Filter Results. Plastic PVC pipe has a Woodworking Dust Collection System Name tighter-radius bend and restricts airflow more. Air Flow - CFM. The problem is that insurance companies have an woodworking dust collection pipe 64 conviction that non metal woodwoking is an unreasonable fire hazard. SWMBO just returned from visiting relatives for a few weeks and giving up a little shop time this week should help me to maintain tranquility. Same Day Shipping Find a Store.

The benefits are significant. I also think that if you stick with woodworking long enough you will eventually upgrade your DC and add a ducting system, so if you believe that you will be doing woodworking in your current location for more than a year or two, I would consider biting the bullet now and getting into a system that will meet your needs for many years as it will actually save you money in the long run and give you a better experience up front.

If I were to get a portable system, I would do one of two things. Either buy one used from someone who has recently upgraded there are lots of them out there in my area or buy one that has enough power to collect from a ducting system if you decide to add that later.

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. I have used PVC for 15 years at least with no problem. I do recommend a direct connection to all machines and a open connection to portable machines that are used sometimes. I would be interested in seeing your shop made blast gates if you are willing to post a photo of them in the Forum area. Great success with both.

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. Its fun. The lack of resources on this topic is disheartening. I think you will find that woodworking retailers are slowly getting up to speed on dust collection, but they are not on the cutting edge of research in this area. Companies that specialize in dust collection are much better versed on duct design, and in general where you find snaplock pipe they sell larger size pipe.

For short runs I think it will be fine, but for long runs you might not have the power to maintain fpm necessary to pull the finest dust. Hello Don, Great article! I currently have a 4 H. My shop is located in a basement and space is tight so I have to use the manifold. I am planing to build a new dedicated shop and have many drawings of my tools placement and ducts layout. My plan is not to use the manifold and use a main instead. My question should I take advantage and use the largest duct I can find for the main then branch off of it with smaller ones?

Or should I stick with the 6 inch ducts? I know the answer is basically on the length of the main and static pressure and design. I just keep going back and forth what to do off the main. In any case I am leaning heavily towards using PVC. In my research I found some web sites that may interest your readers. Hi Brent, I would be skeptical of a CFM rating that high on a 4hp machine, as many manufacturers use highly inflated CFM ratings which are probably based on a theoretical max, or something like that.

You need to keep the air velocity up or dust will settle in the pipe and build up over time, which is the risk of oversizing the pipe. But if you can maintain adequate FPM through a larger trunk, and branch off to tools with smaller pipe, that is a winner.

You might also try getting an air flow meter and experimenting with some various size pipes to see what you find. If you start dipping below FPM, you should reduce the size of pipe. Bigger is better until you get below that threshold.

The unit has lots of capacity, a very high MERV rating for the filter and low noise rating 75 dbA at 10 ft. Thanks so much for your advice! Sounds like a great system and really quiet. Would love to see a pic once you are up and running…. Did you integrate the switches in your equipment?

Do you have a remote? I use a remote control that was provided as an accessory from Clear Vue Cyclones. I bought a few extra remotes and I have them mounted near all of my primary tools.

Does the flex not fit over the pipe? This would mean I will need a fitting at least a coupling everywhere I want to use flex hose. Any guidance would be appreciated. Yes, you can get it over the top of PVC, but I like the flexibility of using the couplers because it provides a great quick disconnect system.

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.

Then apply a band clamp to compress the PVC so that it will easily slip down into the flex tube. If it is still tight you can warm up the flex tube a bit with a heat gun. Thanks, Paul. I am just finishing up my separator, so I will probably start running duct tomorrow, but that still gives me some time to decide before I start cutting pipes to length.

How do you attach the flex inside the coupling? One option might be to attach a coupler, and then you would have multiple options to attach to that depending upon which tool you were using it on. As far as attaching the flex pipe to the coupler, I just tuck it inside and there is enough friction to hold it on place. Another way to do the quick disconnect is to use the bell connection at the end of the PVC pipe, rather than the coupler.

In the second picture in the article, the green PVC is actually the bell coupler at the end of the pipe. I slip the PVC over the small end, and then the bell slips over the dust port on the tool. This approach provides enough friction to hold them solidly.

