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Quiet vacuum system needed

Bruce Bump

Bruce Bump

Joined
Dec 2, 1999
Messages
9,910
Ive been ankle deep in black walnut dust lately and would like to hook up an vacuum system under my belt grinders. There are plenty of big bag type systems but they are loud. Does anybody know how to make a system that wont have the neighbors throwing rocks at me? I wonder if a squirrel cage will suck hard enough? Any ideas?
 
You can build a little closet with 2x4 and drywall lined with insulation to keep a standard noisy dust collector in. Of course you have to vent it sufficiently.
 
Bruce, it may not be whisper quiet but it is not enough to get the neighbors on your case.

dust_collector1.jpg


Pad
 
Thanks Pad for the great picture. I got a call from Matt Cook today and he said the squirrel cage creates a good vacuum so Im going to look for a big one and mount it outside because theres no room inside my shop. I want to make a baffle system inside a trash can to separate sparks from the wood dust somehow. Any more ideas?
 
Hi Bruce, I put my dust collector outside. Not only was it noisy, it leaked fine dust. I have a two bag dust collector from Grizzly. I use 4 inch pvc pipe with a copper wire down the middle. I cut a hole in the wall, built a small shed next to my shop and installed the dust collector. This arrangement has worked well for me. I live in the country and do not have any close neighbors, but if you don't run the collector late at night I don't think anyone should complain.
 
Jet makes a small one thats just a squirrel cage with a lower bag to catch stuff and an upper bag to act as a filter. We have two of them at the cabinet shop I work in, and they really aren't loud at all. I doubt anyone would notice them outside your shop, the tools you're running would be alot louder.
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=5118

That one is pretty much identical to what we have on the table saw and edge bander. I'm pretty sure ours are made by Jet though :confused: After awhile you forget that they're on.
 
Tom is the copper wire to stop static electricity? Is it grounded electrically?

Matt, thanks for the link. I think that is just what I need. Do you think it will lose suction if I put a 20 foot long hose on it? How long are the hoses on yours?
 
I met a guy a few years back who rigged his chairmaking shop with overhead leather belts like an old factory and powered all the equipment with an antique Ford Model B engine. (It was pretty incredible.) He used the biggest squirrel cage he could find because it generated great suction at much lower speeds than modern dust collectors. That made it easier to power it off the belts and was a whole lot quieter than the bag-type machines I've seen.
 
The table saw has about a 10 foot hose on it and will pick up just about everything as long as you don't let it get too full.
The dust collector on the edgebander actually pulls about 3 lines for a total of about 30 feet. It doesn't do quite as well, but I think that is mostly because it has to draw them overhead, and the design of the edgebander doesn't let you isolate the suction to where the chips are being made very well.
All in all I think it will pull very well as long as you limit the number of openings. I have also seen them set up with a metal trash can inline before the dust collector to seperate big chips. They make a special lid to put on that creates a cyclone in the can. Add a little water to the bottom and you probably will have the sparks taken care of. Haven't tried these out personally, but I doubt they make things much louder or hurt performance.
 
John L said:
Harbour Freight now has a 1 hspwr unit on sale from 200 to 80 bucks.
Click to expand...


They do, and that little dust collector also makes for one heck of a forge blower too! So you can use it for double duty if needed.

They also sell the two bag model which they put on sale from time to time, and with the 20% off coupons, they are really affordable.

:)

-Darren
 
Bruce
Am using a 1hp dust collector from Woodworkers Source with the bags removed and it is very quiet and really SUCKS:eek: Run it on the street side of my shop and never a problem with the neighbors.
Close off the top vent with plywood and attach an 90 deg 8" airduct to the bottom vent
Need to take a pic for you but this works really well.
Hook up to a 4" metal dryer vent hose
I have a 5gal paint bucket on the floor
On top of that I have a round SS office style trash can with the bottom cut out and resting on the bucket.
Attached the 4" vent hose with an Airduct fitting from Home Depot thru the side of the Trash can about a foot down from the top.
All the heavy stuff and most sparks stay in the trash can and land in the bucket...easy to clean.
Lighter dust gets sucked outside the shop
Going to add a "T" and a 90deg 4" pickup mounted towards the back of the belt under the grinder to catch the stuff that flies back
Confusing NAW it is simple and quiet
Pics maybe this weekend
 
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