Thread: Waldo's Dusty Enclosure

Hi Waldo
As its going outside I would slope the roof, the rest looks OK to me, I think you could get away with 1.6mm SHS

what are you going to clad it with?

PS: Your ketchup skills are way better than mine.

I hope you dont mind Waldo but I made some changes too your Drawing
I would leave the base clear like shown as this should make it easier to get your dusty and drum in and out, I would raise the side brace bits up about 50mm.

Originally Posted by Waldo

G'day,


...in some places I've marked where there'll be 45º bracing, ...

It will house the Dusty and a 44gal drum which is my second stage. I plan to use 35mm sq. 2mm wall gal SHS. Is this overkill? If so, in which parts and what should I substitute with?

You're vastly under estimating the strength of steel. You could build this using 25mm rhs and still not require the 45* bracing you're indicating.

Al's changes to the base are good, you don't want to be lifting a 44 in and out over a cross bar.


What wall sheets are on your shed? The reason I ask is that you don't want to be trying to attach the shelter to the shed with the rear cross rails sitting on top of the ribs of the wall sheets. You'd be better with the rear vertical bars on the outside and then the cross rails on the inside to clear the ribs. You can then drill right through the RHS verticals to bolt them through the shed purlins.

Even better, and simpler using less materials, just make the two side panels. Attach these to the shed wall, then add two top cross rails at the top, one front , one rear. If you make the two panels one higher than the other, that will give you a fall for the roof, and if you make it 800mm deep instead of 750mm, a standard corrugated sheet covers 820mm.

If you're migging it, guess I'll be doing it hey or screwing it together 1.6mm is plenty but if stick welding it, you'll want to go with the 2mm

Here is the basic layout for my DC enclosure. For pics follow the link from my sig below



The design is dead simple - three sides/frames screwed together and then screwed direct to the shed wall, and two bits of 35 x 70 pine across the top. As per AlB's idea there is no frame across the bottom front so things can be dragged in and out. The switch is rewired to be operable inside the shed.

The frame made from painted treated pine roof battens (another skip dive!) and its clad in polycarbonate so I can see what's going on inside without opening it up.

There are two enclosures. One for the DC and the other to get all the garden chemicals (fertilisers, poisons, etc) outside the shed. It's not a thing of beauty but it is behind the shed in between the fence and the shed so no one can see it. The boganvillia has completely over run it and I have to cut a tunnel through to the enclosure a couple of times a year.

My one regret is not building it big enough to hold my 2HP DC which has to sit with the planer thicknesser on the veranda - much to SWMBO's disgust.

Waldo

While you're at it, why not include a bit of space for the compressor. They are noisy as hell and its good to get them out the shed. Just make sure there is easy access to open the pressure release valve (thus getting the water out) when finished.

The dust seems like a potential problem, but as you dont tend to use the two machines concurrently I haven't found it a problem.

I'll probably be making something like this soon.

How does the 44gal drum work as a second stage ?

G'day,

A lot of things to go through here. Al B, one thing I didn't write is that as my shed at the rear is above ground level it sits on fill with a retaining wall - ground level of rear shed is about 4' off the ground, therefore the reason for the floor in my design, to which will be fastened a sheet of form ply.

(I was going to take some photos today of where it will go to explain the picture a bit better - but nothing worked out today - I spent 3 hours in my car which lost all forward momentum (a fuse went and nothing worked), in Camberwell waiting for a towie )

Bracing pieces were a rough as I've got stuff-all idea on how to do 45º angles and rotating things is a hit and miss.

Yonnee, excellent point about cross rails and the ribs. Shed is sheeted with colorbond, so point - didn't think of that. Same too about making it 800mm width against my 750mm. I'll also go to 25mm x 1.6mm RHS, I was after just that sort of input. Dependent on if it's done with by Arc or Mig.

Dj, I had planned to ring Yarra Valley Steel tomorrow for quotes and get FIL who is coming down next weekend to teach me more about Arc welding, but now with a car that needs fixing , if all works out I may still be able to do it - as my priority now is to get the Dusty out (apart from starting my big furniture build) If that fails I was thinking of asking (and thanks for the offer) (paying for your time, some things stretch beyond help) if you'd teach my Mig welding. I have a Mig, but no wire and was going to ask you when you were last here what size tip I have so I can get the appropriate size in gassless. (used to have argon gas - but that another story linked to a BIL ) I could very easily screw it together myself.

BobL, my SWMBO asked why I don't go a similar route as you've suggested, but since it will be supporting considerable weight and partially hanging in mid air over the retaining wall which only comes out about 300mm from the rear of the shed, I think it probably should be RHS.

Bodgy, not a bad idea I'll think over that one.

Jake a second stage drum before the Dusty makes your Dusty work more efficiently by a. increasing suction, b. it collects the heavier shavings (good for when using thicknessers) and thus you have to empty the Dusty bag less.Here's my 2nd stage thread http://www6.cyanide.com.au/~woodwork...nd+stage+dusty

Originally Posted by Waldo

Jake a second stage drum before the Dusty makes your Dusty work more efficiently by a. increasing suction, b. it collects the heavier shavings (good for when using thicknessers) and thus you have to empty the Dusty bag less.Here's my 2nd stage thread http://www6.cyanide.com.au/~woodwork...nd+stage+dusty

Ta. I'll have a good look of that. Been sidestepping dust extraction for too long now.

Waldo, does the size of the 2nd stage have any bearing on efficiency? I can get access to plastic drums of about 80-100 litres. They would be much easier for me to empty, store, and work with.

G'day Geoff, that I don't know. The likes of BobL would be better to offer that answer. I went for a 44gal drum as I had room and I wouldn't have to empty so often. It'll be awkward to lift out of it's new home, but a bit of grunt and exertion never hurts.

BobL, (being the air expert - or anyone else who also knows)

A question on housing a Dusty externally. To paint a picture to try to explain: we've just had Ducted heating installed a while ago, the bathroom has a vent and in the bathroom is also a exhaust fan, with the exhaust fan in tandem with the d/heating vent the exhaust fan is much more efficient than previously without it. So rather than just sucking the air volume from the enclosed bathroom, it is also drawing air from an unrestricted space - thus allowing for better efficiency.

Given this, would the Dusty also work better in the situation I'm going to do if the enclosure rather than being completely sealed, would it work better if I installed one of those rectangular slotted ventialted thingos? (can't think what they're called )

WAldo

The answer is yes. Dusties depend on volume of air being sucked. Close off the volume at either the suck or blow end (yeah, yeah I know) and the thing loses its efficiency. If you constrain the blow end then you loose efficiency.

If your enclosure is to be fairly airtight, you must have a decent vent(s) so as not to create an over pressure.

G'day Bodgy,

Thanks for the confirmation.