Dudbuster downdraft

I had a friend of mine weld some 3/16" thick angle iron to form a frame.

For a top (or base) I used a 6' x 16" x 3/4" piece of laminated shelving from Lowe's. I only used about 2' for the top and the remainder (about 4') was used to make a "scanning sled". I cut a 1 1/2" x 12" slot in the middle that matches up pretty well with the slot in the bottom of the CW machine. Also, in the last picture you can see I added strips of 1" foam padding (also from Lowe's) to seal up the bottom between the machine and the base.

I used a large (4" x 14") HVAC register for the "adapter" between the base and the hose for the dust collector (also purchased from Lowe's).I used caulk to seal the gaps between the register and the base. Also between the register and the hose is a neck down insert to bring the outside diameter down from 6" to 4".

The dust collector was another purchase from Lowe's (It was a floor model so I got it around 40% off original price). It is a 1 hp Delta Model AP400 dust collector.

Great pictures of your set up!

Also nice pick up on the DC!! I also was able to get a good deal on the floor model from Lowe's. Mine was a 1HP/650 CFM unit.

DudBuster,

Nice work. Question. Would a standard shop vac work vice the Delta DC that you show here? Any idea how much air must be moved to make this work? This looks rather simple to make and easy to maintain.

Thanks in advance for any and all assistance.

I don't really know if a shop vac would work... I don't see any reason why it wouldn't. As far as how much air must be moved that is a mystery to me as well. I have noticed that the setup I have still has problems getting some of the sawdust. I am trying to figure a way to get some air moving on the top of the project, either to blow it to the sides or split the DC hose and run another intake to the top or side of the machine. I saw a mod that someone did with their machine where they cut out part of the housing on the side and installed an intake through there... dunno. I will see what I can come up with. Hopefully less intrusive than cutting up the machine.

I liked fwharris's fish tank air pump idea as well. I may have to try that one out.

woodchipsltd wrote:DudBuster,

Nice work. Question. Would a standard shop vac work vice the Delta DC that you show here? Any idea how much air must be moved to make this work? This looks rather simple to make and easy to maintain.

Thanks in advance for any and all assistance.

I agree with the simple set up concept. Easy to do!!

On the use of the shop vac vs DC unit, you will find that the DC is much quiter to run plus with the higher air movement it will move the dust and chips better.

woodchipsltd wrote:DudBuster,

Nice work. Question. Would a standard shop vac work vice the Delta DC that you show here? Any idea how much air must be moved to make this work? This looks rather simple to make and easy to maintain.

Thanks in advance for any and all assistance.

You will find that the DC will be quiter plus the higher air volume will pick up the dust and chips better.

FW,

I have two shop vac/dust collectors in my shop. One is the standard Craftsman. The other is the much better and more user friendly Porter Cable. I also have one of those Dust Deputy cyclone type units attached to the Porter Cable. The PC has a 1-3/8" hose but it can take the chrome off a trailer hitch and is VERY quiet. This is the unit I was considering for the dust collector on my CW. The Craftsman is 100 times louder and doesn't even come close to equaling the collecting power that the PC has.

Does anyone see any issues that I need to consider with this idea?

Thanks in advance!

Woodchips,

The only thing I would say is to give it a try and see how it works. I'm sure the PC is a much better vac than the craftsman unit. You will need to get a 1 3/8" x 4" adapter to hook up to the attachment!