Dust Collection Connection Questions

[Jason Hanna]

I have just purchased a 1200 CFM 1 Micron Delta dust collector, and now it is time to figure out how to get everything hooked up. I work in a two car garage space that houses a boat when it is not slicing wood. Everything is on a mobile base and get's shoved to the perimeter when not in use.

Even though the DC rolls around easily, when I get in the groove I am constantly moving from one machine to the other and I don't want to have to reconnect hoses everytime. This has led me to believe that I need to park it in one corner and run ridgid ducts.

My idea was to make a short run (about 3 ft.) of 4" flex from the DC to wall, and then up and over and across the short direction of the garage and down to the workbench on the other side out of 4" PVC. Off of this run have a 'Y' in the middle to drop a flex line off of if I need it in the middle of the garage and then also have a flex connect at the workbench mainly for sanders. The table saw would be used next to the DC and could be directly connected to the DC via about 4'-6' of 4" flex.

Does all of this seem reasonable if blast gates are installed at all taps? I am trying to get the big chip culprits nearest the DC (table saw, miter saw, and future planer) and the sanders end up further away.

My real question is how do you transition from PVC to flex of the same diameter? Is there a connector for this? If so, I haven't run across it.

[Randy Denby]

Jason, my friend did this...and if I remember correctly, the blast gate is where the transition took place. The flex will slip over the gate flange. Should be someone here to confirm this. I used metal and my smallest duct is 5"

[Jim O'Dell]

Use the shortest amount of flex you can. Use rigid pipe, metal or pvc as much as possible. I generally keep my flex connections 8" or shorter. Jim.

[keith ouellette]

I did someting very similar. It is low teck but I used duct tape to connect the pvc to the flex and put the blast gate inbetween two pieces of pvc so the gate would be against something solid on both sides. It works well. What are you going to do about your garage door? I am assumeing you dc will hang from the cieling.

[Steven Golick]

I installed a DC system (Oneida) which uses both flex and rigid metal ducts. There are lots of adapters available. You can either connect at the blast gates (I use a small metal extender (sleeve) from the gate, and then connect the flex, and secure it with a clamp. I suppose you could screw it in, but I want concerned that the flex hose would tear. I have also connected at a metal Y (with flex coming from the 2 upper parts of the Y).

I agree with the comment that you should keep your flex as short as possible. However, if you are running only one machine at a time, and have blast gates on all you runs, you can probably go as much as 10-15 feet depending on your CFM (and depending on what machine you are using). There is a good discussion on ducting at http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/Ducting.cfm#Noise%20Control. Also check out the Oneida website for some suggestions. They have lots of fittings as well.

Good luck with it.

Steven

[Dale Lesak]

Woodcraft have a connector that screws into the flex hose and slips over the blast gate. I have a couple of them and on one set up have the blast gate on the machines and switch the hose when needed. have been very happy with this setup.:)

[glenn bradley]

Woodcraft have a connector that screws into the flex hose and slips over the blast gate. I have a couple of them and on one set up have the blast gate on the machines and switch the hose when needed. have been very happy with this setup.:)

And they are on sale at Rockler right now for $2.99. I just got three. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17336&filter=dust%20collection

[Jason Hanna]

Thanks for all of the advice. It sounds like you can get the flex to fit over most PVC fitting and get a clamp on it. I looked at the threaded things at Rockler and the threads were the wrong way for the type of flex I have.

As to the garage door issue. I plan on running the line just in front of where the door is when opened.

I do plan to keep my flex runs short. While using blast gates at all connections I expect any given route to have no more than maybe 6' of flex total.

