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Thread: Drum sander dust collection

  1. #1
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    Drum sander dust collection

    I recently picked up a 26" drum sander but it only has one 4" dust port. It's an older style sander and uses 4 rollers on top of the board vs the conveyor belt. The factory design of the dust collection isn't that great and the outfeed rollers get caked with dust. They are easy to clean but I'm thinking of adding two more 4" ports. I would do just one more but the existing port is centered and there's no room to another one behind it. So that means one on each side of it. I have a portable Reliant 2hp dust collector that I was going to use with this since both are mobile and most likely will not see too much use. The dust collector has a 5" port on it with a "Y" adapter for two 4" pipes.

    I'm not sure what's the best way to go from three 4" pipes to the collector. Would it be best to get a 5" three way "Y" fitting and a reducing fitting (does anyone even make such a thing)? Would I be better off running the center 4" pipe directly to one port on the collector and getting a 4" "Y" to combine the outside pipes and running it to the other port assuming that most sanding will be at or near the center? I could block off the center port on the sander and only have two. I think 2 4" ports would work well enough. Do any of the companies that make dusct collection fittings have an on-line catalog?

    I'm kind of out of room in my shop so my plan is to put this in separate area. Ideally it would live in a corner and get moved out when needed. I could just leave it alone but I think I'll enjoy it more if I can increase the dust collection. It might get a little tiring moving the wood to the sander but this is mostly temporary. I do have a 16x30 cabin that I'll move into once I get around to expanding it some.

  2. #2
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    A lot might depend on the dust collector. I have a Performax 22/44 with a single 4" port centered in a hood above the drum. This is connected with a few feet of 4" flex to a ClearVue 6" to two 4" blast gates. I use flex since I keep the sander tucked next to a wall and roll it out into a walkway when sanding sometime longer.

    DC_electrical_shop_s.jpg
    (The unconnected side now goes to a belt/disk sander.)

    The ClearVue cyclone is 5hp. The suction is very powerful. I get no dust buildup inside the sander and based on the Dylos laser particle monitor very little escapes the sander. I have no experience with less powerful dust collectors. Seems like splitting the the duct too many times would give diminishing returns with some collectors.

    One option might be to plug the central port and add two ports to the hood.

    JKJ

  3. #3
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    I had a similar setup that John has. Also with a 5HP dust collector, but with somewhat longer run to the cyclone.

    Worked well, also as measured by my Dylos.

    If you turn off your dust collector, and see the cloud of dust, you'll tell the difference. Then run for an hour and not breathe that in.

    I always wished those had a 6" dust port instead of a 4", but they are what they are. I thought of modifying it for a while (I did on my Laguna Jointer/Planer which made a big difference, but eventually gave up on the idea.
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
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  4. #4
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    Supermax 19-38. I assumed I would need to open up the 4" port but, with a 2HP cyclone I have no problems. Is there something in the path that can be removed or an area where baffling can be added?
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  5. #5
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    I'll take a couple of pictures and post them. Right now there's only one 10' section of 4" flex pipe between the sander and the dust collector. I do have some 5" pipe but if I leave the sander alone I would need an adapter. Due to it's design the dust port on the sander can't be larger than 4" but I can set it up pretty easily to have 3 of them. 4" exhaust pipe from a truck will work perfectly and I'll just need to modify one steel plate, maybe an hour or two worth of work. When it runs there's no cloud of dust and if it was a conveyor set up there would be no issue. But because it has drive rollers with sand paper on them for grip when the dust builds up on the rollers they can slip.

    The way it was set up to access the outfeed rollers required a bit of disassembly but I can change that as well so just a couple of screws need to be removed (which I can switch to thumb screws) to make accessing it easy. Maybe with time I would get use to being able to tell when it was time to stop and clean them but if I can improve the dust collection I would like to do that as well.

  6. #6
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    Here's some pictures.
    woodmaster 1.jpg
    This is the dust collector with the back removed.
    woodmaster 2.jpg
    This is with the dust collector removed. You can see the dust collecting on the drive roller closer to the drum. I wiped my finger across it.
    woodmaster 3.jpg
    This is the dust collector with the piece of sheet metal that's closest to the sanding drum removed. I would replace the angled part to work with the added dust ports. The whitish stuff is caulk the previous owner used to try and seal up anywhere there was a gap. In other places he used aluminum tape to seal it up.
    woodmaster 5.jpg
    This is the dust collector upside down with the second piece of steel set in place. It creates a long narrow slit for the dust to be sucked in.
    woodmaster 4.jpg

    When it's in place correctly that slit fits between the sanding drum and the first outfeed drive roller. Another issue with the design (the last picture) is that there's no support for the front edge of the dust collector. You can see it's bowed up when bolted in place. With it bowed up it lifts the dust collector slit up away from the wood which I'm sure adds to the problem. My original idea was to put a piece of "L" angle to provide support to flatten it out but then I figured if I was going to do that I could go a step further and add extra ports.

