Dust-collection fittings, adapters, and accessories: Woodcraft,woodcraft. Three styles of dust collectors The most economical and biggest-selling dust collectors are the two-bag, single-stage models. Even an 8-year-old, 1-hp col-lector can collect chips from machines 25 ft. Because my shop has several dust-producing machines close whole shop dust collection 4.0 each other, space for, and access to, individual dust-collection blast gates proved problematic. My Cart. The Dust Boy takes up 6 sq. Air is filtered either by a pleated internal cartridge or by one or more felt bags hanging off to the side of the machine.

Snap-lock pipe [ below ], typically used in home heating and cooling applications, offers elbows that can be adjusted to create broader radii, but the joints need to be sealed with tape. The high volumes of air a whole-shop dust collector moves can collapse gauge and thinner snap-lock pipe, so look for heavier-gauge pipe and fittings. Spiral pipe requires pop rivets or sheet-metal screws to connect fittings, and joints must be caulked or taped.

Spiral duct [ above ] and Quick-Clamp pipe [ below ] and their fittings are purpose-built for dust collection. Diameters of 4" and up ensure that you find the size best suiting your system. Elbows have smooth interiors and large radii, and heavy-gauge construction ensures durability. Quick-Clamp uses snap-tension clamps that latch onto the lip at the end of each pipe and fitting.

A gasket in the clamp creates an air-tight seal. Buy or make hangers to secure duct from walls and ceilings. A channel routed around the opening in this bracket cradles a Quick-Clamp gasket to secure the duct.

See Sources for the bit we used. Blast gates control airflow to branch lines, directing airflow to only the tool in use, helping the dust collector operate most efficiently. Operate gates [ below ], whether shop-made or purchased, by pulling or pushing the gate open or closed. Place blast gates in easily accessible spots. Connecting most stationary tools is straightforward. Clamp a short section of flex hose to the tool port and then to the duct. Collecting dust from mitersaws, radial-arm saws, and lathes can prove difficult because their open design lets material fly all over.

Large hoods, purchased or shop-made, can corral and direct dust to your collector [ below ]. A hood behind the blade of a radial-arm saw directs sawdust up to the dust-collection duct. Instead connect them to a shop vacuum or dust extractor with HEPA filtration [ below ].

A dust extractor connected to the port of a random-orbit sander pulls dust through the holes in the sanding pad and traps it.

As we worked with Oneida Air Systems to design a dust-collection system for our photo shop, they asked us to try the Supercell cyclone [opener photo], a new, small-shop approach to sucking up dust. Rather than a 3, rpm induction motor spinning a vaned impeller, three high-speed universal motors [ below ], like those found in a shop vacuum, sit atop the unit, pulling air through a HEPA filter rather than pushing. Our initial testing shows that the three motors create nearly ten times the suction of a standard collector, and two to three times the cfm of a shop vacuum.

The higher cfm proves sufficient for drawing dust through 4" duct connected to stationary tools. It also overcomes far more resistance, reducing the need to minimize sharp turns, duct length, and flex hose. Filters: American Fabric and Filter, , americanfabricfilter. Metal duct: Oneida Air Systems, , oneida-air. Dust-collection fittings, adapters, and accessories: Woodcraft, , woodcraft. Dylos DC Pro air quality monitor, woodmagazine. After marking and installing biscuit joints in several boards that I've glued up edge-to-edge, I Skip to main content.

Plan a Whole-shop Dust-collection System. Start with a layout The first step in setting up an effective whole-shop system involves selecting the dust-collector location and from there, laying out duct runs to each tool, providing the air a path with the least resistance possible.

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There are two main points to consider when choosing a dust collector. First, figure out the air-volume requirements of the machines in your shop see the chart on p. Next, decide on what kind of hookups you are going to use: flexible hose, PVC pipe or metal duct.

I used the collectors with my tools, which include a in. The horsepower rating is a fairly reliable guide to the performance of a dust collector see the chart on p. Hookups, however, are everything.

