Dust Collection Advice Needed


Al Capwn

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Alright, so to top off the primary "things to have in the shop" I went out and purchased Ye Olde Harbour Freight Dust Collector.

Now, after assembling it together (instructions were pretty bad) I noticed that it doesn't come with a hose to attach to tools. My fault for assuming as much, of course. Which brings me here.

Background: I have a 2-car garage, of which is partially occupied with a motorcycle, so more like a 1 1/2 car worth of space to work with. I am putting everything heavy on mobile casters to move about to where the dust collector is. I don't plan on making huge tool runs or the like since, quite frankly, I can swap a hose between operations and I don't want to invest the money/space in a small shop. Maybe later in life when I have a dedicated workspace.

Questions: I noticed that true dust collectors don't have the same "quick connect" style ends that the shop vac has. Do you simply slip the hose and hose clamp over every tool, or is there a pressure-fit style connector you can attach to the hose end? Any tips/tricks/gadgets to make switching between tools easier?

Also, static build up - I have heard mixed things about how you should ground your line, then others saying that it isn't necessary on smaller runs/systems and that PVC isn't a conductor so moot point. How many of you have bothered with anti-static implements?

Also, any general dust collection oriented advice would be welcome, looking to purchase the various hose and doo-dads to make the hurricane-maker do its job.

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I use the pm model 73, 1.5hp collector that is pretty much identical to the jet and HF model. Being that I couldn't haNg static hard piping, I also needed to move it from tool to tool when in use. I chose the rockler dust right fittings. There is a friction fit that holds the hose end onto the tool port end. It has a lot of optional collector fittings from 2.5" to 4" to wide mouths that would be used with a lathe, or mitre saw. They work well for me for portability. I have definately noticed that the more turns you make, the less effective the sucker is so centrally locating your collector with flex tube to get the most direct runs is helpful.

http://www.rockler.com/dust-right-combo-port

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Four of my tools all have fixed lines and then three share a flex hose, all have a 4" port and I have this fitting on the end of my flex hose, it friction fits over the port because it is tapered on the inside diameter.

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/140259/4-quick-disconnect-hose-to-4-od-dust-collection-fitting.aspx

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Lee Valley sells a 4" fitting with a slight taper that works well as a quick connect. Static can be an issue (not a hazard) if humidity is super low. And wrapping PVC with a ground wire will help. No, PVC is not a conductor, but with the ground wire next to the PVC, the static charge will jump to it before it jumps to you.

We wired up a small tire retreading facility & the duct from the tire grinder was 8" PVC & it would generate sparks well over a foot long & they hurt. So we wrapped it with a copper wire & no more sparks.

I originally went the portable route, but having the collector & hose in the way proved to be too much of an annoyance so I went to an overhead ducted system.

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Thanks for the input folks - I went ahead and purchased the Dust Right expanding Rockler hose that Barron mentioned, and the Dust Right quick connect kit Brendon mentioned, as well as a floor sweep.

Also, I noticed that the DC runs on 20A; I am guessing that most circuits are 15/20A - did anyone have to make any changes to their electrical to accommodate the higher load of a DC? As it is, my breaker trips occasionally with my ShopVac and TS being turned on.

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My dc tripped the 15A every once in a while.  I ran a 10g extension cord to a 20a line and it has been fine since. 

I think you will like the dust right set up.  The hose  is decent although it is a bit of a bear to stretch to its advertised length.  For what you're doing, should serve you well

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Update:
The Dust Right hose and fittings came in last week. I put the fittings onto the router table, bandsaw, table saw, as well as a floor sweep.

Initial Impressions: 
In short, very happy. First, as I am sure that nearly everyone else will mention, if you don't have a dust collector and only have a ShopVac, you really do not know what you are missing. The DC absolutely obliterates dust in a wider area. The default Harbor Freight filter is pretty bad terrible though; you can see fine dust particulate erupt out of the filter bag when you turn on the DC unit. I have a Jet air filter turned on during this time as well, to hopefully pull the fine material out of the air. As others have mentioned, wear a respirator, get a better filter or route the dust outside.

I purchased the mid-length Dust Right expandable hose after some reviews mentioned that stretching out [the shortest length hose] to the full length has a lot of tension. The hose works as intended, expanding and collapsing in a slinky-like nature. It saves quite a bit of space and expands and contracts easily. Obviously, can't speak to durability/longevity.