  7. #7
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    I'm just adding info since mine is similar. The Supermax hood is just a hinged metal semicircle with a 4" port similar to yours positioned dead center. It does not have any baffle plates or guides and is certainly not air tight by any means. It is just sort of in the vicinity although I'm sure many years of experience led them to this configuration. I run a 2HP Grizzly cyclone and the sander is on a 6' piece of 4" hose that is gated to a 6" PVC system with four 45 degree turns along a ~25 foot run and gather 90+% of the spoil.

    If you add the extra ports, how big will the new main be? Funneling three 4" ports into a 4" main is not going to do much for you if anything. A pair of 4" (about 13 sq. in.) can collapse into a 6" (about 28 sq. in.). If you add a third you'll want a 7" main and a dust collector capable of using it.

    Sometimes these problems can be overcome in a counter intuitive way. A shop vac does a better job collecting at a miter saw or a ROS than a dust collector throttled down. Maybe you just need some velocity . . . Strap a shop vac hose to the DC hose and position the mouth above the material on the infeed side of the drum enclosure maybe? This would at least give you more info before you spend on a larger main or reach for the tin snips.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  8. #8
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    Ideally I would like one 5" port to match the dust collector. But that's not going to work. Two 4" ports would be my next choice but with the single one centered I would have to block the center one off. Something I can do. At some point it'll end up in my shop and be connected to a much better dust collector so I don't see the 5" inlet of the Reliant being a long term issue. I got the sander for very cheap simply because of the dust collection/ drive roller issue.

  9. #9
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    I have an old Performax 22-44 and I'm amazed how well the dust collection port works with the 4" port and just a plastic fold down shroud. The difference I see between it and yours is it looks like your draw is from the very top and likely it is creating a flow channel that may be creating vortices which aren't capturing all of the dust. Obviously, you'd want a consistent flow up and to the dust port for the entire length of the drum from the table.

    I would consider setting up some cardboard/plywood test versions to see what improves the collection. Possibly move the port to the backside of the drum (like my Performax now it's Jet). You could create some ducting with cardboard inside to try and direct the flow across the drum. Another thing to try would be a series of small ports. I'd make the outer ports a size larger than the middle ports and then connect those to the 4" or 5" duct.

    That's my general suggestion is to mock some things up until you could achieve uniform flow across the sanding surface and drum.

    Another tip is that toilet paper strips make great streamers to see air flow. Some type of smoke is very useful too (those smoke bombs may come in handy - that aunt who closet smokes ;-).
    Last edited by Eric Arnsdorff; 07-31-2020 at 4:45 PM.

  10. #10
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    I had a Jet/Performax 22-44 Plus that only had a 4" port, and I got a lot of caking on the drum. I was using a 3HP cyclone, so I decided to fab a simple top with a 6" port that helped immensely.

    It was ugly and a little heavy since it was made from MDF, but it worked great. Perhaps construct a new top using the multiple port set up that you are considering.

    Drum Sander 6 inch port.jpg
    Dick Mahany.

  11. #11
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    I have a Supermax 16/32/with a 4" dust port and works extremely well.

  12. #12
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    Dust collection for a wide drum sander needs to be something powerful. I have a Woodfast 25" dual drum sander, and my 1 1/2 HP Delta single stage collector just is not up to the task. I have 2 4" dust ports on the machine with ducting to a single point. Sanding leaves a lot of dust on the conveyor belt and subsequently on the floor after a sanding session.
    When funds permit, a minimum 3 HP cyclone should take care of the task well.

  13. #13
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    Here's the final result. 4" exhaust pipe is the perfect size for 4" flex tube. I ended up making the internal dust collection design basically the same but now it has two 4" ports. The old parts were kind of weak and because the metal flexed it would rub against the sanding drum. I used thicker steel and beefed it up in spots so that shouldn't be an issue now. If needed I can add a brush on the outfeed drive rollers to clean off any sawdust if needed. I didn't have a chance to try it out yet.
    woodmaster 6.jpg

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