Thread: 4" ducting vs another cyclone

Take the plunge and go 4". I did and haven't looked back. I've much the same equipment as you and after making some of Sturdee's mods and a few of mine, I collect pretty much all the dust.

Both Carbatec and Hare&Forbes have a cheap 2hp dust extractors for $299 add to that a dust kit or two at $100. I've run 4" everywhere and I'm very happy with the results.

http://www.hareandforbes.com.au/samp...orking/12.html

http://svc010.bne011i.server-web.com....html?cache=no

Barry, Just realised your in the UK so my links won't really be of much help, but I'm sure there is something a little closer to home

Stephen
The 2HP extractor here is £299 -2.4 times your price - must be the distance from the Far East. I was looking for a wall mounted version and using a pre cyclone like drum filter to catch most of the dust. Peter appears to be doing the same.
I have a mate with 1.5HP extractor similar to yours and he appears to rip bags and the bag is a pain to empty where as a bin is easier?

I did see a letter in a British Magazine recently where a reader had troubles with connecting his router table to his dust collector. I think the dust bag filled up to quickly.

What he did was put a bin in the middle with a home made connector going to the dust collector from the centre of the lid and one from the outside of the lid going to the router.

The results he reported were that all the chips were caught by the bin and the dust collected in the dust bag of the collector. I thought what a great bit of backyard engineering.

Stevo

Originally Posted by BarryBurgess

Stephen
The 2HP extractor here is £299 -2.4 times your price - must be the distance from the Far East. I was looking for a wall mounted version and using a pre cyclone like drum filter to catch most of the dust. Peter appears to be doing the same.
I have a mate with 1.5HP extractor similar to yours and he appears to rip bags and the bag is a pain to empty where as a bin is easier?

Barry,

My DC is a 2hp and the bags are indeed a pain to empty. That's why I put the drum in between. The drum fills up to about a third to half and then needs emptying otherwise it goes on into the bags. Good if you forget to check the level in the drum.

I have been toying with either shortening the drum outlet pipe to increase storage in the drum or build a cyclone. I also want to increase the suction in the system and am considering of putting another DC in tandem with the drum.

In another thread you are enquiring about collecting the dust from trenching on a router table. Have a look at my posts on the dust collection on the router table as I built a liftup swivel collector to catch this.

Peter.

An apology to Barry first.

Peter have you thought it might be worthwhile having an outlet from your drum to evacuate the contents to an external storage area.

Peter I have looked at your box you catching the trenching dust(appears to have 3" duct) and have been trying to workout the length required & the duct size for trenching say 18mm X 10mm?
In one article (picture on the floor) shows a pre bag drum filter with in inlet longer than the output and the output behind the inut to create a cyclone like effect. It used 90 degree bends. Have you considered this as it is the opposite of the cyclone dust bucket design.
Do you use the dust bucket attached to the 2HP system or to a vacuum?
Thanks

Barry,

The box for catching the trenching dust has a 4 " fitting to connect to a 4" flex hose etc. The box is centred on the router bit with about 3" either side and about 4 " high. ( Using imperial; measurements just for you. )When not needed it is folded back out of the way for normal work.

Don't follow which article you are referring to.

The Triton dustbucket as modified into a mini cyclone is attached to a vacuum cleaner and I have one set up for attaching to hand held sanders, as well as another set, made entirely from paint buckets, set up in the main part of the workshop with a very long hose for general clean up work. Another set is on the To Do list solely for use with the SCMS.

This is in addition to the 2HP DC with the drum extracter which is connected to all major machinery through 4 " ducting and blast gates controlling flow of suction. This part I want to improve by connecting another in tandem in order to increase suction.

When I had the WC it had the dust bag underneath the saw and the overhead guard was adapted to connect a 4 " hose to the DC. Likewise the router table was also connected to the DC through the fence connection. I was planning to build a dust collection point for freehand routing on the table but as I am altering the router setup I will have to build one to suit the new set up.

Hope this helps.

Peter.

