Dust collector seeking some input

Rob Keeble

Member
Messages
12,633
Location
GTA Ontario Canada
I have had my dust collector high on my next thing to tackle list for some time now but am perplexed about what to do.

I purchased a 3HP Gorilla Oneida dust collector, made a stand for it so it does not have to go against the wall and made sure to get the metal drum.
That was all when i was still in my basement. Never got it hooked up.

Now finished shop and cannot decide how to connect it up with a permanent hookup. When i first planned my shop everything was going to be fixed. Now everything is looking more and more mobile.

There is a number of mistakes i have made that i hope others can learn by. I never really gave a great deal of thought into what i would really like to do in my shop so in the beginning it was just get it and sort it out later and make sure its big enough or flexible enough to handle most things.

Now i find the way i work, i could really get away with a portable unit.

Add to it since i bought mine the development of portable units for hobbyists has expanded and i see a couple of units that may better suite my needs.

Add to this i come to realize that in a couple of years from now i will be pretty much an empty nester well at least with regards to being near a school and its allowing my wife and i to think of moving out of the burbs and getting away from the compact box living. If that had to happen which is just a option on the horizon right now, then my shop would be no longer in its current form. This has me questioning my investment next investment in fixed ducting to hook up the dust collector once and for all.
Also if NN aint moved out by then i think we will high tail it life is too short to put up with "NN's".:D
Fortunately for us our house config and neighborhood is in very high demand so exit strategy is no problem.

What seemed like a big shop at the planning is actually pretty small when one gets all the tools in. (shop is 17x21 interior wall to wall)

I also note the cost of the latest Oneida 3Hp dust collectors has gone up significantly.

So i been thinking and need some input here. Should i put my unit up for sale see what i could get for it and roll that into a more mobile unit?

I had hoped that one day youngest son would be working in shop at same time as me then power would have been nice. But frankly i dont see it happening that way realistically.

Of course i would have to consider whether there would be a healthy market for my unit which has never ever been powered up yet. But regardless is still second hand and has no warranty now.

I had hoped for a floor sweep and other features of fixed dust collection but i am having my doubts now.

The other issue that has my back against the wall is the fire dept. This is probably the biggest cause even though i did not put it right up front. In their mind the rated spec which they looked up, is greater than spec and ???? as to whether i can have it inside. The code makes no provision for inside units. I just dont have the time or appetite for more city fights to get this sorted.

So what say the brain trust any advice, ideas and suggestions will be most appreciated and welcome. I really would like to deal with my dust collection before it deals with me. I feel very embarrassed by my failure to sort this out long long ago. Now its time to fish or cut bait.;):eek::):thumb:
 
Rob,
my basement shop is only 11x24(ish). All the tools are mobile, but most still stay within a few feet of where they are. The planer is the only one that I keep stuffed in a corner and then wheel it way out into the middle for use.

I really like the fact that my DC is tucked into the corner. I have one main dust line running along the side wall, with about 4 connections hanging off of it.
One for the TS, one for the Jointer, one for the DP + OSS and one that just has a hose on the floor that I swap between the router and the Planer, and sometimes other things.

Things get crowded enough as it is without having a mobile DC in the middle to get in the way and trip over.

I doubt that I have more than $150 in the ductwork + gates.
I used 4" PVC for the duct. I wouldn't mind upgrading it to 5" or 6" for the first 10ft, if and when I get an overarm DC for the TS. But until then, this works just fine.


Why not post some photos and/or drawings of your layout? I'm sure we can make some suggestions to help you put together an inexpensive and efficient layout.
 
If you decide to go with spiral metal, look up www.blastgateco.com. I got my pipe, 7" gates, and elbows from them, they had the best pricing. Got the Y's from Oneida. Also building the little MDF boxes to split the main lines into 3-4 hoses saves a ton of money.

As far as what you need, its hard to be in your shoes.. but I'm really enjoying not swapping hoses as much, and I only have 3 tools plumbed in so far. I ended up gonig with the option of what I thought was exactly what I needed, but only ran it to the table saw, jointer, and planer so far. Bandsaw and router table will be coming before to much longer. Odds are it could be next year before I get the whole thing finished, but it's handy having it plumbed in so far.

A question on the fire department. Do they have to come inspect it after you install the dust collector? I've never heard of anything like that down here. I guess we could even have a rule like that, but I never even heard of asking them :dunno: At any rate if you can't hook it up, might as well try and sell/trade it for something that you can use.
 
If you are going to make everything mobile, you can make a main run with a few drops then you a few sections of hose to connect which ever machine you are useing at the time
 
I thought the deal with the fire dept. was taken care of. What difference does it make to the fire dept. if you have a cyclone or a small bag dust collector. Your just a hobbyist woodworker.

All my tools are mobile and I still ran ductwork to them. It's a night and day differnece and your more likely to use the dust collector when you don't have to move it around from machine to machine. At most I might have to move my machines a whole 2 ft away from the wall and sometimes not even that but thats just the way I have them setup.

If your going to move I would hold on to the cyclone cause you just might come across that dream shop like Darren did. If your going to stay and it's going to be that much of a hassle because of the fire dept. for some reason then check into a few other dust collectors to see what will fly with them, make a thein seperator and run some ductwork. If that fails just sell the place and move down here to Texas cause we don't care what type or size dust collector you have.
 
With that much uncertainty over a several year time frame, i think i'd focus on my needs for the next year or two, making sure i had flexibility if i needed it. If the unit you've got can work for you AND you can figure out a way to keep the fire dept. happy, that might be your best bet. Otherwise, i think i'd quickly sell the thing and get one of the portable cyclonic units that are out. The 2 hp units likely have enough oomph for what you'll be doing. My 1hp unit keeps up nicely with my planer. 3hp seems nice, but maybe not necessary for hobbyest single machine use. At least then you'd have working dust collection, not uncertain plans for it.
I'm not sure the portable units you'd consider take that much less space than the fixed unit youv'e got. If flexibility with the space you've got is important, maybe a wheeled unit has definite advantages over a fixed unit. In my shop, i've got a mobile unit, but it spends its life in one spot. I only move it when i need to empty it out. A portable 2hp cyclonic unit can be stationary or mobile - whatever works best for your shop.
paulh
 
Thanks for the input guys, I think you have given me back my fight.

I am gonna get hold of the Firechief and start with him. If i can take them on and win then i will go ahead and keep it and use metal duct that i can always use again in the event i move.

I think you guys nailed a good point about how much space a portable with consume and the aspect of how likely in reality are you going to be to hook it up for just the one cut and just another cut etc. In the end might as well not have one if that becomes the status quo.

So i am gonna try to stand up for my rights since i live in a free country.

Appreciate the input from you all. Gave me food for thought. The new portable cyclones look attractive but when you weight it all up not really a great solution.

Thank you very much.:thumb::)
 
I have had my dust collector high on my next thing to tackle list for some time now but am perplexed about what to do.

I purchased a 3HP Gorilla Oneida dust collector, made a stand for it so it does not have to go against the wall and made sure to get the metal drum.
That was all when i was still in my basement. Never got it hooked up.


The other issue that has my back against the wall is the fire dept. This is probably the biggest cause even though i did not put it right up front. In their mind the rated spec which they looked up, is greater than spec and ???? as to whether i can have it inside. The code makes no provision for inside units. I just dont have the time or appetite for more city fights to get this sorted.

:


Ask them to try to understand the situation from this view point. Its how much air & particulate you move not just the size of the cyclone impellor or motor the ducting has a lot to do with it.

http://www.woodcentral.com/articles/shop/articles_221.shtml
 
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