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Tonight I finished installing my new dust collection system. The cyclone is a Laguna 2HP mobile cyclone. The ductwork is 6" mains with either 6" or 5" drops to most of my tools (most of which have 6" or 5" ports). The ductwork is spiral pipe and long radius fittings from Penn State Industries. Even with just the 2HP cyclone, the ducting is so efficient that I am getting very good results.

On most tools, I cannot see or smell any dust.

The tablesaw and router table give me a very small amount of visible dust.

The wide belt sander and bandsaw create the smell of wood dust, so I know there are some fine particles even though there is no visible dust.

All other tools do not even leave the smell of dust.

I believe moving to a 3HP cyclone would improve things marginally, but I am very happy with the results I am getting now. I will stick with what I have for now, and if I ever get the urge to upgrade again, I'll move to the bigger cyclone.

Here are my recommendations for anyone who is interested:

1) Be demanding about your dust collection system. For too many years I have accepted a constant coat of dust in my shop. I made the decision a few months ago that I want my shop to have no more dust than my living room. What a difference it makes -- a clean shop is not only more healthy, but more inviting, and it makes you want to be out there working.

2) Efficient ductwork is more important than a powerful dust collector. You can get away with a less powerful dust collector if you have efficient ducting, but you cannot get away with inefficient ducting no matter how powerful your dust collector. The math just doesn't work. (Bill Pentz's ductwork calculator proves it over and over.)

3) The difference between 4" pipe and 6" pipe is mind boggling. The difference between flex pipe and spiral pipe is equally mind boggling.

4) Installing ductwork is a huge pain in the neck. For me, it was not pleasant. And it took a really long time. (I will still probably install more to a couple of ancillary tools like my disc sander and mini-lathe.) I spent the majority of my free time in January working on it. But it is definitely worth it.

5) If you do it right, you only need to do it once. And the benefits will last as long as you own your shop.

6) The Laguna 2HP cyclone is very quiet for a dust collector. Some of the bigger cyclones are extremely loud. If you have room for a large soundproofed closet, the big cyclone is a nice upgrade. But I don't, and I can't imagine listening to a jet engine sound every time I turn on a tool. For me, the 2HP with efficient ductwork strikes the right balance of good dust collection and low noise levels.

+ 1 on the above points , very good information . Spiral Ducting is worth the investment .

Another note , Take the time to design your system around your tools effecently . Avoiding 90 degree bends as much as possible . for example Going from main trunk to a machine , come off main trunk at 45 degrees slightly closer to the collector and use another 45 to make the 90 close to the machine and it will work more effecently than a single 90.

Also try and locate the collector ( if reasonably possible ) where heavier shavings are closer to the collector and finer dust is pulled the farthest . It really comes down to Basic good common sense.

Take the time to run a power switch to a centrally located easily accessable spot in your shop . That makes flipping the unit on and off as needed simpler and more user friendly. Why ? Because we all tend to say at some point : I only have 2 cuts to make , I can have it done in less time than it takes to walk over and flip on the cyclone . And we dont !

Seal joints with metal tape , this will also help your effecency .

I have the Jet 2hp system , It is a bit louder , but I have a closet for it so its not an issue . It works beautifully.

As was stated its is worth the money and time investment !

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Thanks for sharing the details of your setup Kelby!
I for one went far too long without proper dust collection, where it should be the first consideration when setting up the shop....
But who was to know that first guitar built mostly with hand tools would turn into this affliction?

Kelby, How about a few photos to help illustrate the layout? I would enjoy seeing it.

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jw ( o)===:::

+1 on the photogs! Seeing is always helpful.
Thanks for sharing the insights.
Rick

Here are some pics. Shop upgrades always make a huge mess, so forgive the clutter. The clean-up is this weekend's project!

One more thought: I had a devil of a time using straight pipe for drops. After a few days, the joints between the pipe and the fittings would separate due to the weight of the pipe. Almost all of my drops are now primarily flex hose, which is not ideal. Still working on that.

Have you tried using a 5/16" hex head self tapping sheet metal screws to attach everything together? That's the standard for ductwork, and should work like a charm. 3 screws per joint plus duct or metal tape.

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Jason McGowan
M&S Guitars
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That's a great suggestion on the screws. My biggest problem was actually getting the blast gates high in the drops. The only way I could make that work was with the clamps and flex hose. Perhaps there is a way to screw the ductwork to the blast gates. I'll take a closer look at that.

I'm likin' that Blacker Arm Chair. Your own design/layout for the chair?

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Thanks, Orion! I'd love to take credit for the layout, but that's a chair I built at William Ng's school in Anaheim. The class is regularly offered, and it is fantastic if you are ever in the mood for a great class. William also makes the templates available to students for purchase if you choose to make more than one. I have a few more ebony plugs to inlay, then the chair is done. I'm not sure why it's taking me so long!