Spotted a dust collection trick at a local shop last weekend

I visited Johnson's Custom Cabinets in Portland on Saturday and noticed they had all their sanders hooked up to a single 4 inch PVC pipe with those cheap Y fittings. The owner said it cost him under $150 for the whole setup and it cuts down on fine dust by about 80 percent. He ran the pipe along the ceiling with simple hangers and used blast gates to control each tool. Has anyone else tried something like this for a smaller home shop?

2 comments

2 Comments

holly_flores791d ago

Did he mention how often he cleans the blast gates for dust buildup?

danieljenkins1d ago

In my setup I just make it a habit to blow everything out with compressed air every third bag change. The blast gates usually gum up faster than you'd expect, especially with MDF dust mixing with moisture from the air. I've had one stick completely open on me before, learned that lesson the hard way. Your mileage may vary but every couple months seems to be the sweet spot for a proper disassembly and wipe down.