What type of DC Ducting??

[Matthew Curtis]

I have a small shop (18 x 24). I have a 1 1/2 HP DC. By biggest need for dust collection is my J/P, but it is sitting 3' from my DC unit. I have been just using a short 4" flex hose for it. My dilema is that my table saw is about 10-12' from my DC. I would like to have a more permenat run to it. I would also like to have a run down one side of the shop to my router station that is about 12' feet from the DC.

How much would I lose by using flexible tubing -vs- something rigid? What are my options for ridgid runs? The price of metal seems too much for just a hobbyist, espicaly the adapters blast gates and fittings.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

[paul cottingham]

I ran 4" pvc to my table saw, jointer, planer and drill press. For 1.5 HP it works fine. I wish it was 3 HP of course, but it is what I can afford. I have a run of around 10 ft that does fine. Use solid pipe, it definitely works way better than flex.

[Eric DeSilva]

Well, since no one else has yet provided the link, try here: http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyc...iccalcfaqs.cfm

It's complicated, but everyone seems to respect the results.

[Jamie Buxton]

My shop is plumbed with snap-lock round 6" duct from Home Depot. This is the stuff they use for heating and cooling. It is quite affordable.

There are folks who say that snap-lock will collapse when used for dust collection. All I can tell you is that mine has not collapsed, and I'm sucking on it with a 2 1/2 horse cyclone.

[jeff vanek]

whatever you choose, 4" or 6", get the sewer and drain pvc from menards or lowes, it's thinner then normal pvc

[raul segura]

May want to stick with the 4" stuff $. I have a run of 17 ft / 4" ID. along wall with 4 to 6' flex coming off as I constantly move machines, works OK. Id make sure that your T.S has enough breathing space at collection area so air will move in very freely. You may want to have a line dedicated to the T.S. if possible or have shut offs as close to this line as possible to keep the suction volume to a minimum.
NOTE : I have several flex pipes with fittings that run about one ft. I can then connect long runs of rigid pipe and bend to where I need, this eliminates some drag rather than using all flex. I own a 2hp if you decide to grade up,,, break the bank and get a 3hp. But then you'll want to go with 6" fittings.

[Kevin W Johnson]

Please, please, read over the entire site that Eric linked too. Especially where he tells you that 4" ducting is NOT sufficient enough for collecting fines. All the people who have 4" run thru out their shops have no idea just how bad the air in their shop most likely is. The fine dust is the worst and needs to be collected at the source. It takes 6" duct in order to get proper CFM's to collect the fines. The S&D ASTM-D2729 is the best if you decide on PVC. It's also commonly called thin wall sewer and drain. It's a lot lighter, and easier to work with.

Also, you'll want to keep your flex pieces as short as possible, as the longer it is, the more turbulence created.

[Charlton Wang]

Please, please, read over the entire site that Eric linked too. Especially where he tells you that 4" ducting is NOT sufficient enough for collecting fines. All the people who have 4" run thru out their shops have no idea just how bad the air in their shop most likely is. The fine dust is the worst and needs to be collected at the source. It takes 6" duct in order to get proper CFM's to collect the fines. The S&D ATSM-2729 is the best if you decide on PVC. It's also commonly called thin wall sewer and drain. It's a lot lighter, and easier to work with.

Also, you'll want to keep your flex pieces as short as possible, as the longer it is, the more turbulence created.

Keep in mind that the recommendation on using 6" is only true up to a certain point (depending on the size of your system). 6" will allow for more CFM but depending on how much CFM your DC can actually move at that static pressure, you might end up with an FPM amount that's too low to actually carry the dust properly.

[Ole Anderson]

Ditch the 4" flex. I am a fan of the 26 ga steel snap and lock from HD at about a buck a foot. Don't get the 30 gauge, it can collapse under the suction. For a 1.5 hp DC, 5" might be the sweet spot of duct size, small enough to get the velocity you need to move heavier chips, yet big enough to minimize friction losses, although 6" might be the size depending on your fan curve of the DC. Check with your local HVAC supply house or a local tinknocker for the fittings. Online too. And steel just looks like the real thing when you are finished.

If you go that route, here are a few tips: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...tall&highlight
And a few pics: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...stem&highlight=

[Don Wacker]

I spent all day Saturday putting in $450 worth of snap lock even spent the extra to insulate it, looked so perty. Come sunday fired up my shinny new cyclone, stood back to admired my work and played with the blast gates. Bam! Thought the DC exploded, nope sucked down every inch of snap lock duct worK. Went and got a bunch of drain pipe re did it all, cussed then cussed some more. In the end it works and works fine.

Don

[raul segura]

If you go or have the 30 ga-26. you could place a weighted tripping baffle that will open in case there is to much vacuum. Weighted it could be adjusted.
I chose PVC because you can easily chop and add joints - heat and warp witch has saved me $. $450.00 ouch !! Sorry to here that.
For those who may need to use a lot of pipe clamps duckworksbbs.com has a nifty tool called clamptite a little pricy but makes really nice clean connections.

[Patrick Maloney]

You can form pvc as well using a heat gun. IMHO pvc is definitely the way to go.

[Alan Schaffter]

Let's step back here- we know the dimensions of OP's shop but without knowing where he has placed or will place his tools, how far they are from the DC, and how he plans to run his ducting, we can't make too much of a recommendation. An 18' X 24' shop with TS, jointer, planer, etc. and maybe more someday, will likely require 6" ducting. Running the numbers will confirm that.

The suggestion to read Bill P's site is spot on. The OP should do a proposed layout on paper, using 6" duct, then compute the SP loss of his ducting, fittings, and flex, and see if his DC will even meet the minimum reqmts of each tool- probably unlikely with a 1.5 hp DC, especially with 4" duct, but you won't know until you run the numbers. If cost is a consideration then trade-offs will need to be made, but you should know the effects of those tradeoffs.

[Jamie Buxton]

I spent all day Saturday putting in $450 worth of snap lock even spent the extra to insulate it, looked so perty. Come sunday fired up my shinny new cyclone, stood back to admired my work and played with the blast gates. Bam! Thought the DC exploded, nope sucked down every inch of snap lock duct worK. Went and got a bunch of drain pipe re did it all, cussed then cussed some more. In the end it works and works fine.

Don

When your snaplock collapsed, what was the state of your blast gates? Were they all closed?

[Don Wacker]

When your snaplock collapsed, what was the state of your blast gates? Were they all closed?

No at least one was open since I dont have one on the table saw.

Don