[Dale Lesak]

Don't know what flex hose you have but ALL the hoses I have ever seen use a left hand twist. even the vacuum sweeper hoses. might want to check again. :confused:

[Jason Hanna]

Don't know what flex hose you have but ALL the hoses I have ever seen use a left hand twist. even the vacuum sweeper hoses. might want to check again. :confused:


Unfortunately the stuff that came with my machine and the lengths I bought to go with it are right hand. You can even see it in the photo: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=16957

[chris ormsby]

Jason,
I used 4" pvc crush pipe. It is much cheaper and easier to work with than schedule 40 pipe. The plastic blast gates are fairly cheap $4-$6 each, if I remember right. A couple wraps of duct tape will act like a bushing to adapt the ID of the pipe to the OD of the blast gate. I made a few splits 2-3 inches along the length ot the pipe 4-5 places around the diameter. These cuts allowed the pipe to collapse around the gates with a hose clamp. I moved things around several times to tune things in. 4" "J" hanges work well to hang the pipe on the walls. I ran my main branch at the same height that the adapter came out of the DC unit. The fitting are tight enough that you can get by without gluing the joints. The DC system works on volume not pressure, so it doesn't have to be air tight. Good luck!

[John Browne]

Chris, can you elaborate? What is PVC crush pipe and where does one get it?

Thanks,

John

[Greg Narozniak]

When I had my Jet 1100 DC in my old garage I had 6" PVC-SD run along the wall and it ran straight into the inlet of the unit. I was roughly 18" off the floor and I had 3 gates along the run with a floor sweep on the end and it worked perfect.

I used flex hose to the TS/Router table and another section of flex hung is I needed to run the planer and it worked great. I was still able to pull a car in with it along the wall without issue.

[chris ormsby]

Crush pipe is a thin wall pvc pipe. I don't know the correct schedule designation. It is used for drainage, leader pipes etc. It has a bell on one end. One pipe will fit into the next length. It is available at all the big box stores for approx $10 per length. I believe a length is 10ft.

[Jim Neighbors]

Chris,
Just finished installing the same stuff (sewer pipe) for my DC system and was having the same problem trying to find something to connect the pipe to blast gate and flex hose. Sounds like duct tape might be the answer.

[glenn bradley]

Don't know what flex hose you have but ALL the hoses I have ever seen use a left hand twist. even the vacuum sweeper hoses. might want to check again. :confused:


Unfortunately the stuff that came with my machine and the lengths I bought to go with it are right hand. You can even see it in the photo: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=16957

Well, I'll be . . . You're both right. I was about to side with Dale as all the hose I've bought has been left hand. I checked my Delta original hose and the Rockler hose I just picked up . . . they are both right hand(?). I never even thought to check when I bought the Rockler hose, I just assumed.

[Mark Williamson]

I'm in the same boat so to speak, as the original poster. I have a garage based shop. I am thinking about building a raised subfloor using 3/4 inch ply on 2x4s laid on their side on 12" centers. This would give me channels running either lengthwise or crosswise about 8" wide by 2" deep. I was thinking of using these as my dust collection channels, so I dont have pipes and hoses running around the garage. So what I was thinking, where my table saw is, run a short flex hose to a hole cut in the subfloor, and at the end of the channel, the exit connector connects to the main collection pipe which runs along the base of the floor to the collector.

I was also thinking to make the sections of plywood that cover these collection channels removable so in case i get a pile up stuck in the channel, i can just pull the section and vac it out.

The subfloor serves other purposes though, cover wiring and makes it easier on this old man's back.

Cheers,
Mark

[Greg Narozniak]

Chris,
Just finished installing the same stuff (sewer pipe) for my DC system and was having the same problem trying to find something to connect the pipe to blast gate and flex hose. Sounds like duct tape might be the answer.

I used a "Connector" that would connect two pieces of the same size PVC together. You can twist the flex hose in and then I used construction adhesive to seal it up.

[Pete Fox]

Does anyone know who the cheapest source of 6 inch blasts is? I haven't checked out Oneida yet, but I've only been able to find the 4 inch gates.

Pete

[Scott Long]

This is who I have used in the past.
I have no problems with them.

http://www.blastgateco.com/index.html