More DC Systems

[BillyJack]

Havent been a pro 3 years.. have you thought about an air cleaner. Getting by  means cleaning the tools so I can work. I have an air cleaner in the air to keep those fine particles filtered when possible..

 

 

[Coop]

On 1/26/2022 at 5:43 PM, JohnG said:

Thanks! 

If you say so.

link? I remember seeing a product made for this but they were very expensive.

Here ya go. At about 5:45 into it.

 

[BillyJack]

The DC isnt everything for dust collection..

 

I've been a hobby woodworker since 1981, just a trained one..

 

[Coop]

@gee-dub, I borrowed some (most)  of your design ideas on the hanger brackets. The one in front is the final design with the others to be cut on the miter saw tomorrow. 

[gee-dub]

On 1/29/2022 at 5:08 PM, Coop said:

@gee-dub, I borrowed some (most)  of your design ideas on the hanger brackets. The one in front is the final design with the others to be cut on the miter saw tomorrow.

Very cool.  Mine have worked out well.  I'm glad I made a few extra as I have used them for other attachments to the pipes as well as supports.

 

[Woodworking_Hobby]

I do not have as big as a DC as some folks on this post; I only have the Rockler wall mounted dust right with 1 micron filter. The best thing I did though was add the Super Dust Deputy upfront of the DC and hard piped it to a 30 gal drum like in the video above. One difference is I mounted mine on a wooden frame above the drum and the routes some hose down to the drum. For me this made emptying the drum easier and the weight of the cyclone was not on the lid. It has paid for itself ten times over as now I never really have to change the plastic bags on the filter and only dump out the drum when it is full. 

[Coop]

On 1/30/2022 at 6:02 PM, Woodworking_Hobby said:

I do not have as big as a DC as some folks on this post; I only have the Rockler wall mounted dust right with 1 micron filter. The best thing I did though was add the Super Dust Deputy upfront of the DC and hard piped it to a 30 gal drum like in the video above. One difference is I mounted mine on a wooden frame above the drum and the routes some hose down to the drum. For me this made emptying the drum easier and the weight of the cyclone was not on the lid. It has paid for itself ten times over as now I never really have to change the plastic bags on the filter and only dump out the drum when it is full. 

I did something similar but it just takes up so much acreage that I am moving it to another room, leaving it for the time being on the stand.

[Woodworking_Hobby]

2 hours ago, Coop said:

I did something similar but it just takes up so much acreage that I am moving it to another room, leaving it for the time being on the stand.

Yes I can see that you mean; that would take up some good floor space!  Luckily I have mine tucked in the corner of the garage and it does not take up too much room. I would love to upgrade it some day, but since I am in the garage I can open the door and I have another fan collector on the ceiling that gets my by and I try to wear a mask anytime I am doing something that makes dust. 

[Coop]

I think I have resolved my problem of having my dc system in the middle of my shop without having to buy a new unit. I moved it, as is, on the mobile stand, to a side room, off from my shop. I didn’t wall mount it in case I did have to replace it. I bought an anemometer prior to moving it and stretching the 25’ of 4” hose, I took a mph reading. After all drops were in place, I took a reading from the farthest machine connection, I had about a drop of about 12 % in velocity. After running wood thru each machine, there is no noticeable difference. Thanks to several of you on here for your encouragement and suggestions. @gee-dubl I successfully copied many of your ideas; homemade hanger support brackets, sewer pipe specs, even the same brand of white tape. The plumb bob idea for the down drops worked great. I had used those type toggle bolts before and they are the cat’s meow. Thanks for not copywriting your thread! 

So hopefully, I can continue to use this for years to come and use the savings to buy wood to feed it!

[Chestnut]

Coop if you can support the flex leading into your seperator bin it might recover some of that 12% lost.

The sharp bend I circled is not helping your airflow at all. Straiten that out and you should see an increase. I see there is some wood that the flex is beind around, you might be able to use some strapping and just strap it up a bit to smooth the curve out.

[Mark J]

I wonder if a 45* elbow at the junction with the barrel might be a big help.  

[Coop]

I’ll be darned! Glad there are people on here smarter than me. It increased the velocity at the last machine, the drum sander,  from 35.7 to 40.1 mph. Many thanks @Chestnut and @Mark J.

 

[Mark J]

4.4 mph.  Go figure.  I thought the gain would be more theoretical.  

[Chestnut]

18 hours ago, Mark J said:

4.4 mph.  Go figure.  I thought the gain would be more theoretical.  

I had a sneeky suspicion that it was going to be significant. This is right out side the collector so it's the most mass in the system that would need to change directions.

That's almost all of your 17% decrease back. Dang coop this seems like an awesome system. I'm really glad you had measurements and could give us numbers.

[Coop]

Yes sir, I was satisfied before and now I’m tickled pink! 

[BonPacific]

@Coop what kind of anemometer are you using? Thinking I should probably do some empirical testing when I get my system re-assembled.

[Coop]

Mine is a digital meter from BTMETER.  I don’t know one from the other but seemed liked a good choice from Amazon at about $40. 

[Coop]

Do you guys normally close the gate to the machine you used last or leave it open and when using another machine later, search to see which is open? I need to get into the easiest routine. I’m thinking of using a micro switch at each machine, connected to a LED light to indicate which is open. Maybe over thinking this? 

[pkinneb]

On 2/25/2022 at 10:45 PM, Coop said:

Do you guys normally close the gate to the machine you used last or leave it open and when using another machine later, search to see which is open? I need to get into the easiest routine. I’m thinking of using a micro switch at each machine, connected to a LED light to indicate which is open. Maybe over thinking this? 

Yes but I occasionally forget. With mine I can have two open without noticing but a third I can tell right away. Auto closers would be sweet!!

[Mark J]

I don't use blast gates, but my thought is it is better to start up the DC and discover there are two gates open than no gates open.

Before going with the micro switches you could try putting some brightly colored tape on the gate so you can see quickly which gates are open.

[Chestnut]

I was able to set up my blast gates so I can see all but 2 of them. When I notice that the suction is low i just glance around and can find the offender pretty easy. I forgot at first but I quickly got into a habit of opening the gate before turning on the tool, and then closing immediately after turning the tool off.

[gee-dub]

On 2/27/2022 at 4:55 AM, Chestnut said:

I was able to set up my blast gates so I can see all but 2 of them. When I notice that the suction is low i just glance around and can find the offender pretty easy. I forgot at first but I quickly got into a habit of opening the gate before turning on the tool, and then closing immediately after turning the tool off.

This pretty much describes me.  I am getting better at it all the time.

[Coop]

On 2/26/2022 at 8:22 AM, Mark J said:

I don't use blast gates, but my thought is it is better to start up the DC and discover there are two gates open than no gates open.

Yeah, that’s my concern. @Chet suggests that he leaves the gate at his most often used machine open after using it, therefore assuring that at least one gate is always open. I’m sure I will get into a routine as I become accustomed to the setup. 

[Chestnut]

Are there concerns in your system over starting the collector with no gates open? Unless a person is using thin gauge metal ducting I don't see any issue in closing all the gates.

[Ronn W]

I often forget to change the gates in my system.  No big deal except when I forget to close the bandsaw gate when running the DeWalt planer (with its own fan) Dust and chips come up through the bandasaw table like Old Faithful.