Geez, my machine tool teacher would call that an Interference Fit. I think this will definitely be the way to go. Are you saying that it is a tight fit but it is difficult to slip the flex pipe into the coupler? Mine was not difficult to get in there. I just tucked one side in, and then reached through the other end of the coupler and pull the flex pipe into the coupler. 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.

Once it is started hopefully it will slide the rest of the way in without a problem. Another option would be to make your own coupler out of plywood or MDF. Or, use the bell end of the pipe as a coupler using the approach that I described previously. Paul — Yes, my flex is a very tight fit into the coupling. 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. Remove the old ones with a razor knife, then lube up the new ones with a little liquid dish soap.

A win-win. Gonna give it a try in a day or two. SWMBO just returned from visiting relatives for a few weeks and giving up a little shop time this week should help me to maintain tranquility.

Thanks for all your help this week. Since upgrading to a more powerful dust collector I have gotten some minor shocks at the tools during the dry MN winter, but nothing to be concerned about. I did receive a major shock when I overfilled my plastic dust collector and ran it for a while before I realized it. All those wood shavings swirling in a plastic funnel was a wicked combination. So I wrapped a ground wire around the dust collector a couple times and grounded it.

I have overfilled the dust collector a few times since, but no more shocks of that magnitude. Thanks for this. Appreciate you sharing this. Hi, many thanks for the informative discussion. I totally agree with the comments on gentle curves and corners and have found that this minimises chances of clogging the duct on flexible systems.

I am in the process of setting up a new workshop and will be looking at a PVC rigid pipe system this time. 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.

At his stage, I will probably purchase a 2Hp dust collector. I am inclined to include it at the design stage as the ducting will be less accessible after construction. Thanks for the comments. I agree; if you plan to ground the ducting, it would be far better to do it as you install it rather than waiting until later. Thanks, one of the best and simplistic explanations on the web. I have a powermatic model 73 with in inlets would using 6in main line over power the unit?

Hi Frank, thanks for the kind words. The Powermatic 73 is a 1. Essentially this would reduce static pressure in the overall system with increased air speed right at the tool itself. I would keep the use of flex pipe to an absolute minimum. Also, I suggest installing a couple extra elbows at various places in the system that can be used to inspect the ducting for dust build-up.

Great advice! I am going to use a 5hp Super Dust Gorilla so as never to be wanting more power. I want to use pvc ducting and your article gives me a good start. Be sure to get the stuff with the thinnest walls that you can find. Hi Paul- Please see the comments I have left on grounding the dust collection system.

Feel free to comment, this is an important subject. Hi Scott, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. It is good to hear that there is continuing research on this important topic. 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.

If your research findings or demonstrative evidence are available on-line please feel free to post a link so that other readers can view this information to help them make an informed choice in this area as they set up their dust collection systems.

This is the beauty of on-line articles; the ability to keep Wood Dust Collection Pipe Fittings the discussion going long after the articles are published. I love it! Without going on too long here, see the directions from Shop Fox above. Most if not all collectors come with a warning like this. Usually when we see a cloud of dust in the shop, we think about not breathing in too much of it. The real danger is having a spark occur at the same time. One of the other members here wrote that he saw and felt a very large spark when he was dumping his bags.

This would be easily able to cause an explosion if the right amount of dust was floating in the air at the time. Grounding your existing ductwork would not be expensive or time consuming.

Its like having ABS in your car, you might not know how many times it saves you. But you surely will know when it does not. These are good points, Scott, and I understand the theoretical risk; wood dust is flammable, and under the right conditions it can ignite. The comparison to the health risks of breathing dust and driving dangers are fair to an extent, although there is a lot of evidence to suggest that those items in fact can be statistically linked to health problems and injury.

With the prevalence of PVC used in dust collection systems around the US, if the risk is in fact statistically significant there should be numerous examples of explosions resulting from this. Size 4". Set-Multiple Sizes. Style Bag Filter. Air Filtration Unit. Filter Pleated. HEPA Filter. Ships From Woodcraft. Woodcraft - Special Order. Single Stage Dust Collectors.

Two Stage Dust Collectors. Cyclone Dust Collectors. Shop Vacs. Replacement Air Filters. Dust Collection Accessories. Shop Vac Accessories. Prev 1 2 3 … 17 Next. Compare Items:. Filter Results. Quick View Item 85U Quick View Item 85O Quick View Item There is a lot of dust collection equipment out there, but what is best for your shop? This video will talk all the different options. Bust Dust for Good! Learn to keep your shop air clean! The secret to a clean shop is collecting dust at the source.

