Dust Collection - Solid duct to machine OK?

[Steve Mathews]

Is there any reason to not run solid duct to a heavy stationary machine? All of my machines are on movable platforms except a very heavy 12" Northfield jointer and have a short section of flexible hose that connects it to the dust collection. I would like to connect the jointer with sold duct.

[glenn bradley]

If motion is not an issue I see no reason not to hard-pipe things all the way. Seems I have seen plenty of pictures on the forums where this has been done. I use a short piece of flex as a connector for ease of connection and possible later service. Often the piece is so short it doesn't matter, sometimes as long as a couple of meters.

[james manutes]

Sure you can , but why not have 6" or so of flex in case the duct or the tool moves ? You just never know .

[Ron Selzer]

hard pipe all the way to that heavy beast

[Jim Becker]

No reason not to for sure as long as the port is in a fixed position and the tool isn't moving anywhere. It's actually the best choice for those situations.

[roger wiegand]

I always thought that was the preferred solution. I only use flex pipe when I have to.

[Lee Schierer]

The only reason I can think of not to connect to the machine with solid piping might be vibration induced noise in the duct work.

[Jim Becker]

The only reason I can think of not to connect to the machine with solid piping might be vibration induced noise in the duct work.

That can be a consideration and a rubber Fernco adapter could alleviate things without resorting to flex.

[Bobby Robbinett]

You will get better performance using solid duct, rather than flex pipe. Flex pipe has the ridges that disrupt airflow and trap unwanted both small and medium sized particles. The best thing you can do is run hard pipe to as many of your drops/machines as you can.

[Steve Mathews]

I'm convinced, I'll run it solid. It's actually an easier install because the flex hose will require an additional support and more effort for grounding. Additionally glad asking the question because I didn't know what a Fernco adapter was before. Turns out I have a few but didn't know their purpose.

Added note: I may also run solid to my table saw considering the complicated manifold it requires serving not only the table saw but also an onboard router table, both having overhead dust collection.

[Brian Tymchak]

Over the years I have had to open up the ducting 3 times to clear a block. Twice it was self inflicted - forgot to open the blast gate on my jointer. The other I never figured out how it happened. But the point is that the short section of flex I have from the machines to the main duct gave me an easy access point without having to break seals, remove screws, etc.

[Ben Rivel]

As long as you're sure that particular tool wont move during operation or whenever, sure, going solid ducting all the way to the tool port is the path of least resistance.

[Steve Mathews]

As long as you're sure that particular tool wont move during operation or whenever, sure, going solid ducting all the way to the tool port is the path of least resistance.

Should I decide to move this beast (12" Northfield jointer) the least of my concerns would be the ductwork attached to it. Just moving it a few inches this afternoon was a real chore. The work is done and I had a chance to try out the newly installed Oneida DC on the jointer. Performance was night and day over the 1 3/4hp Powermatic.

[Bill Dufour]

Note that fernco's and their ilk are sized for many different pipe types. So a four inch fernco may be for cast iron, iron, clay, or pvc all of which have a different outer diameter. Also a fernco can have different sizes at each end to allow connecting mismatched pipes of different materials. Read the label!
Bill D

[Jim Becker]

Yes, for the rubber connectors, measuring is essential.