Updated Benchvent 300 S-D Cowling / Hood

[AlexBB]

Hiya Guys,
Well after a little hiatus due to having issues with Flikr !! I can now again get into my account and post pics....

I thought I would post a few pictures of my recent update to my bench vent 300S-D spray booth, I have added a new cowl / hood and now I have the time to do some modifications to the man cave I am going to install the vent out of a permanent duct out through the wall.

To enable this and so it is a neat and tidy install I have modified the bench vent and turned it upside down (I checked with the tech guy at Bench vent first and this is fine to do, makes no odd's on how it works) and have removed the handle, replacing the bolts with some M8 cap heads and lock washers / nuts...
This will give me a much shorter vent length to the outside minimising pressure drop and improving efficiency as well as reducing noise..
I have fitted a new filter and almost ready to go, just waiting for a some new Pre-Filter (Fibreglass aquarium filter matting) to arrive...

Here are the first stage cardboard template's I used to check things out...







Some prep with the planned light fitting and switch..





The 2 sides in place which were cut from 6mm Coroplast (also known as Plastiboard or coroboard), this cuts easily with a new Stanley blade and careful cutting. I managed to work out the sizes so I could get all 3 sides out of one 620mm x 1220mm sheet. (I did have a spare, but was hoping to save that just in case). This is the same material the original Benchvent hood was made from but 2mm thicker to give some extra rigidity and self supporting strength.

I also changed out the cutting mat for a new light grey one to improve the lighting and reflections, looks better with the lighter coloured mat I think!



First test fit of the lid to measure up the side projections and check I had the angle correct for the return on the front to house the light..







Final fixing of the lid using Velcro strips the same as the original was installed with. This makes it real easy to strip down for filter changes and cleaning etc..





Next up was the prep for the shelf it sits on at the back of my bench, this is a drop in shelf which just sits on the back edge of the bench (IKEA Table tops) and is supported on the wall with IKEA Betydlig curtain pole brackets (These are great cheap solution to lots of support and fixing solutions at £1.75 a pair including nice plastic covers..)..

Drilling a 120mm hole for the vent hose and a 68mm hole for the cable duct.





Next up some pics of the full assembly in place with the light on... I was going to add some right angle plastic extrusion along the edges, but during assembly I found that it sealed fine with just some 19mm electrical insulation tape and this makes it even easier to take down and set up...











The light is held in place with 2 strips of Velcro, is really light!! no pun intended so this works fine I have to say I am really impressed with the 20w LED light fitting, this is the second one of these I have bought off Amazon and with a 5 year guarantee I think they are great for the money, was £12 delivered !!
It really illuminates the whole cowling really well with no shadows...





Final pic with a small section added to cover the section of the shelf that was showing, this can be pulled out easily for cleaning as and when required...



So far all is going great, can't wait to get using it again Just need to get the hole through the wall in the next couple of days...

Addendum:

In case anyone fancies cutting one of these out, here is my final Dwg showing the cutting sizes..
The dotted line at the 85mm mark on the hood section is a rear cut but not all the way through the board. I used a Logan Mat cutter to do this with a 45 degree cut, this could be done carefully with a Stanley blade. The width of the cut needs to be 8mm wide to allow the fold beyond 90 degrees.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Very nicely done
I am taking notes

[digger303]

Very nicely done
I am taking notes

Me too.

[Kevthemodeller]

Nice mod, thanks for sharing

[jmurphy18]

I like this also! I noticed yesterday that 1/4 of my LED's had primer on them

[CygnusX1]

Nice work there - taken a few notes and pointers.