# Dust collection and shop layout



## tburritt

I am in the process of converting and old welders shop 36 x 40 to a woodworking shop 24 x 36 working area with a 12 x 24 able to be sealed air tight for finishing and a 12 x 36 office area and of coarse a loft on one side for material and all that misc stuff you collect and dont want to get rid of 12 x 40 aprox. The question is what is the best dust collection system to install. I dont have all the interior walls up yet & exterior walls are open 8" deep wall cavity & 8-1/2" ceiling after spray foam was installed. The whole thing is under A/C so I dont want to open the doors & windows (I live in FL) to let all the heat & humidity in. The finish area will have a seperate ventalation fan to get rid of all those good fumes that make you feel good. This is a work in progress and the foam set me back a LOT but Im doing this only once and am willing to spend what is required to have what my friends and a few manufactures I work with call the ultimate workshop they would kill for. I have a layout in mind from past shops I have toured and been past of constructing but am open to any sugestions of comments. Thanks in advance for you help & knowledge.

A little fish in a BIG pond trying to make a difference one job at a time!


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## Joe Lyddon

Welcome Aboard!

I guess there is a heaven on earth!  :thumbsup: 

Sounds like you're headed for a real Dream shop! That's good!

Hope you can keep us up to date with a few pictures...


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## tburritt

But do you have any thoughts on dust collection? Festool works great on small scall but for larger tools what would be the recomandation?


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## Joe Lyddon

Nope... at the present time, I use shop vacs, fans faced with filters, etc... Strictly low class stuff... Don't have the space or the money for more. :icon_sad: ... :smile:


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## bigredc

If you just look around at different threads there are lots of discussions on the topic. I just got this book. I figured I wanted to do it right. Check out this thread http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=2679


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## bigredc

I hear good things about these guy's. http://www.grizzly.com/products/searchresults.aspx?q=2 hp dust collector


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## raskgle

*my set up*

I use a power-matic 3 hp with 6 inch and 4 inch lines.I run 7 tools and very pleased with my setup.


bigredc said:


> I hear good things about these guy's. http://www.grizzly.com/products/searchresults.aspx?q=2 hp dust collector


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## Ken L

Considering the size of shop you are talking I would install a central system with gate valves at each piece of equipment. Probably a 2 hp motor. Of course the size depends on size of duct, length of runs etc.


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## Charles Mullins

*Online technical help on Dust Collection*

You will find the most valuable technical information on Dust Collection at http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm.

This site is full of information of use in designing a system for yourself.

Check it out.

Charlie M.


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## smitty1967

Tburritt: welcome aboard...sounds like you may be able to make some decent contributions, yourself.

As for the D/C question, I agree with bigred on this one...beg, borrow or steal that Nagyszalanczy book. Read it, and you will have a fundamental understanding. I've been through my copy twice now. 

I am in the process of constructing a 28x30 stand-alone shop on my property. I have decided to go with a 2hp Grizzly cyclone D/C. My plennum will all be PVC. Here is another can of worms that could be opened up...static electricity and fire cause and origin. As a professional fireman and having well-researched the topic of D/Cs, fires, etc...I will say that _my_ system will be PVC. Others will raise their hackels at the notion, but that's OK. Sheet metal plennum is a sound choice, as well. The Nagyszalanczy book covers the topic, ad nauseum. Bottom line is you have to make your own choice based on the facts you discover. Let no one here or anywhere else make your decision for you. 

One of the other good things about the book, and this forum (to a lesser degree) is that you'll get the basics, but you still have to do your own thinking. For instance, avoid 90's, T's and short radii elbows in designing your D/C system. Instead, use three 30's, use an in-line with 30, or use a large-radius 90 when needed...these factors reduce air flow turbulence and debris in the plennum flows easier. That's just one example, of which there are many in the book.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes. Pictures would be great, too....

smitty


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## don33butler

*I bought a Penn State Industries DC, The Tempest Cyclone model.*
*The guy on the phone was very helpful and even helped me size it for my shop. I was going to buy a bigger one, but he showed me how it would be overkill and wasted money. Here's the link:*
http://www.pennstateind.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=NODUST-HOME&Store_Code=PSI



Don


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## Leo G

I've got a 2 1/2 HP Oneida Dust Gorilla, work good for my size shop. Pulls just under 1500CFM. I run basically a 7"-6" main and 5" drops. A blast gate for each machine. The cyclone was only about half the price of the system, the rest was in the ducting.


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## dbhost

Wow, what a shop to set up! I wish I could offer you some advice and assistance, but I am struggling to figure out how to set up my own little shop with a DC system based on a shop vac and their sawdust collection system, and a box fan with some cheap 20x20 filters. Even in "dream shop" land, I am only wanting a place for me to tinker with my hobbies. I have no intention or interest in ever going pro with this... So that system / shop like the one Leo G posted, although it is seriously gorgeous, it is also overkill on a LARGE scale.


