Remote vacuum a good idea?

[Stagecraft]

Having retired last year I'm just about ready to re-assemble my Shopbot in my new home workshop which is nearing completion. Noise will be a big concern and I'm wondering if there's any real downside (besides the inconvenience) of locating the hold-down vacuums as well as the dust extractor within a separate room in my garage/workshop? I'm planning on plumbing the system with PVC pipes so I'm hoping any potential loss of holding power will be at a minimum. Your thoughts?

[Brady Watson]

You won't have loss of suction, only lower CFM due to any bends or pipe wall friction slowing it down. Just make sure the room is cooled/vented and you upsize your PVC to make up for distance/bend losses.

[nat_wheatley]

I'd be interested in what you come up for this. I'm on the verge of doing the same for my hold down vacuums.

[Brady Watson]

When I was setting up new machines, quite often customers would want to put the vac pump in a mechanical room. This was especially true for roots-type pumps that would rattle the teeth out of your skull...It's no problem as long as you upsize the pipe to make up for CFM loss (EG 4" instead of 3") and keep bends to a minimum. Again, make sure you have adequate cooling...compressing air generates a lot of heat. Try to keep the distance to the machine as short as you can - as in, under 40' total distance along the pipe.

-B

[nat_wheatley]

Right now I have 4 of the LH vac motors mounted directly to the underside of my table. I'm thinking about boxing out the back corner of my shop (about 20-25' from the machine, maybe 1 bend..) and relocating the vacs there. They're both outside walls so, I could do some type of through wall venting...

[coryatjohn]

I have my dust collector in the next room. It's one of the better decisions I've made. I upped the line to 6" to compensate.

Moving the duct collector did a number of positive things:

1. Lowered the noise. When cutting with a small end mill, I can skip the hearing protection. When working in the room with the dust collector (it's hooked to several machines), I have to use the mickey mouse ears.

2. Provide a negative pressure in the CNC room. This keeps the inevitable dust kicked up by the CNC isolated to the one room as air flows from the dust collector out of the room through the hose and back in through the doorway. I'm big on a clean shop and this helps.

3. Gets that big machine out of the CNC room. I had space for it and almost installed it next to my CNC but now, it's far easier to reach the dust collector to empty the bin and maneuver around the CNC than it would have been if I left them in the same room.

The only downside is the longer length of pipe but since I upped it from a 5" to a 6" line, that's not an issue.

I keep the hold down vacuum under the table. Too darn convenient to place it anywhere else. I don't use it that much anyway.

[joe]

Don't know what product you plan on cutting but I'd look at a puck system. These systems are comparatively cheap, silent and holds like crazy.

[nat_wheatley]

Cutting 4'x8' sheets into closet organizer parts.

[coryatjohn]

I can't imagine successfully cutting sheet goods without a vacuum hold down.

[gundog]

My air compressor, Dust collector, Light House vacuum hold down motors and a Vibratory Bowl tumbler all are housed in a loafing shed just outside my shop. I put all the noisy stuff outside it sure makes it nice inside. I do live in a rural area no super close neighbors. I ran 3" ABS to my vacuum hold down motors to a manifold that then goes to 2" for each run to the table this system has worked good for me.

[Stagecraft]

Thanks fellas' I appreciate the feedback!

[pro70z28]

I don't have any experience with a vac hold down for the CNC, I screw my material down to the sacrifice board. However back when I did screen printing a made a vac platten to hold sheets of vinyl flat for printing. I put the shop vac in the crawl space and ran the hose through the wall to the screen press. It was just loud enough to remind me it was on & worked well. Had a remote on/off switch mounted to the side of the screen press with an indicator light, as backup in case I forgot about the dull hum of the shop vac in the crawl space.