CT 36 For use in a ducted system

[Ronnie the Rasp]

Hi Guys first Post!
I am thinking of purchasing a ct36 for my small shop. From the research I've done so far I'm not sure yet if this will work very well. Here's my plan. The ct and a cyclone lid with 22" dia pail will sit underneath outfeed table of my 3 hp cabinet saw.  I will then have a 4" galv spiral duct that goes along the floor to my long table that will pick up a 13" planer, 6' jointer, chop saw and radial arm saw. I will rise up with 4" wyes to blast gates and then hose(s) to the machines. The farthest machine will be under 20ft lineal from the cyclone and include (2) long radius smooth 90's. I will then 90 up to a header with 4" blast gates that will pick up either the long bench run or the cab saw. My sander and mobile router table will be directly connected to the ct 36 (ie- disconnect ducted system when in use).
Do you guys think I will have enough suck on the long bench machines.., and is this post too long?

Any replies or advice will be greatly appreciated.

Ron

 

[Bohdan]

The CT is a low volume high pressure vacuum but what you need for the 4" duct machines is a high volume low pressure exhaust.
The CT will suck thru the 4" ducts but there will not be enough air velocity to carry the dust and it will be deposited in the pipes.

 

[Ronnie the Rasp]

Thank You Bohdan good information. What if I used 2" pvc?

Ron

 

[Bohdan]

That will work with the machines that are designed with a 2" or smaller dust port but the machines that are designed with a 4" or larger port will not have enough air flow to actually catch the dust. The fine dust will be captured but the larger sawdust will escape, the larger volume shavings from machines like thicknessers will block the pipes often. I am using a Dust Deputy on my CT36 and it is connected with 2" PVC pipe. I run an earthing wire from the tools anti static hose to the CT.

 

[Ronnie the Rasp]

Bohdan the reason I am looking at the ct is because of the superior filtering (0.3 microns) vs larger dust collectors (2 microns at best for price). Also the space factor. The only thing I didn't like is moving the ct around, thus the piping system. All the machines on the long bench have 2" ports or smaller and less than a 20ft run (plus the 90's). I shied away from the pvc because of the potential for static but like you say with a proper grounding (earth) system that should be eliminated. I'll ask my local rep but I don't know if they could confirm that a 2" pvc 20 ft run with (actually (4) 90's all told to cyclone) will be create enough of a pressure drop that would decrease performance. If not I am definitely in!

Thanks for your help Bohdan!

Ron

 

[FlobeySolo]

Quite  a bit of information on duct sizes and filters can be found here. Suffice it to say, a DE will not move enough air for large stationary machines.
http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm

 

[idratherplaytennis]

Bohdan the reason I am looking at the ct is because of the superior filtering (0.3 microns) vs larger dust collectors (2 microns at best for price). Also the space factor. The only thing I didn't like is moving the ct around, thus the piping system.

For the record, no dust collection system is 100% completely efficient. And when you get down to what you're really concerned about, in the micron range, you should really definitely be wearing a mask in addition to whatever dust collection method you use. 3M makes an amazing half-face piece respirator- well they make a few, but their 7500 series is top of the line, wears VERY comfortably, and doesn't heat up your face when in use. It's around $20-25 on Amazon and their p100 dust filters get down to 99.97% efficiency against .3 microns. Personally- I suck a heck of a lot worse when I go out for a bike ride sometimes or walk by a construction site or even mow the lawn. You may use a mask, if so- disregard this- but it's a very cheap solution for an invaluable bodily organ and for me- the near slight discomfort is worth that. The other benefit of the mask is it's a twofer. Get it for dust, use it for fumes as well when finishing. Getting the VOC filters for the mask stop me from smelling the worst of the worst. When I can work head over bondo and get away smelling fresh filtered air? That's great because I've learned that stuff can give nasty headaches.

As far as collection goes- the CT's are great for small stuff, as everyone has mentioned. My sander on the LOWEST suction leaves only bare traces of dust stuck inside the grain that need an air gun to blow out, and wiping the wood with a bare hand yields no dust. You can use them well up to a miter saw size- I haven't but they have larger diameter hoses made for that. I wouldn't dream of hooking up either of the hoses, however- for the sheer volume of material waste from a planer or jointer. I can easily see a pipe clog occurring.

 

[grbmds]

I think that I am mostly saying what everyone else said, but    . . . . The CT48 I have (same suction/CFM as the 36) works well for all my hand-held power tools, whether Festool or not. When I use my bandsaw, router/router table, jointer, table saw, and planer, the volume and sometimes size of the particles is too great for the CT to handle. What you need for these types of machines is a higher volume cyclone with a HEPA filter (for the really small particles). Anything less than a collector such as Jet's or Laguna's portable wheel arounds or a more permanent cyclone from a company like Oneida, will likely not do the job. I'm not an expert on CFM or high suction requirements, but know what has worked for me with the machines that produce a lot of sawdust/chips. The CT won't handle that, at least it doesn't for me.