoalbum.com/v...d=150_5034_IMG

They've been turned 180 degrees since this pic because it gave me a lot more room for ripping (7-8 feet) without moving anything around. But that puts the saw under the edge of the garage door FURTHER complicating matters.

Still some options. I may hang a horizontal pipe attached to the rails the garage door runs on to come out from the wall to the far left corner of the saw, between the saw and the workbench. I'd still have about 2 feet of room LEFT of the blade before the hose came into play.

Either that or I run it down to the floor and come out from the wall to the island....so between the garage door and the island I have a 4" hose to step over. Not great but not horrible either.

Steve

[lkazista]

Steve,

Just watched your slideshow of work, nice stuff. Very impressive.

Lee

[Jnam]

Steve:

Very nice work table!

I have a set up very similar to yours. I have the BT3 on a bench much like yours wiht my table behind it to act as an extension table but I am not happy wiht this set up because if I want to cut and use the work bench to catch my work pieces I have to clear my work table. I dont know about you but I always have something on it and have to clear it before I can cut anything. Essentially, I only have half the work table to use if I want to cut while working.

Do you have this problem or how have you solved this issue?

[ssmith1627]

That's a valid point and I've had some of that. If you want to crosscut a sheet of plywood, you gotta clear EVERYTHING out of the way. So far I'm not really building anything that big other than drawers for the saw base and the workbench. Most cuts I make are smaller pieces -- I have the workbench top and the saw base top right of the fence to sit things on. The only things that become a problem are the sheet goods, right ?

I do have another work table in my shop though -- a door up on two sawhorses. So that's got my mortiser and drill press and grinder. That one stays constantly cluttered and the workbench itself I try to keep cleaned up.

I put in a shallow drawer in the saw base cabinet by my right leg.......that has proven hugely convenient. Pencil, measuring tape, speed square, throat plates, dado blades -- all those things that you want handy when working on something. So that's where all the little stuff goes for me. My ear muffs hang from the blade height knob so I always know where they are.

I think it's really just getting comfortable with your setup however you like it...I've moved all this stuff around 4 or 5 times now in the past 9 months. I will see how it works once I bring the DC into the pic. But for right now I'm pretty happy with what I've got.

Thanks for your comments too !

Steve