dust collection

[Randy Cohen]

I'm looking for an effective inexpensive way to control dust in my shop which is in my house. i will be using a table saw, router, mitre saw, jointer, maybe some others. i don't mind moving the dust collector from one machine to another. i will try to do sanding outside.
i've been reading about festool dust extractors which look like shop vacs. there is a mini model which is about $400. a lot for a shop vac. will this control the dust from my machines?

[Jim Finn]

Harbor freight has some small dust collectors that get good reviews. I have a 2HP Grizzly installed myself.

[James Zhu]

Festool Dust Extractor works best with Festool tools, if you can connect Festool hose to your tool, it helps too. Check the following Festool Dust Extractor video, it is amazing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EswZ4FpauPc

[Scott Vigder]

Harbor freight has some small dust collectors that get good reviews. I have a 2HP Grizzly installed myself.

I bought the 13-gal "industrial" roll-around HF model with a one HP motor because it was listed at 660cfm and my Rikon J/P combo requires 650. In addition to the ear-rattling high-pitch noise the motor makes, I doubt it is coming close to 650 cfm, even with only a 10' hose attached (straight, no kinks). I mounted it on a stand near the middle of my shop. I had a 20% off coupon, bringing the total down to $105. I have a Y connector so I can use 4" or 2.5" diameter hoses. I just built the Grizzly do-it-yourself downdraft table: it requires a 4" connection and the DC works pretty well on it.

300182

[J.R. Rutter]

I'm looking for an effective inexpensive way to control dust in my shop which is in my house. i will be using a table saw, router, mitre saw, jointer, maybe some others. i don't mind moving the dust collector from one machine to another. i will try to do sanding outside.
i've been reading about festool dust extractors which look like shop vacs. there is a mini model which is about $400. a lot for a shop vac. will this control the dust from my machines?

The Festool and similar vacs are high pressure (suction), but low volume compared to a "dust collector." They are great for capturing fine dust from tools where the hose can mount close to the dust source, like a sander or router. But for tools with larger dust ports, like a typical table saw, jointer, planer, etc., you need to move a lot of air to capture the chips and dust. That's where at larger blower, filter and larger collection drum are needed.

[Phil Barrett]

The Festool and similar vacs are high pressure (suction), but low volume compared to a "dust collector." They are great for capturing fine dust from tools where the hose can mount close to the dust source, like a sander or router. But for tools with larger dust ports, like a typical table saw, jointer, planer, etc., you need to move a lot of air to capture the chips and dust. That's where at larger blower, filter and larger collection drum are needed.
+1 to this. The TS and jointer going to need a fair amount of air flow. There are tables out there that tell you how much you need.

I'd look at the HF "70 Ga DC" as an inexpensive entry. It claims to do down to 5 micron and has a 2 HP motor though I take all HF claims with a grain (much larger than 5 micron) of salt. It's on a cart so you can roll it around to the various tools. You'd probably want to build a Thien separator to keep most of the dust out of the collector and prevent big stuff from hitting the impeller. Lots of people have done mods to the HF DC to make it easier to move around and more efficient as well.

[Randy Cohen]

ok. you guys just supported all the stuff i've been reading. i looked at the grizzly collectors. the 1 1/2 hp one runs off of 120. the 2 hp would require some wiring work. if i'm running just one machine at a time is the 1 1/2 hp one sufficient? i care most about the light airborne stuff.
i looked at the HF one you mentioned phil. its on sale for just over $200. the grizzly 1 1/2 hp is just $100 more.

[Scott Vigder]

ok. you guys just supported all the stuff i've been reading. i looked at the grizzly collectors. the 1 1/2 hp one runs off of 120. the 2 hp would require some wiring work. if i'm running just one machine at a time is the 1 1/2 hp one sufficient? i care most about the light airborne stuff.
i looked at the HF one you mentioned phil. its on sale for just over $200. the grizzly 1 1/2 hp is just $100 more.

I too am equally concerned about the light airborne stuff, and run a Hoover Air Purifier with HEPA ion/UV capability. No DC system is going to eliminate or capture all the airborne particles.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Dust collection is a topic discussed in the WorkShops forum so I moved this thread here hoping to get it more exposure.

[Mike Ontko]

Randy, I'm still in the process of setting up my own small shop in the back half of an attached 2-car garage, so my situation may be similar to yours. Via Craigslist, I found a used Jet DC1100A 1-1/2 hp collector for just under $200 that I've upgraded with a Wynn 0.5 micron cannister filter and internal separator/baffle (ala' P. Thien) as described in the FWW article, "Soup up your dust collector (http://www.finewoodworking.com/toolguide/article/soup-up-your-dust-collector.aspx)." I'm currently using a 10' hose to connect the collector to each of the main items that I use it with (table saw, jointer, and planer). I also use a regular shop vac for smaller collection and cleanup jobs.

In general, the combination of the shop vac and the dust collector meets most of my needs (I'm sure that'll change as my projects increase in number and size), but small dust particles are still shot into the air from the top of the tablesaw, a hand/circular saw, mitersaw, and other tools that don't get completely picked up by either. For that, I'd like to eventually get an air filtration unit. Then after that, there'd be a dust collection fitting for the top of the table saw, etc., etc. As with just about anything else in the shop - there are always opportunities for improving on/adding to whatever solution you've already adopted.

[John Donhowe]

+1 on Mike's suggestions. The only things I can add are:
1) For you shop vac, get a good filter (HEPA, if available);
2) Get a Dust Deputy to attach to your shop vac- so much easier to empty, and helps keep vac filter cleaner longer;
3) Use a good respirator- 3M 7500 or 6500 series, esp. when sanding, routing or other activities producing fine dust . The cheapest and best protection from fine dust. You lungs will thank you.