Dust Collection Questions

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suefox51

suefox51

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Messages
237
Location
Satellite Beach, Florida 32937
I'm currently using about 25% of our garage for my "shop". I have a Shop Vac that I' m using to collect dust, etc from the turning.
Now, I've saved up about 400.00 to get a dust collection system and would appreciate input and thoughts on what I should get. I can probably squeeze another $100.00 out if necessary!
With Father's Day approaching, there are some pretty good sales going on, so, please bury me with ideas, thoughts and recommendations!!

Thanks as always for all your assistance!

Sue:smile:
 
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The things to look at are the CFM and micron size of the bag on the dust collector. No one ever regretted getting to high a CFM system and no one ever found that a 1 micron bag did not improve the quality of the air filtered. Do your homework and try to find a collector that is above a 1000-1150 fpm. If it has a 1 micron bag great but if not upgrade. Keep saving your money until you get the very best you can afford. I have two one is a 1300 CFM Powermatic and the other is a small Jet that is less than 1000 that I use on just a couple machines like a surface planer or sander. This is one case where size does matter.

Noise is another factor. I first placed it inside my shop but it was too loud, so I moved it out side my shop but lost too much heating or AC. Back inside the shop saved that but made so much noise I had to wear ear muffs. So I moved it just outside my shop and made an enclosure for it with a baffled air return If the noise was 100 db it is now about a third of that amount.
 
I just purchased the Harbor Freight dust collector that Edgar spoke up using a 25% off coupon on Mother's Day. Harbor Freight offers 20% off and 25% off coupons good for use on any one item pretty frequently. If you don't get them, I'd recommend signing up for their e-mails.

After doing some reading and research before purchasing the HF unit, my plan from here is to:
-Build a separator - likely a Thien style or, if I'm feeling ambitious, a cyclone
-Find a place to give it a permanent home and run some duct work to my machines, instead of moving it from machine to machine
-Upgrade the filter bag to a Wynn canister filter

I should be under $500 - maybe even under $450 if I'm wise with my purchases - by the time I've got everything purchased and set up. Now that I've got the collector and am starting to use it, I just need to start saving up to buy ducting and the Wynn filter.
 
Dust Collector Modification

HI. I bought a Harbor Freight DC but modified it with a Thein baffle system and exhaust the fines out my garage door and have no bags at all on this system. It works great and there is no visible exhaust from the exit hose. Research the Thein baffle system since they are easy to make and really work great. Nothing can hit the impeller and the noise is very manageable inside a closed garage.
 
HF Dust Collection mods

I have added some updated photos for my dust collection system. I have a very small space so my Laguna 14/12 is on wheels so I can open the garage door for larger jobs. Rather than opting for blast gates I hook up the dust collection to the devise I am using at the time. This way I get full suction for every item. It is easy to change hoses and block the unused port with the original Y fitting & cap that came with the HF Dust Collector.

My system is made so I can just lift off the motor (it is very heavy) from the unit. I have rubber insulation/gasket under the motor allowing it to be turned if necessary. For the money this system cannot be beat and the danger from particulates inside the shop is very small.

For those of you concerned with particulates in the air I have a Dylos air quality monitor DC1100 Pro that works very well. I use it inside the house and in the shop since my wife and I have serious breathing issues (COPD; Alpya one Antitrypsin Deficiency, etc.) and air quality is important for us. That is why I researched dust collection for some time before I decided to make this unit since I cannot take a chance of fine particulates in my shop or home. I have 1/3 of my lung capacity available (Alpha 1 thing) and have never smoked. Worked in a university setting where the air was very decent.

I just wanted to show that the small shop can have efficient air filtration on a very reasonable budget and save space at the same time. I hope this helps someone out there who has the same issues I do. The biggest controversy my wife and I discussed was should I drill a 4" hole in the insulated garage door. :biggrin: I did and it works great. I put some wire mesh in the hole to prevent critters from coming in through the vent since I generally leave it open now since I am likely to forget to open it and turn the dust collection on. :redface:


 
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