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I'm in the process of putting together Norm's router table and have a question about the dust collection port. My ultimate intention is to use the 4" connection on my DC unit. My question is should I look to install a 4" port in the back of the cabinet or should I use the smaller set-up that Norm uses? Does the 4" to 2" restriction impact performance in any significant way?
Yes, go at least 4". . . IMHO.Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel Smith
Yes, the bigger the better. Dust collection is all about moving air. The larger the pipe, the more air that can be moved. I use 6" on my router table, and a shop vac hook up on the fence. Jim.
Keep in mind, unless the router motor fan is vented to the exterior of the cabinet, the greater airflow and negative pressure inside the cabinet will reduced the airflow through the motor and result in reduced cooling. Could shorten tne motor / variable speed module life
A smaller port, it has been suggested, may choke off the capacity of the motor to cool, assuming the box underneath the table is closed and there's not a big hole up top to draw air through the motor's fan. Routers have become less spendy than the used to be. One approach is to use screens or an open-top dust collection box with the hose attached too it so the router has access to fresh air to breathe. I find the most annoying router table dust is topside, so I just let the heavy dust make a mess and get what I can through the fence topside. It's not that perfect, but I live in a warm climate and set up a router table outside if I'm making more than a few cuts.
I used a 4" port for the cabinet enclosure with a 2.5" split from a wye for the fence. As has already been said above, I have vents in the door for make up air. I also used the tilted ramp and funnel shaped baffles and it works very well. Now that I have a 3HP cyclone with 6" ducting, I'm seriously contemplating increasing the port to 6".
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Thanks for the input. Keeping everything but the Y at 4" simplifies things a little bit.