Dust Eliminator vs. Woodsucker?

[Jim Izat]

Sorry to keep on with the DC issue, but I too am in the same sort of quandry as is Derek.

As I tally up the costs of building the DE system as recommended on Terry's web site I get the following:

Cyclone Kit: 160
Jet 14" impeller blower hardware and metal kit: 60
Arbor: 57
Impeller: 75
5hp Leeson motor: 215
Filter: 50
6 inch flex hose: 46
Two six inch starter flanges: 8
HVAC Components: 20
Shipping for the above (approximately) 60


I get a total of about $750 excluding mounting to the wall and a collection barrel under the unit. Say a total of about $800. It would, of course, be significantly less expensive if I already had a motor/impellor which quite a few folks probably will.
The woodsucker unit which prices out at about the same $800 figure has had good reviews but only comes with a 2 hp motor and consiquently significantly fewer cfm.
While I have been significantly encouraged as to building the DE system by the post below, I want to make sure that I really need the 1500 or so cfm of the DE unit as opposed to the 1100 or so of the WS in a one man, one machine at a time shop.

Thanks for the advice in advance,

Jim Izat

[Jack Diemer]

Your numbers are very close, but I do know where you can save some money.

The 6 in flex hose is $5 at penn state. saving you about $40. You can make the blower kit yourself out of flashing and hardware from Home Depot if you want to save about $30-40 more dollars. You could get the 5 hp air compressor motor from Harbor Freight for as little as $79, saving you over another $100+.

With all that said, you should probably get two air filters instead of one, and there will be about $30 worth of supplies, like MDF, solder, flux, metal flashing, screws, bolts, shelf brackets for mounting, etc. The question is do you want good solid 800 CFM cyclone, or a 1500 CFM cyclone for a little less money.

If you are afraid to dive into the project, I would definately recommend the Woodsucker. Larry does a great job.

[dntsdad]

SAme price or even cheaper and much better performance does not seem as much of a debate IMO.

I cant remember the last time I thought to myself "I wish I had less power" or "I wish I could have left some of that fine dust in the air".

It really comes down to do you want to build yourself or buy. Being a woodworker, I would assume that you enjoy building things yourself and putting your individual touch on things.

For example, on my cyclone I opted to deviate from the plans a bit a few times to suit my individual needs. The largest one being that I built mine to come apart at the middle so that I can get inside if I ever need to.


I would take the plunge and get the DE kit. I promise you that it will be a fun experience, although not always, and you will have the satisfaction of building it yourself. Trust me, if I can do it anyone can. Terry should post my picture on his site with that phrase under it.

Jason

[Bruce Walton]

I see your point and it makes sense. The question really is will the Woodsucker work in your shop. You'd have to go through the static losses and compare the installed loss with the fan curve of the Woodsucker. At least that is the way I understand it. If the answer were yes after going through the process, the Woodsucker would work for you.

However, it seems comparing the cost of the DE to the Woodsucker is an apples to oranges comparison. The DE's specifications seem to more closely resemble Oneida's 3-5 HP commercial systems as far as air movement goes. If this observation is true, the DE cost compares to systems costing $1,800- $2,500 based on air movement and static pressure.

[Jim Izat]

I guess I was just looking for wiser and more experienced heads than mine to confirm what I've been thinking already. I definitely want to get the most suck for my buck and I can't image there's a better dollars per cfm deal out there than the Dust Eliminator. Wish me luck on routing the matching grooves for the impellor enclosure!

Like all the other tools I've bought I only want to do this once.

Jim Izat

<b><font color=red>Added note: I just got a email back from Larry at Woodsucker and the cost for a system shipped to me, including the barrel and connecting hose, is about $920. I was very impressed with both the speed and the comprehensive nature of his response.
YMMV depending on how far it needs to be shipped. </b></font>

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Jim, I have the woodsucker in my shop--6" mains and short 4" flex to the tools. The longest run is about 40'. It'll suck the dust out of everything (except the table saw) with up to three blast gates open. In fact, I usually leave at least two open so I don't starve the blower. I can't imagine a one man shop ever needing a 3hp cyclone. The woodsucker also comes with a Leeson motor vs a no brand Chinese motor from harbor freight. I have come to the conclusion that I need an overarm dust collector for the table saw to really get all the dust. I don't know how much you like to tinker with things, but it sure is nice to just open the box and put it together in an hour.

[Jim Shockey]

Jim;
I've had the woodsucker for about a year now and I love it.I have six inch pvc mains and four inch pvc drops to all of the machines and I leave at least two gates open all the time.It does everything that I expected it to do. I have very little fine dust in the shop anymore,even when I use mdf. I could not be any happier with any other dust collector,even if they may be as good or better the mine. Just my opinion. Jim Shockey;)

[David Mathias]

I am planning to soon buy a WoodSucker and an currently trying
to layout the ducting. Each of you mentioned 6" mains. Do you
mean that all of your horizontal runs are 6" and only the drops are
4" or do you also have some smaller (than 6") branches?

BTW, I have an overarm blade guard with dust collection (shop made)
and intend to run a 5"line to the saw base (with 4" reducer at the saw)
and a 4" line to the overarm (with 3" reducer and flex). I'll let you know
how it works when hooked up to the WoodSucker.

David

[Terry Hatfield]

Dennis,

I suggest only the Leeson motors for the DE cyclone. Jack was just giving more options to reduce the cost. Both motors will give the same cfm but I have to believe that the Leeson will last much longer than the HF.



Thanks,

Terry

[Phil B]

I have a woodsucker and basically the same experience as Dennis M. and Jim S. At the time I was looking into it I also considered making one from scratch; I thought I could probably save about $200 by rolling my own but with a lot more effort. In the end I decided to spend time making things other than cyclones.

PMB
http://benchmark.20m.com

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Terry, Yeah I know, my comment about the Leeson motor was in response to Jack's post about how to cut the price of the dust eliminator so its cheaper than the woodsucker. I don't doubt that you can build a more powerful system than you can buy for the same money. But for me it was a no brainer--I'd rather invest $$ instead of time (and maybe skills I don't currently possess).

David, I ran 6" from the woodsucker to within a few inches of the table saw and jointer. The last few inches are covered by 4" flex. Eventually I will replace the 4" dust connections with 6" and run 6" all the way to the tools. I have to pull the planer and bandsaw out from the wall to use them so I have about 4' of 4" flex attached to them. I used Terry's model for the miter saw and ran the 6" all the way to the collection box behind the saw. I need to rework the dimensions for the box however because some dust escapes out the top.

[Terry Hatfield]

Dennis,

I absolutely understand that this kit is not for everybody and Woodsucker is an excellent choice for those who do not want to build it themselves.

Thanks,

Terry