Dust collection systems

[boomer12831]

I have been doing some more wood working projects in my work shop lately and I think its time for a dust collection system. I usually wheel the table saw, Planer, chop saw, etc. outside and try to keep the dust out there but that makes a mess out there also. Its getting tougher in northern N.Y. to do this in the winter. I have been looking at some different dust collection systems and am wondering what you guys are using. I will not be piping up the shop because all of my wood working machines have to be stored against the walls when not in use, then rolled out to the middle when I am using them. I am wondering if anyone has a Rigid dust collector and how they like it ? I don't have a lot of money to invest here and a portable unit is what I need. Do you run hoses to each machine or remove the hose and place it on the machine that you are using at the time? Thanks for the advice and Happy New Year, Ed

 

[signcrafter]

I'm in kind of the same situation. Do you have a shop vac? I'm going to try using my ridgid shop vac and a cyclone type dust collector. I got one on sale for 70 bucks shipped to me from woodcraft. Hopefully this will be enough for me. Google dust deputy and you will get all kinds of results. Probably not as good as a real dust collector but a lot less expensive and they seem to get good reviews.

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

I'm no expert on the matter but the key of dust collection is airflow - the more airflow the better. Kinda like air compressors - just in reverse.

Shopvac's are good for very small collection areas where you can get all the dust with it's small nozzle. They have "strong" suction but lower airflow.

I have a Clearvue mini http://www.clearvuecyclones.com/cv06-mini/71-cv06-mini-system.html that I use to seperate fines for my shopvac's.

I mostly use this for sanding and for my Kreg K3 jig.

A prior post mentioned Dust Deputy which is Oneida's version of a mini-cyclone. Oneida is a top dog in dust collection whereas Clearview is a small family business.

You need a BIGGER air mover to perform proper dust collection on larger tools like table saws and planers. There is a full blown narrative by Bill Pentz on the subject at http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm

A popular starter dust collection system is to buy HF's 2HP dust collector and tweak it for better performance. There are ton's of references to this on the web.

Cyclones are the manna for dust collection/seperation but they are expensive. There is a homebuilt option called a Thein Seperator that gets you 95% of the way there and you can built it yourself with simple tools. I built one and have been happy using it for 5+ years. http://www.jpthien.com/cy.htm

I have a Cincinnatti Fan dust collector that I modified with a Thein seperator.

I use 10 foot long 4" flexible hoses to connect my WW tools when I need them. I buy the connectors and hose at Woodcraft.

It's not perfect - but it does cut down on the dust in the garage.\

Cheers

Jim

 

[jakemac]

I've had the HF 2hp system for 5yrs and love it. It's a lot quieter than I was expecting. It's on castors if you need to move it. I still need to pipe my shop, but I made an adaptor plate for the bottom of my makita contractors saw (then wrapped the saw with shrinkwrap to seal it) and it gets nearly all of the sawdust (nothing will ever get all of it). It's a beast.
http://www.harborfreight.com/2-hp-industrial-5-micron-dust-collector-97869.html

The portable 1hp version from HF should fit your needs.
http://www.harborfreight.com/13-gallon-industrial-portable-dust-collector-31810.html

They have fittings available as well (mostly online).
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=dust+collector

 

[David Paul]

Holy ****....I just purchased a jobsite table saw for projects around the house that I could never do before. I was going to post this same question but now I have some answers before I even asked the question.....gotta love this site. Thanks to all who take the time to post replies.

 

[MatBirch]

About ten years ago, I needed a system for my small shop. After research online, I built a cyclone system using Bill Pentz' design. I built the fan housing out of particle board, also from Bill's site. I also built my own fan for it using designs I also found online. I had a 2hp 1800 rpm motor that was very heavy duty. While dc fans should spin at 3450rpm to achieve the static pressures needed, I overcame that by building my fan 20" in diameter. Believe it or not, I used an old aluminum sign and bolted some angle to it, using extra washers here and there to balance it. It worked fabulously.
The whole system was piped in 6" to keep volume up and only reduced at the machine connections.
I can't remember exactly, but it was CHEAP! I only remember buying the sheet of galvi metal, and a few odds and ends. Everything else was built from scrap. I wish I had pictures of it, but that was long ago, and my life has gone through some major upheavals since then...
I learned a ton from Bill Pentz. His research into the subject is without equal. Several companies have spawned to capitalize on the info he has made public. Many forum arguments have started over the years as to whether or not he's right, and whether or not it's all needed. I side with Bill. I believe it has more to do with protecting my health than making clean up easier...

 

[gol4]

My wood shop is in the basement. I have a delta for dust collection and a shop vac.
To keep the air clean, I use a home built unit that I made from an old furnace blower. I wanted to move as much air as possible. I sized the filters to use the same size as my home furnace. The used ones from my house furnace become the pre-filters for my cleaner.
For those who don't filter the air, before doing any cutting, take a small beamed flashlight to your shop. Shut off the lights and shine the beam around looking at the airborne particles. Then cut a small amount of wood and do the flashlight test again. You will decide to filter the air after that. Those particles remain suspended for hours for you to breathe in.

 

[bob15]

This work very well. I have been using the same for a couple years now....

http://www.oneida-air.com/category.asp?Id={CC6B6F2A-E3D7-4F18-A53C-B5C357DFE131}

 

[McFarmer]

I had a central collections system with the big fan, bags all that stuff. It made too much noise for me.

I now have a small shop vac wired to go on when the machine goes on, table saw, router and radial arm. I just wired an outlet to a switch, both the machine and vac plug into it and both go on when I throw the switch.

Nothing fancy. I like the job it does.