Dust collection in a shallow basement

[Gary Herrmann]

My joists are at 6'10". I'd like to put in a dust collection system this year, but will probably move it to each tool. Don't want to run pipe over head, because there's only 3" between my head and the rafters. Don't want to run pipe along the floor because people will trip on it - which brings me to rolling the DC to each machine.

I'd appreciate any recommendations on brands and models. Its going to be for my TS, 6" jointer, benchtop planer, router table, and bandsaw - when it arrives.

[Jim Fancher]

Consider one of the generic 1.5 - 2 HP models available along with a cannister filter. That should fill the bill for the height requirements.

You can hang the hoses from the joists with J-hooks made for the job. They are inexpensive.

[Rob Russell]

Gary,

I also have a shallow basement shop. The clearance to the bottom of my floor trusses is about 6'6". I'll explain how I'm dealing with the low ceiling.

I'm running DC pipes up between the trusses. Drops will go down to each machine, in some cases multiple drops to the same machine. For example, the saw/shaper has a port for DC underneath and a port on the overhead blade guard.

My basement has a beam on lolly columns running across the middle of it, just off-center. It's already a head-banger and gives me an easy place to run a lateral pipe over to the DC. If I didn't have it, I just run the pipes up in the truss bays over to an end wall, drop down and run a connecting lateral along the wall. That way the DC stays in one place.

I looked for a DC that would work well with the low ceilings. Unfortunately, the cyclone styles don't and I wanted something better than the typical bag on top sucker. I ended up going with a Felder Clean Air Extractor. Here's a link to a picture Felder DC. There were several reasons - these filter to .1 microns, provide more airflow than I'll ever need (makes up for convoluted ducting based on the framing) and the rollout chip bins both hold a lot and are easy to empty. If you look at the link, you'll see the RL125 is rated at 680 CFM. That's through a series of 90 degree elbows, 15' of flex hose and with dirth filters, in other words real load conditions, not an advertising test. The downside to anything Felder does is cost. Their suckers will suck a few wads of dough out of your hands before they start sucking up chips/dust.

That was my solution.

Rob