Ordered DC today...

Bartee Lamar

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Location
Alpharetta GA ( Metro Atlanta)
The next step in my shop plan.

I ordered this a few minutes ago....

http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0441

I promise pictures when it comes in.

I have read every thread on DC's for the last year. I think this is the best price performance available.

Next is the piping decision. Right now I am leaning towards 6" PVC. I think I can handle the installation better that metal. But, I am going to design it 1st. Then price the whole thing.

I am very excited about this project. It will require me to really get my shop organized which means cleaning out a large corner of stuff where the DC is going to live.

More later and true to Marty's tricks, there is more to come....
 
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Good luck Bartee!

I did the PVC pipe, works good for me, but the pipe is not the expensive part, the fittings cost REAL money! :eek:

When you slide the pipe into the fittings, mix up a spray bottle of dish soap and water, spray this on the joint as it goes together, makes things a LOT easier, and when dry, things stay together. If you need to take stuff apart, just respray with water and they come apart a lot easier.

Cheers!
 
Stu, That very interesting.

Did you also tape the joint?

I have been arguing with myself about using the PVC weld stuff or put the joints together with screws and tape.

I will be posting a layout and pictures as the project progresses...
 
Don't.............. DO NOT glue the joints together, there is NO NEED, IMHO.

I did tape the joints, but I used that foil tape, or aluminum tape stuff, NOT duct tape, it does not last.

If you have a joint or something that will not stay put, a screw or two is OK, but I did NOT need it.

I also rigged up a 2x4 and a piece of plumbers strap to twist pipe and fittings to make stuff fit, this was REALLY useful...........

pipe_twister1.jpg

The pics suck, my old cell phone
pipe_twister2.jpg


Yep, worked slick.

once you have the joints POUNDED together, it is VERY hard to twist them to line things up, but with this cobbled together tool it was a LOT easier.

A nylon strap will not work, I tired that, like from a tie-down, it does not "Grip" the pipe, this metal strapping has a "Sharp" side (as the holes are punched out of the strapping, the punch leaves a bit of a sharp edge) this sharp edge grabs the pipe, or fitting nicely.

I just used a few screws to hold it, but I'm sure something else more elegant could be worked up :rolleyes:

The 2x4 needs to be orientated in that way as well, as you pull the 2x4, the one corner lifts, tightening the strap around the pipe.

Cheers!

PS get help and or make some "T" stands, as that pipe is HEAVY! :doh:
 
Bart, That was nice of you to order me a Dc unit.:thumb: Just kinding. That will make a nice addtion to your shop.

Stu, I like your homemade chain wrench, I am sure that is was much cheaper then my Wilton 30". They make turning part much easier.
 
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..........I have read every thread on DC's for the last year. I think this is the best price performance available.........

Question. Why Grizzly over Bill Pentz design/Clearvue? I need one bad but it's so pricey I just can not swing it now. I am leaning toward Bill's design. Thats why I was wondering about why you choice Grizzly?
 
I was heavily leaning towards the clearvue. I posted this on another forum and got a great response from someone who had done a real close comparison on costs.

The clearvue 5HP looks less expensive BUT when you add the start switch and other parts the prices comes up to the Grizzly being very competetive. Also you really have to build a lot of the Clearvue yourself. A lot of the Clearvue is MDF. You have to order the filter and build some stuff for it also. I just don't need another project that is not real WW'ing.

The Grizz is ready to install and run. It is all steel with some heavier guages where necessary. I did not buy the stand, so I may have to build something froma sheet of plywood and pocket hole screws, but that is easy. It does come with a Wall mound kit.

Like I said I have paid very close attention to every thread about DC's for the past year. Maybe the Grizz is not a Bill Penz design, but my guess is that it will work. Maybe not as perfect as Bill's but it has a 2 micron filter so I think I will be ok.

I will be sharing the entire project with y'all rite here... so stay tuned.
My bottom line was to go with the 3HP instead of the 2HP and I absolutely believe I will had DC that sucks well enought for my 1 machine at a time shop.

My delivered price is $1,221 with lift gate fee.

I called in my order. The customer service person, Lainie, was excellent. She was able to give clear answers for all my "trucking" questions. Including the exact address and phone number of the local freight terminal.
 
I was heavily leaning towards the clearvue. I posted this on another forum and got a great response from someone who had done a real close comparison on costs.

The clearvue 5HP looks less expensive BUT when you add the start switch and other parts the prices comes up to the Grizzly being very competetive. Also you really have to build a lot of the Clearvue yourself. A lot of the Clearvue is MDF. You have to order the filter and build some stuff for it also. I just don't need another project that is not real WW'ing.

