Work Shop dust collection advice

[Budweiser John]

Yes, this is a tractor site but the depth and breth of the combined member knowledge is incredible.
For the last 25 years I nave limped along with a couple Grissly bag type dust collectors for my woodworking equipment. I recently scored a real 7 1/2 HP cyclone type collector at a local auction. Sooo now have the shop and a collector which I intend to mount out side the shop building.
Now, the real delima. Snooping around the net I've uncovered spiral pipe and fitting sources and holy crap. They don't give that stuff away and then add motor freight and your into serious money. Further snooping on other sites suggests using common PVC sewer pipe. I'm not sold on the PVC option due to the potential of static discharge.

What I'm looking for is some real life barn yard engineering experiences, pictures, or dialog on solving a dusty problem with out spending a fortune.

Thanks guys and gals for any input
B. John

 

[mapper]

You can use PVC pipe. Get some braided ground wire like is used for hanging light fixtures, drill two small holes about an inch appart at each end of each section of pipe (inside of the fitting overlap), the holes have to be on the same line down the pipe, this will be on the top when you install the section. Now pass the wire through the pipe and thread the ends through one of the holes at each end, secure the wire with a short sheet metal screw in the second hole, pull the wire as tight as possible. Wrap a spiral of the wire around the outside of the pipe and secure each end to the screws. Leave a decent length tail to connect to next segment. Ground the wire to the frame of the dust collected.
A couple more things to think about. Put in tees at each turn with a clean out plug, this will save you from having to take it apart when it gets plugged up (that has never happens to me:laughing. Consider enclosing the collector and ducting the exhaust air back into your shop, it will save on heating costs in the winter if you are not sucking 1500-2000 cubic feet per minute out of the shop.

 

[4570Man]

You need minimum 6" duct. When I finally get around to ducting my shop I plan to use PVC drain pipe. I plan on venting outside in the summer ( my shop is not air conditioned) and putting the filter back on in the winter,

 

[ColoradoBound]

I use 6" pc in my hobby shop with no ground wire and have never had a static problem. Mythbusters had an episode a while back where they tried to get a spark from static on pvc and couldn't get much of anything even sandblasting the pipe.

Also remember that it is better to use 2 45 with a short pipe between them rather than a 90 to keep the air flow up.

With a 7.5 hp cyclone you may want to use 8" pipe because that thing should draw some air. I would love to have a bigger cyclone but mine works pretty well.

 

[dstig1]

Oneida Air Systems has better prices on heavy gage snap lock. If there is an Excelsior supply house near you, they also have it. These are cheaper than spiral, but it still adds up. Don't fool yourself on duct sizing - you will need to start at the cyclone with 10-12" duct for a unit that size. As you branch off, you step down sizes so you keep the velocity high enough without too much back pressure that limits your airflow.

 

[CalG]

Heat loss is a big one in the North. Plan for it.

The static wiring advised above is spot on.
Single strand bare copper works just as well. Whatever is less $$$

 

[mapper]

I recommended the braided wire because I found it easier to pull the strand inside the pipe tight, if it's loose it rattles and chips accumulate behind it.

 

[Furu]

You can use PVC pipe. Get some braided ground wire like is used for hanging light fixtures, drill two small holes about an inch appart at each end of each section of pipe (inside of the fitting overlap), the holes have to be on the same line down the pipe, this will be on the top when you install the section. Now pass the wire through the pipe and thread the ends through one of the holes at each end, secure the wire with a short sheet metal screw in the second hole, pull the wire as tight as possible. Wrap a spiral of the wire around the outside of the pipe and secure each end to the screws. Leave a decent length tail to connect to next segment. Ground the wire to the frame of the dust collected.
A couple more things to think about. Put in tees at each turn with a clean out plug, this will save you from having to take it apart when it gets plugged up (that has never happens to me:laughing. Consider enclosing the collector and ducting the exhaust air back into your shop, it will save on heating costs in the winter if you are not sucking 1500-2000 cubic feet per minute out of the shop.

Sounds like a great design. But.......
I am trying to envision this with the screws and holes inside the fitting overlap yet till be able to slide that inside the fitting sleeve with wire from inside and the outside spiral wire attached to a screw that is extending above the surface of the pipe.

 

[mapper]

Sounds like a great design. But.......
I am trying to envision this with the screws and holes inside the fitting overlap yet till be able to slide that inside the fitting sleeve with wire from inside and the outside spiral wire attached to a screw that is extending above the surface of the pipe.

Excuse my poor explanation, the screws and wire are set far enough up the pipe to allow for the fitting overlap. I also do not cement the pipe and fittings together, instead I use several sheet metal screws to secure the joint then tape it to make it air tight. This way the system is easy to modify if you rearrange things or add machines to the system.

 

[TnAndy]

I'm assuming you're going to install this in an existing shop, and it may not be possible to pull off what I did, but I planned my dust collection before I poured the floor, and put it below the floor. My thinking was:

1. Got to take less HP to pull dust down and out versus up and out.

2. Didn't want a bunch of piping up and overhead to shower you with the really fine dust that WILL collect on top the horizontal pipe if you hit it with a board or something.

So I ran a 9" schedule 40 steel pipe (local scrap yard)under the floor perpendicular to the length of the shop. First thing inside the wall, I ran a vertical 6" riser to pick up anything I put on that outside wall....which I later set a stroke sander and a bandsaw. The collection pipe for them is mount on the wall down low behind the machines.

Then, across the shop, I put a 4" take off for the table saw, then the jointer, then the planer. I later did have to go back and cut the concrete floor, and change the 4" take off on the planer to a 6" as I went to a larger planer.

The pipe necks down under the concrete over to the far side wall of the shop, to 6", then turns up out of the floor, and on that wall, I have it run to pick up the dust from a radial arm saw and a miter saw mounted with roll bed in front of them.

Outside the shop, I mounted a 3hp Oneida blower about 2' off the ground, and I simply blow the dust/chips into a pile on the lower side of the shop. When it gets to be a big enough pile, remove with the tractor bucket for mulch/bedding/etc.

If you look below the miter saw roll bed, you can see the pipe down low. There, I simply used light weight metal heating duct pipe.

Here is my table saw....you can't see the dust collection point here, since it's on the back side bottom....but hey, that is the beauty of doing it this way....YOU CAN'T SEE THE DUST COLLECTION AND IT'S NOT IN THE WAY ! If you look over at the window, left side, down on the floor, you can see the 6" riser there with a Wye, top of the connection capped off at this point, the 45 is running a 4" flex line back to the band saw.

Later, I put this stroke sander along that wall. It has a 4" connection at each end of the belt. I also put a 16" exhaust fan in that wall....the sander puts off a lot of fine dust in the air the collector points don't pick up, and this takes that stuff on outside....and I still wear a mask too.