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Home TOPICAL Knowledge base Product tests and reviews

Yonawood built an effective dust extraction system from sewer pipe

5 years ago

A good dust extraction system is recognised by how easy it is to use

You do not have to pay the extraction any attention while working, and yet it keeps the workshop clean. We think Joona's solution is an excellent example of creative problem-solving when you do not have a large professional workshop's budget or space.

Yonawood is a one-man company in eastern Finland. Joona makes high-quality wooden products for private customers and companies, to the customer's wishes.

At the heart of the system is Record Power's CamVac — a wall-mounted cyclone extractor

Below are Joona's own photographs and text:

Workshop size 9 × 6 m / 54 m², plus a 9 × 6 timber store/garage on the other side.
The workshop was built with woodworking as a hobby in mind, but small-scale business is also carried on there.
Machines: IHA lathe, Casadei combination machine, Manko mortiser/pillar drill, Festool CS 70 table saw, Festool Kapex KS 120 mitre saw, Festool OF 2200 router, a small belt sander, DeWalt bandsaw, DeWalt planer-thicknesser, Record Power SS16V scroll saw.
About 40 m of ducting in total including drops, mostly 110 mm diameter.
Nine extraction points with blast gates.
Floor sweep nozzles made of plywood in three corners of the workshop, each with its own gate. These on 75 mm pipe.
Provision and extra capped Y-branches have also been left in the ducting for possible changes.
100 mm hose is connected directly to the blast gates or over a 100 mm spiral pipe that goes inside a 110 mm sewer pipe.
The 75 mm hoses go straight over 75 mm sewer pipe without adapters.
The extractor is a twin-motor (2,000 W) CamVac 286-Wall, operated by remote control.
Ahead of the extractor is a home-made cyclone pre-separator that collects the chips in a 220-litre drum. The separation is good; only fine dust reaches the extractor's filter.
The suction is excellent, though you have to make sure several gates are not open at once and keep the filter clean.
The extractor's filters need cleaning depending on how much it is used. The cyclone reduces that need considerably. I ran a threaded rod through the extractor's plastic chip bag, well sealed, so that the other end is fixed to the cloth main filter with large washers and nuts. With that you can shake the filter clean without dismantling anything, though it does not replace a more thorough cleaning of the filters.
The goal was to arrange the extraction so that it would make the work easier and faster, and to get the hoses off the floor or make them as short as possible.

All in all I think the ducting has turned out well; a few small shortcomings have been put right as experience has grown. Afterwards I have thought about the number of bends in the system and tested their effect on the suction, but there is no significant difference in suction between the point nearest the extractor and the one furthest away. Those differences may grow once the filters start needing cleaning.

The parts and gates for the ducting came to around a thousand euros in total.

Frequently asked questions

What was the ducting built from?

Mainly 110 mm sewer pipe, and 75 mm pipe for the floor sweep nozzles. There is about 40 metres of ducting including the drops.

What did the ducting cost?

The parts and gates came to around a thousand euros in total.

Which extractor is in the system?

A twin-motor 2,000 W CamVac 286-Wall, operated by remote control. Ahead of it is a home-made cyclone pre-separator that collects the chips in a 220-litre drum.

Do the bends in the ducting affect the suction?

In this installation there was no significant difference in suction between the nearest and the furthest point. Those differences may grow once the filters start needing cleaning.

How is the filter cleaned without dismantling it?

Joona fitted a threaded rod through the chip bag, well sealed, so that the other end is fixed to the cloth main filter with large washers and nuts. The rod lets the filter be shaken clean — though it does not replace a more thorough cleaning.