dust devil users

[carpenter]

I purchased the dust devil with my cw (new owner) and I am unclear on whether I need to have it grounded or not erwin says no he has no problems can dust devil users shed light to help me out thanks for the input

[fwharris]

Not a dust devil user but from my POV you should have a static ground system installed. The combination of air flow and saw dust can/will create a static build up.

[mcQ]

The amount of dust created by a CarveWright machine is very small compared to other woodworking machines and static is built up by dust particles colliding with each other. Because of this a planer which creates as much dust in a couple seconds as a CarveWright produces in 2 or 3 hours is much more likely to produce a static discharge. Also, very dry air is more likely to produce static. The times I have got a shock were when using my shop vac to suck up a large pile of dry sawdust. Personally I have used my CarveWright doing many 8 - 10 hour carves connected to my dust collector with no problems.

That said there is always a possibility of static buildup which is why the Dust Devil has a metal foil strip that connects the metal chassis of the CarveWright, runs through the Dust Devil and should be grounded to the dust collection system by making sure a ground wire is in contact with the foil when you clamp the hose in place. With a dust collection system proper grounding can be acheved by running a continuous bare copper ground wire through the hose and any plastic ductwork that is connected to a good ground on the dust collector and connected to the machine on the other end. For a large permanently installed dust collection system metal duct work is the best system however quite expensive. Also, long runs of duct are more prone to static because the dust particals have more time and surface area to build up static.

A shop vac presents a unique challenge because they are double insulated and typically do not have a ground. A ground wire could still be run through the hose and connected to the Dust Devil but there is nothing to ground the other end to the shop vac.
A possibility if you have a metal water pipe with a good ground would be to connect the wire to it. Another I thought of would be to use the ground terminal of a electrical outlet provided your shop has properly grounded 3 prong outlets. To do this you can take a length of 12 or14 gauge single stranded wire and strip back about 6 - 7 ft of the insulation and run it through the hose and connect it to the metal foil on the Dust Devil. The other end would then be connected to the rounded ground terminal of a standard 3 prong plug the hot and neutral terminals are not used. MAKE SURE THE WIRE IS ONLY CONNECTED TO THE GROUND TERMINAL AND DOES NOT CONTACT THE OTHER TERMINALS. By using this method you will be connecting the dust collector ground to you shops electrical ground which should ultimately be connected to a metal stake driven into to ground near your electrical service entrance.

Erwin

http://www.erwinproducts.com/erwin_products_004.htm

[carpenter]

Ok I took the advise of the wise ones and ran a ground wire out to the grounds at the hose bib where other grounds are connected and secured it to the dust devil at the foil tape point with a hose clamp but I did not run it through the hose would this make any difference seeing that the wire is connected where it should be. I will fire it up in the morning can't wait to see how it works. Thanks for the advice.

[mcQ]

For the ground to work properly a bare stranded copper wire needs to run through the hose as this is where any static is likely to build up. The small 14 or 12 ga stranded wire should only require about a 1/8" hole through the hose fitting at each end.

Erwin

[SteveNelson46]

I use the wire coil that is in the 4" flex hose. Attach one end to the Carvewright with a short dis-connect wire and the other end to the dust collector which is grounded through the plug at the electrical box. Been using this method for a few years and have never had a problem. Never even seen a spark or felt a static discharge.

[Bigtyme]

you can wrap a wire around the hose as well. A wire wrapped around the hose and connected at each end works as well as one in the hose...

[lvwood1212]

Just got our dust devil today in the mail. just need my x motor and we will be back in business . Going over to lowes and pick up wire for the static guard in morning

[xchief807]

what if you used a 3 prong adapter and attached the ground wire to the adapter that is plugged into the outlet

[cestout]

I have 2 and run he wires wrapped around the hoses because I have blast gates so I can shut off one or the other of my machines.
Clint