Dust collector

[Vanmack]

I recently purchased a 1 hp PSI dust collector (bag type.) I am running it with a 4" hose and a "Big Gulp" hood. To get it to pick up dust I pretty much have to work inside the hood (which is black.) Would it work better with a 2" hose (water flows faster through a smaller hose?)
Any ideas that might make this "system" work better? I think I could have rigged a better deal with a window a/c fan or a furnace fan...and a whole lot cheaper. Thinking about getting a window a/c with a bad compressor, rigging a plexiglass hood and adding an extra filter...I could just set this on top of my work bench. Live and learn.
Thank you for any ideas you might be willing to share.
Van

[BobBlaney]

I use a Delta DC with a 4 inch hose. I have a "big gulp" type hood mounted under my bench. When the DC is on I can power carve in the vicinity of the opening and I have to watch what I put on the table as it gets drawn into the opening. I have a hardware cloth screen over the opening.
I think a 2" will restrict the flow to the DC and cause it to not move as much air or material.

However, if you have the hood in front of you and not under then maybe it is pulling air from too wide an area. Perhaps you can add some baffles to the sides or top to help direct the airflow.
HTH

[Vanmack]

Bob,
That sounds like a plan. Do you have just one large hole in your work top or did you drill a number of say 1" holes over the area of the big gulp? Wonder what rabbit wire would do over the hole? I'm thinking it would stop tools and the like but still not cut down on the air flow.
Thanks,
Van

[Magicman]

Another thing you can try is Plastic screen like the Ladies use for sewing and making tissue boxes and such. I can't think of the type sewing this is called, the screen comes in a pack of 5 sheets about 8"x10"
Larry

[chipmunk]

in my shop i put a 6" dual squirrel cage fan in a wooden box with 6" wooden duct to my carven table that was [u] shaped at the back i had the intake to the cage fan it had a 6" open i made a sliding door to regulate the air flow and a piece of louver to keep the intake air downwards wooden duct to the outside though a stove range hood outside vent that had screen and a little door that shut when it wasn't running the cage fan was like a grinder that had the cage on the ends that i made boxs around u can do the same take a cage fan blade turn around put the motor on the outside not the inside make a bx intake 1/2 the bottom -out 1/2 of the top of the bx let the motor stay outside of the bx to stay cool bigger the betterthat worked very well for me!!! or make a bx like sand blaster w/ 2'holes on both ends and a pr. of gloves a/ plex glass window [or whole bx of plex glass] to see though that would be total dust free make shelf inside a door on the end to put stuff in use your 4" dust system that u have now ether way just ideas

[Vanmack]

Thanks for the help guys,
The plastic screen is called "plastic canvas" and comes with several sizes of mesh. I figure 5 openings per inch (the largest) would work best. Believe it or not, once I got my wife to understand what I was talking about, she remembered that she has some. When she was teaching 4th grade she used it on an overhead projector to show the principles of multiplication and division (i.e. 5 across x 6 down equals 30,) She said it worked well with the students who could count.
As soon as I can get my jigsaw from my son in law I'm going to rework the table like we've been discussing. Thanks again for the input. The only problem that I haven't been able to find an answer to on this forum is lack of talent.
Thanks again,
Van

[BobBlaney]

Originally Posted by Vanmack

Bob,
That sounds like a plan. Do you have just one large hole in your work top or did you drill a number of say 1" holes over the area of the big gulp? Wonder what rabbit wire would do over the hole? I'm thinking it would stop tools and the like but still not cut down on the air flow.
Thanks,
Van

I have a rectangular opening in the table top. It is about 4 inches x 8 inches. I put hardware cloth underneath and crossed two pieces over each other so the holes become diagonals. That makes small opening so bits and stuff do not go through but the dust and small chips do.
I think rabbit wire may be too large, even crossed.

[Robson Valley]

I'd stick with whatever diameter hose comes with the rig. Speed increases in a smaller hose but the pressure has to drop (Venturi effect) and the motor has to work far harder for the same cfm.
I had some air circulation puzzles in heating my home with a pellet stove for winter. All works well now. 6" vent pipes and 4" computer fans to help the air along.

The guy down the street must sand 1/2 mile of wood per year in his furniture building business.
He works within 2" of the open end of the pickup pipe and it sure looks 6" to me. His shop is suspiciously tool-free when he gets to that stage!

[Hugh-P]

Van, if you have used the air cleaner very much at all, it might be wise to remove the dust collector bags, and clean them. I've two air cleaners in my shop a 2 hp and 1hp, both using the 4 inch hose. They work better when the bags are clean, but even at peak performance, there just OK. But, having said that, it is the small particles of dust, that we don't really notice that the air cleaners are sucking in. If you want proof, just work with the air cleaner off for a bit. My biggest help, is a ceiling fan, it keeps the dust away from me, the big particles more or less fall to the floor, and the smaller air borne particles are picked up by the air cleaners. Hope this is some small help. Also, its a good idea even with the air cleaners, to wear a good dust mask. Better safe than sorry. Hugh