The general rule is whatever size you think you will need, buy one or two sizes larger. Even if an adequate system works well they become less efficient as the dust bags fill. The other critical item is the diameter of the vacuum line. It is more important to have a large CFM volume then ultra high VPSI. These systems work by moving mass amounts of air at once but don't necessarily require a large amount of negative pressure to do it. It is therefore critical that no matter how large a dust collector you use, the feed line must be large enough not to loose CFM power in the transfer. If the machine has a 6" inlet you need to run 6" all the way to the machine. Then you can reduce it to 4" at the machine itself. I have a large dual chamber Powermatic system. It uses a 230 volt 5 hp motor. It has an 8" inlet but came with a 6" adapter to mount directly on the machine which is what I used. To reduce noise and get the collector out of my way I built a shed outside my shop and housed it in there. I only need to flip a switch in the shop to turn it on. The important part is that I ran 6" solid overhead spiral metal duct work from the collector to the shop machines without reducing the size. At each machine I installed a blast gate to shut off the flow to any machine not being used. The machines are as follows: 5' x 6" planner, 20" throat commercial band saw, 12" disk - 6" belt combination sander, large cabinet saw, and a commercial 16" stationary planer. The planer is by far the biggest hog when it comes to dust collecting. The system works well and I have had no problems with clogs. Using 6" spiral steel duct work is very expensive, particularly after adding the various "T", "Y", and "elbow" fittings, but it makes a very professional set up with the least amount of problems once its up and running. I might also add that I sealed the shed for air-tightness and then included an 8" return duct back to the shop. This prevents a negative pressure in the shop when it's running and also doesn't suck my expensive air conditioning outside. After the cost of the machine, building the shed, electrical, ductwork, flexible hose, and all associated hardware, I bet I've got close to $5,000 wrapped up in the system. Rob Goodale, RPT Las Vegas, NV -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20070915/3cb26f4e/attachment.html
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