How to setup dust collection quickly

[Fred Stellabotte]

Hi Folks,


I am drowning in dust, especially the router and table saw. The dust sent 2 shop vacs to the repair shop.


So I purchased a Harbor Freight 2 HP collector. I then ran some searches for setting the collection duct-work, and connecting to the dust creators. I came up with a lot of clever but complicated plans … Some called for 6” ducts. I am not sure how a 6” duct would work when the collector only has 4” ducts.


I am looking for the fastest, easiest way to connect the HF HP2 to a Table Saw, Router and Miter Saw.
I am sure I will enhance the dust collection system in the future .. but for now I just need to get something together quickly.


Thanks ..


-Fred

[Huck Schwee]

Get some 4" flexible dust collection hose (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=16957&site=ROCKLER), hook it up and go!

Just start running with the 4" hose. There isn't a lot invested and you can actually use your system while you plan a more long term solution. Whether that is 6" hard piped locations with blast gates or the Rockler wall mounted dust collector (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=30676&site=ROCKLER) with expandable hose (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21316&site=ROCKLER), like I have.

This also lets you see whether the 4" hose is adequate for you and your shop before you start with the added expense of the 6" piping. For me, 4" is plenty.

[Jeff Monson]

The quickest and easiest way I can see, is attach a 4" flexible hose to the dust collector, put a quick attach fitting on the flexible hose. That way you can move the collector from machine to machine and connect it within seconds.

[glenn bradley]

I agree. As a quick fix to get you through the next job, add a male port to each tool via whatever adapters and flex is required. Put a tapered female quick coupler on the end of your DC hose and move from machine to machine. The next step is ducting to each machine and blast gates to open for the tool in use. The next step is automatic gates that open when you power up the tool.

[Mark Ashmeade]

And the step after that is to get a bigger dust collector with 6inch or larger intake. And there's a lot of steps after that :)

The table saw should be easy to contain the dust, the router needs a dust attachment (or decent table setup) and the miter saw a shroud of some sort. Collection of as much dust as possible at the source is critical. The best DC system in the world won't help if the dust never makes it into the collector.

[Dave Anthony]

I ran 4" ducting to the center of the shop (a 2 car garage), and attached a 6' drop of flexible hose which I move between the table saw, router, planer, joiner, bandsaw, and downdraft sanding table. This works better for me as when I attached the flex hose directly is was overly long and constantly in the way.