That keeps it out of your airways and can eliminate the need for an overhead air cleaner. New tools and machines have better dust exhaust ports. For older tools, you can seal up cabinets, add ports, and improve hose fittings. Filters are better than ever. High-Efficiency Particle Attractant HEPA -level filters are available for vacs and dust collectors alike, leaving your lungs and your shop clean and happy. A host of new accessories make it easier to turn on collectors and vacs, connect them to tools, and keep filters clog-free Read Full Article.

Learn More. When connected to a metal duct system, the Jet collector really moved a lot of air, cfm at the tablesaw-jointer connection after about 25 ft. With two blast gates open, the air volume was reduced to less than cfm, still acceptable for some operations.

The Dust Boy produced slightly lower readings but still had more than enough power to run one tool at a time in any configuration. If you regularly operate more than one machine simultaneously, it would be wise to look at 3-hp or bigger dust collectors. They cost more, however. Most 2-hp collectors come wired for volts. The Dust Boy can be run at either volts or volts. On the matter of choosing a dust collector, a two-stage cyclone gets my top vote. A small cyclone collector takes up less room, is easy to empty and runs very clean.

For example, on all of the single-stage units, even after running them for only an hour, fine dust appeared on the machine and in the area around it.

The Oneida cyclone, outfitted with an internal filter, rubber gaskets and wide metal ring clamps, seals better. Two-stage units such as the Dust Boy Delta also makes a two-stage collector are also nice and compact.

The Dust Boy takes up 6 sq. The Dust Boy as does the Oneida comes with a Leeson motor and cast-aluminum housing and impeller fan , Woodworking Dust Collection System Design System and the sturdy plastic barrel holds a lot of debris, 55 gal. Before it can be emptied, however, the heavy motor and housing Dust Collection Woodworking Zip Code must be lifted off. Removing the lower bag of a single-stage collector is an easy matter of loosening a band clamp.

The real fun begins when you try to reattach it. The lower bag must be wrapped around the metal waist of the machine and held in place before the clamp can be cinched. Some manufacturers, such as Jet, add an elastic band inside the lower bag to facilitate reattachment somewhat. The skirt and a standard gal. I just wish the skirt were made of felt rather than the more porous woven fabric.

This setup will reduce the air volume. When an ad says a collector is rated at 1, cfm, what does it mean? Not much, really. Cfm stands for cubic feet per minute, a measure of the volume of air moving past a point of reference. The cfm figure needs to be put in the context of the amount of resistance, or friction, present called static pressure, or SP.

Air moving through duct or hose encounters resistance, just as a person would slipping down a water slide. The more bends and bumps, the slower the ride or the lower the air velocity and volume. Many manufacturers rate their machines without bags or duct attached. While trying out a number of dust collectors, I measured their performances under real working conditions, using flexible hose, PVC pipe or metal duct in my sq. I also measured collectors hooked up to a straight piece of 6-in.

Collectors ranging in size from 1 hp to 2 hp have impellers fans sized from 10 in. All things being equal motor speed and impeller design , a bigger impeller coupled with a bigger motor will move more air than a smaller pairing. There are some differences among collectors; to learn more, ask a manufacturer for an impeller performance chart. As soon as any collector is hooked up in the shop, performance declines in relation to the length and type of hookup.

Materials that affect airflow. The metal elbow top , which is designed for central dust-collection systems, has a gentle sweep, which lowers resistance to airflow. Plastic PVC pipe has a tighter-radius bend and restricts airflow more. Ribbed flexible pipe also disturbs airflow, up to three times as much as metal. Hooked up to two 6-ft. With a larger upper bag, I found that the cfm readings were not compromised. But if you happen to vacuum up any offcuts, they will make quite a racket rattling around in a metal trash can.

Although many woodworkers, myself included, have used PVC drainpipe for duct without mishap, experts warn against using the material. The connectors elbows and wyes restrict airflow, and the material builds up a static charge, which may cause a spark and set off an explosion. Running grounded copper wire inside the pipe reduces the hazard.

Use PVC at your own risk.

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