Once you've chosen a dust collector, the only thing left to do is hook it up to the various machines that make dust in your shop. Smaller collectors (600 CFM or less) serve one machine at a time, and are usually taken to the vicinity of whatever's running; all you need then is a length of flexible hose, a hood to fit the machine, and possibly an adapter or two to link hood & hose.

Larger collectors (1000 CFM and up) that can be permanently sited require a network of ducts feeding from each machine in the shop. You'll need a hood, a short length of flex hose and a blast gate for each machine, along with fixed ducting running across the ceiling or walls to the collector. Lightweight 4" PVC drain pipe (not schedule 40 pressure pipe) makes excellent and inexpensive smooth-walled duct. Most large dust collectors, however, require at least 5" or 6" main lines; 4" or smaller ducts should be used for branch lines. Galvanized stove pipe works well for large-diameter mains if you place the seams top center and tape to seal against leaks. Both stove pipe and 4" PVC drain are stocked or can be ordered by your neighborhood hardware store.

A 30-page booklet, Dust Collection Basics, (available separately) has helpful recommendations for small shop systems, with information on design, individual machine requirements, and a valuable chapter on duct grounding. Some of the book's standard industrial tables don't always relate well to today's small, high-volume collectors, but it can be a great help if you're planning a stationary system.

Our hoods, blast gates, splices and Ys are ABS plastic (which fit inside 4" PVC or stove pipe). Elbows, increasers & reducers are galvanized steel.

Shop vac adapters let you hook your 2-1/2" shop vac hose to your powerful dust collector rather than your shop vac for routine dry vacuuming chores. Adapters fit 3" or 4" duct or increasers.