We visited with friends, Darlene and Buzz in Indiana and "Buzz" introduced me to the local appliance repair company but with no luck. Ed's plans suggested finding a discarded clothes dryer motor, only finding the right configuration for the plan turned out to be frustrating. The motors were good but the sheet metal design is typically configured to mate to other parts, so that didn't pan out. I decided to go for a new motor at Granger's.
Naturally, Granger's replaced the Dayton 4C444 motor Ed suggested with the Dayton 1TDR7 which just so happened to be higher priced than the motor Ed suggested. However, it is worth it and Ed is right, "these motors are truly silent in their operation."
This past summer I was on a mission! The Granger's store in Manchester, NH was my first stop. We stored the Dayton blower in our motorhome, enjoyed our company and travels and I began to plan out the rest of my "Silent Vacuum System plans."
Arriving home I couldn't wait to hit the local Lowe's store for the wood, hose and hardware to put this baby together. Here's how it started...
The lapboard and two of the three flange attachments.
I could have used less rugged 4" PVC flanges (they're toilet flanges) but the Dayton blower had a much larger intake than the one Ed listed.
I've got to confess, I had to redo a few of the wooden pieces due to mistakes (grrrrrr).
The most frustrating part of the system to find was the 4" duct hose. Ed listed a dryer hose which is just what I wanted. However, no one sells them anymore due to the fire hazard resulting from lint. I "bit the bullet" and headed to the nearest WoodCraft store for their heavy duty dust hose. It's excellent, but its also very expensive. $33.00 to be exact. It comes in a 10' length. Ed suggested a six foot hose. I cut it at five feet and that'll do just fine for the way I've set this system up. To boot, I now have a spare five foot duct hose.
As the system came together I added a couple of ideas that helps make the unit more portable.
....and here's what I ended up with.......
The blower, mounted on 3/4" plywood with its wooden attachments and intake and exhaust flanges and wired for business.
The blower on its base is mounted to a wooden stool. The lapboard is mounted on the legs and held in place with twist locks for storage.
Above is the finished project. The bag is a laundry bag. When carving, I typically sit in a chair. This set up allows me to sit a few feet from the dust collector in easy reach of the on/off switch. And, it really is quiet.
I spent more than I thought but the two big items were the Dayton blower and the hose.
Motor: $159.00
Hose: $ 33.00
Wood: $ 6.00 (mistakes cost me another $6.00)
Hardware: $ 30.00 (screws, Elec. box, wire, etc.)
3-4" flanges: $ 15.00
Bag: 0.00 ("stolen" from the guest bedroom)
Stool: $ 20.00
Time and fun: Priceless!
Total: $263.00
Here's what it looks like while running....
Now its time to get carving!
