Welcome to Built For Life, where we blend traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology! 🛠️✨ Using CNC and laser engravers, we transform wood into timeless creations. As a self-taught "jack of all trades," I bring a passion for learning to every project.
At Built For Life, we go beyond creating aesthetically pleasing pieces - we're on a mission to build things for life. From custom furniture to intricate laser designs, each project is a testament to quality craftsmanship and sustainability.
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With darker paints it seems to take a little less paint, but if you realize you have added too much you can just add more mineral spirits and more wipe on poly.
The Dust Deputy traps 99.9% of the dust in the barrel below it when that is not working correctly you have a leak between the Dust Deputy and the barrel below I see a lot of guys making a different containers but those l e a k that gets dust in your filter
So maybe a solve for the window blocking. Move the motor and cyclone to the left edge of the window, making sure the flex hose opening is lined up level with the filter opening. Then make the stand for the barrel at needed height. Take approximately 1’ of flex hose and hard pipe to connect the filter and DC. Less resistance, more window.
Definitely here for the educational content and not because of presumed bodily harm via the thumbnail. 😁 Once you get into forging and foundry work, it gets a bit addicting. That caveman part of you drawn to the fire, noise, etc is suddenly put on notice when you exceed your curiosity and/or skill level early on. They are a lot of fun to build, however. With my early efforts, I was limited to the 4-6kg crucibles, then had a few good seasons with that but needed Big capacity for graphitizing experiments. Enter one salvage boiler, a plasma torch and 600lbs of anthracite later, I can tell you exactly how far you need to stand from a raging inferno that has Zero problems weakening steel within 5 feet and will not hesitate to start any area of your yard on fire. An interesting side note, deer corn makes a good starter fuel and smells quite nice when you're trying to get wet coal kicked off.
Ha ha yeah it is definitely addictive I’m just waiting for the weather to cool off to play some more… hopefully this time with less singed hair and burns.
The only negative aspect of the machine is that there isn't much space under the Gantry for larger materials. However, after putting it together, it looks like there could be a simple solution for this problem based on where and how the gantry is attached.
Hey Built for Life, I lke the table you have. Did you build it yourself or purchase it? I don't have a machine just yet, but plan to have one is a few months.
I built it. It actually one of my first videos ( don’t judge my video skills) i used metal from a pallet rack off market place and the butcher block unglued up from 2x material. If money is not the issue Kreg makes a ready built frame you can buy and add your own top.
I would avoid 90 elbows and use 45s. Nice job man. I built one too used PVC sewer pipe (no worries about static fires) and the Thein baffle. Also I got me an aluminum flap for clothes drier 6inch to run outside, rather than have a filter. Works great less pressure and less cleaning. The air always looks clean coming out. Now Im upgrading the unit, just found a new used unit for $100. Id say New really. I may make a cyclone this time.
I tried to avoid turns as much as possible. For my little 2 car garage this thing has been a work horse. It will probably be running all weekend again... biggest issue i have is dumping the barrel which is a good problem to have.
Just took another look at this video, and … Documentation for my 2HP HF dust collector says it is rated at 20 amps. Just thought you would want to know. Finally got my motor/impeller mounted up on the wall. Used a game hoist - seems like they’re usually rated for about 1000 pounds. SO MUCH easier (and safer) than lifting it into place. Best wishes!
Thank you for your REAL EXPERIENCE sharing. Im about to mount my HF dust collector on the wall too. Im still not sure about the impeller upgrade. I am mounting next to my breaker and I as I rewired my entire shop its easy to cut the drywall and run a 20 amp wire and outlet if needed. It seems EVERYONE is an EXPERT when it comes to dust collection too. At the end, I think its about EACH persons needs, risk, and cost. I run my shop as a startup business. Im retired too, so Its not MANDATORY with the stress. I can take the lost to build my shop right and take my time learning which many dont have the opportunity to do. I appreciate you HONESTY too, and keeping things REAL. Blessings.