The Dust Right quick connects work great as well. They slip onto the existing tool ports and have a built in swivel collar to help prevent binding/twisting. The only minor gripe I have is that they are a proprietary size, which means that the quick connect handle will only connect to other Dust Right connectors. You cannot use the Dust Right quick connect handle to a standard 4" tool port. This means you have to have the matching connectors for each tool port. The convenience is worth the price of admission in my opinion, but something to be aware of if pinching pennies.

Thanks to everyone for the input - it was money well spent!

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The convenience is worth the price of admission in my opinion, 

savage reference?

I agree it is mildly annoying to need the proprietary fittings but they really are not that expensive and there are a lot of different  styles for about every need.  

I found the fittings to be cheaper buying them in the 4 pack bundles. 

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savage reference?

I agree it is mildly annoying to need the proprietary fittings but they really are not that expensive and there are a lot of different  styles for about every need.  

I found the fittings to be cheaper buying them in the 4 pack bundles. 

Yeah, I picked up the bundle which had the handle, keyed clamps, 2x(2 1/2") ShopVac and 2x(4") DC connectors. Figure that it is roughly ~10 bucks per port.

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==>As it is, my breaker trips occasionally with my ShopVac and TS being turned on

This is not good... Breakers have a duty cycle and trip-failure count. Essentially, at some point, the breaker trips once too often and fails... The failure mode is normally fail-open, but occasionally they fail-closed (this is bad)...

 

 

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==>As it is, my breaker trips occasionally with my ShopVac and TS being turned on

This is not good... Breakers have a duty cycle and trip-failure count. Essentially, at some point, the breaker trips once too often and fails... The failure mode is normally fail-open, but occasionally they fail-closed (this is bad)...

 

 

And in that overloaded condition, voltage drop is significant, meaning your saw is operating at a lower voltage than it was designed for. That will be the death of your saw motor. Doesn't matter so much for the vac. You need to make separate circuits a priority for them.

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Al, the next four upgrades I did with this machine was better casters, remote control, the Rockler hose Assy. and a Wynn filter. I too didn't care for the friggin dust that was supposed to stay in a dc system. The bag sucks! The Wynn filter price will shock you but well worth it. My next and last add on will be the Thein seperator.

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==>As it is, my breaker trips occasionally with my ShopVac and TS being turned on

This is not good... Breakers have a duty cycle and trip-failure count. Essentially, at some point, the breaker trips once too often and fails... The failure mode is normally fail-open, but occasionally they fail-closed (this is bad)...

 

 

And in that overloaded condition, voltage drop is significant, meaning your saw is operating at a lower voltage than it was designed for. That will be the death of your saw motor. Doesn't matter so much for the vac. You need to make separate circuits a priority for them.

Yeah, I am wanting to add a new separate circuit so I can keep the the DC and table saw on completely different circuits. My forte is computers, but I really know nothing about electrical. I mean, I know negative/positive/neutral (ground) but I really haven't researched breakers and amps and all that. I am presuming that the motor surge (rather than constant load) of both the vac and TS firing up is exceeding the breaker. The house breaker panel is located in the garage, and the main breaker is outside next to the meter.

Is there a simple way to add circuits? Surface mount conduit? Sub-panel from the house breaker? Use one of the existing 3 breaker slots and run from there? I know electrical can be dangerous, but I can't imagine it is that difficult. . .

BTW you should be able to find a 1 micron bag for not too much on Amazon or elsewhere. I would hesitate moving to a filter until you can get a cyclone added. 

Yeah, that is my next upgrade for it - best filter.

Al, the next four upgrades I did with this machine was better casters, remote control, the Rockler hose Assy. and a Wynn filter. I too didn't care for the friggin dust that was supposed to stay in a dc system. The bag sucks! The Wynn filter price will shock you but well worth it. My next and last add on will be the Thein seperator.

I'd like to get the Wynn filter eventually. I have certainly heard great things about it; better filtration AND increased air flow.

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Your electrical question tells me that you need to get an electrician involved. It's not rocket science, but there are still a lot of details that must be dealt with if you want a safe installation.

If you really want to tackle it yourself, then get a good book on DIY electrical. Any of the borgs should have that.

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