Jim's Shop 2 incl. photos

Hi All,

Back in the days when I was very much less educated about woodworking, I realized dust was going to be a major factor. Glenn saw an ad for a DC that had, what we thought, were good specs. This was mainly 1 micron bag and it would not take up a horrible amount of space in the planned one-car size shop. Because it was on sale, I purchased it. I was really “green” and I was really lucky because the unit seems to be working well for me in spite of all of the changes in shop plans.

View attachment 14267 This is “Before.”

Things that changed after the purchase of the DC:
1 Built an outside, attached shed for the DC and Air Compressor. Since the DC was no longer to be in the shop, the 1 micron bit became fairly unimportant. Also the physical size of the unit became less important; a cyclone would have been a better way to go.
2 Shop size expanded to 1 ¾ car size, if there is a car in the garage and 3 car size if no car.

View attachment 14268 Most drops now have gates

View attachment 14269 Shop from West to East

View attachment 14270 Shop So. East to No. West

I studied dust collecting until it was running out of my ears. I say running out of my ears because I am positive most of the information did not stay in my brain. I read books, read articles, pursued the web, talked to people, etc. A large number of people on the web that had 4” systems reported that they were sorry and wished that they had gone 6”. People who just went 6” all of the way seemed to be happy. (If Bill Penz is reading this I am sure his hair is standing straight up and his face is turning red).

I think studying dust collecting is the main thing that pointed out to me that the brain does not work as well at age 81 as it does at age 40. I would look at all of the data, formulas, etc. and know I should understand it---well, I didn’t. So, I just went for 6” all of the way with 4” flex drops to the various machines.

I did a post a few days ago in Gen WW Q and A. The title is “Bathroom, Steel and Dust” showing the “off-the-shelf” stuff I used to make the drops and fasten to machines. The “Bathroom” part of the title is because the ducting connectors are toilet mounting flanges and sewer connectors (Lowe’s et al). The dust was a combination of thoughts in my convoluted brain. Thought one = dust as in sawdust. Thought two = Those of you who are old enough might remember the profuse number of ads for “Rheingold the Dry Beer.” The joke was that the beer was so popular that hotels, bars, etc. had to replace some of the urnals with DUST pans.

View attachment 14271 The flange name is “Closet Flange, Spigot Fit”

I suspended the 6” PVC from the rafters with chains. The reasons are:
1 Strong
2 Easy to adjust height
I used PVC schedule 35. At this point I am convinced I could have saved $200 (probably more) by going to lighter plumbing. It certainly would have been easier to hang. Hanging the schedule 35 is definitely a two-person task. There is no way to hold a chain loop open and insert a 6” diameter pipe ten-feet long and then do the other end. Don’t get me wrong---If I were to do it again I would still use the schedule 35. I had no problem getting parts, it is smooth inside, it stays together without glue or screws, and I am sure it is strong enough.

Having the DC and Air Compressor outside of the shop is a true blessing air-wise and noise-wise. The neighbors would not hesitate to let me know if it bothered them. I don’t mean that in a nasty way. It is a wonderful neighborhood with wonderful people. It is so good that we don’t have to hesitate to say if something is bothering us. I do not run the DC if the nearest neighbor has company out on their patio. So far that has not been an inconvenience because there is always something else to do in the shop.

Anyway, the shop progresses.

Enjoy,

Jim
 
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