I agree everyone has different needs, and while the impeller did increase airflow it’s not a must. The dust collector still moves plenty of air with the factory one, and if the factory one doesn’t end up meeting your needs you can always go back and change it. If you have an Instagram for your business send me a message on instagram and i will follow.
Hi Joel, great video! Very interesting idea and you did a great job on final finishing/details. Definitely look to build something like this when we get our CNC...
I’m only 2 1/2 minutes into this video and I’m already questioning your methods. Why all the talking and measuring? Why not just throw a 4’x4’ piece of plywood on there and see if it will bevel the edges of it? Done.
Well my methods came from the questions i had before i purchased the machine…. Obviously the base will fit a half sheet and more but what i was measuring is the actual travel of the machine.
Great info! I just bought that dust collector used and that is what lead me to your initial video. In designing what I had and how I wanted to lay it out, it is essentially very similar to your system layout in this video, although it's going to be portable, so it will look more like a tall Laguna Pflux. Like you, I worry about the Wen impeller weight (haven't added it yet but most likely will) But I worry more about turning the motor on its end because I worry that the armature weight + the impeller weight will wear out some thrust washer as the motor didn't have that kind of downward loading of weight applied when the shaft was oriented horizontally. I have a couple questions. As I said, my order of components is similar to yours except the old filter/bag round piece (separator) will be my inlet and the motor/blower will mount on top of that, where you now have the filter. I'll extend the motor fan inlet about 6 to 8" down, past the round concave baffle and just slightly beneath the inlet port, to make that separator function more like a cyclone would. So, that's stage one. Then stage two is the fan outlet feeds the inlet of my super dust deputy. The bottom outlet of the dust deputy will have a 1-to-3-gallon bucket on the bottom of it for fine dust and then a filter or filter box on the dust deputy top discharge port. The question is; just how much dust are you are actually accumulating in your second and 3rd stage ( the bag and filter)? You have a 3-stage system as you have installed it (cyclone/separator/filter) so I'm curious what and how much material actually makes it through to the 3rd stage. I may not need a filter with that much surface area if not much gets through to there. I've seen people show the level of separation by starting with an empty system then sucking up a pile of debris. Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience!
It looks like you could move the entire 4x4 over to the left at least 1/4" and get the full actual 4x4 cutting capacity with the bit setter still in place. Have you tested it again since this vid? Also I know you're using the clamp screws that came with the kit but would longer screws make it so you can get the piece even further over (closer to the center of the t-track)? Excellent video. I've wanted a shapeoko since the original XXL and am finally getting to place that I may be able to get one soon so I appreciate the thorough info.
Yes i tried every way i could to fit it. The easiest thing to do is just make a little notch in the material and just avoid that area in the design. The other way is if i am just cutting i will remove the bit setter and zero to the spoil board. It’s a great machine for the money.
I just sold my SO3 XXL and will be ordering a 5 Pro. On the slow homing, I had that on my 3 and they gave me a command to type in to speed that up, but I can’t remember it. If you ask them they can probably hook you up.
I'm curious about how the pressure with the new fan is different now. You mention that the airflow has increased, but what about pressure? I think the different blade orientation would have.a pretty large effect on the pressure.
I haven’t ignored your comment i have been looking into it and i don’t have a good way of measuring. I think the only way i could compare would be to neck it down to 2.5 and compare it too a shop vac but at the end of the day that doesn’t really tell me anything because this type of system is made for 4” I’m running it on 4” all the way to the tool and it works great. Thanks for watching!
I've set up a woodworking shop and now have a clean slate, but I'm uncertain about what diameter pipe to opt for in my dust collection system. Currently, I'm equipped with a Harbor Freight 2HP setup, enhanced with upgraded fan blades and a P181038 filter, alongside the addition of the Oneida Cyclone, which I've wall-mounted. I've noticed many RU-vid creators employing 4" pipes, while a few opt for 6". Could you shed some light on why you chose the size you did?"
