Dust Collection Info.

[james susick]

Hello guys. I have been reading threads & other info on small shop dust collection. My shop is a small 12'x23' block garage with a screened in porch above. There isnt room for a unit in the shop so I was thinking of mounting the motor and fan up high on the block wall and running hard pipe through the block to the outside then up 4' and back into the 2nd floor porch where a drum and filter will be. I will have one 12' soft line I connect to one machine at a time. The porch is just used for storage now anyway so I figure I would not need to worry about fine dust too much. Will this idea work with the motor/fan down below. Thinking the motor should be in the garage cause the porch gets damp in wet weather.

Main questions

1. I was thinking 1.5hp 230v? Is this a good idea or larger?

2. Should I buy something like a delta or other brand unit and take it apart or can I buy just the motor and vaccume parts someplace since I dont need the stand? I would like to keep it under $600.

3. On the screened porch what would you guys run for a filter bag? I guess 30micron would be just fine for it being outdoors right?

Any ideas would help me alot.

tool line,
18" General bandsaw
13" Belsaw planer
6" Jointer
jet Shaper
18/36 Delta drum sander
Unisaw

Thanks

[Chris Parks]

Get the bag away from the worksite and you don't have any issues, all any bag does is recycle the dust no matter what the experts say.

[David Kumm]

If you watch CL and Ebay you will find stand alone blowers and motors in the 2-3 hp range. Less than that with 12' of flex is going to be marginal with your machines. Ducting outside or using a large area 30 micron bag won't restrict your system as much as if you were filtering the shop. There are cloth and cartridge filters that will actually clean the air rather than recycle it but you must have enough filter area so the pressure doesn't force the dust back through. Dave

[james susick]

Thanks guys for the info. I have seen a few blowers in the last few years on CL but they where 3 phase not single 230v.

[David Kumm]

Three phase is the way to go. If you get a good deal you have enough $$ left over for a vfd. Then you can monitor amp draw and adjust hz to really tune up the system. Also eliminates the frequent start stop issues some single phase DC systems have. Dave