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## Leo G

Thanks DB, I use my shop to make a living. It's been a very long time since woodworking was a hobby for me. Woodworking is what makes my world go 'round. I need to have the decent equipment to make things run smooth in the shop. I've needed a dust collection system since I moved in there 4 years ago. I was using a 1 1/2 HP Penn State single stage vacuum. I had to move the hose from machine to machine. It was a pain. So much more convenient to just open a gate and hit the remote. Worth every penny. That is about a 1/4 of my shop, the machine area. The front area is for assembly and I have another bay, slightly larger for storage and my finish room. Here are some pictures of my shop if you want to drool some more. They need to be updated, no vacuum in those pictures.


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## LarrySch

Leo great shop - and it seems that you have the dust collect whipped. Your set up looks pretty good to me and tburritt - could take some great tips from your dust collection system. My shop is just a hobby shop - and although its far from yours - my little 2.5" lines are set up about the same to each machine - guess I am just on a lot smaller scale. What I like about your setup is that you have pretty much avoided the 90% bends to stop air flow and everything is in a direct path to your collection system. Great setup.


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## Leo G

You got me beat in one area. At least your shop has AC. That is on the list for things I want. But I have 31,000 cu ft in each bay because of high ceilings. It's a tough AC project. I only need to cool the lower 6' though.


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## dbhost

Woo Hoo! My little garage workshop has an advantage! (Okay it's not 100% effective, but it is getting close). I guess you probably don't want to do the mini wall / garage door closed on top of a window unit AC thing...

I am going to grab some insulation from Home Depot on the way home tonight. I have some old plain white bed sheets to roll the batts up into, and I can jam that into the gap at the top of the door. Some foam board insulation stuck on with construction adhesive on both doors, and I should be pretty good to go.


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## bugman1954

Here is a picture of my Grizz 2hp. I am operating out of my garage so space is limited. All of my tools are mobile so I have to arrange according to what operation I am doing. I kept my runs 7" until I had to reduce for manual gates. I had a two bag 2hp single stage before but the dual drum sander would plug it after about 4 passes of a panel. The Grizz is much louder than the other DC. If I was building a dream shop my dust collector would get its own soundproof room with ventilation. After using my DC for a week I still haven't seen one wood chip in the collection bag. Thats got to be good for the lungs.


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## biglou13

I just had a shop built to those dimensions last spring in my back yard. I decided to go with the Clear Vue system http://www.clearvuecyclones.com/, as they used Bill Pentz's design.

Been slow, but I'm over my small illness , and other life issues and hope to get the wiring done within the week. Insulate the ceiling and get lights installed.

This link shows some pictures of my shop and the garden shed I built, that took time away from the shop.
http://picasaweb.google.com/AspiringWoodworker/GardenShed


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## filter_n_hose_guy

Need some premium pleated filters at a great price? $80 per pair.
check out:
http://stores.ebay.com/filter-n-hose-guy

*box of 2 filters - 
Airguard Venti-Pak - Ultrafine Microglass Media - 0613100* These are 24"x24"x36" deep (41" deep to end of loops), high efficiency 10 pocket V-bag - Air Filters. These are virtually identical to those sold by Torit Donaldson, Aercology, and AER Control systems for $140 each! thats $280 worth of filters. 
They feature:


24"X 24" x 36" - (41" deep to end of loops) 10 pocket bags
Heavy Duty sewn red loop straps
126 ft2 bag surface area
a 15 MERV rating
>95% ASHRAE efficiency rating
0.3-1 microns (bacteria, most smoke, insecticide dust, most paint pigments)
 These are the same as the filters sold by Wynn Environmental.


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## Joe Lyddon

Joe Lyddon said:


> Nope... at the present time, I use shop vacs, fans faced with filters, etc... Strictly low class stuff... Don't have the space or the money for more. :icon_sad: ... :smile:


UPDATE:

I got the Dust Deputy, made by Oneida & sold by Rockler.

I made a supporting shelf around my Ridgid large shop vac...
Had some problems with hose connections (contact Oneida FIRST to find out if it will work on yours!). I bought a replacement hose from Home Depot for $20, used old vac hose to go from Vac to Dust Deputy, Oneida's short hose to the Output of the DD, and the New longer hose to the end of the short hose!

*It works GREAT!!*

*The vac is running at FULL SUCTION ALL THE TIME NOW!!*

*I LOVE IT!!*


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## Walnut-nut

*Dust collecters*

New here myself, but I have built the 5 hp 15" impeller blower housing from Bill Pentz'z web sight: and does it deliver. I live in Oklahoma and heat and humidity are constant companions but I used the blower as a dust extraction system (hard to heat in the winter) but it keeps the shop dust free. I highly recommend Bill's site and the clear view cyclone unit advertised on his sight is the only one sanctioned by Bill. But it is pretty economical and has great chops.


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