I would love to act like I’m the pinnacle of information, but i am not. All i can tell you is what I have experienced and learned. 4 inch for a small shop seems the most logical to me especially on a smaller system. The more pipe you spread out the more you reduce flow. For the money metal HVAC has worked fine ( not perfect, but works). There is a lot of science and opinion out there that you can analyze to death and never make a decision. I think the best thing to do is build what you want and figure out what works and doesn’t for your situation.
Filter is the most important part. Definitely worth the expense not only in airflow, but to me the big benefit is the health aspect. The only way i wouldn't run it is if i could somehow mange to run the system outside .
I didn't have any issues really. The initial amp draw is higher, but that is about it. If I did it all again I don't know if I would do it right out the gate again. I would probably get the system installed how I wanted it, and then decide if I need the extra flow.
Well its my own fault if you make a youtube video you have to understand people are going to tell you what they think. I'm right there with you though it does everything I need so i like it.
I have put in some mild use with it now and it’s okay I’m definitely looking at the Milwaukee detail sander now… it has a 2 year warranty i would be interested to see how Rikon customer service treats you to replace it.
What brand is the table frame you've got yours setup on? I'm about to order an XXL and I like that steel frame vs building one out of 4x4 posts and wood frame
More than one data point is necessary to characterize the effectiveness of these modifications. I could be that when 20 foot of duct is installed that the flow falls on its face. The flow should have been measured by installing a vacuum gauge and a blast gate and then measuring the air velocity at different vaccum. Also knowing that most import motors usually have no reserve it would be nice to know what the motor amperage was pre modification. I understand the motor is slower to start and thus will be drawing max current for a longer time at start up but I am more concerned about the running current. A start capaciitor does not reduce the starting current, (it actually increases it) but reduces the time for the motor to get up to full speed which helps reduce overheating on startup.
I haven’t cleaned the filter yet. I have blown it out and got little to no dust in the bag. Granted most of my sanding i use a shop vac with a hep filter and bag.
I added a donut baffle in the top of my filter side and a theine baffle on the bottom to try and prevent the thin dust sneaking up into my filter and the theine baffle traps the light dust in the bag. For my elevator I used the cranks off two pipe clamps welded to an angle bar. I shortened the pipes and attached them with collars to the base. It raises and lowers my barrel very well and seals it up under my cycline ring. My theine baggie is in the lid of the barrel.
Great video guy. Thank you for putting out your content. I did something similar to mine and is on my channel. It takes a lot to put out these videos and I understand the amount of effort that you have put in. Great job.
Love the review; thanks for posting it. I'm thinking of upgrading from a FoxAlien Vasto. I think I have it narrowed down to the Shapeoko 5 Pro 4x4 and Onefinity Elite Foreman (4x4). My Vasto is working well but I'm finding that the Vasto's 15"x15" platform is just a bit small for some of the work I do. I'm torn between the 4x4 and 4x2. I have the room for a 4x4 but took note of your commentary on the machine homing time which would be twice as long on a 4x4. But... I just know that the first time a job doesn't fit on the 4x2 I would be kicking myself.
Thanks for watching. If space and price are not a factor then the 4x4 seems the way to go. I have a laser that is 16”x16” and it got small very quick. My 4x4 cnc hasn’t been too small yet.
I have lightburn and i am fairly up to speed on it and i do not know if a feature that would allow you to run a cnc. It’s really the tool database and ability of the software to calculate the tool path.
If you can run that same motor on 220v you will use almost half the amperage. IF my reading is correct check on that & if my understanding is 😅 I would appreciate knowing 14:04 15:18 15:21
I would like to say I’m schooled up on electricity to know the answer here but I am not. I am just planning on adding a 30 amp circuit to my garage and i think that will solve most of my problems.
Im not sure if the filter linked is correct, the product dimensions are listed as Product Dimensions 12.2 x 12.2 x 8.27 inches which I dont think can be correct@@builtforlife
That’s awesome!!! Thanks for sharing. My site should be live in a couple weeks and I’ll be pumped when / if I get my first sale as well. I should be on your newsletter, so I’ll keep an eye out for new stuff. I’ll also give feedback on the item when I carve it.
