New Woodshop Construction #2: My "Green" Dust Collection System

The dust collection makes me jealous. I’ll get you yet!

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Patrick,

What a shop and duct work!

Enjoy your new DC system.

Dalec

Very nice setup.

-- Hope Never fails

Patrick, Fellow Naperville woodworker!!! Beautiful shop…

Tom

-- Anybody can become a woodworker, but only a Craftsman can hide his mistakes.

Lookin’ great! Very nice shop by the way.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

That set up looks great. I am looking forward to the updates which you will keep posting I hope.

-- Grant...."GO BUCKEYES"

Todd – sure you’re jealous…I’ve seen your work and the work you’re doing on your shop. Trade ya my dust collection system for your skills any time! Thanks.

Tom – That makes at least 3 of us from Naperville that I’m aware of. blackcherry a friend from my neighborhood. Almost enough of us for a picnic! Are you or have you been involved with the DuPage or Fox Valley clubs?

Thanks all.

-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog

Man that’s one spiffy lookin’ shop! Good job Pat!

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

I just wish my house looked that nice on the inside, let alone a shop.

Wow.

I am just starting my dust collection layout and appreciate the info you provided.

What size/kind of dust collector are you using? Are you using a cyclone?

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas

Kevin- I had originally planned on a cyclone, but decided I’d rather save the money for other (shop-related) things. Instead, I picked up an old (~15 years I believe) 2100CFM 3HP Single-stage WoodTek for ~$200 via craigslist.com—you can just see it in the background of pic #2. The dust collector will ultimately live in a small 3’x6’ room behind the wall next to the TV (where the 6” drop terminates in the 3rd pic) that was designed to house a cyclone…so someday. From the description of your workshop, sounds like you’ve got plenty of space for whatever you’d want—more than 2x the size of mine…just wish you had posted some pics ;)

-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog

Thats more like a home than a workshop Patrick. All you need in there is a bed, or have you one tucked away in there. I never thought of using pvc, I have the flexible hosing. Great idea, thanks for sharing.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

That is a really nice job, Patrick. It does give me some ideas for my shop.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Ideas like maybe finishing the walls?! LOL!

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

Patrick,
Yes, I did go to a FVW meeting last summer, it was ok, but have not been back since. Planning on trying the DuPage club, if I can remember when and where.

Tom

-- Anybody can become a woodworker, but only a Craftsman can hide his mistakes.

Well thought out and laid out system. I always went to great lengths to ground my PVC system but after reading the same article I don’t bother and it hasn’t made a difference. Do you really empty the dust collector every night? I have actually gone to using 2 smaller (650 CFM) collection units on either side of the shop each hooked to about 2-4 machines. Each machine has it’s own remote control. Result is less overall duct work, more versatility in system set up and same CFM as a large cyclone unit at less than 1/3 the cost.

-- DocK, WV

Tom-I live pretty much equidistant from both clubs. I went to FVW last June (same meeting?) and found it very interesting but haven’t been back either. I tried to attend a DuPage meeting but their web-based calendar was out of date and they had (as I discovered a couple months later) moved the July meeting without posting it to the site. Ugh. I’d still like to try it out sometime, though even monthly meetings are tough with two small kids at home and little shop time as it is!

DocK- I can’t answer the “empty” question as I haven’t actually used it yet…though access to the dust collector is via an outside door only (didn’t want to lose the interior wall space) so I’m not real certain I’ll be eager to head outside on cold winter evenings to empty the bags. I designed the shop with the external dust collector closet to cut down on the noise and save the space in the shop…and bought a used collector cheap to keep the price palatable. I haven’t decided how I’m going to control it remotely yet…I’m going to try out a couple options temporarily first to see what suits me best. The subject of future posts, no doubt!

-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog

Nice Duct work

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Hi Patrick,

As others have commented, I envy your shop. It is a beauty and you did a great job on this dust collection set up. Thanks for all the videos and descriptions/explanations you have offered. It has been very helpful to me as I recently bought a dust collector and will be running ductwork soon. I do have a question or two for you. You mention that you used Woodcraft quick disconnects. Did you use them to join ALL the 6” fittings or are they only usable on the 4” connections and blast gates. If not via the quick disconnects, are the elbow and wyes joined with regular PVC glue techniques? One of your pictures shows all the 6” elbows and wyes on a table. Did you get those at Menard’s too? I don’t think they are available at HD or Lowe’s, correct? I do not have a Menard’s here in RI nor nearby MA but this weekend I found a plumbing supplier that sells the SDR35 pipe. They were closed but I will visit them on Monday. Lastly, Bill Pentz suggests a more sweeping 90 degree turn for dust collection systems to cut down on resistance. You did a lot of research yet you chose the regular 90 degree elbows. Any comment on why? Again many thanks for all you shared with us. I have only been with LJ for a few months and the value of information I have obtained can’t be priced!

Lenny

-- And on the eighth day God was back in His woodworking shop!

Lenny-

Thank you for the compliment…I’m glad to know that I’ve helped in some way as I’ve been helped by many others on this site and elsewhere. So to your questions….

Quick disconnects—The latter—I only used the woodcraft quick disconnects at the 4” blastgates to connect certain mobile machines – mainly my jointer and drum sander. Probably >1/2 the drops are permanently connected to their machines.

Glue – I did NOT use any glue to assemble the system. All of the ductwork is friction fit only. This is one of the main reasons I use the “green” pipe since it fits very snuggly (read: in practice, air tight) into the connectors while the schedule 40 stuff is pretty loose. I certainly COULD have glued it, but that would not only have required more labor, it would have made it significantly more difficult (and costly) to make changes. And I’ve already made a few minor ones…like moving a drop 4” left/right, etc.

