some general dust collection questions

[Dave Buffington]

Hey all, hope this is not rehashing known stuff too much.

1. I am looking at http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1515&SearchHandle=DADBDBDJDADADDDGDHDIDFDCGEDIDGDJCNDID JGBGDCNDEDFDFDBCNDJDJDAGECNGCDBDEDCDIDIDBDGDIDBDAD FDADADADBDADADADBDFGEHFHDHECAGDGPGMGMGFGDHEGJGPGOD ADADADEDADADADADADADADBDFDADADADBDADADADADADADADAD ADADADADBDADADADBDFGEHFHDHECAGDGPGMGMGFGDHEGJGPGOD ADADADBDB&filter=dust%20collection with a shop vac for dust collection (because i just bought a house to put my shop in and I'm too broke for dedicated system). Anyone have any opinions on this?

2. Are there guidelines for tubing to use for a dedicated dust collection system? is PVC an option? Whatever i use, i am planning on threading with an exposed grounding wire to avoid spark.

3. Any other thoughts/guidelines for a serious do it yourself for minimal $$ DC system? please keep in mind that i am not looking for perfection, and will someday invest real money in a serious system, but for now and i really concerned with bang-for-the buck.

Thanks for all input. If i put somehting useful together, i will post pics and given an estimate fo cost for others.

Dave

[Tyler Howell]

Welcome Dave
Yes it has!
Do a search on Dust collector or DC and all your questions will be answered with pictures
Glad to have you in the creek.;)

[tod evans]

dave, what equipment are you looking to collect dust from? generally speaking those trashcan lids are a waste of money, better to spend bucks on blastgates and such that`ll work with a permanent system later..02 tod

[Chuck Trisdale]

If you arent using large items like cabinet saws etc that are using the 4 inch ports, then a full blown system doesnt do you that much good. Once you reduce it down to be able to attach it to your contractor saw, or even worse your router or handheld sander, it doesnt have enough air flow to pull the dust through. If I had it to do over again, I think I would get a hard core shop vac. Actually that is what I am going to do, when I get back into the shop. A shop vac is designed to put enough force to pull through the smaller hoses.

There are threads that explain the differences between dedicated vacs and shop vacs. They explain it a lot better than I could.

As far as PVC. I hear it is OK as long as you run the ground through it like you are saying.

[Dave Buffington]

If you arent using large items like cabinet saws etc that are using the 4 inch ports, then a full blown system doesnt do you that much good. Once you reduce it down to be able to attach it to your contractor saw, or even worse your router or handheld sander, it doesnt have enough air flow to pull the dust through. If I had it to do over again, I think I would get a hard core shop vac. Actually that is what I am going to do, when I get back into the shop. A shop vac is designed to put enough force to pull through the smaller hoses.

There are threads that explain the differences between dedicated vacs and shop vacs. They explain it a lot better than I could.

As far as PVC. I hear it is OK as long as you run the ground through it like you are saying.

Thanks, that is helpful.

I have lots of small tools, table saw (smallish direct drive jet TS, chop, drill press, bench top planer, jointer, mortiser, bench belt/disc sander, that sort of stuff). My plan had been to have a few lengths of PVC along the long wall of the shop area of my basement (still in design phase since we just moved in, it is all a pile of tools right now) and have some flexible shop vac type hose coming off that at 3-4 tool stations. The PVC would then go into the 30 gal garbage can with lid thing and then into a hefty sized shop vac (excuise to buy a new shop vac!). I would move the 3-4 flexible hoses from tool to tool in each section.

Thanks!

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

As far as PVC. I hear it is OK as long as you run the ground through it like you are saying.
I agree with what you have to say except for the last bit, you do not need a grounding wire, as you cannot actually ground plastic.

Works fine with out it.

learn more > here (http://ablett.jp/workshop/rod_cole_dc_pvc.doc)<-right click save as

it is a Word Document by one Rod Cole, all you could ever want to know about the subject.

Cheers!

[Dave Buffington]

I agree with what you have to say except for the last bit, you do not need a grounding wire, as you cannot actually ground plastic.

Works fine with out it.

learn more > here (http://ablett.jp/workshop/rod_cole_dc_pvc.doc)<-right click save as

it is a Word Document by one Rod Cole, all you could ever want to know about the subject.

Cheers!

Thanks for that, I am going to have to devote some seroius time to reading through that.

[Dustin Bartlett]

http://www.clearvuecyclones.com/Order_Page.htm

Check out the last item on the above page for something that actually does what the cyclone trash can lids claim to do.

[Nissim Avrahami]

Hi Dave

Please have a look at this post, it may give you some ideas.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=37867

I think that it does the same like the cyclone (may be better because the air is filtered before entering the “filters zone”) and at muuuch cheaper price.
I’m using it for my table saw with very good results.

niki

[glenn bradley]

As someone mentioned here, I also have a HARD CORE shop vac. It was my original dust collector and I went overboard enough to where it still earns its keep. My baby 1HP DC does run through a 4" trashcan seperator and the impact to the airflow IS SIGNIFICANT!

The benefit of avoiding stuff hitting the impeller and long intervals between DC bag emptying is cool. I will need better and this will probably become my dedicated TS DC or some such.

As stated, I wish I woulda, I wish I woulda, BUT, I too was strapped for cash and unsure how much I would fall in love with this hobby. The small system got me by. Just try to buy something that won't become a throw away; those items are the most expensive.

P.s. My shop-vac from hell runs through a 2 1/2" trash can cyclone and has a cleanstream filter. Over time, the reduced maintenance effort has paid back the price and it still sucks (in a good way).