Benchtop Downdraft Box Hole Specs

Pegboard with 1/4-inch holes seems to work well. June 21, 2012

Question
I am in the early stages of designing a portable downdraft box to be used on top of a bench. It will probably be about 24" x 48". I am looking for recommendations for optimal hole size/spacing and required CFM for this size unit. Any help would be appreciated.

Forum Responses
(Dust Collection and Safety Equipment Forum)
From contributor G:
Sanding dust is pretty light weight. If you used 1" holes and about 50-75 CFM per sq ft you would probably get good results.

---

From contributor A:
I built a small one that works ok with a 1hp portable collector. I just used 1/4" peg board for the top and built the box about 4" thick with a 4" plastic blast gate for a hose connector. 1hp collector keeps the dust down, but when I hook it up to the 3hp collector, I get a nice bonus as the suction is sufficient to hold the part to the table while I am sanding.