“…Oh Mister HVAC duct pipe installer. You get the plans in hand, you look over the building and you promptly throw them away. Oh yes, Mr. HVAC duct pipe installer, you don’t need no stinkin’ plans! You’ve laid miles of these shiny, round, finger-cutting tubes of emptiness and you already know what goes where. You sight up your main line, pull out the tape measure and five minutes later, you’ve got that puppy laid out! You pop a few holes in the joints and handle that pop-rivetter like an old cowboy with his six-shooter. Turns, laterals and even those changes in ceiling elevations are no match for you, Mr. HVAC duct pipe installer! And at the end of the day, you pull up a leftover 5 gal. bucket, have a seat next to that beloved furnace and listen to the sweet sound of that warm air circulating through YOUR system. Yes, Mr. HVAC duct pipe installer, I salute you and this Bud’s for you! “
Yeah, I know, I know. You guys figure, “John’s had a few too many Bud’s himself!” Nope, that ain’t it. What it is, though, I’ve gained a new respect for Mr. HVAC duct pipe installer. I started doing the duct work on my DC system using mainly sheetmetal ducts, laterals, wye’s and such. Let’s just say that drywalling, plumbing and roof work are now joined by yet another “skilled” trade, which I do NOT have nor one that I’m any good at!
So far, I think it’s going to work OK in the end, but I could just about kiss the person who invented those adjustable 90’s! (Which reminds me, I need to go to Menard’s in the morning and get some more!) I know that you want to keep the main runs as straight as you possibly can, which may not be a problem if I didn’t have to come off it with runs to the machines themselves! (Does “almost straight” count?) To say the least, it’s quite the experience. So far, I’ve got three machines hooked up and tested. Actually, it works pretty good! I even managed to swap out the 4” port on my jointer with a 6” unit and plumbed it directly to the 6” ducts, with no flex hose! (Couldn’t anyway, ‘cuz I still don’t have any of the bigger hose…) . Tomorrow (after the Menard’s trip), it’s on to the table saw/blade guard and maybe rough-in for the future router table. Wish me luck…I *need* it!