In roof mounted DC. Crazy?

**GWH74** · 9th July 2010, 12:07 AM

I have a small / medium bench-top CNC router. It uses a trim router with internal fan. When cutting MDF it makes a HUGE mess. The internal fan blows down and then blows dust everywhere. It is located in the corner of a 2 car garage and even after a few minutes of use everything is covered with a layer of dust. I only have a small vacuum and this has no hope in hell of keeping up. I need to purchase a real dust collect / extraction unit.
I was looking at a 1hp unit like the ones that carba-tec sell.
I have been reading on dust extraction and it is recommended to go for a pleated filter cartridge. Even then this will not remove all the nasty sub 1 micron particles. If possible the DC should be outside of the garage / shed (not possible in my case).

So I have this crazy idea

mount the dust collection unit in the roof space just above the CNC. Drill a 100mm hole in the plaster and drop the pipe and power cable down. Would be less then 3m total length. I have checked, in that corner of the garage 3 walls meet and there is a great big void in the rafters. Plenty of room for a big DC. With the money saved from buying a pleated filter could buy a 2 HP unit.
Will be a huge pain to get up there and check / change the bags but ZERO dust in the garage, quiet and it will pull the same volume of air in the garage every minute. If I mount the router in an enclosure then it will replace the air in the enclose twice a second! That should keep dust of all the slides and ball screws, and keep the garage clean

Does that sound crazy?
Has anyone tried this?

**The Bleeder** · 9th July 2010, 10:23 AM

No I haven't done this but then I didn't even think of doing it that way.

Probably is crazy but it might just work. As said it's a PITA to empty the bag so I would sugest that you also look and incorporating a cyclone if you get the 2hp unit.

That way you don't have to get up in the roof space that often to empty the bag as the cyclone unit would be in the shed not in the roof space.

Search the forum for cyclones.

My 2c worth.

**nihilism** · 10th July 2010, 01:58 AM

Dust build up in roof space, possible fire hazard. Two reasons not to do it.

**GWH74** · 10th July 2010, 10:34 PM

Change of plans.
After a visit to Carba-tec i am going to go with a 2hp and pleated filter.
With a bit of re-organising in the carport and some new shelving units i can squeeze it in a corner. This unit will be a massive overkill for the CNC it will be used on, the little 1hp units would just keep up. The 2hp should be ample with some left in reserves for future purchases.

Thanks for everyone's comments.

**ajw** · 10th July 2010, 10:42 PM

I've recently put a pleated filter on my 2hp dusty, and it makes a difference. Worth the extra cost in my opinion. I've also installed a home-made separator to to catch most of the shavings & dust before it gets to the impeller. Probably not necessary with your CNC setup, but when you hook it up to other machines, it's easier to empty than removing the bags off the dusty.

ajw

**BobL** · 12th July 2010, 12:19 AM

If you put your DC outside your work are in some sort of an enclosure you don't need the expense of a pleated filter and it is also way better for you.

Thread: In roof mounted DC. Crazy?

Thread Tools

Search Thread

In roof mounted DC. Crazy?

Similar Threads

trailer mounted back hoe

Wall Mounted Panel Saw Idea

Wall mounted racks.

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions