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Jeff Lehman
01-05-2006, 10:30 PM
I am awaiting my new ULS V-460 to be delivered and am seeking advice on the best exhaust systems for a small/home office setting.

The specs call for a exhaust system that moves 250 CFM air flow. I am also concerned about how much noise the systems makes. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Regards

Lee DeRaud
01-05-2006, 10:49 PM
A lot depends on where it will be located. Mine was going into a room that shares a piece of wall with the "attic" of the garage, so I piped through that wall and put a small portable dust collector on a high shelf in the garage, vented to the outside.

The blower isn't too noisy, but there is a lot of air moving through, plus the fans and motion mechanism of the laser itself. Let's just say it's not the kind of thing you forget to turn off when you're done using it...although I admit I've forgotten to turn the blower on once or twice before I start cutting, which is somewhat exciting. :eek:

Jeff Lehman
01-05-2006, 10:57 PM
I live in a log home, and the engraver will be located in a "computer room" aka extra bedroom. I am planning on venting the 4" hose from the dust collector fan directly outside. I am going to fabricate a window insert to hold the hose...and be able to take it out of the window when the engraver is not in use.

Was hoping to get links to vendors etc...I do have one for www.grizzly.com (http://www.grizzly.com) Model G1163 1 HP Light-Duty Dust Collector. It is rated at 450 CFM...seems like overkill, but i dont know.

Thanks for your input!

Lee DeRaud
01-05-2006, 11:14 PM
Was hoping to get links to vendors etc...I do have one for www.grizzly.com (http://www.grizzly.com) Model G1163 1 HP Light-Duty Dust Collector. It is rated at 450 CFM...seems like overkill, but i dont know.I'm using the cheap-cheap (~$90) GMC dust collector from Lowe's...rated at 650cfm, probably pulling about half that with my ducting. Gets the job done, though.

Dave Fifield
01-06-2006, 1:44 AM
I just PM'ed you back Jeff. The crux of my message is that I use a 914cfm blower (best price is from PennState AFAICT). This has a DC motor (with brushes). I tried a simple ($20) router speed control unit with it to control the speed (hence, noise). It works very well indeed. I only turn it up to full blast when I'm cutting/engraving acrylic or other smelly stuff. The rest of the time, I run it at about 1/4 speed.

Cheers

Joe Pelonio
01-06-2006, 8:26 AM
I got my fan at Granger. They have several that would work, this one is
a Fantech FX10XL 8". I had to reduce at each end but needed the power due to the 20' vent run. Hopefully being in a log home you don't have neighbors nearby so won't have to worry about complaints and fire department calls from the smells.

Kevin Huffman
01-06-2006, 10:30 AM
Hello Jeff,
I have customers who use both, grizzly and granger. None of them have complaints about either that I have heard. As long as you meet or exceed the recommended cfm of the manufacturer you should be good.
The only concern I would have is you say you are living in a log home, which means you probably live up north somewhere?. If you live up north where you get a lot of cold weather you will need to find some way to be able to block off that hole somehow. Most of my customer use those dryer vents that open when air is being pushed through it and closes when it is just sitting there.
What will happen is if you don't the cold air will come in when the blower isn't turn on and it will cause the laser to not function properly. I have customers who's machine won't intialize until the machine gets back to room temperature once it sits there in the sub 50 degree weather all night.

Just my two cents,

Jeff Lehman
01-06-2006, 11:43 AM
I live in souther Indiana, and we do get some cold nights. The dryer vent idea is a good one! I don't plan on leaving the vent in the window all the time mainly due to my concern about heat/cooling loss. I am going to fabricate something with a convenient handle that will make it easy to insert and remove.

Michael McDuffie
01-06-2006, 12:26 PM
It is possible to have too much suction.:rolleyes:

I'm running a Grizzly 2HP 220V DC out in the garage. There is about 20 feet of duct in the attic. The air inlet grill on the front of the laser whistles and I've lost more than one item up the hose. It will also slam the lid if you don't have a good grip. I use an X10 20 amp outlet and the key fob remote to run it. Four and a half years and no compliants so far. Except for having to do some laserlights over again when they disappear.

Michael

Oh yea, I have a blast gate at the laser end so I can close the duct.

Mike Mackenzie
01-06-2006, 12:31 PM
Jeff,

Check out http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00921335000&subcat=Dust+Collection+Systems+%26+Attachments

They work great and are in expensive. What we have done to reduce the noise levels was to put the exhaust blower outside in something like a dog house to protect it from the weather.

You have to do some re-wiring for the on/off switch but its not that big of a deal.

Don't know if that is an option but it certainly helps with noise reduction.

Add a blast gate so you can close the exhaust area when not being used. The laser systems on there own are not going to have problems with the cold from the exhaust hose. If you let the room that the laser is in get that cold then you will see issues both with the system and probably your computer and your dog,the kids,the wife, etc.

Joe Pelonio
01-06-2006, 3:26 PM
Except for having to do some laserlights over again when they disappear.

I don't have the whistling or slamming door issues, though like you I
had laserlights but more often polytag get sucked up, but because of where the vent ends I always find them on the hood of my truck. Actually I have since devised a plastic screen that I place over the
exhaust vents with velcro that I use with that light stuff. It's not like window screen, larger holes, my wife got it at the fabric store and uses it for making summer swimsuit carrying bags.

Barbara Buhse
01-06-2006, 6:49 PM
I live in souther Indiana, and we do get some cold nights. The dryer vent idea is a good one! I don't plan on leaving the vent in the window all the time mainly due to my concern about heat/cooling loss. I am going to fabricate something with a convenient handle that will make it easy to insert and remove.

I made a window insert out of styrofoam house insulation (the kind that goes on the exterior, with the silver paper on one side). One 2' x 4' sheet cut in half and doubled over with a hole for the exhaust works well, and the window closes snug enough on it to keep out the cold. Its also lightweight, and cheaply replaced when it gets worn out.

Barbara

Jerry Allen
01-06-2006, 10:23 PM
I did a similar thing using 2" foam sans foil on 1/2" ply about 6" x 48". Works great. Every now and then I think I'll cut a hole in the wall, but why bother?
I use a cheap portable Harbor Freight 600cfm dust collector. It's plenty and will occasionally eat a piece of veneer or abalone. I liked it so much that I bought another for the table saw, etc.

Clyde Baumwell
01-07-2006, 8:56 AM
I use one of those GMC dust collectors (from Lowes) vented thru a masonite window insert but I am surprised how strong the smells are in the room with the laser and dust collector. You can feel air escaping from some of the manufacturer''s seals. I just assume that it is to be expected to a certain degree.

Lee DeRaud
01-07-2006, 10:30 AM
I use one of those GMC dust collectors (from Lowes) vented thru a masonite window insert but I am surprised how strong the smells are in the room with the laser and dust collector.Hmmm...I've never noticed any smell in the garage (where the DC is) or in the room with the laser while I'm cutting. What I do smell (when everything is shut off) is residue on the cutting grid: when it starts to smell like a smoker lives there, it's time to clean it.

Jeff Lehman
01-11-2006, 1:05 PM
Thanks Barb...I like that idea. You know, some of these things that we discuss on this board, are prime candidates for product ideas for anyone wanting to market items to the laser engraving community...thanks for the suggestion!