Elevated Dust Collection

[RonB]

Like many of you I lack space. Most of my shop is in the 3rd bay of a three-car garage and many tools are on wheels. I would like to install a fairly robust dust collection system but floor space pretty much rules out conventional placement.

One thing I do have is ample overhead space - my garage has an 11' ceiling. I have considered a shelf or rack of some type that would put the base of a collector about 4-5 feet above the floor and nestled behind other floor equipment. It might have to be emptied or serviced from a ladder.

Has anyone tried this? Are there any issues with debris lift to this height? I have not made a selection but the machine would probably be a

1,200 - 1,500 CFM machine similar to the Grizzly G1029 or a similar Jet machine. The Griz hast the collector inlet very close to the base. The system would serve some or many of:

Cabinet Saw Band Saw Stationary Belt/Disk Sander Oscillating Spindle Sander Drill Press Floor sweep chute that would be installed beneath or near the lathe Jointer. Scroll Saw

Thanks in advance. RonB

[tom]

I'm using a Jet 1100 fed with overhead 4 inch lines from a tablesaw, bandsaw, router table, drill press, jointer, planer and CMS. These all climb over 10 feet to the main duct line. The only debris lift issue is with the tablesaw, due to it's openness. So just where the tablesaw ductwork starts to head up to the rafters, I've placed a Y fitting with a blast gate. Every now and then, I'll pop it open, and whatever hasn't made the climb falls out. Sometimes I'll hear a chunk of debris dancing in the vertical, and just opening the gate sends it up and away to the separator. Good idea about the floor sweep near the lathe...Tom

[aswr]

My friend Jim Crosby has four collectors built up and it works great and saves him alot of room. He has a roll around ladder that he uses to empty the bags.

Mike

[SonomaProducts.com]

I think a less than commercial machine might have trouble lifting after a long run. Not an expert though. The reason I responded was to ask if you have considered placing it outside. A small shed next to a location where you have a floor vent or cut a small pass through...

[Duane Bozarth]

...

...

Don't think there would be too much of a collection issue w/ 4" mains although I'd recommend blast gate at major vertical lift locations for ease "just in case".

I'd think the servicing would develop into a real pita after a while, however. I know the older I get the less easy (and especially more aggravating) dealing w/ such (formerly simple and routine) chores becomes... :(

Don't suppose there's any chance of a small lean-to outside or stealing from a corner of a utility room or some such to put the collector outside the actual shop area? Could also have the advantage of taking that noise out of the shop...

[Patriarch]

"RonB" wrote in news:xBJKe.6196$Pl1.5659@okepread02:

A cyclone is usually mounted up high, and the solids dropped into a tube, connected to a large can. (Well, OK. There is one fellow, who does really nice work, where the cyclone is outside, and the solids drop directly onto the ground.) My neighbor has his Oneida at about 10', and vents the exhaust out through a ceiling plate level vent, with no ill effect, but there is still the barrel to deal with.

Without using a chip collector, I wouldn't want to have to muscle a full bag down from a shelf with any degree of regularity. And using a collector, I empty the bottom bag of mine about every 90 days, even though it usually doesn't need it. It sorta hides in a corner behind the wood rack, in spider territory.

Patriarch

[Unquestionably Confused]

on 8/11/2005 11:15 AM Patriarch said the following:

Am I misreading this or did you mean that the collector has a bottom openening that dumps the waste to the ground? I'm trying to figure out how you would maintain a vacuum with that large (essentially no enclosure) on the bottom of the cyclone. Gotta be a sealed hopper affair that dumps to ground, right?

For sure. Those waste bags on the 1100-1500 CFM units are what? 30 gallon? Not something most of us want to wrestle with on a ladder - even a short one

[RonB]

Outside probably isn't an option for me - The homeowner's association would probably go ballistic.

Hmmmmmm!

Thanks RonB

[Patrick Conroy]

"RonB" wrote in news:xBJKe.6196$Pl1.5659@okepread02:

Ron - we're must be in the same neighborhood. I'm also in a tight 3rd bay but have a very high ceiling. I've been thinking about the same thing. I also can't plumb outside, since my 3rd bay is at the front of the house.

I already have a small DC plumbed for some short runs, with a 90* turn. I think it would do OK elevated -- especially if I find a spot that would shorten the run. I think a G1029Z or similar would be fine!

I'd *def* do a cyclone lid/chip collector like:

leave this at floor level, or obtainable. This would be much less DC bag emptying meaning you could put that in a less accessible place.

[bridger]

not on the big commercial cyclones. they have neutral air pressure at the cyclone outlet.

[RonB]

Yeah - The separate cyclone or chip collector can approach crossed my mind. I have read about some large shop DC systems that have very large systems mounted high - even on a second story. However the debris drops from the cyclone, or similar system, to a first floor, or external hopper that provides easy access. Seem like this can be scaled down.

Ron

[Pounds on Wood]

Yep, like this:

********Bill Pounds

[mac davis]

I'm thinking of doing just that... If you see any "holes" in the plan below, comments appreciated...

The plan, when I can get the shop/garage clean enough, is to put the DC outside in a 3 sided box with foam and fan... (it would be about 10' from a neighbors window)

Best idea we've had so far is to run pipe through a hollow core door that we never open and have the cyclone (55 gal. drum) inside the shop for easy emptying, and running pipes just above bench level in 2 directions, since the door is in a corner....

I'm thinking of that height because it would be just about where the top of the incoming hose is now on the cyclone... it's only a HF 2 hp DC, but it seems to work very well for my needs/budget...

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[mac davis]

Duane... you've got me thinking now, as I'm about as lazy as I can get...

I use a fiber/cardboard 50 gal. drum for the cyclone.. if I had to elevate it, I think I'd make some sort of port on the side of the barrel, near the bottom, to dump the cyclone contents into a rolling hopper or something...

"There is a fine line between being lazy and efficient"

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Patriarch]

"Pounds on Wood" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

How's that setup working out for you, Bill?

Patriarch

[Pounds on Wood]

The cyclone is better than I could have expected. If it's not getting 100% (can't be of course) then it's real close. BTW, lifting the air stream to

8' ceiling height has not been any problem. All of my drops are from overhead.

--

******** Bill Pounds

[Patriarch]

"Pounds on Wood" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Can't tell from the picture, but the outlet side of the cyclone can is still connected to a 'normal' DC inside your shop, right? So the exhaust air is filtered and recycled back to the workspace.

My air duct is up high, too, but that's after the trash can cyclone...

Patriarch

[Jim Behning]

A late response. I get shavings for my horses from a shop that has 2 big collectors. I have not looked up in a while but one had a 4 bladed shaft with rubber flappers at the bottom of the cyclone. It would rotate slowly. 2 of the flappers would always be making a seal. The debri would fall out out of the flappers as they rotated past the bottom.

Jim B.