Dust Collection Best Practices

[Rod Sheridan]

I would run the 6 inch main lines, then drop to the 5 inch size as close to the machine as possible.

The larger main line will have reduced frictional losses compared to the 5 inch line, which will result in more vacuum at the 5 inch port.

You want to get as much airflow as you can at the machine, and that's how you do it.

I use a 5" polyurethane hose for my Hammer B3 and A3-31, super flexible, and relatively low loss for a flex hose. It's pricey, I paid about $6 per foot, worth every penny, especially for the A3 as you have to move the hose frequently.

Remember that your saw requires two hoses, 120mm for below table and 50mm for above table, that negates a 5 inch main line from the start.

I also use my random orbital sander with my Oneida cyclone, I use an adapter for the 2 1/2" line that drops down to the overhead guard for the B3, and open the blast gate for the 5" line so I have enough flow in the cyclone.

Yes it clogs the filter faster, however it's easy to clean and keeps the air in my shop clean.

Regards, Rod.

P.S. Use polyurethane hose for the overhead guard as well, it's very flexible.

[Ole Anderson]

use 6" and reduce to 5" wherever you like (doing it right up close to the machine is no better than anywhere else).

Wrong. As an analogy: you will get much more water flow out of a 100 foot 5/8" garden hose with a 3/8" nozzle, than you will out of a 100 foot 3/8" hose given the same pump. Basic hydraulics based on pipe friction losses learned in the classroom and in the field as an engineer. Same principle applies to air flow. I hate to be so blunt, but Ron has it right, Dan has it wrong. Dan makes some other valid points, but this isn't one of them.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Wrong. As an analogy: you will get much more water flow out of a 100 foot 5/8" garden hose with a 3/8" nozzle, than you will out of a 100 foot 3/8" hose given the same pump.

True. To clarify, though, we aren't talking about 100' of pipe. Yes, larger diameter pipe will result in less friction loss - but for maybe 15' of extremely smooth-wall pipe, the difference is negligible, and certainly not worth designing the system to accommodate.

[Ole Anderson]

I guess if I were using PVC pipe and had to choose between 4" and 6" and had a vertical run where I was concerned with moving chips up with a reduced velocity, I might be forced to go with 4", but this is where using galvanized is nice, you just go with 5" as already suggested.

[Mark Blatter]

For some reason, dust collection makes my head spin. I still can't get my head around a lot of concepts that other people seem to have no problem with. When I bought my V3000, I just told Oneida, "this is what I have, just tell me what I ought to buy". I didn't have the energy to read through Pentz's site any more or play around with SP calculators.

I am curious about why you went with the Oneida instead of the Clear Vue? I have been looking around getting ready to buy a dust collector and after reading Pentz's site for several days, he about has me convinced that my shop is a death trap. Does the Oneida provde as much fine dust collection as the Clear Vue?

I have realized as I get older that I am not bomb proof, nor a 'man of steel'. I now wear hearing and eye protection most of the time. I will be buying a good respirator before doing any more sanding, so I see the dust collector more as a safety tool than a cleaning tool now.

[Ole Anderson]

For me it was heavy gauge steel vs plastic.

[Ray DuBose]

Price followed by Onedia's Reputation for Quality DC. I had looked at the Clear Vue in the past as well as several others including the onedia. I hadn't really made my mind up until I ran across a Craigs List Ad for the Onedia V-3000 for almost 50% off of the price also no shipping and about 40' of Flex Tube thrown in. The V-3000 was purchased by the original owner who only even used it a few times on his CNC Machine then found out he didn't have enough garage space for everything comfortably so he went back to his shop vac. The Onedia looked Brand new.

Also according the Pentz, the Onedias are pretty true to their word on what they will do and they are one if his recommended Cyclones. I think he's also worked with their engineering staff to help with their designs.