I bought a Cyclone DC and for the same reasons, I looked at ClearVue even sent in a few emails to ask questions but in the end I went with someone else. I just wanted to put a few pieces together, not have to build the whole thing, not sure I was fond of the plastic cyclone part either.
 
OK, first off, I've built a Pentz design cyclone, and it works so well, I'm still amazed at it, but I really do understand the whole "I want to do woodworking, not work on building stuff to do woodworking" thing, for me, I don't mind the building stuff, in fact, it is part of my enjoyment, but I do understand the way you guys are thinking, as I can relate when it comes to computers.

I've spent countless day, weeks, months and most likely years dealing with windoze computers that just won't work. I need my computers at the L shop to work, I don't want to be working on them darn computers :doh:

One thing about the Clearvue, the "Plastic" design, I think it will outlast the steel cyclones by a fair bit. Sawdust, or more correctly wood dust has a fairly high silica content, and it will basically sandblast the inside of your cyclones. If you are a hobbyist, I don't think that this is something to worry about for the next "X" number of years, but, most of these units are still fairly new in the market place, so who knows.

I wish you every success and I agree that the Grizzly unit, with the 3Hp motor will be a big step up over any bag unit out there.

Good luck, and I look forward to the pics! :thumb:
 
Another PVC Sealing Method

Stu, That very interesting.

Did you also tape the joint?

I have been arguing with myself about using the PVC weld stuff or put the joints together with screws and tape.

I will be posting a layout and pictures as the project progresses...

Bartee, I agree TOTALLY with Stu on not using the PVC "glue" as it will make it impossible to change it later without a lot of work and replacing ruined fittings. I have not tried Stu's method, so cannot comment on that, but it sounds reasonable. There is another way that I have used on PVC that is easy to do, and works nicely, and it will hold the pipe and fittings together well where there is stress/strain/load on a joint.

After you assemble/dry fit everything and get it adjusted like you want it, get a tube or two of either DAP or the Ace Hardware brand of "Tub & Tile" caulk. This will remain flexible, and is easily removed by making a pass around the fitting with a razor blade or sharp knife should you want/need to change it. Just clean around the joints, and then run a "VERY SMALL" bead of the caulk around the outside of the joint of the pipe and the fitting and smooth it out and remove any excess with a wetted finger and damp cloth.

This will definitely seal the joint if it needs it, provides enough adhesion to keep the joints from coming apart, and will not loosen from any vibration. I would avoid using ANY screws into the PVC as that is just asking for problems with stuff catching on the screws inside the pipe, and also it can lead to the PVC developing cracks in that area as the PVC ages, especially if there is any movement or vibration.

Oh yes, CONGRATULATIONS on getting a new DC.:thumb:
 
The next step in my shop plan.

I ordered this a few minutes ago....

http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0441

I promise pictures when it comes in.

I have read every thread on DC's for the last year. I think this is the best price performance available.

Next is the piping decision. Right now I am leaning towards 6" PVC. I think I can handle the installation better that metal. But, I am going to design it 1st. Then price the whole thing.

I am very excited about this project. It will require me to really get my shop organized which means cleaning out a large corner of stuff where the DC is going to live.

More later and true to Marty's tricks, there is more to come....

Hi Bartee,
Just thought I would mention, the Penn State 3.5HP is going for:
Code: TEMP1535S
Price:$995.00

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/temp1535s.html

You would gain half a horse and save $100.

This is the one I have being installed right now.

DT
 
Don, I did not look at Penn State. And the Grizzly is ordered and on the way, so I think I will stick with that.

I will be posting the install process and the results, so I will be able to show how it sucks.

You have already shared some of your DC process, please let us here the final results.

Here is a picture of where the DC will be installed. As you can see, I have a LOT of cleaning up to do. As a matter of fact I have a lot of cleaning up to do in the entire basement.

IMG_0943.jpg

I plan to build a closet in this corner to house the DC and the compressor.
 
Don, I did not look at Penn State. And the Grizzly is ordered and on the way, so I think I will stick with that.

I will be posting the install process and the results, so I will be able to show how it sucks.

You have already shared some of your DC process, please let us here the final results.

Here is a picture of where the DC will be installed. As you can see, I have a LOT of cleaning up to do. As a matter of fact I have a lot of cleaning up to do in the entire basement.

View attachment 11294

I plan to build a closet in this corner to house the DC and the compressor.

