Panzer5

Any thoughts on whether I could / should put in a trash-can cyclone just before the dust collector?

(With me probably spending double what I'd planned, anything other than a trash-can cyclone is OOTQ for this year...)

Or is a 3hp sys going to be enough?

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Scott (the ex-grunt-tanker-jarhead guy)

naptown CR

Think about current needs and future needs. With what you need now perhaps just the basic unit will work if it is on wheels. just roll it to the various machines when needed. If this is in a garage and your equipment is close this approach will work but will cost you some time to wheel around. The big question is are you setting up a production shop or is this a space that will be used occasionally for the odd built in etc. The decision would be different to me depending on the use.

Leo G

I know that if you choose to use the roll and hook up system you will have a lot of dust and chips on the floor. You will get lazy. And here and there you won't hook up the vacuum to a machine and before you know it you will have chips everywhere. Believe me, I know. The best thing I ever did for chip collection is to have a built in system that was connected to all the machines all the time. And still, I don't always turn it on to do smaller cuts and very short runs. When I turn the system on it clears the machines and it was like I had used it all along. Do yourself a favor. Spend the money on a system for the future. Not for the here and now. Or you will likely be spending the money and doing the work all over again. My ductwork cost more than the machine, and I have a relatively short system.

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Measure Twice Cut Once -- It's a lot easier to cut more off then it is to cut MORON. http://lrgwood.com

Panzer5

Thanks Leo & naptown. My business is just starting out - but I'm planning for future growth. I have several projects running at any given time & a roll around unit doesn't seem like the right way for me to go - especially with my space limitations. I need a system I can tuck into a corner & forget about (i.e. its as automated as possible - so I'm probably also going to invest in remote start gates).

I really appreciate everyone's advice!

Now if I can just get these shutters made, & get paid, I can buy the DC... (cleaning up tons of cedar dust every day is cutting into production time!)

Not too excited to learn that... but thanks for the warning.

Will standard duct work - or do I need a heavier gauge?

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Scott (the ex-grunt-tanker-jarhead guy)

Railman

"Will standard duct work - or do I need a heavier gauge?[/quote]

For up to 6" lines, 26 ga will work fine. If you go bigger, I'd go with 24ga.
The problem for the light gauge ducts comes into play with large sytems. With them there's a possibilty of a duct collapsing. That's not an issue for the range of systems your looking at. Another consideration is that the lighter gauge is a tad noisier, but I doubt you'll notice the difference.

If I were you, I'd opt for the wall mount cyclone. You also need to be carefull what cfm numbers your looking at. Some sellers give blower ratings for their cfm ratings, but that's not the same as the true through the complete system rating. Systems without cyclones will also plug up the filters at least 10x faster than those with a cyclone. Cyclones take out 98% BEFORE the filter. That makes a huge difference in effective cfms.

Unless your going to run something bigger than a table saw, jointer, shaper, or edge sander, a 12" to 14" impeller 2hp system should do the trick. I suspect your only going to run one or two machines at a time, & a 2hp unit will do two 4" feeds running at a time. A 6" pipe area is equal to 3.14 x 9 = 28 sq ", & a 4" is 3.14 x 4 = 13 sq ", so it takes two 4" to equal one 6".
Joe