Dust collection/exhaust ideas needed:

[P. McKinley]

Any HVAC folks out there? I need advice on the system components - blowers/fans, cfm needs, ducting, and such for the dust collection/ventilation system. I'm finishing up the reno to my small basement shop that has gained me an additional 25% floor space and I want to use the opportunity to install a proper system. I have two 4" holes through the concrete foundation wall(covered with pink foam) above the grinder that I would like to use(somehow) to get the dust from the grinder and buffer OUT OF THE HOUSE.

I would hope to build something along the lines as Rick Marchand did here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-made-a-dust-evacuation-system-for-my-grinder, or at least accomplish the same goal.
The different grinders (Rick's vs. mine), I think, may add some complexity.

I'm hoping to have this project completed and the shop ready to rock after I return from our upcoming long weekend. The electrician comes in a couple of days to add a breaker, some wiring, a few outlets and a couple of lights.

Thank you,
-Peter

 

[Kosa_PL]

Try metal version of Dusty Deputy + good vacuum with HEPA / Water Filter
And maybe for whole workshop a JET AFS-1000B

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Peter, shop upgrades are always fun. :thumbup:
Build a shelf so that your blower plugs directly into the wall, much more efficient that way. The 1HP blower I bought has a 4” outlet. It also has a 4” intake but I built a new intake cover to accommodate 5” tubing. It was the General brand you can find here in Canada.
Gates at the different stations will let you get the full vacuum effect. Let me tell you, with a 1HP blower, it'll suck the belts right out of your hands. Ask me how I know.
Other than that, just use smooth walled tubing as much as you can and try using the shallowest angles possible for the bends.
Oh and I would put a small gate you can open and close on the second opening so that you can have some air coming in the shop when using the blower. If not, it'll suck air from the house. Not that big of a deal but it could make your house a little colder in the winter or if you have a fireplace like me, just suck the smoke right back in. Doesn't sit well with the better half. And that is with a pretty hermetic (or so I thought) door separating the house from the shop.
You could also duct your outside air intake closer to your bench so that way it would not get the whole shop cold in the winter months.
Just a few ideas. Looking forward to your progress.

 

[Rick Marchand]

Hey Peter... nice reno!

Get the outside air intake as close to the work station as possible but make sure that the in and out are on opposite sides of where the dust is being generated.(if that makes sense) The air inlet will blow in almost as hard as it is being pulled out, so don't have it directly pointed at your face... lol ... ask me how I know. Knowing you well enough, now, I can guess that you have spent time in a tipi with a liner?... same concept(semi-closed air circuit), different application. Here is a pic of my next upgrade... I'm sure you can find a way to adapt and improve upon it, bud.

As an experiment... I ground without a mask the other day.... no black boogers! I'll still wear it, though.

 

[P. McKinley]

Thanks guys.

Patrice - At the moment I think 1 hp is a bit overkill for my needs and space, but that's a good idea of how I would arrange the system

Rick, THAT'S the sticking point. I'm having a hard time visualizing just how/where the inflow would be connected. Similar to your current system, I could drill a 1 3/4" port through the top of the grinder housing and direct the flow in that manner.....???..... maybe.....???

-Peter

 

[Rick Marchand]

Peter,
You aren't as concerned about the heavy dust that falls into the bucket and onto the floor(as long as you don't track it through the house, obviously). It's the fine stuff that hangs in the air. That stuff fills your shroud and gets thrown back out with the flow of the belt(you don't see it, but you smell it). I think you have it right, in your thinking.

If there is a way to put the exhaust on the top of the shroud toward the rear and an outside intake up from the bottom and few inches in from the front edge of the table, I think it will work. Try to direct the intake toward the back if you can. That would mean cutting holes in your nice grinding shroud. The alternative would be to remove the factory shroud and fabricate a new one with sheet metal(or a wooden one with a metal duct liner, like mine.) If that is even possible with the Wilton. It looks as though the shroud is integral to the mechanics of the thing.