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Thread: DC port size for router cabinet

  1. #1

    DC port size for router cabinet

    I'm about to build a cabinet to house a router. I plan to use the Kreg fence which I believe has a 4" port but in the cabinet itself, the plans I'm following (From Creston Wood) show a 4" port there as well. I have the ability to do whatever size duct I want and my mains are 6". It would be simple to do a wye to run 6" or 5" to the cabinet and 4" hose to the fence but I'm struggling with what will serve better. The dust collection will come from a 3HP laguna cyclone and the drop will come from above down to the cabinet.

    Thoughts?

  2. #2
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    Alex,

    If you compare the area of the 2 4s to one 6 they are about equal. If you split a 6 to another 6 or 5, with 4 going to the 4 fence you won't be balanced. I guessing it will be a very short run, but 2 4s would be better optimized.
    Hope this helps. Let Us know what you do.

    Carl

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alex Gauthier View Post
    I'm about to build a cabinet to house a router. I plan to use the Kreg fence which I believe has a 4" port but in the cabinet itself, the plans I'm following (From Creston Wood) show a 4" port there as well. I have the ability to do whatever size duct I want and my mains are 6". It would be simple to do a wye to run 6" or 5" to the cabinet and 4" hose to the fence but I'm struggling with what will serve better. The dust collection will come from a 3HP laguna cyclone and the drop will come from above down to the cabinet.

    Thoughts?
    I have a 6x6x4 PVC Wye off the main duct and connect an 80mm flex duct to the fence and a 5 inch flex to the cabinet. Both of the flex ducts are short (around 4ft). The router cabinet is a Bench Dog. DC is a ClearVue 1800 (5HP with the larger impeller). Produces so much suction that there is zero dust/chips but it almost clamps the material to the router cabinet :-)

  4. #4
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    I'd go with two 4" connections for the reason Carl stated.

    Btw, you'll find that you'll need to provide secondary incoming air source in your cabinet, since the opening in your router plate is much smaller than 4". So depending on the design, you might consider drilling some holes in the cabinet to provide ventilation.

  5. #5
    Huh... I was mistaken. It's a 2 1/2" port on the fence. In that case, I'm thinking go 5 or 6" for the cabinet. I wonder if there's a way to retro fit the fence to be a 4" port though.



    Quote Originally Posted by Andy Giddings View Post
    I have a 6x6x4 PVC Wye off the main duct and connect an 80mm flex duct to the fence and a 5 inch flex to the cabinet. Both of the flex ducts are short (around 4ft). The router cabinet is a Bench Dog. DC is a ClearVue 1800 (5HP with the larger impeller). Produces so much suction that there is zero dust/chips but it almost clamps the material to the router cabinet :-)

  6. The size of both ports will really depend on the length, type and size of duct going from the wye to the cabinet and fence and the ratio of airflow you want to the fence / cabinet. A 5" and 3.5" port would provide about the same area as a single 6", but the static pressure drop through this combination will likely be higher than a single 6" because the air velocity will be higher and the total duct wall surface area will be higher, therefore you would likely restrict flow compared to a single 6" of the same total length. I'd suggest a 5" and 4" combo might be a good place to start. A 6" in the cabinet would work too but you won't get a heap of airflow at the 4" fence port. A 4" port in the cabinet will increase your airflow at the fence but will restrict the total airflow quite a bit from your 6" main line IMO.

    Talking specifically about a router cabinet, I really can't comment. You might find that airflow at the fence is much more effective than in the cabinet or vise-versa, and in this case you may not want to optimize balance / total airflow, but rather maximize airflow at one or the other to get better performance despite a drop in overall airflow.

    Cheers,

    Dom

  7. Quote Originally Posted by Alex Gauthier View Post
    Huh... I was mistaken. It's a 2 1/2" port on the fence. In that case, I'm thinking go 5 or 6" for the cabinet. I wonder if there's a way to retro fit the fence to be a 4" port though.
    If you have 2 1/2" at the fence and you go bigger at the cabinet, you will maintain "total" airflow better, however you will get very little airflow at the fence. If airflow at the fence is much more effective than airflow in the cabinet (I don't know) then you may actually be better off with less total airflow but more at the fence. In which case a smaller port in the cabinet may actually be beneficial despite constraining total flow.

    Worst case, you could set it up with a larger cabinet port and use a blast gate to restrict the flow to that port / play around whilst using the router and see what proportion of flow is most effective. The downside to using a blast port to reduce airflow is that you will create a lot of turbulence and have a less efficient system than using a smaller, bell-mouth smooth round port to begin with.

    Cheers,

    Dom

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alex Gauthier View Post
    Huh... I was mistaken. It's a 2 1/2" port on the fence. In that case, I'm thinking go 5 or 6" for the cabinet. I wonder if there's a way to retro fit the fence to be a 4" port though.
    I would keep the port on the fence at 2 1/2 - mine is the same. Even if you made it larger, the gap in your fence plates around the router bit tend to be a lot smaller. Keep your flex down to a min as that just kills the flow. 5 inch to the cabinet is fine. With 3HP you should have plenty of flow top and bottom

  9. #9
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    I run 4" into the cabinet and have a 2.5" hose from the cabinet to the fence. When I'm not using the fence, the small port remains open to insure there is enough air to keep the cabinet clear. I "did the math" when I was creating the setup and between the typical opening around the bit in the table, the hose to the fence or equivalent and the slots in the door to bring in "sweeping" are, I have air input similar to the area of the 4" port. Note this is one of the few 4" drops in my shop.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  10. #10
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    I have the same setup as Jim which is a very good router table setup.

  11. #11
    Great info. I'll look at just a 4" port on there in that case. The cabinet design I'm planning to use has a plexiglas front in the dust collection chamber where the motor rests in the lift. The design calls for making holes in the front to improve air flow but given the gap at the top for the router bit to protrude, I wonder how necessary that is. I was thinking of making a little adjustable "door" in the plexiglass that I can open or close by degrees as needed instead to fine tune the airflow. Got any thoughts about that?



    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    I run 4" into the cabinet and have a 2.5" hose from the cabinet to the fence. When I'm not using the fence, the small port remains open to insure there is enough air to keep the cabinet clear. I "did the math" when I was creating the setup and between the typical opening around the bit in the table, the hose to the fence or equivalent and the slots in the door to bring in "sweeping" are, I have air input similar to the area of the 4" port. Note this is one of the few 4" drops in my shop.

  12. #12
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    The gaps low in the cabinet are very important...they provide "sweep air" to help keep the cabinet clean.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #13
    Smaller ports like you have in your fence work well with the higher SP from a vacuum.

    I run my 36mm vacuum hose into the fence and a 5" run from my 2hp cyclone under the table. It works very well.

  14. #14
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    6" main with 5" wye to a reducer to a 4" dust bin box on the bottom around the router and the Incra Cleansweep magnetic inserts with a 2.5" wye going to the fence. Never any dust from anything I have run through my router table. Works amazingly well.
    If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!

  15. #15
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    Perhaps, a better question is what air flow and suction are needed.

    I vacuum with high static pressure does a pretty good job on a router fence even though the actual flow is not too high.

    I am planning a new router table and Wil go with a 4" to below the router and 2.5" to the fence.

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