short runs of flex hose vs hvac aluminum flex vs pvc pipe for DC ductwork
 

I've run 6" S&D up to each of the machines. I've tried to plumb the
S&D right up to the self-made 6" ports, but getting all of this to fit
together is not trivial. I'm thinking of plumbing the last 2 to 3
feet with a flexible pipe of some sorts. These are stationary
machines, I just want to use flex to simplify the connections.
Airflow-wise is good quality 6" flex hose better than say 6" flex
aluminum HVAC pipe? 10' of HVAC is $10 at a shop 2 miles from here,
10' of host is at least $50 via mailorder.

I'm familiar will Bill Pentz's site. That is where I got the
inspiration to even try 6". It's not been bad at all, but the flex in
the final 2 to 3 feet will make it much, much simpler. Bill replied
to my email and said he uses 6" flex hose, but noted his tools are
moveable. In my case it's for the TS, Jointer, MS, and DP, all of
which will be stationary.

Given that you are 6" all the way, using 2-3 feet of flex hose will be
virtually unnoticeable. I did a test set up using 6" metal flex hose
vs. 4" PVC. From an anecdotal point of view, we are talking about the
difference between hurricane force suction and a nice breeze. Go for
what is easiest to do. You've already done the big improvement by
selecting 6". Just be sure to protect small animals from getting
sucked in!

Bob

So 6" whether I opt for the cheap aluminum HVAC or the 5-times more
costly smooth flex hose is probably not going to have a noticeable
difference on the airflow -- given that I'm only using 2 to 3 feet max
of this stuff right at the tool port. Correct?

haha, and small chunks of wood .. ouch! I did that a few nights ago.
I have the TS and outfeed sitting on some 2x2x1 redwood blocks. One
nudged loose and WHAM! I dont think I sustained any damage to the DC,
but that was probably fortunate. I thought I noticed that the blower
was a bit more noisy, but maybe I'm dreaming.

Bill P suggested I measure the amps of the unit and if it drops below
25% of baseline, then I had the Jet 12" wheel instead of the 11" one
that comes std w/ the 1.5hp unit.

On 14 Dec 2004 09:52:26 -0800, "Bob"
wrote:

Given that you are 6" all the way, using 2-3 feet of flex hose will be
virtually unnoticeable. I did a test set up using 6" metal flex hose
vs. 4" PVC. From an anecdotal point of view, we are talking about the
difference between hurricane force suction and a nice breeze. Go for
what is easiest to do. You've already done the big improvement by
selecting 6". Just be sure to protect small animals from getting
sucked in!

Bob

On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 11:14:26 -0700,
wrote
(in article ):

So 6" whether I opt for the cheap aluminum HVAC or the 5-times more
costly smooth flex hose is probably not going to have a noticeable
difference on the airflow -- given that I'm only using 2 to 3 feet max
of this stuff right at the tool port. Correct?

haha, and small chunks of wood .. ouch! I did that a few nights ago.
I have the TS and outfeed sitting on some 2x2x1 redwood blocks. One
nudged loose and WHAM! I dont think I sustained any damage to the DC,
but that was probably fortunate. I thought I noticed that the blower
was a bit more noisy, but maybe I'm dreaming.

Bill P suggested I measure the amps of the unit and if it drops below
25% of baseline, then I had the Jet 12" wheel instead of the 11" one
that comes std w/ the 1.5hp unit.


The corrugated metal pipe that is kinda hard to bend is ok, but the aluminum
dryer duct stuff is rather delicate. It dents real easy and is difficult to
repair.

-Bruce

aah right.

I went to an hvac supplier, and I'm assuming it was the heavier stuff
you note. I will check. Yeah, the dryer duct stuff would prolly
collapse also!!

On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 18:14:45 -0700, Bruce wrote:

On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 11:14:26 -0700,
wrote
(in article ):

So 6" whether I opt for the cheap aluminum HVAC or the 5-times more
costly smooth flex hose is probably not going to have a noticeable
difference on the airflow -- given that I'm only using 2 to 3 feet max
of this stuff right at the tool port. Correct?

haha, and small chunks of wood .. ouch! I did that a few nights ago.
I have the TS and outfeed sitting on some 2x2x1 redwood blocks. One
nudged loose and WHAM! I dont think I sustained any damage to the DC,
but that was probably fortunate. I thought I noticed that the blower
was a bit more noisy, but maybe I'm dreaming.

Bill P suggested I measure the amps of the unit and if it drops below
25% of baseline, then I had the Jet 12" wheel instead of the 11" one
that comes std w/ the 1.5hp unit.


The corrugated metal pipe that is kinda hard to bend is ok, but the aluminum
dryer duct stuff is rather delicate. It dents real easy and is difficult to
repair.

-Bruce