Vertical drops follow the same rule
A vertical drop is just another branch. Give it a gate where the slide can move and where your hand can reach.
Shop guide
Duct layout and where the blast gates go
Where the main duct runs, where each branch drops, and where the blast gate sits so one tool gets the air.
The order
Main duct first. Branches second. Tool hose last.
- The trunk carries air for the whole shop. Keep it straight and sized for the collector you already own.
- Each branch serves one tool you want to isolate.
- The flex hose is the final few feet to the hood, not the whole run.
Home shops get into trouble when the trunk turns into a long piece of corrugated hose with tees wherever a tool landed.
Gate placement
Put the gate on the hard branch, close to the main.
A gate is a branch shutoff. It should be on the branch, not floating in the middle of a hose.
Floor sweep is not a loophole
A floor sweep should be its own branch and gate. Treat it like a tool: on when you use it, closed when you do not.
Ready for automation?
Automation follows the tool. Your layout has to make that map obvious.
If your branch map is clear, the System Builder can match tools, gate sizes, and collector start method without guessing.
Shop guide
Duct layout and where the blast gates go
Where the main duct runs, where each branch drops, and where the blast gate sits so one tool gets the air.
The order
Main duct first. Branches second. Tool hose last.
- The trunk carries air for the whole shop. Keep it straight and sized for the collector you already own.
- Each branch serves one tool you want to isolate.
- The flex hose is the final few feet to the hood, not the whole run.
Home shops get into trouble when the trunk turns into a long piece of corrugated hose with tees wherever a tool landed.
Gate placement
Put the gate on the hard branch, close to the main.
A gate is a branch shutoff. It should be on the branch, not floating in the middle of a hose.
Vertical drops follow the same rule
A vertical drop is just another branch. Give it a gate where the slide can move and where your hand can reach.
Floor sweep is not a loophole
A floor sweep should be its own branch and gate. Treat it like a tool: on when you use it, closed when you do not.
Ready for automation?
Automation follows the tool. Your layout has to make that map obvious.
If your branch map is clear, the System Builder can match tools, gate sizes, and collector start method without guessing.