Down draft

[mijoda52]

Hey Everybody,
I hope you all had a great weekend. I took everybody's advice and opted for a dust collector insted of going the shop vac route. I have ordered a unit from Harbor Freight that says it has 1550 CFM and 2 HP. My question now is how effective would this unit be if it were hooked up as a downdraft system? I like the idea of everything being underneath the CW and out of the way but I don't want to do this if it is not as effective as other methods. As always, I appreciate your input.
Thanks, Michael.

[CarverJerry]

From what I've read here on the forum the down draft would be a 2nd choice. I run the ringneck blues vacuum attachment, it works great and I'm only running 600 CFM vacuum. The only time it doesn't do a great job is when I'm doing lithopanes and its cutting either corian or cast acrylic, but this stuff has a lot of static to it and wants to just hold onto everything. There are a few others that offer other vacuum atachments.

CJ

[cnsranch]

I started with a down draft system - didn't like it, and most don't.

Do a search, with quotes around your words - you'll get tons of info -

"dust collection"

and the like

FWIW, I have the following, and I swear by it:

http://forum.carvewright.com/showthr...t=final+answer

[AskBud]

Hey Everybody,
I hope you all had a great weekend. I took everybody's advice and opted for a dust collector insted of going the shop vac route. I have ordered a unit from Harbor Freight that says it has 1550 CFM and 2 HP. My question now is how effective would this unit be if it were hooked up as a downdraft system? I like the idea of everything being underneath the CW and out of the way but I don't want to do this if it is not as effective as other methods. As always, I appreciate your input.
Thanks, Michael.

The wider the board, the less effective the downdraft seem to be. This is why lots of us have opted for the top-mounted system.
Here are some threads that may help.
http://forum.carvewright.com/showthr...375#post116375

http://forum.carvewright.com/showthr...260#post122260

http://forum.carvewright.com/showthr...193#post124193

http://www.wix.com/littleredwoodshop...ust-collection
AskBud

[cnsranch]

What Bud Said, also...

When carving a carve region, or raster text, etc., a downdraft can't suck the shavings out of the carve, over the edge of the board, and down into the DD.

[Fletcher]

If you go here and then go to Page 10, post #99, there is a DC that works like the other top mount ones but you make it yourself on your CW in about 2 hours or so. Frederick's DC is fantastic too, and so are the others, TOP MOUNT is the key though. I built a downdraft setup, used it once and wasn't happy.

http://forum.carvewright.com/showthr...t=final+answer

[fwharris]

Like all have said "top mount" gives you the best dust removal for the machine. Find a style that fits your needs (make it, buy it) and use it. You will not regret it.

[Old Salt]

I use a 2" from the underside and a 3" from on top. works great .I think it helps cool the under side vent at the same time.

[DickB]

I'm using top and downdraft also. You have enough CFM to do it.

[cnsranch]

If you guys choose to use a downdraft, make sure you seal the opening on the bottom of the machine with the table it's sitting on (to clarify - I had an opening cut on the table-top, and the hose connector attached under the table top - see pic) - you don't want to pull air from everywhere, that can cause some problems with the electronics.