Menards – I was fortunate to find everything at Menards. My local HD/Lowes don’t carry the 6” connectors either.

Elbows- Actually, if you look closely I only used a handful of 90s. The majority, especially for the 6” are 45’s…in fact, for one of the corners I used 2 45’s to make the turn. I had to use a couple 90’s in a places due to physical constraints—one, right off the machine since there was a door there and the turn had to be fairly sharp and another where it came through the wall since I didn’t want to drill an elongated 6” hole through the wall or have the pipe protruding into the room far enough to allow for a more gentle combination of 45s. Obviously, the wider the turn the better, but sometimes it’s just not practical or even possible.

Yes, this site is an incredible resource thanks to the large number of members with skills and experience in every range.

Thanks again and good luck!

-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog

Nice shop, but I question weather your running too much 6” ducting, you don’t say what size your DC is. Also as you mentioned a tight radius elbow is a no, no, I would of avoided any at all costs, and I question the wye next to the clock not going with the flow of the other wyes.

DC is 2100CFM. As for avoiding any 90’s at “all costs,” as with everything else in the construction I spent many many hours working out the details and at least I was unable to work out a better method with gentler corners in 3 locations. I believe that “all costs” would have meant far too high a cost—and in practice the system works extremely well even with the couple 90s. My floor sweep is at the extreme end of the system and eagerly sucks up just about all I can throw at it. I also have a 24” dual drum sander at the far end of the other branch that throws up lots of dust which is sufficiently handled. For me, this means it’s working.

As for the orientation of the one by the clock…this is for the drop to my Rigid sander. The main connection to the dust collector is to its left on the other side of the wall—though when the shot above was taken, the hole hadn’t yet been cut – so it isn’t obvious.

Here’s a pic that shows the completed system. Note the 6” pipe to the left of the sander—this goes through the wall to the dust collector in the closet outside of the shop. So all wyes are oriented to flow towards the DC.

Thanks for the comments!

-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog

Hi Patrick,

Here I thought you had forsaken me when all along you responded the same day! I was expecting an e-mail informing me that my inquiry had been answered so I had not yet returned to your blog. I am such an LJ rookie! You eased my anxiety of having to glue the connections. I got the impression that you only had 90 degree turns where completely necessary and, as you said, there are so few. More importantly, the system is working well despite those 90s and that’s what really matters. I was taken aback at the cost of materials but will certainly pay it for such a worthwhile investment. The plumbing supplier I found charges $20 for a 10’ length of the SDR35 pipe (reasonable, I think) and $20 for the 6” to 4” wyes (a shocker to me)! I imagine those prices are in line with what you paid at Menard’s. My only remaining decision is whether or not to include a separator. My shop is relatively small. It’s an 8’X18’ rectangle. I bought a Delta 1 1/2 hp collector. Many who own this model add a separator (20 or 30 gallon metal trash can) which works well to reduce the number of large chips passing through the impeller. I will ponder this for awhile. Once again thanks for your input.

Lenny

-- And on the eighth day God was back in His woodworking shop!

Patrick,
Wow, it really looks nice. I have a question though: Is there a reason for the wyes being 6” with the 4” offshoot? What if you took a 6” wye (all around) and reduced the piping at the machine?

-- Chip -- Manchester, Connecticut "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

Chip-

The complete answer to your question would require me to spend some time re-reading Sandor’s dust collection book and wrapping my head around all the formulas again.

However, the short answer is that it’s not practical or cost effective…at least in my setup.

If I were to use a single size, I would choose 4” for all since it’s cheaper and easier to handle. However, there is a significant performance penalty to using 4” runs the length of even my small space (much lower CFM). The drops, however, aren’t terribly long and therefore it makes more sense to stick with 4”...the same size as the blast gates they hook up to and, ultimately most of the dust ports on the machines. Additionally, the wyes I used, being 6×6x4 serve dual duty as a wye and a reducer…if I were to have used 6×6x6 wyes, I’d have needed to purchase additional reducers for each drop.

If you really want to know, I highly recommend Woodshop Dust Control by Sandor Nagyszalanczy.

Good Luck!

-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog

Patrick,
One last question. How did you attach the 4” flex hose to the 4” s&d? I just got my flex hose in (made by Jet) and it is the same diameter as the green 4” pipe. I thought it would just slip over the green 4”, but it doesn’t. Did you use reducers of any kind? Thanks.

-- Chip -- Manchester, Connecticut "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

Chip, Most of the drops terminate with blast gates that fit reasonably snugly (some wrapped with a loop or two of duct tape) inside the 4” s&d. For the couple that do connect to hoses directly, I used couplers purchased at Woodcraft. I also have a couple quick disconnects from Woodcraft that have a “threaded” side for 4” hose and a flared side that friction fits with a matching blast gate.

-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog

Thank you Patrick!!

-- Chip -- Manchester, Connecticut "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

Nice set up. I came across this researching the type of plastic to use for my dc. I currently have flex piping that really looks sloppy. Was the green pipe the thin wall pipe mostly used for gutter drains? Oh yea, nice pic #3. I like how you captured a blower and a sucker in one picture. (he,he)

Hi Patrick, I’m also going to use the same stuff. I got the info from Bill Pent’z’s website; a most comprehensive amount of information for any woodworker looking for dust control.
Your shop is very nice!

Paul

-- Paul, Bristol,Rhode Island