Custom Dust Collection Pipe Hangers

[Keith Weber]

I've had my Dust Gorilla for WAY too long now, but I've been neglecting putting up the 6" piping because I've had other projects consuming my time.

Yesterday, I decided to tackle the problem of hanging the pipe on the walls. Sure, I could have just used tie wraps or metal strapping, but that would have been too easy. Instead, I decided to design and build my own hangers out of steel.

I made them out of 1/4" x 1" flat steel. I made the rings on a hand-operated ring roller. I used my Miller Dynasty TIG welder for the welds. The design allows for a 7" hose clamp to fit around the ring and 6" S&D pipe that I'll be using. I made the rings 1/4" big in diameter to accommodate some adhesive-backed weather stripping on the inside of the ring to dampen any vibration.

The reason that the vertical hangers have more ring on the bottom is two-fold. It allows me to put up the horizontal pipe during assembly without needing to put the hose-clamps on right away. It also allows me to drive the screw in the top.

The symmetrical hangers are to be horizontal to steady the vertical drops. I think that I'll need about 4 more hangers, but I ran out of steel, so they'll have to wait for my next set of days off.

Although, I'm kind of liking the shiney steel look right now, I think that I'm going to get them powder-coated white to match the trim in my shop.

I'm just hoping that the pics show up. They're not showing in the Preview Post.

Keith

[Eric Brenneman]

Sweeeeeeeeet!!!!!

[Pete Brown]

Man, keep this up and I might have to pick up yet another hobby

Seriously, those look great, and should keep the rattles down in that ductwork

Pete

[Jim Becker]

Well...that's another interesting way to do it! Nice work, Keith.

[Al Killian]

Keith, Those are not going to work, so send them to me for disposal. (j/k) They look great. I dont have the power to run my old arc welder,so welding is out of it for now.

[Keith Weber]

Thanks for the compliments! A question for down the road... How do you attach a 6" to 4" S&D reducer to a 4" flex hose? The flex hose almost fits inside the reducer...almost!

Keith

[Tim Malyszko]

Very cool. I always appreciate good metalworking. If you were looking to sell, I'm sure you could find quite a few people willing to purchase some from you.

I'd be proud to show those off without any powder coating.

[Joe Jensen]

Keith, I'm now embarassed with my hangers. I used super heavy duty zip ties and zip tie hangers. I used to do a ton of stick welding and way back in HS I was very good with gas welding and a rod. How hard is it to learn TIG? I'm drawn the beautiful welds you can make...joe

[Rob Will]

Thanks for the compliments! A question for down the road... How do you attach a 6" to 4" S&D reducer to a 4" flex hose? The flex hose almost fits inside the reducer...almost!

Keith

Looks good Keith,
On the hose, I'm wondering about chucking the 6 x 4 adapter in a lathe and enlarging the opening. Another method might be to wrap the 4" end of the adapter with a 4" wide collar of metal (possibly stainless). That makes the end large enough for the hose.

I think Woodcraft sells a fitting that makes this connection.

Rob

[Eric Wong]

Cool!
I wish I had some metalworking skills...

[Jeff Miller]

Looks good Keith,
On the hose, I'm wondering about chucking the 6 x 4 adapter in a lathe and enlarging the opening. Another method might be to wrap the 4" end of the adapter with a 4" wide collar of metal (possibly stainless). That makes the end large enough for the hose.

I think Woodcraft sells a fitting that makes this connection.

Rob

Spray a small amount of pure silicone inside pvc fitting, use a screwdriver and push on the wire part of the flexible hose and work it in as far as a piece pipe would go in. Worked fine for me.

[Carroll Courtney]

YOU! Have way to much time on your hands(LOL) Those custom hangers are Looking Good!

[Keith Outten]

Keith W,

A 4" hose will fit the OD of a 3" pipe fitting. You could get a 6" by 3" reducer and the hose shoud fit over the end of the 3" fitting.

.

[Jeff Miller]

Keith W,

A 4" hose will fit the OD of a 3" pipe fitting. You could get a 6" by 3" reducer and the hose shoud fit over the end of the 3" fitting.

.

Wouldn't that be cutting the flow back too much

[Keith Weber]

How hard is it to learn TIG? I'm drawn the beautiful welds you can make...joe

Joe, I learned to TIG in a very unconventional way -- I taught myself. I just bought a TIG welder and read a lot. I think that TIG welding is one of those things that you either find easy to pick up, or you find it downright impossible. I was fortunate in that I picked it up quite quickly. I'm only on my third Argon tank right now. I think that it's probably a lot easier to take a course. I just couldn't find one near me at the time that I wanted to learn. The welding forums are a great source of help and info, too.

There's a lot going on at the same time when TIG welding. Your right hand controls the torch, your left hand feeds the rod, and your foot controls the amperage. Once you get used to it, TIG can produce some very pretty welds, which is why I went with TIG. On the downside, it's relatively slow, and it is absolutely critical that the metal is clean and shiney. Any contamination whatsoever, and it will be nearly impossible to weld.

Having skill with oxy-acetylene brazing will definitely help in learning TIG. I haven't tried aluminum yet. Apparently it requires a whole new level of skill.

I took up metalworking to supplement my woodworking by building some metal stuff for around the shop, but it's really growing into a second hobby.

Keith