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I've got the 1 hp Delta two bag dust collector with a 4" intake and want to connect it to a fixed trunk line. I plan on attaching an oscillating sander (2 1/2" dust port), Performax sander (4" dust port), belt/disk sander (2 1/2" dust port) and a router table (2 1/2" dust port). The trunk line will be straight (no bends) and approximately 12' to 15' long. Should I:

1. connect the collector to the mid-point of the trunk line, at one end or does it matter? Should it be as close as possible to the router table since that will create the largest particles?

2. should the trunk line be 4" diameter or smaller?

3. assuming it should be 4", should I transition to 4" tubing as soon as possible from the 2 1/2" dust ports or should I run 2 1/2" tubing to the trunk line. In either event there will be a blast gate at the trunk line for each machine.

You absolutely can use the system that you have. While Todd is making it seem like your trunk will be useless it will not but neither will it do as complete a job as a 6" trunk and a larger HP collector. If you have not seen Bill Pentz's site you should look there and then you can understand the limitations of the 4" trunk and the 1Hp collector.

As for your question, the trunk should be of a rigid material (PVC works great) and should connect to the collector at an end. Try to avoid any right angles and use flex hose only when necessary. You should drop down from 4 to 2 1/2 at the very end. I use a 1 HP Jet collector in my shop and collect all of the visible chips from the router table (5 feet away) and thickness sander (8 feet away) without clogging. The visible chips are not the whole problem of course and that is where the 2 HP and 6" trunk come into play. However, if you are like me and do not have access to 220 or the extra room you can make do with your machine. If you do stay with this I would recommend too an fine filtered air cleaner stationed nearer to the machines that produce dust rather than chips. Good luck!

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

I started out with something similar to what you have and had to replace it after I had an allergic reaction to some wood from Bolivia. What you have will certainly work for the sanders, but I would not advise a permanent duct system. Rolling the collector over to where you are working and having the hose as short as possible is good advice.

I made a post on here about a year ago about dust collection and it went into several pages of information being shared, all of it worth reading.

If you want to go with a permanent solution I would highly recommend the 6" clearvue system, who is a sponsor of the forum. They make all size collectors and the owner is one of the friendliest and knowledgable persons you will ever know. VERY affordable too!

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Reguards,

Ken H

I'm seriously rethinking sawing and sanding at my place.

I'm kicking around moving my big dust making machines into covered sheds and doing that work on nice days with a breeze.

Lung health problems are avoidable, but it takes some thinking.

And I hate the itch factor....

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Man have I been down this road. Just have to add my 2 cents

It's the fine dust that's bad for you and the smaller collectors just don't flow enough air to pull that fine dust in. That said, a small collector is still better than nothing but I agree with Todd, roll the DC to your tool and keep the flex hose as short as you can. Study up on the losses, CFM versus pipe diameter and so on. If you can swing the larger system, it's worth the extra expense.

After doing the research and getting lots of opinions I decided to go for good dust collection and wait another year or two to upgrade my tools. My Oneida 2Hp cyclone is the most expensive tool I have and takes up precious space in my little shop but it makes a huge difference in air quality and I'm real glad I've got it.

Steve

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I have a 2hp Busy Bee .. somewhat equivalent to the US Grizzly stuff (none of that here in Canada). I also added to it a shopbuilt separator .. makes the collector way more efficient, as none of the larger stuff ever sees the impellor - in fact, it separates a lot of the smaller stuff as well up to a piont - there is lots in the bottom when I empty it. Mine is not a cyclone style, but a simply built big rectabgular box, witht he inlets at the top on one side, and a foot deep baffle/separator piece about a foot behind that inside the box, hanging from the top - the impellor intake is directly behind the baffle. The box was designed to be the max size I could get from one 4x8 sheet of ply, then all seams caulked tight.

All of my blast gates are on the box itself - I have 3 - and then when required, I flex pipe from the separator to my jointer or planer or TS. The thickness sander is the closest, and is permanently flex piped to its own gate - thus always ready to go, and short run as well - 6 feet maybe.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

This is true. If you can afford a larger unit there is no doubt it is better. If you do go this route also be aware of the filtering. Some of the more powerful units which still have a top bag still let through the dangerous unseen small particles into the shop. Ideally you want the filtering to be down to 1 micron and some go even to .5. I bought a 1 micron bag for the top portion of my 1 HP collector but even then I realize it may just not be collecting those particles in the first place. Consequently, even when running the machine I wear a respirator when I am sanding anything and always run the air cleaner during and after. I guess I see the 1 HP collector more as a way to keep surfaces clean rather than a way to keep air clean.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Thanks for the help. I also have a Jet air filitration system so I'm hoping between the two I'm getting a good portion of what is floating around.

http://billpentz.com/Woodworking/Cyclone/index.cfm
This is a place where you can find out just about every thing you need. I think Todd may have linked me to this site when I got my dust collector.

Read Bill Pentz, fer sher.

Your collector will be quite a bit better than nothing, especially if you keep the ducting short. Best to have it in the center of the line, go to 4" as close to the machines as possible, and have blast gates to close off all machines other than the one you re using.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.