Hello, has anyone here created a dust system in their shed/workshop?
I’ve purchased a cyclone system but am having great difficulty in sourcing ducting, suggestions are sewage pipe, 150mm but getting connectors is difficult:
Anybody have any ideas? or leads for suppliers?
Metal is available but cost is very high…plastic is easier to work with, but needs anti-static.
Thanks
Barry
Barry, when I was doing some stuff for the company, a couple of years ago I did a four part series on ‘The Knowledge’ dealing with this very issue. I also adopted a cyclonic system with the appropriate Ax fittings and fixtures to build a complete dx system. If you punch ‘dust extraction’ into the search box, the series is highlighted and part 4 shows my eventual system; part 1 shown in the linkie here: https://knowledge.axminster.co.uk/dust-extraction-basics-part-1/
In my view, this is one of the most complex areas in woodworking to get your head round and I profess no special expertise apart from that gathered by extensive reading and pestering a few knowledgable Ax staff.
Cheers ‘Woodbloke’; I wanted to try to keep the pipework to 150 for the main runs, as my JET cyclone will accept it: but although most posts on-line appear to agree, most are from the USA, and as we know cheaper and easier to come by there!
I’m now contemplating using underground ‘sewer’ pipe at 110mm for which 45 take off’s are available.
I’ll then cobble together parts from my old system to route to each piece of kit.
I’m going to partition the workshop and put the extractor and my compressor in the partition to cut down the noise in the shop. Sooo much planning what with that and the electric supplies 
Keep us updated on progress and as a matter interest, on the continent they use 100mm pipe so if you’re contemplating taking the motor abroad in the summer…
Ok ‘anybody’; more help required:
I have lengths of 110 soil pipe, and some ‘slow 45 degree’ push-in bends and likewise some 45 degree push-fit three way junctions:
Question: How do you hold the pipe and bend to apply enough force to get a push seal? They are by necessity, very tight, well in sewage use they need to be.
Barry
If there’s a rubber seal, I’d lubricate with a good smear of Vaseline. As to holding the offending pipery, how about gripping said object horizontally between the long jaws of a B&D Workmate? You could also make four long ‘pegs’ (say 100mm long) to go into the holes along the bed of the Workmate.
Hi ‘Woodbloke’…
I was trying to attract ‘others’ to the discussions, not that your views aren’t welcome; 
Yes fitting is fairly easy, not sure yet about methods of reducing from 110 thru 100 and to presumably 65? ultimately though.
Any thoughts on circular saw collectors? mine came with no form of pickup at all, just a hole the diameter I’m unsure of, and which isn’t parallel sided either!! and again they probably aren’t ‘standard’. So connecting any hose is currently “out”.
Hi, Barry…you can also buy fairly cheap on-line 110mm pipe and fixings…there’s a place on line in Hemel Hempstead, not far from you, that is cheap…silicone lube is best for these pipes, and you can get it in a small bottle…just a bit on you finger rubbed around the rubber sealing gasket is sufficient…
You might also consider 100mm down pipes for guttering too…it’s cheap as chips…but will need a couple of self-taping screws, glueing up or taping with some self-amalgamating tape at the joints…
Generally the slower the bend in these systems the more efficient they are…(e.g. 33° bends as opposed to 45° bends)… I have a couple of dust collection ‘hoovers’… one is a Numatic…had it years…and replaced the motor unit about 5 years ago, but still works fine…I use the paper bags inside and it also has a Heppa filter…but it is quite noisy…
I also recently bought a Sheppach dust collector with 100mm hose and section of connectors…most of which fit nothing I have in the shop…!! But it’s quieter and it’s reasonably efficient on the table saw and band saw (with bodged made-up fittings)… I also recently managed to get hold of two new 40 gallon drums from a guy near me (they held paint pigment for powder coating so easily cleaned out), with metal lids and sealing rings, to empty for dust collection with a cyclone system I have not yet built…I paid £15 each for them and I can let you have his contact details if your interested… but I have a small cyclone I purchased that is currently in use, but not that efficient… (remember I collected the fan from you)… but like a lot of other things I have most of it sorted…but other ‘Honey Do’ jobs are currently taking up my time…
I also have a home made airborne dust filter, made with a centrifugal fan I bought that is used for hydroponics…it pushes through 85Cm and hour…so is fine fo4 my small shop and very quiet…I have it installed in a plywood box, and made the filters myself using foam board for the frames and paper filter bags glued over them…it works well…
I think you would be able to make-up a lot of fittings, as I have, and I have also salvaged old domestic hoover fittings (hoses and connectors etc) that can fit Tools…some with a bit of bodging… generally the longer the dust collection system the more you need to reduce the size of the pipework to keep a really good vacuum pressure within the system… gates for the various connections are easily made…(see YouTube videos) which are also a good source of info on dust collection systems as well…
Hi Stu: Yes, I remember leaving out the fan for you, sorry I couldn’t be here at the time.
I ran soil pipe (110) round the workshop to my Jet cyclone system (which I built a sub room around to dampen sound!) with Ax plastic blast gates. Currently some pipes are temporarily stoppered awaiting new kit. As I’m now contemplating a new cabinet saw. Like you (and everybody else!), with ideas from YouTube).
All the best
Barry
Hi, Barry… I guess your shop must be a bit bigger than mine them…(my shop is 3.0m X 4.8m). I just went through the process of building skates with castors for my three main space-stealers (table saw, band saw and planer)…so I can easily move then around to use the lathe and get some space to work…
I don’t have room for any segregation of dust collection equipment, it’s all under bench and sitting on the skates too…I.e. under the table saw extension table…
One thing I did was insulate well…rockwool in the walls (my shop is brick & block lower half and timber frame upper half), and 100mm Celotex inserted between the flat roof beams…so it stay reasonably cool this weather, and warm in the winter, with two small electric greenhouse heaters wall mounted…
Now I’ve retired, my Mrs wants to downsize, so I’ll be looking for a place with an existing suitable external building or double garage, or space to build a decent size shop…
As a matter of interest, the continentals use 100mm soil pipe as against our 110mm. I have a pal who brings back a few lengths of 100mm stuff each time he goes to ‘la belle France’ as apparently, it makes a rather good storage facility in the motor for a few bottles of vino collapso.
You can buy 100mm diameter plastic pipe and fittings in the UK too, as well as fittings for reducing from 100mm to 80 and down to other sizes to 40mm, and up to 110mm… all fairly reasonably priced if you hunt around a little. The only drawback being, so some say, is static being created on the inside of the pipe (by the movement of material throught the pipe)…as the pipe cannot be ground earthed - because its non-conducting…the only way to earth it would be, as seems logical, running an earth strap through the inside of the pipe…although any static created does not seem to create a problem…or i’m sure it would be widely known, and there are no reports of static discharge (or any dust explosions) i’m aware of…
Welcome to The Community Forum from Axminster Tools. We strive to be a friendly place where like minded makers and DIY'ers can exchange projects, techniques, ideas and more from the comfort of your own workshop. If you're looking to talk tools and machinery, this is the place for you...
