(01-23-2018, 04:14 PM)FS7 Wrote: I use metal HVAC ducting for mine. It's less than half the price of PVC. I simply use a keyed hose clamp to tighten the pieces together, ensuring proper snap fit.
Something to consider. I don't see it as being any less viable than PVC, especially considering the availability of metal ducting locally at big box stores.
I looked at 6" PVC locally and it was $7/ft. D/W pipe is $3/ft. Is that equal or less than HVAC ducting? The big box store is 2 hours away and I only go when absolutely needed.
Is the HVAC thick enough gauge to withstand the vacuum? How about ease of install with metal duct? I have limited experience with sheet metal.
(01-23-2018, 05:37 PM)photobug Wrote: I just looked up some sources 6" x 5' duct is $8.20 so about $1.60/ft. Best price by far.
The gauge on the fittings at KentCraft is 24 gauge. The HVAC gauge is only 30 gauge.
Home Depot here sells both 30 gauge and 26 gauge. The elbow fittings I believe are all heavier, but I'm not 100% sure.
I use a 1 HP system, but the 4" duct can certainly handle the vacuum. I tape each joint with HVAC tape if it's metal to metal.
For me it was simple to ensure that the longest straight runs incurred minimal loss of static pressure. Also, the smaller size made it easier to slip the flexible hose over the ends.
This is what I got so far with my dust collector. It turns out every square inch of my walls are covered in tools, cabinets or wood, but I found space for the system. My ceiling is covered in either lights, outlets garage doors or beams, so it has been a pain to come up with a plumbing route.
I found a local HVAC supplier willing to sell to me and they were able to get 26 gauge from the mother ship store. I am filling in parts with some pieces from Home Depot. I had to get a local HVAC company to make some parts for me because it was easier to have it done right and not have to drive 4 hours round trip for the last pieces I needed. I also now have an HVAC connection as the fabricator and I hit it off and he has done some crimping for me for free since then. We are also potentially going to collaborate on a project.
Here is what it looks like so far. I will either have to drive to the city or mail order some 6" flex hose to get the tools hooked up but have most of what I need to get this done. I have some plastic blast gates but will probably get some metal ones, as I have too much invested in this to not do it right.
I was going to put 3-4 screws in each joint but my metal fabricator said I probably just need to use the metal tape, or one screw and tape. Any opinions on that?
02-13-2018, 01:17 PM (This post was last modified: 02-13-2018, 01:18 PM by fredhargis.)
The foil tape is incredibly strong, and the screw will provide a failsafe...I think I'm inclined to agree with him. You're progressing quite nicely. A good place for the 6" flex is Woodworker's Supply in Casper...I mail ordered most of mine from them.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
(02-13-2018, 12:38 PM)photobug Wrote: This is what I got so far with my dust collector. It turns out every square inch of my walls are covered in tools, cabinets or wood, but I found space for the system. My ceiling is covered in either lights, outlets garage doors or beams, so it has been a pain to come up with a plumbing route.
I found a local HVAC supplier willing to sell to me and they were able to get 26 gauge from the mother ship store. I am filling in parts with some pieces from Home Depot. I had to get a local HVAC company to make some parts for me because it was easier to have it done right and not have to drive 4 hours round trip for the last pieces I needed. I also now have an HVAC connection as the fabricator and I hit it off and he has done some crimping for me for free since then. We are also potentially going to collaborate on a project.
Here is what it looks like so far. I will either have to drive to the city or mail order some 6" flex hose to get the tools hooked up but have most of what I need to get this done. I have some plastic blast gates but will probably get some metal ones, as I have too much invested in this to not do it right.
I was going to put 3-4 screws in each joint but my metal fabricator said I probably just need to use the metal tape, or one screw and tape. Any opinions on that?
I've never used screws. I use pipe hangers (J hooks) where I can and the standard plastic hole straps to secure it to the ceiling. That coupled with tape on metal-to-metal joints keeps it very solid. A lot of tool connections are just friction fit, so this isn't a problem. They just happen to seal a little better than the serrated metal connections.
The only thing that would present any concern is it the metal is particularly slick. I have no idea what it actually is, but some fittings (especially elbow fittings) seem to be slightly slick. It's possible that's how they prevent binding on the flexible (movable) elbows. In any case, I've always just wiped them down with alcohol prior to taping.
(02-13-2018, 01:20 PM)FS7 Wrote: I've never used screws.
Awesome, good to hear. I will only use screws then where the potential of dropping a part on my wife's head exists. It nearly happened twice last night when dry fitting.
Any more details on the j-hooks? I just screwed some wood into the ceiling and use metal strap to hold the pipe in place. I saw some images with the J-hooks but seems like more work.
One other issue is I was unable to find shorter sections of the 26 gauge pipe. The difference between workability of the 26 and 30 gauge is night and day. I had to use mechanical advantage just to get the 26 gauge pipe to close.
(02-13-2018, 01:32 PM)photobug Wrote: Awesome, good to hear. I will only use screws then where the potential of dropping a part on my wife's head exists. It nearly happened twice last night when dry fitting.
Any more details on the j-hooks? I just screwed some wood into the ceiling and use metal strap to hold the pipe in place. I saw some images with the J-hooks but seems like more work.
One other issue is I was unable to find shorter sections of the 26 gauge pipe. The difference between workability of the 26 and 30 gauge is night and day. I had to use mechanical advantage just to get the 26 gauge pipe to close.
I used 4" pipe, so J hooks were available at the big box stores. For 6" pipe, you'd have a little more difficulty finding hooks. They can probably be ordered. They aren't much trouble at all - I just put one nail into a joist to hang them. They're essentially weightless and under no stress so it's not a problem.
Most sections of metal pipe are nested at the store, so if you're able to get them separated and ready to assemble without slicing your hands, you're already ahead of the game. I suggested earlier using the keyed hose clamps (which should come with your flexible/collapsible hose) to close the pipe sections. I don't even try to snap them together by hand regardless of gauge. I push them together as much as I can, then use the hose clamp to close the sections. That tightens them up with equal force around the pipe so it won't crush. If nothing is deformed, the snap sections should fit together properly. I stop tightening when the gap is basically gone - that's the easiest way to tell.
My Dust Collection is totally set up as far as piping now. Because of the nature of my garage, it was a lot of work with lots of turns in a small space.
The hard part is most of my tools are not setup to be collected. My thickness planer and bandsaw worked well as soon as I plugged it in. The rest of my tools will take some effort to collect the mess they make. Here are photos of my piping system. I already had the 4" white pipe with all the bells and whistles(brackets, blastgates, junctions, etc) so I used it where I felt 6" pipe was not needed.
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Lookin good.