I have concluded that the 100mm(4") solution is best from all of your comments and have started this weekend to install 110mm soil pipe to the Triton WC & router in my garage roof( pictures might follow). I am putting in Y junctions at each point so that I can have both 100mmm & 38mm.
The next problem is the 100mm junctions at the Wc & Router table. I am very happy following members advice with the connection to the WC but feel the the router table connections althought good compromise the original design mainly when used without the fence.(Free hand work etc)
I have ordered replacement bits for both the WC & router so that the show can go on during experimentation.
I am off to the perpex shop in the morning to see what I can get for the router guard.Firstly I feel that the extension should go up rather than out the back and you should be able to see that is going on. Secondly I feel that the cover & forward/backward adjuster should be attached to the 100mm extractor pipe????
If anybody has any ideas please let me know!!
I will be building a pre extractor drum as per Peter's ideas but not using a 205l (44Gal) drum. I know everything is big in Aus but I want to try a 60/80l drum first and if it half works I might consider turning it into a giant version of Peter's dust bucket!! ( 2X 205l drums on top of ech other would just not fit)
Playing is more fun than doing woodwork??

I am proposing to cut out the shaded area on both the rear guard and rear guard assembly as is shown in the attached pictures. 2 straps would be attached to the rear guard assembly so it can be fastened to the 100mm tube. I am hoping to attach the 100mm tube to the back of the rear guard and the front cut on top. The 100mm tube would be reduced to half until it passed the front guard at its highest point.
Help please!!
I dont want to have to buy the parts again if I am wrong.
Thanks

This conversion is taking longer than I expected so I have divided into 3 phases.
1.- Ducting the garage. This has just about been completed using the 110mm soil pipe. I have made 500mm pipe lengths with blast gate and convertors for the different pipe size connections. I have stopped and am reading up on static buildup in the pipes. Do I run copper wire in the tube?? How do I terminate it?

2.- Build the 100mm connections the the saw & router. Moulding PVC is something I have not done before and it takes practice to get it looking good(still practicing at present) . For the router table I wanted to use perspex so I spent an hour at a local perspex manufaturer near me. New skill to learn and more practice required. Making 2 protypes at present but where is one major drawback- the cost of 100mm perspex tube(£44/meter and tube is 2 meters) At present I have a piece of 75mm offcut tube so my design has changed. I am also trying a PVC solution the does not depend on the rear fence. The PVC is cheap so more ideas are being tried.

3. -The dust extractor. I have ruled out a 1HP extractor and am likely to go for a 2HP or should it be 3HP. I have a friend with a 2HP extractor who has offered to bring it round for me to test. I do not feel good in buying a new dust extractor only to destroy it for the bits but what the hell. I am about to build a 60litre prefilter drum as per Peter the Jig. The replacement of the top bag with a filter is costly (£160) so I am looking for old truck air filters. Should I just go out and buy a cyclone?($850 to $1400 in the USA). I cannot find a hobby version in the UK.
It all takes time and I have nearly given up a few times.

Originally Posted by BarryBurgess

Should I just go out and buy a cyclone

Why don't you make one, plenty of posts on this forum to guide you. I just finished mine ( http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=18367 ) and it works a treat, even though I only have a 1hp unit.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Sturdee

Barry,

I have been toying with either shortening the drum outlet pipe to increase storage in the drum or build a cyclone. I also want to increase the suction in the system and am considering of putting another DC in tandem with the drum.

Peter.

Guys,

I've got a 2hp (1350cfm rated) DC plus a so-called portable 1hp 600+- CFM DC. As I've got in place a bin with the usual inlet and outlet ports, but wasn't really getting great vacuum at some of the further placed machines after the uPVC ducting + flexible 100mm piping, I thought to try the two DCs in tandem. Short version is that it didn't work. I'm not sure why, but kicking in the 2HP DC followed by the 1 HP DC, it was obvious that one machine was debilitating the other. I'm guessing that the vacuum was taking the path of least resistance and drawing out the air from one-another rather than adding to the overall vacuum/flow. Any ideas folks?

Cheers,