Replies

1. 
   Cincinnati | Jun 02, 2009 08:24am | #1

   Yes. But You need to talk with the DC manufacturer about system design. The important factor is keeping the particules fluidized in an air stream. Particle size, air flow velocity, and system geometry come into play.

   Greg

   •••••••

   Exo 35:30-35

2. 
   Don01 | Jun 02, 2009 04:00pm | #2

   Cincinnati is right. You can locate the machinery where ever you want just be sure you have the required access for any maintenance activities.
   Just be sure your blower and ducting are correctly sized for optimal performance.
   Bill Pentz has a static calculator on his website that helps you understand the impact of diameter, distance and bends.
   http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm

   Don

3. 
   saschafer | Jun 02, 2009 04:36pm | #3

   Dust does want to fall, but slowly. The smaller the particles, the easier it is to counteract the force of gravity with airflow. So don't sweat it--your vertical pipe run might have some trouble lifting a sizeable chunk of lignum vitae, but that's about it. As Don01 mentions, limiting the length of piping and the number of bends is of much greater importance.

   -Steve

    

4. 
   saschafer | Jun 02, 2009 04:59pm | #4

   I just did some back-of-the-envelope calculations: Assuming a pretty sizeable chunk of wood (a 1" cube of oak) and typical dust collection configuration (6" diameter duct, 800 cfm air flow), the system would have no trouble keeping the chunk moving in a vertical pipe, but it might have some difficulty getting it going from a dead stop (picking it up straight off the floor, for example).

   You can help out the DC by ensuring that the entrance airflow to the system is approximately horizontal, before transitioning to vertical.

   I should add that all of this pertains only to lifting big chunks--any decent DC setup will easily handle the smaller stuff, regardless of pipe orientation.

   -Steve

    

5. 
   sapwood | Jun 02, 2009 07:41pm | #5

   Consider that many large commercial shops have their ducts overhead near the ceiling and that their ceilings are perhaps 14 to 20 feet high. Your attic space is probably above an 8 foot ceiling. Even with joist thickness, etc. the height isn't nearly what is commonly installed. Granted the large shops probably have larger suckers than you do, but nevertheless, the task can be easily accomplished. Simply size the components accordingly.

   But I simply must ask.... won't emptying the attic dust container be rather difficult? To make an onerous task even worse is a bit masochistic I think. Mine is at floor level and still it goes to overflow conditions before I can face it.

1. 
   Dave45 | Jun 03, 2009 12:30am | #6

   Emptying the bag was my question, too. My Jet 1100 with the pleated filter sits in the shop and emptying the bag and cleaning the filter create quite a mess. I wouldn't want to even think about trying that in an attic.Then, there is the question of how you would know when the bag needs emptying. I can see mine and still let it overfill far too often. - lol

1. 
   sapwood | Jun 03, 2009 02:45am | #7

   I've got old technology... the fines collect in three 12' long tubes that hang from a plenum. There are five gallon buckets on the bottom end. The theory goes that I can easily disconnect the buckets and cleanly dump them outdoors. Well, I've been known to let the dust accumulate up to three feet deep above the buckets. You can imagine the mess to empty then!

1. 
   Dave45 | Jun 03, 2009 03:18am | #9

   That sounds like a real mess!!! - lolMy personal best was early this year when I lost whatever was left of my (alleged) mind, and let the dust accumulate about 10" - 12" up into the cannister. I couldn't even turn the cleaning paddles, and when I removed the cannister, the dust went EVERYWHERE!!!

1. 
   sapwood | Jun 03, 2009 05:04am | #10

   You win. And I'm not gonna try to take the laurel wreath away from you.

2. 
   Dave45 | Jun 03, 2009 07:14am | #11

   Naw, I figured that you had that one. Either way, neither of us had to deal with those messes in an attic. - lol

3. 
   JohnWayne | Jun 03, 2009 10:23am | #12

   Hey, my thanks to all you pros out there. I have a much more vivid picture of what I'm doing now. It seem to come down to trading the benefit of having my DC out of the way and somewhat insulated (sound wise) from the shop VS the hassle of cleaning dust in a cramped area. Thanks again.

   Edited 6/3/2009 3:24 am ET by JohnWayne

4. 
   Dave45 | Jun 03, 2009 04:06pm | #13

   I (for one) have a real love-hate thing going on with my DC system. I can't imagine working without one even though mine only captures 80%-90% of the dust, chips, shavings, etc that I create. My system even has a couple of 4" gated ports where I can hook up my shop vac hoses to clean up the stuff that gets left behind - sorta like a home central vacuum system but bigger. - lolEvery time I empty the thing, I'm thrilled that I didn't have to sweep all that cr@p up - or drag out the shop vac to get it.The downside, of course, is the noise. You have to know when to empty the bag, and (for me, anyway) that means being able to see it. Seeing it, of course, means that you pretty much gotta listen to it. - lolAnother bit of advice in your planning effort is to make sure that there's enough room around yours to empty it and clean up the inevitable spills you'll have. It's tempting to tuck it into an out of the way corner, but that will have a price too.

6. 
   oldusty | Jun 03, 2009 03:03am | #8

      JW,

             The size and capacity unit you use will dictate the parameters to follow for the most part .

            I can think of little advantage running the pipes and collector into the attic , I am under the impression the most efficient means is to have the intakes as close to level as the collector sits as opposed to lifting or dropping .

        One plenum I made is on the wall just above table height with multiple blast gates along the length and on each end .

              regards         dusty