new exhaust fan

[Chuck Stone]

I've been replacing the brushes on the Harbor Fright dust collector
every couple of months, even in low use. But the hardware store
never carried the right ones so I was filing down oversized brushes
to fit. Finally they ran out of those and have no plans to replace them.
I guess they want people to replace $100 motors instead of $1 brushes.

Anyway, while out looking for more brushes RIGHT THIS MINUTE (can't
wait for a shipment!) I ran across a yard sale and spotted a squirrel cage.
8" opening, 6" square duct. But .. only 480 cu ft/min. Not sure how that
would work out. But it was $5, so I took it.

Thought abou building some sort of box, but I was also in a hurry to use
the laser again. So while the Harbor Fright motor was wheezing along enough
to get (maybe?) through one more short job, I cut myself an adapter to go
from the 8" opening to a 4" round duct that I had. Then I smashed that square
duct into a round one, put in a couple of screws and duct taped it to the hose.

(note to self: I wonder if I'm the first person to use duct tape on a DUCT?)

Ended up putting it on it's side.. resting on top of a bucket! (moves more
air horizontal than vertical) And i have to keep checking to see if it is running,
since it is so quiet. Can't hear it over the little airbrush compressor .. you know,
the one that sounds like a cat purring. It's quieter than that. Much quieter.

And I can see the smoke blowing ouside through the window, so I know I'm
moving air!

This is so cool.. I can even hear myself think!
Hmm.. maybe I'd better hook up the loud one after all

[Gary Hair]

Just curious - what HF dust collector are you using? I have three of them, two are over 5 years old and the other is almost a year, and I've never had a problem with them. Here is the one I use: http://www.harborfreight.com/13-gallon-industrial-portable-dust-collector-31810.html

Gary

[Mark Sipes]

The $5.00 model is brushless and will last for a long time. 480cfm should be adequate for exhaust dependnet on distance you have to push the air.

[Chuck Stone]

THe one i have looks like the one in the link, only red. But it is also 1hp.
You never really know what the ratings are.. I think the cfm only works in
theory, not in practice. And somehoe the math never really works out between
the hp and the amps. But they do go through brushes.. it isn't only me.. it's
a topic of discussion often on several forums. If yours last, good for you! Keep
your fingers crossed and emjoy the ride. (but keep a set on hand just in case)

But i'm loving this unit. It ain't pretty, but I can even talk on the phone while
the laser, air assist and exhaust are running. I can sit right beside it and carry
on a normal conversation. Usually, I'd have to pause the job and shut down
the fans. There was zero possibility of talking while the fans were running.

[Gary Hair]

Well, it turns out that mine is brushless. It's also quite a few db quieter.

[Craig Matheny]

THe one i have looks like the one in the link, only red. But it is also 1hp.
You never really know what the ratings are.. I think the cfm only works in
theory, not in practice. And somehoe the math never really works out between
the hp and the amps. But they do go through brushes.. it isn't only me.. it's
a topic of discussion often on several forums. If yours last, good for you! Keep
your fingers crossed and emjoy the ride. (but keep a set on hand just in case)

But i'm loving this unit. It ain't pretty, but I can even talk on the phone while
the laser, air assist and exhaust are running. I can sit right beside it and carry
on a normal conversation. Usually, I'd have to pause the job and shut down
the fans. There was zero possibility of talking while the fans were running.

The red one is noisy compared to the green one I have one that is 2 years old just bought a second one for the new laser coming.

[Steven Cox]

On my system I use a 150mm (6 inch) in-line fan the type used in aircon & hydroponics systems. It's very quiet and pulls 250 CFM or 91 Liters per second and only draws 36 watts. Note my system only needs to push through less than 7 feet of tubing so it works very well. Added bonus is they are cheap about $60 including delivery. Note if you need to pull over greater distances you can alway use multiple inline fans, after all this is what air con systems do!.