Thread: Planning my ductwork / DC / machine layout in new workshop

Firstly my apologies for any confusion.

The Hyspan beam will be used as a boom, it will be 2.5 metres long and the 150mm duct will attach to one side of it. If you were to put a floor down I would use I beams as they are cheap and come in good sizes, you will want the floor to have 200mm under it to install the ducting. It can also be drilled etc if need be for ducting to go through the beam with very little loss of strength. It would be way cheaper to use these than hardwood and whole lot easier. My floor is yellow tongue and it is screwed down to steel floor joists which we had to use for structural reasons, if I was putting down a raised floor I would tell the concreters to get the slab level and then bolt the beams to the slab and the yellow tongue can be screwed down using stainless screws. Be aware of how you want to run the ducting as the beams will have to be running in the same direction. Have a look at my thread that shows how I hooked up my tablesaw....Cabinet Dust Extraction On a Hammer Slider

this is a pic of it where it exits the floorTS extraction and Power Exiting the Floor.jpg

Sorry about the image being sideways, imagine it rotated to the right 90 deg.

Another pic attempt.

Fail!

Hey Chris

I had the same issue with the pictures laying down when I use my iPhone. So I took two pictures of the same thing. One with the phone held vertically and the second held horizontally. Then I uploaded both to a thread and previewed it. The picture taken with the phone held vertically showed up on it's side so I removed it and take the pictures with the camera held horizontally for posting. Passed!! Try it, it might work for you too.

Pete

Thanks Chris

I understand now.


Graeme

Wow - so much great advice - thanks everyone for your input!

Originally Posted by BobL

Sandy I notice your assembly table has lots of dog holes in it, what about boxing up the underneath ad fitting a 6" connection to it as a downdraft table?

Bob, i havent made it yet, but its going to be a ?Paulk inspired assembly table that Jay Bates in the US built. The Dog holes will be used with dowels as well as removable bar clamps. Underneath the top will be for short term tool storage (ie tools that i am constantly using on a current project, so i dont think the downdraft idea will work for me

Originally Posted by Tahlee

As for the ceiling ... the higher the better I have found ... my roof is insulated but its and open void to 3.6m ... so handy when making large pieces of moving long sticks around. Think about roof mounted GPO's above the assembly table ... and the TS too.

I would suggest that you consider making all the cabinets as mobile units, and try to coordinate to the height of the TS. You will appreciate this when planing long boards on you bench mounted planer, jointing or breaking down large sheet where LHS support is required. Do would plan to have a timber and panel storage space?

Sandy, see the extensions on the RHS of the TS ... those 2 metal rails jutting out ... I guarantee that you WILL crack into them, and a hard bump on the end can (ask me how I know) upset the alignment of the fence to mitre slots.

I have a similar set-up 6.5M X 6.2M workshop with roller door at one end. I share the workshop with a veteran car which gets rolled out of the way each time I get busy. A TS aligned with the RHS wall would be my dream. Not just because of a better use of space ... but also power cables.

What power switching (on/off) arrangements will you be using for the DC, please?

Regards

Rob

Thanks Rob - some excellent ideas. I think i will do the open insulated ceiling, adding some power points while i'm at it. Multi prurpose cabinets is a good idea as well, especially for panel cutting. As for the saw to the RHS wall, it really depends how much infeed room i allow myself - i envisage large 2400 x 1200 panels starting outside the roller door as i feed the panel in. I'm not sure how big the opening for the roller door is so that may determine how far to the side i can shift the TS. As for the DC power switching - i was thinking of hooking up a remote unit which i can have on the opposite side of the workshop maybe near the mitre station for convenience.

Originally Posted by BobL

In my shed I have a similar need for my combo planer-thicknesses that lives up against a wall and gets moved out about a metre into a walk way so it can be used.
This places it almost under a 6" duct where there is is a Y with a BG and a length of flexy that gets hooked up to the combo.
When not in use a rope attached to the flexy and looped over a hook up a the ceiling is pulled and tied off at the wall to hold the flexy up out of the way.

In a similar vein, at the mens shed we have been given a two "elephant trunks" that are galvanised pipe booms with a hood on the end that we plan to attach to the shed walls so they can be swung out above benches.

I think i'll go for spare Y's in the ceiling if i plan to expand my system in the future, and keep limited ducting to machines i dont use much that can share a duct. Having a spare line down over the assembly table is a good idea - as you say, hook it up when not in use!

As for the machine that wont be all that moveable - the mitre saw station - is everyone in agreement that it should be on the side wall (longer about 5.4m) compared to the back wall at 4.9m. Everything else will be mobile so will be able to be moved around pretty easily.

Cheers

Originally Posted by QC Inspector

Hey Chris

I had the same issue with the pictures laying down when I use my iPhone. So I took two pictures of the same thing. One with the phone held vertically and the second held horizontally. Then I uploaded both to a thread and previewed it. The picture taken with the phone held vertically showed up on it's side so I removed it and take the pictures with the camera held horizontally for posting. Passed!! Try it, it might work for you too.

Pete

That photo was taken with a DSLR and loaded straight from my computer. It is the first time I have had a photo load sideways, in the first post I inserted the image and the second I uploaded as an attachment to see if it made any difference. If a mod would like to the second post could be deleted. I have an Android phone but would not have a clue how to get a photo from it to the forum, phones are to talk on in my world.

Oh. Then all I can think of is your camera was meant to be sold to equatorial users.

Pete

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

For machines that get used infrequently I am constructing a swing out boom which when not in use gets pushed back against the wall. I will be using a wood I beam and attaching the ducting to one face of it and hinging it from a 25 x 50 RHS with gate hinges.

Chris
you may want to construct a box using two of those I-beams.
I-beams have a propensity to twist unless they are constrained top and bottom. In a house, the constraint to twisting is provided by the floor.

Originally Posted by ian

Chris
you may want to construct a box using two of those I-beams.
I-beams have a propensity to twist unless they are constrained top and bottom. In a house, the constraint to twisting is provided by the floor.

It can twist as much as it likes, it is not structural and does not have to stay straight as long as it doesn't fall off the wall which it won't. The hinge/post is what is critical as there will be a fairly substantial load on it but the MIG will sort that out....I think, hope plays a part as well. The first plan did not work so hopefully this one will. I suppose I could put a sheet of plywood on one side that should slow it down, thanks for the heads up on that Ian.

in the process of twisting, or rather as a result of the twist, the I-beam will flop at the end furthest from the wall.

Originally Posted by ian

in the process of twisting, or rather as a result of the twist, the I-beam will flop at the end furthest from the wall.

This I don't follow.

Hi Chris

Let's see if I can describe this without a picture ...

An I-beam like the one pictured is strong when standing on the narrow edge, and very weak when laid on its side.

When loaded along its length, the I-beam has a tendency to fall over in the direction of the load. In normal use, the I-beam can't fall over because a floor or floor joists are attached to the top flange. (steel and concrete I-beam bridge girders have the same problem, and have to be braced till the bridge deck is poured -- which then restrains the girder from tipping or buckling.)


However, you are proposing to support the I-beam from just one end.
If I were you, I'd box the extraction pipe with two I-beams and ply across the top and bottom.

Also, relying on a gate hinge alone might be a challenge.

Rather than drag this thread off topic I will start a new thread in a few days time. I think this beam idea deserves a bit more of a look as it saves the problem of vertical drops in the workshop. The one Fletty built is a lot smaller than mine as my needs are different and I have way more room to do it in. He gave me the idea and I am just taking it a bit further along. I have stuff to do over the next few days then we are going to get hit with more heat so when that happens the workshop stuff gets the flick.