11 common workshop dust collection mistakes
11 common workshop dust collection mistakes
I learned all this the hard way over the years- DON’T make my mistakes!
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Your class helped me understand more. I have a 10′ x 20′ wood shop. And I just bought and assembled a Harbor Freight 2 HP dust collector. I’m trying to find hoses from the collector to the machines. I hope I bought the right machine being that the machines are close from Approx. 4 1/2′ to 9′. Where can I find a smooth flexible vent to use 4" from collector to Router which I need a adaptor of either 1 1/4" ID or 2" OD? Same with Miter saw 1 7/8" ID or 2 1/4" OD? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks! Robert Theurer in Oak creek, WI.
12) hooking up to the blow side of the shop vac. big mistake, collects nothing.
I have a question for you . I recently picked up harbor freight dust collector and did the 12 inch impeller upgrade. I also have acquired a 6 inch intake port and plan to convert exhaust to 6 inch .My shop is 15×30
I am planning no separator and collect all dust outside in 55 gallon drum . With no separator and no filter , do you think it will be enough to support a 6 inch trunk line? The reason I ask is I would like to run a 6 inch to my table-saw and split it to two 4 inch at the saw ( one over /one under) beyond the saw maybe split to 2 4 inch for the remainder of system . Does this seem plausible ? Do you have a better solution ? I know I can’t split 4 into two 4’s ( or can I?)and my saw throws a ton out of the top … any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Thank you for the information you have given me. I was soon going to make some mistakes but you saved my money and now I have a better idea of what I need for a great dust collection system. Thank you
10:00 Another disadvantage of flex hose beyond air resistance is the fact that all those little ridges are collection points where debris can be trapped resulting in buildup which will further restric air flow.
Great video and very thorough. I’m just getting into woodworking and this helped a lot. I wish I watched this before I set up my shop vac system. I had to upgrade to a single stage vacuum.
I don’t understand your comment that "most single stage collectors should use 4" pipe" ?? Looking at most single stage, like the Grizzly 2HP, the native connection is 6" with a connector that wyes out to 2 or 3 4" connections. So it seems logical that it would be best to throw away the 6" ==> 4" wye and use 6" pipe out to your tools. Can you comment on this? Am I right about this?
You say don’t reduce a 4" down to a 1.25" for a tool I’m looking at a dust collector for a CNC and was going with a shop vac – the dust shoe is for hose up to 1.75" But also have read that shop vacs should not be run for hours at a time. CNC machines can operate for hours at a time. What is your opinion on hours of use of a shop vac. Dust collectors are recommended, but would be reduced to 1.75" hose. Thinking of a portable small 1 hp dust collector with a cannister. Would a dust extractor machine be better suited to CNC continuous runs?
You can go all the way into Bernoullis law and Venturi effect etc. That’s what real professionals do when they design a setup for a given workshop.
However, keep one single thing in mind and you’ll be good: Put as few restrictions in place as possible. Everything you do to guide the airstream will have a negative effect on the overall performance, that’s a simple law of physics.
Stumpy did a very good job of explaining what and what not to do…good video!
My most efficient dust collector is my refrigerator , @ the compressor.
IMPORTANT: In the video I show an image of a workshop with an excessively long length of flex hose. I found the image on Google and thought it was a humorous example of a big piece of hose. I neglected to provide context for the image. The gentleman in the photo was attaching that hose to a much more powerful system than is found in most small workshops. He could afford to lose some airflow from the long flex hose, and it works well for him. By not providing that context I made it appear that HE was making a mistake rather than my intended point, which is that most OTHER folks should not do that with their single-stage systems. I am sorry I didn’t make that clear, which is why I have removed the image from the video thumbnail and I am pinning this comment to the top so everyone can see it.
Simple question: You say to use minimal connectors but also avoid sharp angles. Would you rather use (2) 45 degree or (4) 22.5 degree elbows? Awesome video. Trying to create a system for my compound miter saw and possibly a table saw, using a 650 cfm radon fan. Not sure it will work, but I might not cut any wood for 3-4 months at a time, so I just need some help with the overall dust in the room for the rare project I take on. Thanks!
Good info brother
Riddle me this: EVERY tool in my shop is a 2 1/2 inch port or less (my entire shop is less than 150 sq ft!), yet the dust collector (grizzly shop fox) has two four inch ports….what choice do I have but to convert the pipe down to accommodate the port holes in the machines?! And, working in such a small space I don’t have the luxury of running 4" duct work. Would love you and your nubs to weigh in. THANKS.
Interesting indeed. I have a small cyclone device using a shop vac. Seems to work well, but I have a high pitch screaming sound that comes from the system. I wear hearing protection but would hate to be our neighbors. Not sure whether it is the length of vacuum hose or just a fitting causing it. If anyone know what I should look at, please let me know.
11:38 Magnets will only attract objects that have iron in them. Contrary to what you may see in movies and on TV magnets do not attract ALL metal objects, they must have iron in them, such as alloys of steel. A copper or titanium screw or bolt is going to fly right past your magnet.
Pipeline engineer here… Every 90 degree turn is 10% restriction. Every 15 foot of pipe is equal to 10% restriction. Love your videos.
Water-based dust collector is the most effective.
Fantastic video, thank you. For our small hobbyist shop, the ducts are overkill. I’ll use a shop vac on small tools like you recommended. But what would you recommend for a table saw? You said the one-stage dust collector won’t filter out harmful small particulates, and the shop vac is too weak for a table saw. What is the best solution if you want something just for a table saw? Thank you.
