planer/molder dust collection

[Duncan]

I have just purchased a woodmaster 718 and a powermatic 15s.  I am going to be purchasing a dust collection system but wanted to know how many CFM other people are using and whether or not they are happy with it.

Also,

I am worried about the massive amount of chips that will be created and your method of dealing with them.

kelly

[pineywoods]

Duncan, don't even think of running that woodmaster without some kind of shavings blower. It will fill your shop with shavings up to your eyeballs in very short order. Here's what I have found from experience with mine...Handling shavings is different from handling sawdust or dust from sanders. First, don't try to bag shavings. Blow then through a 4 inch pvc pipe to a pile outside. Your neighbors will love them for mulch (unless you are working walnut or cedar). You don't need that big a blower. Mine is homemade 1/2 hp off an old clothes dryer. The most critical thing is the spacing of the blades on the blower. Closely spaced blades such as found on leaf blowers etc will clog up on shavings. Some commercial dust collection blowers will also clog. Mine only has 8 blades , about 7 inches in diameter. Try to keep the use of flexible hose to a minimum. The cheapest 4 inch pvc pipe you can find is much better. 90 degree elbows are another potential clog point, better to use 2 45's. I have been well pleased with my 718. I just finished running 1500 feet of 4 inch crown molding through mine. The shavings pile is 5 ft high. the only problems I have had were of my own doing. And if you need factory support it's there.

[OneWithWood]

Go here and do a bit of research

http://billpentz.com//woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm

I am running a Woodmaster 718, Powermatic 2000, Grizzly G490, Hitachi 12" SCM and a Woodmizer LT40.  I use a 5hp blower I acquired from the same folks who make the Woodmaster, a main run of 6" PVC, drops of 6" and 4" PVC and 6" and 4" clear PVC flexible hose.  It all exits through the wall into a dump truck.

[Duncan]

Thanks,

i am not considering running it without dust collection.  I have a good idea of the amount of shavings that I will be getting and that is why I have put off getting into that part of the business until I had a location that is big enough for the chip collection issue.
Just got an E-mail from Woodmaster stating that the minimum is 2500CFM.  That means that I will have to use a 4 pony dust collection system.  That seems a bit of overkill to me.
I was hoping to keep it in the 2 hp range, but if I need the extra ponies I will just have to buy a bigger one later.

Kelly

[beenthere]

............  It all exits through the wall into a dump truck.

OWW
Did you find a 'fix' for the problem on the output end?  Seems the dust/chips were not staying put in the truck.

[OneWithWood]

Yes, thanks to Tom's elegant solution 

I rerouted the pipe to run down the barn wall, put an elbow and short piece of pipe onto the end and ran it into the dump box through the sliding door in the tailgate.  If I can remember to I will take a pick of the new set up.  It works quite well 

[Nora]

About dealing with the quantity of residue, there are more and more industries with a need for various types of mill and forest residue. The problem seems to be linking the supply to the buyer! However, if you have an ongoing supply, you might see if there is a Fuels for Schools program in your state and whether a local school is in the program. I  know that in MT, there are already about 4 schools on the program with 5 more on the way.

http://www.fuelsforschools.org/

What types of materials they take will depend on the boilers. Even our small schools on the program are using 400 - 750 tons of woody biomass a year.

Another use: I spoke to a lady in New Mexico yesterday, who is working on building a plant to make Insulated Concrete Forms out of wood chips. She said that's how they do it in Europe. http://healthybuildingsmadeeasy.com/ I know that all this is supposed to be "new" technology, but my grandmother would have called it being "thrifty."

Nora

[beenthere]

Nora
Are these programs self-supporting, or only viable with Federal Grant money for support?

 

[Nora]

Beenthere,

I'm not an expert in the industry, but here is a page with some stats:

http://dnrc.mt.gov/forestry/Assistance/Biomass/projecttable.asp

The Darby School is the one that has been going the longest time. Of course, the cost effectiveness is over time. Their estimated fuel savings is $100,000.00 per year. At a cost of $650,000 to set up the system, they should be breaking even in a couple of years.

We are receiving an increase in inquiries about pellet production as the cost of energy increases. In Colorado, there is a project to heat with whole wood pellets made from pinon trees which are a scrub.

http://smallwoodnews.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=123

At http://smallwoodnews.com we collect  stories related to the use of small diameter timber and the use of woody biomass.

Nora

[capnfrank]

Duncan,
It would the ideal situation to have 2500 cfm.  I sorta ran out of 220 and settled for a Grizzly 1028 that has 1400 cfm. My Woodmaster is the 725 model.  The Griz has 2 4" going into a 6" port. I went straight to the 6" and dedicated the collector to the 725.  It doesn't catch everything, but you have to empty that joker regularly.  If you can't go up to a 2500 and must catch the chips, this is a "on the cheap" alternative that works pretty well.

[Nora]

Sawdust collection is a big deal in the Bitterroot Valley - there are over 7 log home manufacturers. 60 miles away, Smurfit-Stone's linerboard plant needs 30+ truck loads of hog fuel a day. Here is a picture of a roll on bin left at Pioneer Log Home being loaded with a blow pipe.



I put the photo in my gallery with the others about this project.

There is a guy in the Bitterroot who took the roll on idea for his 1 ton truck. He drops smaller bins off at a post and pole plant for them to load with firewood for him to sell!

[Larry]

kelly,
Nother mill not to far away has a 725.  He was having trouble with his dust collector plugging up.  Don't know the CFM.  I welded up a new 6" outlet and we replaced all the 4" pipe with 6" pipe.  Huge improvement.

I noticed the same thing when I replaced my pipe with 6".  My dust collection is similar to oww...but I try to blow most of it into the next county so I don't have to haul it off.

[DR_Buck]

I run my Woodmaster 718 with a 2hp 1600 cfm Harbor Freight Blower and dump it through a 6" pipe into a pile on the outside of the shop.    I've had no problems removing chips with this setup.   

  I did start out with the cyclone and bag system.   Filled it to capacity in minutes!   That's why I dump into a pile now.


I'm going to add a 'box' on the outside to collect the chips so I can remove them with the fork lift. 

[treenail]

Been running my grizzly 20" planer and my williams and hussey moulder with that same 1600cfm, harbor freight 2 hp unit. Works real well with a four inch duct, but even with the cyclone unit before the bags, I do spend a lot of time dumping shavings. Would recommend building a straight pipe out to a bin of some sort. Planning that myself.