montyhp wrote:
I finished my raised floor this year and put in the snap lock ducting
from lowes/home depot. I used the regular stuff they had, it is
probably 30 gauge. I did a test by running a few lengths and shutting
off the end with a blast gate. I couldn't collapse it. My DC is the
old 220V grizzly (I think it is 2 HP). I run it directly out in the
back of the shop with no bags because I get extra suction that way. I
have had no problems with the thin stuff and I have plenty of suction
for saw, planer and jointer (not all at the same time, run through
blast gates).

I did have to go to 4-5 different stores to get all the correct
fittings. BTW, I ran the 6" size and use 6 to 4" reducers for the
hoses. I guess I violated every rule in Bill Pentz's book, but I have
absolutely no complaints.

My experience

Montyhp

That's good to know, but it would be nice if we all knew the exact
definition of "thin stuff" - 30 gauge from one vendor isn't the same as
30 gauge from another. I used my micrometer on samples of ducting from
practically every BORG and HVAC supply place within a 20 mile radius and
I wound up with almost as many thicknesses as there were samples. I
even found two different thicknesses of 6"x24" at a single Lowe's
because their supplies came from two different vendors. I bought
practically every piece of the "thicker" stuff they had because it was
cheaper (!) - they were closing it out OF COURSE (bastages!). I wound
up using a few smaller forty-fives (and what not) of the "thin stuff"
from the BORGs because of easy availability, and I figured they'd be far
less likely to collapse; I've had no trouble either, but for the longer
straight tubes I didn't want to resort to using it. Some of that tubing
is so thin you can literally bend it between the tips of your thumb and
forefinger. Knowing how much suction my 2HP Grizzly cyclone pulls I
didn't want to risk it.

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