# Dust Collector



## 3192 (Dec 30, 2004)

I just pulled the trigger on a new 15" planer and dust collector. This is going to 'expand' the capabilities of the little shop. Is any of the group using PVC pipe with their DC system? There is quite a little controversy on PVC and static charge on the 'net. The more I read....the less problem there is. The DC will pull from the bandsaw, sander, planer (when used) and I'm thinking some sort of dust catcher for the lathe. I just want a clean garage like Trod's! Thanks for any input. jim


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## trodery (Sep 13, 2006)

WOW JIM! Are you trying to impress me 

I think you would benefit quite a bit with a dust collection system.


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## bill (May 21, 2004)

Mythbusters did a show on static charge. They filled a pvc pipe with gas fumes then tried to get a spark...they could not do it..even with some of their wild builds. They also tried to get a cell phone to cause an explosion, no luck.

But to be safe, I would ground it for sure


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

Jim...pretty sure you've seen my system, but I just use the four inch flex tubing to all the machinery..Pretty easy to configure and gives a lot of 'wiggle room'.(which I NEED.lol).. Can't believe you aint got one.. The noise will drive you nuts for a while, but you gradually get used to it.. For the lathe, find one of the lathe dust hoods to hook it up to. Mine is a small one just for the mini pens, etc..but think I've seen larger ones on the 'net..and , God knows you're gonna need a BIG one..lol..Even my little one will suck up my dog if she gets too close....

Can't believe I've got the nerve to be suggesting anything to YOU. lol...

and...TROD..don't worry...aint nobody on here gonna even approach that 'sterile room' you call a woodshop...LMBO.....


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## bill (May 21, 2004)

*Static Cannon*

Myth statement Status Notes A construction worker accidentally killed himself with static charge after sandblasting an 8" PVC pipe. Busted No static charge built up on the pipe in initial testing. Even after they were converted into a Van de Graaff generator and a Leyden jar, the amount of static electricity produced was too small to actually kill a person. The original circumstances of the myth preclude any significant static buildup-resting the pipe on metal jack stands allows the pipe to discharge to the ground while sand in the air from the sandblasting can dissipate static charge the same way humidity can. (It should be noted that at the time the mythbusters believed that a current of 60mA was the lethal amount rather than the actual 6mA therefore the discharge from the cannon after painting the pipe with metallic paint (20mA) would have in fact been enough to kill.)


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## Brew (May 21, 2004)

Jim,
My shop has been plumbed with about 100' of pvc for about 14 years with no problems. I do have wire riveted along the pipes but it isn't hooked up to the tools or the DC.

Jeff


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## GameThumper (Mar 28, 2008)

Oh yeah.... only took one time to go for a couple fishing rods and find
that I had new reel covers on them all... yep, wood dust.

Once you've had collection, you can never go back.


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## dicklaxt (Jun 2, 2005)

Teminology is the problem folks get into arguing about wires on PVC pipe, note: I did not say a grounding wire.

1st off, you can't ground a PVC pipe, it is a non conductor of electricity and a ground wire is used for an electrical fault which is not present either,however, you do/can have a static charge that can build up on the surface of a PVC pipe under certain conditions which I won't go into. This charge can be drained off with the use of a wire wrapped around and run on the surface of the PVC and then tieing it to a grounded device,waterpipe,ground rod etc. It is tecnically called a drain wire and not a ground wire.

These surface charges of static electricity can give you a pretty good zap but I have never heard of it being enough in a home shop to do any damage except maybe to the family jewels if they actually act as the discharge point when you inadvetently lean against a grounded structure say yor table saw or other electrical equipment and it can produce a static arc to ground that has bulit up on your shoes thru motion.The equipment has grounded conductor that runs with the hot and neutral conductors and is terminated to ground at the motor junction box. This wire is not a ground wire either but is a grounded conductor(not a grounding conductor)for a circuit ground fault used to trip the breaker in the fastest way possible.It is however at ground potential. 

A further explanation of static electricity is you walking across a wool carpet on a non humid day dragging you feet and then reach out to a grounded device, ZAP!!!! you just got hit with Static Electricity Discharge.

There have been cases of static discharge violent enough to cause an explosion of dust but every thing has to be just right and it is very rare.This usually occurs in the dust of grains(oats ,wheat,alfalfa chaff, etc) and rarely in wood dust.

I personally would not worry about it and never did when I was an active wood shop worker.Hope this helps.

In regards to a dust collector it is what it is a dust collector and not a collector of all wood debri. It will pull it in but you have to help it some. I had a 2 horsepower system and 6" PVC pipe( you really need to have everything matched up,CFM required,Horsepower,size and length of run of ducts etc ) with the blast gates that could be shut in to isolate an individual piece of equipment and it did a bit better but it only carried away of say 75% of the dust and very little of the big stuff,remember to be most efficient you need to exhaust outside of your shop and make sure you have a good supply of make up air. Its kinda like an Air Conditioner intake and return must be present to work properly.

dick


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## GameThumper (Mar 28, 2008)

GalvBay, just do it... you know what a helpful little guy I am. I'll call Karen
and have her sew you a grounding tail that you can wear while your in the shop. It will just drag behind you everywhere you go. :walkingsm

Can't wait to see you in HEB while having forgot about the new tail.:rotfl:


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## biggreen (Feb 23, 2005)

Don't know about the grounding, never really thought about it. I don't have any PVC, I caught the clear flex hoses on sale and bought a bunch of them. If that thing is like mine joiner, it won't work without the DC. It gets clogged up quick. I have a smaller DC dedicated to the joiner with one gate to a vacuum hose for general shop clean up. Then I have a large DC hooked up to most everything else. It does wonders with the bandsaw and stationary sanders. I'm probably going to pick up a third high volume system for the random orbit sander someday. What model DC and planer did you get?
later, biggreen


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## 3192 (Dec 30, 2004)

Thanks for the comments and replies. I finally narrowed it down to the Grizzly15"....it had some good reviews and was within the budget. I also went with the Grizzly 2hp DC unit. It should be able to pull the planer and I can block off for the BS and sander plus sanding on the lathe. I'm hoping the end result will be a cleaner shop and lungs. gb


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## Brew (May 21, 2004)

I have the Grizz 2hp G1029Z DC and love it Jim. I run it through a garbage can with a separator top to keep the big stuff from going through the impeller and to limit how often I have to empty the bag. Well worth the price.

Jeff


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## 3192 (Dec 30, 2004)

Brew....that separator comes with this machine (back ordered of course). I'm hoping it will pick up the big stuff from the planer/joint and floor sweep. Are you running 4" line or 6"? I'm not sure where to locate 6" thin wall pvc...suggestions?? All of this should be in by mid to late next week. gb


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## Brew (May 21, 2004)

Jim,

The main trunk from my DC is 4" sewer line. All the branches are 3". I have 10 branches & 13 blast gates as I have Y's at 3 stations (router table, chop/radial arm & jointer/floor sweep).

Jeff


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## dicklaxt (Jun 2, 2005)

GB,when I built my system I had a mentor in Califria I could lean on and he said if you don't do it right it won't work right. I'm sure you knw all this from your shop days before retirement. Here's a link to some good info.

http://www.airhand.com/designing.asp

Oh BTW I got my 6" Pipe ,Sewer&Drain PVC,from a local plumbing shop.

dick


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