Festool hose and Axminster Blast gates

[ian33a]

I'm looking to rationalise the dust extraction in my workshop. I'll continue to use my ADE 1200 for the planer thicknesser and a few other other similar machines but need to do something about the smaller power tools.

I have an Numatic NV750 which I want to use with my Kapex, TS55, Domino and a host of other hand power tools, mainly from Dewalt. I also want to attach something to the fence of my router table - a shop built unit.


Rather than having several vacuums I was wondering about taking Peter Parfitt's approach along the lines of the Dust hub. Link here: (1) How to make the workshop Dust Hub - YouTube

My thought is to route the 50mm outlet available on the NV750 into the hub and to have a number of outlets: one to Kapex, one to my assembly bench, one to the router table and one as a general purpose 27mm hose which I can connect to miscellaneous power tools and to the Henry vacuum tools.

I'm thinking 36mm Festool hoses, probably not the antistatic ones (on grounds of cost) to the Kapex and the assembly table and a 36/27mm reducer at the assembly table for the smaller inlet tools. I need to think a little more about the connection to the router.
I'm wondering about buying a 7 metre length, cutting it down and adding in a number of additional inlets and outlets to connect to the various lines.

As we all know, Festool stuff isn't cheap and I don't want to spend a load of money and find that it doesn't work well.

So, firstly, are there any obvious issues that you can see with this idea?

Secondly, can anybody comment as to how well (or otherwise), the Festool connectors fit on the Axminster 63mm blast gates?

Finally, if I have 36mm outlets as well as 27mm ones on the assembly bench (by way of the Festool 36/27mm adapter) , are they flexible enough to attach safely and efficiently to most of the other non Festool tools out there, I'm thinking about my DW 625E, the DCW210 amongst other things?

I appreciate that its possible to add additional reducers but this puts the cost up even more and could make it harder to manipulate the tools around on the bench.

The more I read on the web, the more confusing it all becomes. I'm looking for people who have done something like this and who can offer advice.

thanks

 

[Doug71]

I know you say you don't want multiple vacuums but that is the route I would go down. Maybe dedicate a vac to your Kapex, a vac to your router table and then one for your hand held power tools, keeps it simple and will probably be as cheap depending on which extractors you buy?

 

[Sideways]

I think your plan is great.
I'd look to see if you could build blast gate features into the hub to keep it neat and save money - it only needs some narrow slots (think fabricating the frame with shallow wide channels routed then a solid cheek glued on) and any thin stiff plastic or metal for the slider.
I would make it around the standard 50mm tapered socket used on Festool and other vacs for versatility and in case you ever upgrade to a NVD750
Pick a fat (36mm or more) hose to connect to the vac.
To save money and get a great product, buy Mirka antistatic hoses for the connections to the tools. They are 4 metres long, way cheaper than Festool and taper to a pretty standard power tool end. There are two versions,. The cheapest one has a plastic tool end which is fine for Mirka sanders as these have an anti twist swivel built into the sander, the dearer one is rubber with a swivel built in. That's a little dearer but better for generic tools like tracksaws..
Please share when you are done so that we can copy you
Incidentally, I wouldn't have a hose sticking forward like Peter does it. I'd have all the holes in the bottom edge - input and the one to the vac in the middle. I imagine something like an (mmm) shape with airflow doing a U turn inside the box. It keeps the front flat and simple, then if you use clear plastic for the front of the dust hub, you'll see any blockages and dust buildup ....
You don't need to wire anything. Just use the keyhole slots to mount a 4 or 6 way extension strip on the wall next to the dust box, plug your tools into that and feed it from the power socket on the vac.

 

[Doug B]

I’ve tried a few different ways with vacs over the years & came to the conclusion it really does pay to keep it as simple as possible.
I have a vac with a power take off, I made a short lead that goes up from the vacs socket to a double socket on the wall which I have both my chop saw plugged into & a trailing lead for over the bench for power tools, this way I never have to switch anything on or off just pull the trigger on the tool I’m using & the vac starts up.

The double socket is behind the aluminium taped pipe in the photo, I don’t bother with blast gates I just plug which ever hose I need into the plastic elbow which is connected by ridged waste pipe to my cyclone, this is for the chopsaw

Simple switch over for the hose above my bench

I prefer this to blast gates which in my experience lose suction & need regular maintenance, I could easily add to this if I needed a third hose but what I like about it best is I never have to think about turning the extractor on.

 

[ian33a]

Thank you, everyone, for your input.

I've decided that I will split the high volume low pressure and low volume high pressure systems and, in this regard, I have made a start today by moving some of the machines around in my workshop.

I've been able to reduce the 100mm pipe run lengths dramatically and have moved the blast gates to as close to the main artery of the pipe as possible.

Ideally, I'd do away with the flexible pipe completely but some of the pipe runs are tight and for others (such as the bandsaw - to which the flexible pipe in the foreground goes) is movable and needs the flexibility.

I have the possibility of expansion via the open pipe on the left and the first flexible pipe coming off the main artery is there to link into the planer thicknesser.

For the HPLV system, I have a plan along the lines of the dust hub but this still needs work.


For those who think that this is still a big mess, it is. However, it was far worse before I attacked it today!