The difference in my shop's dust collection after I swapped out the old 4-inch hose for a 6-inch main line

For years I had a basic 4-inch flex hose running from my collector to my table saw and jointer. The air flow was okay, but I was still sweeping up a fine layer of dust every Friday. Last month, I finally upgraded the main trunk to a 6-inch rigid pipe, keeping the 4-inch drops to the tools. The change in suction power was immediate, like night and day. My floor has stayed almost completely clean for three weeks straight now. Is the bigger main line always worth the extra cost and space, or are there setups where the smaller hose is still the better call?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena_west432mo ago

Honestly, that "night and day" change is wild, but did you have to change your collector's motor at all?

emmashah2mo ago

Wait, is a new motor actually needed? That seems like a huge step, @xena_west43. I've seen people get that big change just from cleaning the old one really well or fixing a simple wiring issue. Maybe they jumped to the most expensive fix first.

the_lucas1mo ago

My old washing machine motor started making this awful grinding noise last year. The repair guy said it was totally shot and quoted me like $400 for a new one. I spent an afternoon just taking it apart and cleaning out a ton of old grease and lint... it's been running fine ever since. Sometimes they really do just push for the big replacement.