# Dust collecting piping?



## sully909 (May 25, 2013)

Hi everyone,
I was wondering if cost is not a factor. What is the best material to use on dust colletion from tools. Also would pvc be easier to match up to all these dust tools you see at rockler or other woodworking supply stores. 
Thanks, Sully


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Steel is best because the long radius 90's and y fittings are easily available. Also, for the 2-3 hp collectors, 5" pipe and fittings are readily available. And steel can be less expensive than PVC.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Spiral ducting. The straight parts are not too pricey but the elbows and ys are .


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## sully909 (May 25, 2013)

Like I said the price is not that much of a concern. Not that I'm wealthy, but I work for a wholesaler and with duscount even the most expensive option is chesp then over the counter pricing. I also don't have a big shop or tons of tools. We even carry the gates.if I go all steel do I need any grounding besides the equipment ground?


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## Tony_S (Dec 16, 2009)

If you want expensive, go with Nordfab Quick Fit.

https://www.nordfab.com/en/

Other wise, go with Aj's suggestion.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

The long radius fittings are a big advantage, but there are some dedicated similar parts in various plastics. Some sewer pipes come in long radius. Some like clear pipes so they can see any issues. 
You might wind up hybrid as things like a 4-4 - 2 1/2 branch will be PVC.

My only ground is from the main trunk to the DC inlet. Lots of hysteria about grounding that is, well ungrounded.

A feature often overlooked is the shape of the inlets. All too common is just a flat flange. That can reduce the flow into the pipe by 12 to 20 %. Just a 1/2 inch radius flair fixes the worst of it. ( close to perfect is about a 6 inch 7 degree taper with 270 degree flair, but let's leave that for race cars)

I noticed all of my blast gates leave a portion in the airflow when open. I guess what I am getting at is to pay to attention to details or they can overshadow the best materials.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

1 very short screw at each joint will assure good grounding. Yes, spiral is great, but expensive over the counter. I use 26 guage snap lok, which is also easier to cut. I also run a ground from the duct along the flex to the machine. This is to prevent that nasty shock to you, even more so in dry winter weather. The mail thing is not to run too big of pipe for your machine. If too big, the air slows down and materials settle out. Too small, and not enough volume to carry the material. There is a fine line here. How big is your DC?


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

hell ive just used 4" pvc pipe and fittings from lowes has worked great and very cheap,also easy to cut and configure to what you need.dont waste your money on expensive metal ducting.yeah sure if you have a pro shop go for it but if your a hobby shop like me it's all you need. check out my shop pics.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

If cost is not a factor, I would have Nodfab in the shop. As it is, cost does figure in (sometimes, and in my case) so i went with 6" PVC.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I used mainly 6" DWV pipe. The fittings were very a reasonably priced. I was not too worried about the price but the DWV was easy to use and assemble. One thing I have observed is that some people have a difficult time finding the DWV pipe and fittings. In my area, Menards carried it.

I built my own gates as I did not like the metal or plastic ones. Once I set up a couple of jigs for my router, they were quick to make. If interested in how I made my gates, I wrote a blog about the process.


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## teetomterrific (May 30, 2017)

When cost is not a major constraint then steel is definitely the way to go. You can do all spiral pipe and fittings or you can mix spiral pipe for long runs with Nordfab clamp on style pipe and fittings at machines. Personally I went all Spiral pipe and fittings from The Blastgate Company using an 8" main trunk down the center of my 24'x36' shop and 6" branches to machines. If I needed to reduce to 4" I did it only at the machine but if it was possible to modify the machine for 6" I did that.


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