Infrastucture

On Monday, Nicholas and I dug out a trench in the floor, and buried a length of 4" pipe and cable. Today, with the concrete fully set, I added ducting and a blast gate under the worktable to service the tablesaw and router table. The cable will allow for future installation of outlets in the table to power the saw and router, so that we don't have to run cords to the walls.

The setup allows the hose to flex as the saw assembly and dust port tilt/raise with the blade, and allow the saw to be pulled a short distance away from the table for better access behind it. Using the saw without the dust collector turned on may allow dust and shavings to clog the hose, this can also happen at the mitre saw.

Down the road, we could hook up some kind of box around the table router, and attach a 2.5" duct to the open end of the tee under the saw. Additional dust ports or outlets for small tools like sanders could also be added to the table.

Tim and I ran the ducting over the shelving and down to a blast gate and flexhose hookup. There is a bit of flex in the duct when the system turns on, and when the hose end is blocked. We cut the solid ducting into half-lengths, and ended up putting a rigid connector piece between each 30" length duct, so it should be far more stable despite the movement that can be seen.

This last hose should be able to service the bandsaw and belt sander (once the sander's kit in the red tub in the vacuum hose box is installed). The only issue is that I purchased a very durable flex hose, and the combined weight of the plastic and steel spring is enough to pull the magnetic coupler away from the bandsaw. Might need to add a hanger on the wall to reduce the weight suspended by the magnets, or get much stronger magnets to put in the couplers. There is a hand clamp on the bandsaw that can help secure the coupler for now.

I also did a bit of reorganizing of the spare lumber, and the jointer can now sit close enough to the wall that you aren't on your tip-toes to grab a pencil or the sawzall. The smaller pieces of plywood/mdf that seem to be used for laser cutting/cnc are reachable beside the jointer and on the wall beside the lathe, hopefully we can continue to pare those down.

I made up some vacuum relief valves and installed them on top of the bin. I had to upgrade the spring to get them to stay closed with one blast gate closed.

I would just bond all the metal parts to ground. The charge would be limited by the length of the plastic ducts. There will be some static on the plastic duct work. We can add bonding inside and outside the ducts but the problem won't completely go away.

The mitre saw is now fully ducted in, it seems like the vast majority of dust produced by the saw is being captured by the two in-tool ports and the downdraft at the rear right.

I got a very gentle static shock when I turned the collector off, and you can see some charged sawdust clinging to the plastic hose connection and the cyclone in the shed. Should a ground wire with screws tapping from the outside of the plastic hoses be enough, or should I run some inside through both until they reach the metal ducting?

Not a problem. I didn't get to the step of paying for the gates so I can cancel the order.

I'm sorry, Grant, I should have said something earlier in the week, and tonight after our progress. I also had ordered a few of those valves from Stockroom Supply on Monday.

Additionally, Nicholas laser cut two larger versions of those valves tonight, that we mounted to the lid of the collector drum. They are tuned to stay just barely closed when 1 blast gate is fully open, and begin relieving the vacuum if there is any additional blockage or resistance. The plan is to use a few smaller valves in spots along main line to help prevent pressure buildup on what we can see as weak structural points, in the interest of excess caution.

The damaged section of ducting was replaced and reinforced. The only noticeable issue now is a ripple in the duct over the outside door, if you accidentally let the flex-hose coupler suck onto a flat surface or totally slam the last open blast gate shut.

Other than that, the dust collector collects dust. Next steps towards functionality will be finishing the hookup at the mitre saw, the table saw floor trench, the CNC router duct, and running a branch across the left wall to service the bandsaw/sander. I might make a followup post to revisit guidelines on using/maintaining the collector, as well as on the Wiki (all subject to change if we add additional branches, limit switches, barrel fill sensor, etc)

I have ordered a couple of anti-crush valves for the vacuum system.

https://stockroomsupply.com/products/dust-commander-anti-crush-valve

There was also a DIY version but I don't know that anyone has the spare energy.

The main 6" ducting for the system is mostly installed, along with the beginnings of the drops down to the tablesaw/mitre saw and the far back corner. The ducting is connected through the wall and mated with the collector in the shed, which has all of its joints taped and caulked.

Next jobs that can be completed are:

-Wire in the collector motor to the wiring box on the shed ceiling

-Wire in the power switch for the collector to the contactor and input power

-Install 4" blast gates at the ends of each 4" hardline drop (I have these on order, hopefully they will arrive this week)

-Begin the ducting run/support arm for the hose that will hang over the CNC router

-Finish running 6" duct to the left over top of the tool shelf on the left wall and make a 4" drop down the wall at the corner

-Finish the hardline for the 4" drops

-Sort out a flex-hose connection for both ports on the mitre saw and tie in with the 4" hardline branch (we have 1 flex-hose, I have another on order)

-Print at least one magnetic coupler for the 2nd flex hose (see thread from Garret with his attachments of the modified print files here)

All of the ducting parts are stored beside the collector shed outside, all of the strapping, vent tape and other supplies are inside on the workbench. I want to thank Nicholas for all of his help with the assembly and troubleshooting on this build so far, and Tim while I was putting the pieces together today.

Quick update for the work going on today, mostly focusing on the shack and outer wall work before it starts to rain here. I'll make sure to seal up any holes I have to leave overnight.

Currently, I have a pilot hole drilled to indicate where the ducting is going to enter into the shop, with the 6" duct outline. The entry is so low due to the overhang on the roof, so that won't really change. On the outside, the cyclone's intake port is much higher than the level of a duct coming through the wall (not as bad as in the photo, and we can angle the duct slightly upward) so we will need the transition to face downward to connect with the duct.

