Workshop Layout and Dust Collection Ducting Advice

[faber]

Hey all.

I would love some feedback from folks if you have any thoughts on workshop layout and dust collection ducting.

I have a 24' x 16' shed in my backyard that is set up more or less how it was when I moved the tools in about a year and change ago. I'm planning on finally getting a dust collector this summer and have decided to buy once and get the clearvue cv1800 (any thoughts on that would be appreciated as well). Thinking about ducting in the dust collector has forced my hand to think about the long(ish) term layout of the tools since re-ducting the space sounds like a terrible thing to have to do.

Main tools that need ducting:
- table saw
- miter saw
- band saw
- planer
- jointer
- sanding & drilling area
- maybe a floor sweep
(Don't currently have a router table or drum sander, but maybe at some point?)

I worked up a sketchup layout of the shop with a first pass at a layout for dust collection and tool placement. The layout in the doc is more an aspirational layout as I don't currently have the miter station, workbench, or outfeed table (that's this weekends project) yet. The miter station and workbench are not necessarily the design I will go with but wanted a placeholder for the model. The ladder goes to a loft above the space which is unfinished but may become a turning area or just additional storage in the future, but it needs to be accessible.

As for the ducting, I didn't model in the termination of the lines as I was just working on the overall branching at first before modeling in the ends. In general, they will most likely have a 6 to dual 4" split below the blast gate and both of those will be open despite most of my tools only having a single 4" port (thoughts on this approach? didn't want to starve the DC of air by putting blast gates where only a 4" port would be open).

Any feedback on tinkering with the layout, considerations on dust collection ducting for best efficiency, and any other thoughts are much appreesh.

 

[Rushton]

Faber, congratulations on your decision to move ahead with a Clear Vue CV1800. I believe you will be well pleased with its performance. Also, you may want to consider getting the optional 16" impeller for the CV1800 - it makes about a 20% increase in airflow according to Clear Vue. Talk with Cathy Currier about your situation and get her input.

The design you've laid out will certainly work. However, the advice I received from Alan Shafftner ("Alan in Little Washington") when designing the duct layout for my CV1800 was to work as hard as I could to get everything lined up along one wall and keep a straight shot of the main duct along that wall. And then to have all the equipment supported by 45 degree connections only. No 90 degree turns anywhere, including on your down drops, and not even any 45-45 turns. I've tried to follow that advice in my set up. See his reply to me and photos of his ductwork.

As Alan asked me, "is your equipment positioning absolutely necessary, or can you move your equipment?"

One other observation: It is very good that you are preserving that uninterrupted 5' straight duct to the input; do what you can to preserve that. However, you have a reverse bend in your branch line back to your drill press. It's well to avoid any reverse bend in your layout if you possibly can. Instead, consider relocating your equipment.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Good advice so far from Rush, and indirectly from Alan.

I'll share several thoughts on dust collection, some of which may or may not be feasible in your situation.

1. Placement of the cyclone: I have a 5 hp Oneida and the motor generates more heat and noise than you might realize. My first option would be to place it outside the shop in a small, enclosed room.

2. Emptying the barrel: Depending on the size barrel you get (typically 55 or 30 gl.) you will need to empty it frequently, especially when using the planer. Having it in an outside room will make it easier to do. If an outside room is not an option, consider moving the entire unit to the front of the shop. Same side wall, but front instead of back of shop. That puts you closer to an exit door so you won't have to maneuver the barrel through the entire shop every time you need to empty it. Same thing when you have to clean the filter.

3. Direct venting vs. barrel: Consider bypassing the barrel all together and blowing the sawdust directly outside. Depending on your setting, this may not be an option. But if at all possible it saves on having to empty the barrel.

4. Bypass the filter: The purpose of a filter is to catch the fine particles so they don't blow back into the shop. If you can run the exhaust duct directly outside, you can eliminate the filter. Try to extend the duct at least 12-18" beyond the outside wall and put a screen over it so the little critters don't get in it.

5. Floor sweeps: YES, DEFINITELY! I have 4 in my shop and wish I had 2 more.



As for shop layout:

1. From the time you bring wood into the shop what is the first place it needs to go? For me, I sticker the wood and let it acclimate to my shop environment for 10-14 days. Then I start to prep the wood for my project. That means the first tools I use are the radial arm saw/miter saw, planer, and jointer. I put those tools directly inside my entry door for convenience. Think about your work flow.

2. Think about exiting the shop w/ a large finished piece. If you build a piece of furniture, you'll probably do the final assembly and finishing on either the workbench or outfeed table. That means you'll have to maneuver it around the table saw to get it out the double doors. If you reverse the table saw/outfeed table, the finished project will be closer to the exit and easier to move out. Also gives you a place to set wood when you first bring it into the shop.

3. For the table saw, planer, and jointer, there will be times when you need to handle a long board. Think about infeed and outfeed clearance at both ends of those machines.

I'm about 45 min. from you in Liberty. If you'd like to come over some day I'd be glad to show you what I did and some of the things I would do different.

Hopefully some of this info is helpful. If I think of anything else I'll post it later.

 

[KenOfCary]

The one thing I learned from my last shop was don't put the DC in the back corner of the shop. I moved it to right next to the door to the outside - that made emptying it much simpler. Roll it out the door and dump into the 96 gallon trash can on wheels waiting there. When trash can got full roll it into the woods and dump it.

You've already got a lot of other good advice.

 

[faber]

Thanks Ruston, Bill, Ken! Appreciate the time to look at my layout. I'll keep tinkering with the design based on your suggestions. I am planning to do the DC install when my in-laws are in town over 4th of July, so I still have some time to try some other layouts and may rearrange what I've got a few times between now and then to ensure it works.

A few followups -

- I thought of putting the DC outside or venting outside, but space is a premium. I live in downtown Durham on a fraction of an acre and the shop is 6' away from the property line on two sides, so I'm not sure venting would be appreciated by the neighbors or even my own dogs. Same reason to keep the noise of the DC in the shop as well.

- Suggestions on moving the DC closer to the door definitely make sense though I was planning on putting the barrel on casters and just rolling it to the door. Will probably do a 30gal. From there I'll be using it to mulch / fill in dog holes in the yard, so not too far to go with it. Perhaps I could just reverse the whole layout corner for corner? I'll have to give that a try.

- It's really hard to keep that first 5' free in any layout - that's the main reason I went diagonal with the main trunk. If not, I am basically giving up about 10' of wall space for the DC and pipes before I can connect my first tool, which is tough when I'm only at 24' x 16' total space.

- Trying also to balance between "perfect" dust collection and "realistic" dust collection. I'm a late-night/weekend hobbyist, not a pro so inefficiencies in layout and having a few 90° bends need to be balanced with reasonable expectations that if I'm 90% of the way there, I'm doing pretty good.

- As far as tool layout - I'm not wedded to this but it seemed like a reasonable way of creating some pockets of working that dont' have me doing circles in the shop all the time. Right now I have my table saw in that same position but I have an 8' long work table right down the center of the shop as assembly and outfeed. I find myself constantly doing circles from one side to the other, so I figured if I have a shorter assembly/outfeed, and then the workbench on the other side of that, then I'd stay reasonably well centralized in that area and can cut down on the walking in circles.