Where would you put your DC ducts?

[Mike Dutra]

I am in the process of putting together my wood shop and need some design tips...

I have a pretty good sized garage now (20' x 54', 13' ceiling) and I would like to correctly set up my hobbyist woodshop in there. I was previously in 2/3 of a 2 car garage so I never really had thigs setup well.

I am in process of drafting up the room layout with the tools I have and will post here once done for more ideas on where to put things but right now I cannot even figure out where to lay my duct work for my DC. You can see the house plan with the garage here: http://dutras.homedns.org/Trips/Misc/NewHouse2006/images/00_house_main.jpg. I was planning on putting my tablesaw and feed table/workbench (both pretty much unmovable once setup) in the middle of the area (facing the long direction of the room) to avoid running into issues with larger pieces of stock. However, if I do that I don't know how to get the DC duct (4") over to it without it being in the way. Since I am on a concrete slab I cannot go under the floor and if I hang it then it seems to always be in the way of something (plus it is a pretty tall ceiling so the runs would be longer). How is this usually done?

[Victor Stearns]

Greetings. I also am putting the finishing touches to my DC system. Ideally I would like to put the ducting in the attic with the drops coming through the ceiling. My concern is that this will cause condensation issues in the winter. I am leaning towards mounting the ducts to the ceiling and placing the DC outside.
Here is a link to a web page that has a lot of great information about every aspect of DC. Hope this helps.
http://billpentz.com/Woodworking/Cyclone/Index.cfm

Victor

[Matt Mutus]

However, if I do that I don't know how to get the DC duct (4") over to it without it being in the way. Since I am on a concrete slab I cannot go under the floor

Have you considered putting a floor on top of the slab?
possibilities:

- You can run all kinds of things under the floor to anywhere in the shop: electric, DC duct, air, water etc.
- You can install some radiant floor heating if you're into that kind of thing
- You can lay down a surface that is more comfortable to work on than concrete

With 13 foot ceilings, you have you the space to accomodate it. Since your planning this from scratch, you can leave your trenches reasonably accessible for maintenance/repairs.

[Jim Becker]

It gets more fun, Mike...your duct work will likely be larger than 4" for a system efficient enough to do the job. :)

That said, I generally prefer overhead duct work for the flexibility it brings. That also will generally allow for a more direct and efficient routing. For your TS area, one would generally do a vertical drop on the right side of the saw setup for both DC and power. If you put a jointer or planer there, too, they can share those utilities. That all said, with your height, adding a wood floor over a new structure is certainly a workable idea for both running to the center of the room as well as making for more comfort under-foot.

[Ed Labadie]

I ran all my duct in the attic, 6", 7" & 8", pcv and spiral. Nothing but the 6" pvc drops coming down the walls. No problems with moisture.

Ed

[Chris Merriam]

I have one giant mega-drop in the center of my shop, it's a 6in main that has a wye to the router table, then a wye to the TS, a wye to the jointer, then the original pipe runs to the planer. Doesn't sound like much til you see it with 6in fittings, it's a huge monstrosity!

I placed it behind and just to the right of my TS fence. It effectively turned my square shop into a "U" space (but the "U" is rotated and looks more like this "<").On one side I work my TS, jointer, and planer, then I walk around to left and behind the TS and use router and other tools.

I have a pipe running across the floor 8ft to the planer, it's not a super big deal, I step over it if I have to, but that's maybe 5% of the time. It's so cramped next to my planer I'd never be carrying anything anyways.

[Mike Dutra]

I have thought about a raised floor but I thought building up or purchasing 600sqft or so of 8" - 12" would be very expensive and very time consuming. Also, this would affect getting into the house a bit. What are the cheapest ways to get something up that is good? I was looking at computer flooring based on the site that was recommended by Victor. If there really is a lot of surplus it would be cheaper to buy than build...so far I have not found cheap yet though :)

As for the overhead drop for the TS, if I come down the back right corner that would limit me from being able to remove the fence and have something longer than 60" off the right side. That is rare but it has happened a few times already. Obviously I worked around that in the past so I can do so again. I was just trying to see if there was a way to avoid any size limitations.

Also, you said I may need something larger than 4"...I currently have a small dust collector and it only has a 4" intake. I guess I bought too small? I only need it to pull from one machine at a time. No one (mostly) works with me in the shop. Here is what I have: http://www.deltaportercable.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=11493

[David Duke]

Also, you said I may need something larger than 4"...I currently have a small dust collector and it only has a 4" intake. I guess I bought too small? I only need it to pull from one machine at a time. No one (mostly) works with me in the shop. Here is what I have: http://www.deltaportercable.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=11493

I think what Jim was alluding to was in a shop of you size you will probably eventually want to install a cyclone at least a 2hp. If so you would run a main line of at least 6" and wye off to your various drops with 4-5" as required.

As far as getting collection to the TS I ran 6" PVC to mine underground, of course this was done before the concrete was poured. I really like it there because it is completely out of the way and I don't have to worry about hitting the drops, of course I am limited to where I can put the TS but that is why you plan ahead plus there really is no where else I could put mine. I know that the $$'s is always an issue but if it were me I would try and come up with a way to build a sub-floor, it would allow you to keep the duct work and electrical out of the way and be easier on the feet/legs. Plus with the sub-floor you could always move your TS and be able to re-route the duct too.

[Al Killian]

My new shop is close to your size and all my pipe will be attached to the ceilings(12') The long runs are not as much of a issue as bends or turns are.

[Ben Grunow]

I just did mine on the ceiling and I would do it again because if and when you need to change it you do not have to go in the basement or attic.

Run a dc in an air conditioned shop for long enough with the ducts in the attic and they will sweat unless they are really well insulated.