Too much flexible hose will rob even a big collector of power. Metal duct, not unexpectedly, performs best. Even an 8-year-old, 1-hp col-lector can collect chips from machines 25 ft. Every shop is different, of course, and your results may vary, so use my findings as guidelines, not absolutes. A 1-hp single-stage collector can Whole Shop Dust Collection Matrix handle any machine in my shop The biggest sawdust producer in my shop is a in.

And even a 1-hp singlestage dust collector can handle that machine, hooked up with about 6 ft. I borrowed a new UFO, same as my old collector, to see if anything had been changed. Some woodworkers buy two units and station them strategically in their shop.

At 82 decibels measured at 8 ft. The most economical and biggest-selling dust collectors are the two-bag, single-stage models. Single stage means the dust is sucked through the impeller fan and dumped into the lower bag. The upper bag collects fine sawdust and lets the exhaust air back into the shop. Two-stage collectors are the next step up. The motor and impeller sit atop a barrel. Chips enter the barrel and are directed downward, although the swirling air inside may occasionally move smaller chips upward.

A filter bag hangs off to one side and collects the finest dust. Two-stage cyclones are at the top of the evolutionary chain. The motor and impeller sit atop a cone-shaped canister, the cyclone, which is connected to a trash can below.

Chips or other large debris enter the cyclone and swirl downward, avoiding the impeller. The longer the cyclonic chamber, the greater its effectiveness at slowing down and separating large particles.

Air is filtered either by a pleated internal cartridge or by one or more felt bags hanging off to the side of the machine. Internal-cartridge cyclones use the least amount of floor space. The upper bags or cartridge filters of all collectors must be shaken out occasionally to remove fine dust. Debris entering a single-stage collector passes through the impeller, many of which are made of steel.

Even a small bit of metal, such as a screw, can cause a spark when it hits a steel impeller. Dust-collector explosions are rare, but the potential is there.

Debris, metal or otherwise, not only makes a racket when it hits an impeller but also imparts stress on the bearing and will shorten its life. One way to reduce the risk of fire is to choose a single-stage collector with a plastic or aluminum impeller.

Steel impellers are fine, however, if you avoid using the dust collector to sweep up miscellaneous debris off the floor or workbench. I also used the 1-hp collector with a PVC duct system 4-in. At that distance, because of increased resistance, the air volume drops to under cfm, less than recommended for woodworking tools. In reality, however, one can live with that. When I hooked up the 1-hp collector to a newly installed metal duct system, with my tools in the same configuration as before, I was really surprised.

The air volume was back up to cfm, very acceptable. Then I hooked up my old 1-hp collector, which is outfitted with oversized felt bags available from Oneida Air Systems that improve airflow and capture fine dust , and I measured almost cfm. Hooked up to a 6-ft. Cyclones and two-stage collectors have slightly more internal air resistance; hence the lower cfm reading.

Performance ranged from good to so-so, depending on how much sawdust was being spit out by my tools. The best way to direct maximum airflow to the tool being used is to attach a blast gate to each hose. Hooked up to a PVC duct system a run of about 25 ft.

A two-stage unit such as the Oneida costs almost twice as much. Penn State Industries also sells a cyclone collector. With two blast gates open, the air volume dropped and was insufficient to operate two big machines at once.

More horsepower does mean more noise; both registered 85 decibels at 8 ft. The Delta comes wired for volts but can be switched over to volts. The Oneida comes without cable or switch. It can be wired to run on either current.

A 2-hp unit can sometimes handle two machines at once Hooked up to two 6-ft. When I connected the 2-hp units to the PVC duct system, they too were robbed of considerable power, but Garage Shop Dust Collection System Review one machine could be operated at a time with satisfactory results.

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 Whole Shop Dust Collection 2021 cast-aluminum housing and impeller fan , and the sturdy plastic barrel holds a lot of debris, 55 gal. Before it can be emptied, however, the heavy motor and housing must be lifted off.

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