Great advice. Thank you for sharing your knowledge
I hooked a 55 gal garbage can before thr fust mavhine it collected sll the big stuff
What if I have 660 CFM single stage w 4 inch inlet but have 4 tools w 2 inch port and 2 tools w 4 inch port? Should I run 2 in or 4 in main line
thank you!
What about static electrical fields in the process of removing dust particles?
“Separator” not “Seperator”
Excellent Video!!!
thanks for that video ,very usefull
Goodvid , im designing my system at the moment but i have 20 yrs of vacuum sales for electrolux behind me so have some good knowledge on the design ..
And YES I subscribed.
Great video end to end. Thank you!!!
My cyclone start to whistle, loud, when I turn the vacuum on, anyone her how to stop the whistling?
How about a shop vac that does not sound like a jet in full afterburner? I have to wear earplugs to use mine. They all sound that way.
Hi. I live in a very dry environment. Are there tricks to reduce static within your system? Such as a grounding wire through the hoses and pipes?
This, is excellent information, I really appreciate it. I really helped me establish a starting point as I now know, what I didn’t know; that I didn’t know.
Gee, some how I feel like a real dummy I am really confused now. My little 312 sq. ft. shop is really to small for a dust collection system but I hate dragging my shop vac system around and now that I have added a jointer and a wood storage unit into my shop the area for moving my compress cart around is very limited and it blocks access to the other areas in my shop. I only have 3 machine with vac connections 2 1/2” and one with a 4” connection. But what you are saying makes sense as I have witness that my vacuum works much better for items like a sander but not so much for my table saw or thickness planner. Thanks again for your help.
I open other blast gates when I’m using a tool with 2 inch or smaller dust port. It seems to work very well.
Wow this is great information. I currently have a small shopvac with (obviously) is not enough. I’ve been shopping at local woodworking specialty stores but they will only sell you want you want to pay. Finally, I was looking on Facebook/Marketplace and found a system, but it obviously will not meet my needs. I’ll be purchasing a new machine with a canister filter. For my shop this seems to be the best option. Thanks.
Thank you for the bird seed you have helped me more than you will ever know
You need more planars
GO REDWINGS
So it’s only worth it with a shopvac for small hand tools and big dollor high end vacs for anything else.
Looks like I’m stuck with a shopvac and my weed blower for my garage shop.
Stumpy, I would like to commend you on your awesome videos regarding woodworking. My shop is just starting out in my garage and I have been doing plenty of home remodeling jobs through the years but I wanted to branch out in the other direction of making things with my tools. I have a pretty decent Rigid table saw that Ive had for many many years.(Would love to upgrade to a saw stop table saw someday! That’s why I loved your video on which tool to buy first. Planer or Jointer or drum sander. This was excellent because my initial thought was to run out and buy a planer thinking this would make all of the sides of the wood flat and squared. Then I realized a jointer would do that but only on 2 sides of the stock, so I was going to get that, but realized that they work in conjunction with each other like your video showed. So for what I plan on doing for now, I think a planer with a sled and wedges should be well enough for me. The drum sander can also wait.
I love working with wood but like anyone I hate dust. So I went on to another one of your videos about dust collection systems. I wanted several runs of duct work just like you had mentioned you wanted and I almost made the mistake of running out and buying all the duct work first before I chose which collection system I was going to use. This would have cost me a lot of wasted money not to mention the issues of the reinforced tubing that would slow the air flow down. Without your videos I would have made some costly mistakes and I thank you for preventing me from doing that. After you excellent explanation I realized this was not the way to go. So I went back to my original thinking of having each machine that I could be mobil and also the single stage dust collection bag(Jet) I believe it was. I also saw another dust collection system that was more of a permanent mount system and it had a pleated drum with a handle on top that you could hand rotate which would free the dust and chips from the pleats I’m assuming before moving on to the dust bag. I have seen it at Rockler woodworking stores. The nice gentleman that worked there also showed me a more permeant dust filtration system that he had installed in his shop, that (once again like your video showed) removes all the fine particles that are pumped into the air from the dust collection bag and filtration.
So I guess this will be a learning process for me. But I would love to thank you personally for taking the time to make these clear and precise videos to help others along. I liked and subscribed to your channel a few days ago but I said to myself today I should comment also. Sorry for the long winded reply but I’m sure I’ll have many other question for you. I look forward to going back and watching some of your earlier videos and taking some notes. Thanks again it’s much appreciated. Derek Geary
Seems easier to just own 2 or 3 single stage dust collectors on wheels.
I’ll add a tip… if you have shop in your house, usually located in the basement like I do, make sure your house HVAC cold air return ducts are well sealed if they pass through the shop space. Last thing you want is the shop dust getting pulled into the HVAC system when running and distributed throughout the house. Minimally, you don’t want your expensive HVAC MERV 12 or 13 filters getting constantly clogged up!
When builders put up a house, they typically do not do a very good job sealing the HVAC system, or at least not to any decent level. I spent plenty of time going through my cold air returns and sealing up the openings with metal duct tape… every joint/connection I could get to (be it metal to metal or metal to wood). The dedicated cold air return registers in my shop have replaceable filters to help keep junk from being pulled into the system and I check/clean them often.
Thanks Again for sharing your journey. The knowledge you have gathered and shared from you experiences will save a great many people many years, dollars, frustration, and disappointment. Very well Done !
ehaust the dust outside of the shop into a small building for dust free air in the shop.
Very informative video! You mentioned the possibility of fires from metal sparks created by the metal fan when screws or nails get sucked up. What about the problem with static electricity from inadequately grounded tubing? Thanks, jim
Thanks for the great advice
4", 6", whatever; it’s not the size of the duck, it’s how you quack it
My 2.5 inch shop vac system worked great…. Till I got a planner and joiner lol