The exisiting acrylic transition piece has a crack in it (I did not drop it today, but certainly may have on a previous occasion and forgotten, or it was damaged in the past). Is there an easy way to repair/reinforce this (see attached photo)? I might be able to fit it upside down in the existing cyclone port with a bit of sanding on one corner, as long as we think it can be repaired and not crack further/collapse when the collector is on. EDIT, this probably won't work especially well, as the cyclone intake and transition piece are meant to fit together angling upwards, I would have to silicone and tape the hell out of the joint, not really get the screws in.

Otherwise, make a new transition out of metal/plastic or see if there is an existing option to purchase?

I've got a bunch of limit switches left over from cnc stuff.

Okay, sounds good. I was thinking of a few of the nicer metal, self-cleaning blast gates on the 6" main duct to seal off the different sections of the shop, and the plastic ones to seal off individual hoses. If airflow inefficiency isn't an issue (given the power of the collector relative to the size and length of the system), maybe at the drops themselves on the walls at chest height. Or a mix of both. CNC router, tablesaw/mitresaw, lathe/jointer, and bandsaw/sander are the 4 main drops I'm envisioning right now.

It's just a matter of mounting some limit switches so that the handle holds the switch closed. It might mean adding a mounting bracket or clever use of epoxy. I've looked at plans for blast gates with switches and they really don't look elegant.

That would be a very handy, Grant! Do the blast gates need to be any particular type or style, or not be made of metal to avoid interfering with the switch circuits? And, can the switches be fitted onto the gates if they have already been installed into the ducting?

I bought a 24v relay for the dust extractor. The idea is to use blast gates with switches. Simply opening the blast gates will trigger the relay. I'm hoping this will lead to people closing the blast gates.

You could future proof it with 12/3 teck cable. It needs to be covered by at least 50mm of concrete. It should be put it on the bottom of the trench. The bend radius will be about 6" so you'll want it to be that deep to poke up at 90 degrees.

Thank you Andrew!

There was silicone between all the parts an the dust collector and screws. The old space had a 6" main trunck the 4'' branches. I think the main "L" should be 6 inch wth 4 inch drops. I did PVC on my home system and had to do a lot of grounding work. I think metal ducting is the best solution.

Andrew and I spoke last night and I think the best solution will be to cut the slab and bury the duct in the floor. Grant, can I bury 12/2 tech in the slab as well? Should we do 12/3 just in case we get a 240 V tool down the road?

I'm working on a beefier spindle mount and a vacuum attachment for the router. I'm also happy to print the other dust collection connectors as required. My build volume is about 10 cubic inches. If you let me know dimensions I can probably find pre-existing files

How time flies, haha, sorry. The collector shack has been cleaned out and the dust filter has been emptied and temporarily positioned (put not sealed in place yet). I just have a few questions for the members who had experience with the setup in the old Space, just to fill in a few blanks I have based on what I can see in the shack (having had zero experience with the collector aside from turning it on/off):

-Is there any preference for the main hardline ducting to be metal or plastic?

-Was any caulk used to seal both ends around the dust filter, or just the screws and aluminum tape?

-Will 4" ducting be too restrictive for the main hardline duct before the hoses to the individual tools?

-Related to that, the rectangular-circle transition coming off the cyclone has what looks like a 6 or 7" diameter, was that stepped down gradually or all at once early on after leaving the shack?

Otherwise, in essence, the main duct go straight out of the side of the shack and enter the shop around 6.5 or 7ft to the right of the outside-access door. There will be one branch running down the right side of that door to reach the mitre saw, table saw, and CNC router. The main duct will then run left the rest of the way to the far corner of the shop, where it will be able to supply the lathe, jointer, belt sander, and bandsaw.

I'm undecided on whether to have a splitter (a large version of the example here) beside the yellow shelf to move the active duct to the ports of each tool's duct, or have a single long flex-hose that can reach all of the tools. Or perhaps a mix, and there is one hose to reach the jointer/lathe, and another branch runs over the yellow shelf to supply just the bandsaw and sander?

I will be out of town this coming weekend, and unless someone is already working on this, I'm looking towards next weekend (24th-26th) to at least get v1.0 of the system physically installed (I promise to leave the electrical for someone more qualified). Please let me know if there are any obvious things I am missing.

More specialized issues to tackle as the collection system begins takes shape will be:

-Running power to the shack and wiring in everything inside (the old switch and red "on" light are stored in there)

-The low-profile ducting for a table saw to reach across the floor, and the duct transitions required for it

-Bin and dust filter monitors (detailed by Nicholas in the post below)

-Potentially 3d printing any custom fittings or fixtures we might need (more of the excellent magnetic couplers, a shroud for the CNC router, etc)

-if some blast gates are placed 8ft up the wall with the ducting, installing pull mechanism or levers for people to open/close them from the ground (only if people get tired of stepstools/ladders)

I will be out of town on Wednesday as well, but I will try to get to Hack Night late if anyone wants to discuss the design/layout/shopping list of materials, as well as next Wednesday. Any and all help with the install or feedback would be appreciated!

With the installation of the compressor the next big infrastructure project for the woodshop is the dust extraction. The shack has been placed outside the WoodShop exit to the right.

Here is a starter list of tasks for this project:

• Collector shack emptied
• The collector needs to be reinstalled.
• Bin connected
• Filter and clean out installed
• Electrical run to shack
• Holes added to shack and building for ducting
• Old duct hole patched
• Ducting around room to blast gates
• Tools ducted to blasst gates

I am sure there is more to add here.

Thanks to Grant and anyone else who has worked on a bin full indicator at the old space. I know it has its chalenges. Here is an idea to make it work . There is also a version that will give an indication if the filter needs to be cleaned. Lets pick a version here if you all think it would work and I will start puting toether parts.