About dust extraction

So I understand the need for dust extraction and am happy to go for it, but I have a question about how to do it.

Essentially, I’ve built an enclosure with a CLS frame and 18mm plywood walls and roof, and am thinking about forming a hole in the middle of the roof with a flexibly hose between the Sweepy (What a name? Why not Sucky :scream:) and a bass through in the roof, and then a series of tubes to outlet to connect my Wet&Dry vacuum to it. Anyone have any thoughts on that idea? I’m debating the cyclone thingy with myself too, but budget restrictions are currently in place!

You can make an inexpensive cyclone using PVC and a Gamma Seal lid, or see the Dustopper from Home Depot which works well for some folks.

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Blimey, I wouldn’t even know where to start making one!

I’ll have a look at some ‘scratch built’ designs, though…

There’s a bunch of quite cheap 50mm (2") outlet cyclones on Amazon / eBay etc. I have a cheap cyclone from Amazon with it’s own little 30L drum underneath which works fine and I get several barrels of chips between filter cleanings of the workshop vac sucking through it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DUST-COMMANDER-P30-30-liter-plastic/dp/B0174MGW2G/

I use the PolyUrethane anti-static hose like this one;

https://www.amazon.com/POWERTEC-70129-10-Foot-Flexible-Collection/dp/B00HHBSH78/

Edit - If you’re in the UK then this hose (in nice metric size…)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00EUY8KJA?

Which is easy to ground via the supporting spring wire, just hung from the ceiling above the machine and plumbed back to the cyclone.

Yeah, I’ve just looked at those and they aren’t as expensive as I remember. The ‘problem’ is I already have a vacuum with an outlet for a power tool which switches the vacuum on, and one of these connected to a series of tubes in my garage workshop (my Shapeoko is in my shed)…

Oh, and I am in the UK .

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How do you rate the noise level from that DJM?

A proper 4" high volume low pressure unit like that is way better than the high suction vacuums with a 32mm hose for chip extraction.

It’s a little noisy, but quieter then my Bosch! I have a workshop area in the garage, where I use the DJM as I’ve got extraction pipework strategically located around it (it’s a single garage and I still park my car in there, so I have to keep things neat!)

I’ve installed the Shapeoko (and table saw) in my garden shed (12’x6’) which is also, erm, my garden shed, so I’m going to keep that tidy, too. I was thinking about moving the DJM and extraction tubes into the shed (with an auto on/off device) which would work in the same way as my Bosch vacuum, and move that to the garage, as that’s where I’d use my ‘domestic’ tools, e.g. chop saw, routers, sander, etc.

Are you saying the DJM would be better than a vacuum and cyclone setup, then? I could use 63mm hose to the roof of the enclosure, then 100mm rigid pipework to the DJM?

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I personally would try out the DJM on the Shapeoko, keep the hose as large as possible as far as possible, pressure and flow loss increases with length of the smaller sections as well as just reducing size. It says “500CFM (1415m3) Air flow” which is pretty decent, a Festool / Bosch type small hose vac can barely wheeze out 150CFM and that’s before you put longer hoses on them.

You can always put a cyclone upstream of the DJM, although 4" cyclones are more expensive.

As for auto on / off, I wouldn’t be too bothered, jobs tend to run a lot longer on the CNC than by hand so turning the extraction on is less of a pain. Also, you aren’t using your hands to hold the tool any more.

I’d be interested to know how it works out, my ageing shop vac is very noisy and one of these might be a nice replacement without dropping the many £100s on a grown up 4" extractor.

I’ll keep you up to date!

I have come across an issue with extraction hose going through the roof (which would be a problem with extraction anywhere, I think) in that I have to secure the outlet from the Sweepy to the top of the stepper motor with gaffer tape, before feeding it through the hole, but the hose gets twisted and pulls itself off the connector.

Is there such a thing as a swivel union specifically for dust extraction, maybe 100mm/4” in diameter, or a super flexible hose made of rings rather than a single, helical coil?

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Yes, good quality hoses will have such a rotating at least mechanism at the far end — not sure about availability as an add-on, though I know replacement parts are sold.

@NewToThis I just Googled swivel union dust collection and came up with:
This thing…
Might be exactly what you’re looking for!

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Thanks, Gary. I saw one of these, but quite a bit bigger (8"!) on Amazon - but as I’m in the UK, the shipping wouldn’t warrant it, to be honest.

It’s given me an idea, though…

Hmm, that’s a good shout, Will.

I’ll look for a replacement hose with that attached…

When looking for a hose I’d recommend getting a hose which is conductive such as the hoses included w/ Festool dust extractors.

This guy with a big woodworking CNC explains how to build a very cost-effective solution for precisely your duct-arrangement problem, I think:

Never mind the chatting, the pictures self-explanatory…

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Blimey, it looks like he’s planning to carve the Queen Mary!

I get the principle, though, and it does make for interesting viewing, but I don’t have the headroom x which might be the problem, as the hose I’m using isn’t really that flexible - and it’s not anti static.

I’ve got a plan, which I will share a bit later with photographs, but I think I need to find some “shrinking hose” like the garden hose that shrivels up in length (not, obviously, diameter!)

Thanks for the post!

Thanks, Will. I’ll take a look, but Festool stuff seems a bit expensive to butcher!

I’ve got a plan, though…

IMO this new dust extractor would be ideal for those hobbyists that can afford it. It is unique in that it offers high static pressure (suction) to overcome the pressure drop in small diameter, flexible, and/or long hose runs as well as adequate airflow for most/all machines.

@gmack: I absolutely love the Oneida collectors in my shop. For those who don’t want to drop that kind of money on the Supercell, I’m using the Oneida Cobra with my CNC and I love it. There’s almost nothing left on the board after a job runs - it’s HEPA, can be left on for long periods of time, and has a ton of suck (not as much as the SuperCell, but at about $1000 USD vs. 2400).

My other Oneida is an industrial cyclone designed for the 4" and up diameter hoses, hooked to my shop machinery. I’m using the Coba for the CNC via a mounted hose - and then can swap out to a 20’ shopvac hose to use for sanders, plate joiner, handheld routers, etc.

I strongly second your suggestion and offer up the Cobra for anyone who doesn’t really want to spend the money on the Supercell.

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My current setup. Thanks to @CNCInspiration, Max, for the printed part files for hose support. This completely relieves all stress on the dust shoe, something I’ve battled through several iterations of collection systems over the years. The 2 1/2” hose accordions nicely to accommodate every corner of my XL.

Also note, if I leave the nose piece off (most of the time unless cutting, ugh, MDF) the PWNcnc boot I can accomplish both tool changes and Bitsetter tasks without messing with dust extraction.

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