Sounds like a winning plan Bartee.

I'm on hold for those darn gaskets for the piping. They are supposed to be coming UPS. The Cyclone is in the attic now and they are working on two boxes. One will have four 220 receptacles and the other will have four 110.

I have a 12' ceiling so the pipe coming down in the center of the room for the table saw, jointer and planer will be pretty long. We are bolting a piece of angle iron to the floor and attaching the piping to that. The receptacles will be mounted to that angle. That way the machines can dance all the way around the pole when I change my mind. :rofl::rofl:

I can’t get up in the attic because of the heat. If I would have an attack up there, there would be nowhere to go. My workers said they would take pictures for me on the attic installation and I have two friends who will be doing a bit of QA work for me as well.

DT
 
I just installed a system and used 6" PVC. Stuart is correct, the fittings will eat your money. I made most of mine, though. Go to http://harderwoods.com/tools.html and look at the Pipe Joint Template Software link. There is also a link for directions of gluing PVC pipe for connections. The only PVC fittings I used were 2 Laterals (Wyes) and 1 45 degree bend (quarter bend). Avoid using 90 degrgee (half) bends if you have the space.

I actually used 5" metal HVAC flex fittings from one of the big box stores, with a 6x5 metal HVAC reducer to connect the DC to the piping. I heated the piece of PVC to soften it, and shoved the 6" end of the reducer on to expand the openeing the little I needed to. I used the foil tape on these parts once set to stop any leaks in the metal duct.

My shop is a 1 car garage. (See attached image) Currently I have a bandsaw, table saw, and router table hooked up to the DC with a extra 4" connection for the jointer or planer. The saws and router are all on the same wall (All the table heights are the same, so they serve as outfeed tables for each other. This is the darker grey shaded areas on the image.) When I need to work on something too big for this layout, I wheel the tool to the middle of the floor. I made sure to connect the pvc to the tools with enough flex hose to reach the middle of the garage. The DC piping system runs across the floor at the wall and has 2 6x6 Laterals (wyes), as shown in blue on the image, shaded light grey. I made blast gates based on the directions from Bill Pentz's site. The 2 laterals are connected to each other with a gate on the upstream side of each branch, and one at the upstream end of the last lateral. (3 blastgates, heavy blue lines) The first branch goes to the bandsaw. I just used 4" hose connectors and the software from the link above to give me a template to cut the 6" pipe and connectors so I could glue them together. I put a 6" cap on the end of the pipe. I also bought a 6x4 reducer for the end of that pipe. After heating it to soften the plastic, I was able to get a 4" DC hose to 4" PVC adapter to fit inside. I had this and didn't try any other fittings. With blast gates on the 2 bandsaw connections, I can close them down, replace the cap with this reducer on the end of the pipe, and I have a hook-up for the jointer or planer. The tablesaw is off the second branch. Right now it is just a 4" connection. I am getting a Shark Guard, though, so there will be a connection for that as well. Both to the same 6" branch. The straight thru run goes to the router table. For that, I took a 6" end cap and drilled 2 holes. 1 at 2.5" for the fence, and a second at 4" for under the table. Glued standard hose connections in the holes and pushed the cap on the end of the pipe. The flex hoses are not shown connected in the attached image.

I originally set up with 1 lateral between the bandsaw and tablesaw. That run actually has 3 4" connections placed using the template, each with blastgates. A couple weeks later, when I added the router, I also added the second lateral.

I have not sealed the joints, and, since I only have about 15' of pipe to any one location, I have not experienced any problems. I have been planning on cauking the joints, but they are pretty tight. I lit a match, then blew it out to get some smoke off it and it went straight up when put next to the joints. If there were any leaks, the DC would have sucked that smoke in. Not sealing the joints have made it nice because I have been able to use and test the layout without worries of a long project to re-arrange things.

I do not anticipate a need for DC on the other side of the shop, but it has not been built out yet, so that could change.

Regards,
Karl
 

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Thank you for the welcome, Stuart.

It is a great piece of software. Wish I could take credit. I think I actually found it via Bill Pentz's site. I found that it was best for me to cut the holes a bit small with a rotozip cutter in my dremel and then sand the smaller pipe with sandpaper taped to a section of the larger pipe. I did't get as picky about the inside of the larger pipe opening as the site does. I filed the larger pipe opening with a rasp to get it pretty close, but didn't worry about angling the edge too much.

Welcome Karl!

That software to do the pipe joints is GREAT!

Thanks for sharing! :wave:
 
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