Harbor Freight Dust Collector Build

[Renegade1LI]

Started out with the infamous HF 2 hp dust collector, which isn't bad for the price. Had it hooked to a few tools with hoses & the stock bag, which is like a big pillow case. Decided to run metal pipe with gates to all tools & needed to upgrade the dc so there wouldn't be as much dust in the air. I tried to reuse what I could but really only the blower & base are any good so I went from there. I used strut for the frame & coated birch ply for everything else, if I didn't reuse the base I probably could have made it smaller. My intent was to make it easy to empty the chips & clean the filter so I made an air tight box below the cyclone & supported the air filter with a trapeze that I will add a couple of threaded hand wheels to replace the nuts. Not sure if I will paint or not, but the initial feel is good & I'll know better once it's hooked up, I did notice it is a little quieter, maybe the air filter vs bag ??? The best part is all total it cost me about 650$ as I had the strut & plywood so it was way cheaper than buying a 2 stage. I'll have a review of how it works in a few days.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Does anyone have recommendations for a rf remote switch? I was looking at this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CCVJWL9/?tag=atomicindus08-20

The price seems too cheap to work but the reviews seem good, & the DC is 110 volt, I guess for that price it's worth a shot.

 

[BadMofo]

What filter are you using?


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[Renegade1LI]

What filter are you using?


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

It's a Donaldson P191670 dust collector filter.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Well I had time today to hook up the DC to the system & ran some wood through the worst dust makers with great results. The ts, belt sander & miter saw are now almost dust free with no noticeable airborne dust, it was good to test on a sunny day, there was no signs of leakage on any parts of the dc & it is a lot quieter than before. I have ordered a rf switch & am on the fence about upgrading the impeller, plus it's on backorder, but so far I don't think it will be necessary. I did leave room below the filter incase it needs a sump below it, so far the cyclone is taking all debris out, what a big improvement! It's one of those why didn't I do this sooner? Now I'm going to add a whole shop filter to keep the air moving & hopefully now I have a much healthier & cleaner environment to work in. This is definitely a must do upgrade for dust collection, the cyclone & air filter make a huge difference, every time I would switch the dc on before with a bag you could see the dust cloud around it.

 

[tarbellb]

Great build!

I dont think the propeller is as crucial as some make it out to be, really its mostly to reduce damage and slight performance gains. Running a (accessible) mesh guard in front wouldnt be a bad idea.

Can you give a general cost break down, im assuming a big chunk went to the cyclone and HF?

You could reduce noise a bit more by adding a vented cabinet over the motor.

Thanks for posting, enjoy the benefits.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Great build!

I dont think the propeller is as crucial as some make it out to be, really its mostly to reduce damage and slight performance gains. Running a (accessible) mesh guard in front wouldnt be a bad idea.

Can you give a general cost break down, im assuming a big chunk went to the cyclone and HF?

You could reduce noise a bit more by adding a vented cabinet over the motor.

Thanks for posting, enjoy the benefits.

Thanks!
Good idea about a vented cover, I don't think the impeller upgrade is needed, seems to be pulling fine, even with 2 gates open.

-Cyclone 300$ off amazon
-Donaldson P191670 dust collector filter 125$ from Damnfilters
-HP dust collector 180$ with 20% off coupon
-6 pcs 1" strut at 30$ ea 180$
-1 sht 1/2" BB form ply 50$
= 835$ plus some misc fasteners
I had the strut & plywood, I think if I had to buy the strut now I would frame the whole thing from ply, although thats not much cheaper.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Well if anyone is interested I just added a RF switch to turn the dc on from anywhere and I must say it's the best 20$ I spent in a while. Came with 2 remotes and I placed the switch in a 4" steel box mounted by the blower and it works great.

 

[Renegade1LI]

A little update on the modified harbor freight dust collector with cyclone, it works way better than expected! The amount of airborne dust is down to where you don’t see it in the light streams, hardly any dust settlement. The cyclone really is amazing, money well spent i just checked the filter, it's clean with a very light amount of dust at the bottom. I just need to add a shop air filter and I think the wood dust is under control, for what it cost i definetly recommend this, made a huge difference in air quality.

 

[Renegade1LI]

I know this is an old thread but I figured i would post an update. For what it cost and ease of build I'm very happy with the set up. Having a couple wireless remotes makes it easy to turn on and off. The overall performance i would say is very good and the cyclone really works well, almost no dust to the filter. For a one man shop this is all you need, it's a little loud so I may try and deaden the sound with some insulated baffles around it, but for now I just use hearing protection.

 

[Codyboy]

Definitely looking into a setup like this.

Did you have to modify the tablesaw and close up the various holes all around it or does the DC provide enough vacuum to not worry about it?

Ive only been using a shopvac with my unisaw and I might as well just throw the shopvac in the trash.
I fashioned a DC port on the TS but the way the internal slanted shelf is positioned it still allows sawdust to collect in the corners.
Hopefully with more suction that won't be as much of a problem.
But idk. Seems that shelf needs to be tapered down on all sides to a single V going to the DC port.

 

[niget2002]

This is my version of the HF dust collector.
I still have dust collect in the corners of the inside of my table saw. I just turn the dust collector on and shoot some air down through the blade opening with my air compressor every so often to blow it out. I have a similar issue with my bandsaw and do the same thing.