HF Dust Collector Bags?

[Tom Brouillette]

Like many others on this forum, I have a Harbor Freight dust collector. I am in need of additional collection bags. HF doesn't list them on their site. They show the DC as 70 gallon, so I am assuming that is the size of the bag. Has anybody sourced a compatible replacement?

[david privett]

I do not know if this will interest you but what I did was take a top bag(which is available from hf) and put it on the bottom (although I had the wife make one out of cloth), yes you can not see how much is in there but there is less tension on the bags which means less back pressure which should mean more cfm's moving threw the system. more suction is a good thing.

[Brian Kent]

I went on Amazon with my measurements (diameter and length of bag) and found very affordable plastic bags. Since they are a lot cheaper this way I can replace as often as I need and not wait until they are too full and heavy.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

If you're talking about the HF 2HP DC, you might want to look at the information on Wynn Environmental's website. They make very high-end filters for industrial applications, but also have a cannister setup that is made to fit this DC (and others). They also make filters for some of the ambient sir filters out there. It will take what is perhaps one of the only things HF sells that I've got that still works and makes it into a very strong competitor for the best of the bunch for this style of DC.

A few years ago, I set mine up with their nano filter (99.9% of everything 0.5 microns and above - if I remember correctly - that's close to clean-room territory), and added a cheap cyclone lid to a 32 gallon garbage can to separate out the big stuff. The result is the DC has increased air flow, the cannister is simple to clean (a gentle blow from an airgun set to low pressure once a month does it) then dump the big stuff from the garbage can - and they last pretty much forever in a hobby shop like mine.

I skipped making the Thein baffle (info on their site) since it does the same thing the cyclone does. The problem with bags is that they rely on the layering or caking of the dust particles to improve filtration. That works for a while, but your air flow becomes a curve - starts out good (but doesn't collect the same size 'smalls'), then the airflow decreases as the cake gets thicker - but the filtration gets better. It becomes a continuous cycle of when to clean the cake off...and that's a dusty, dirty proposition that I found to be worse than not using a DC at all.

The cannisters don't suffer from the same problem. They just work right out of the bag. I'm not affiliated with them, just a very satisfied customer, but the people at Wynn Environmental are great to deal with. They'll spend some time with you on the phone, if necessary, but there's plenty of info on the website. The filters are made in the USA, too.

In practice, I empty the cyclone can about once a month and have only had to change-out the plastic bag (replaces the fabric filter on the bottom) once every couple of years. The last time I replaced the plastic bag it was because I ripped a hole in it doing something stupid. I just built a new shop and it's got a crawl space large enough to put the DC and the compressor down there and run the duct work and piping for air under the floor. Looking forward to reducing the noise level in the shop...

[Dane Riley]

Here you go: http://wynnenv.com/products-page/woodworking-filter-pricing/35a274nano-cartridge-kit/

Get you dust collector to actually filter out the harmful dust. How much are your lungs worth?

[Brice Rogers]

If you live in a fairly temperate climate, you could vent outside.

I took my 2 HP HF single stage dust collector and converted it to a Thien baffle pre-filter. I exhaust the small stuff outside. I haven't noticed any particles laying around the exhaust. BTW, a benefit of using a prefilter like a Thein baffle or a cyclone is that you aren't trying to run big chunks or "brillo-pad" wads of shavings through your impeller. It only has to handle a small amount of small particles. There is a Youtube video from April Wilkerson (IIRC) that is informative. My baffle is a little different and actually filters quite a bit more than hers does in her videos. But she also exhausts outside.

If you live in a climate where you need to exhaust into the same area as you are turning, then I would run it through a particle filter such as what Jeffrey Smith mentioned. The Thien baffle would extract/prefilter perhaps 95% plus and help to keep the particle filter clean much longer.

[Todd Mason-Darnell]

If you are talking about the plastic bag that goes on the bottom, I bought mine on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Horn-11781-Disposable-Plastic/dp/B003NE5A9Q/ref=pd_bxgy_469_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=E4WNFX6P3BHWBW1ACZTN

[Tom Brouillette]

Thanks, everybody. I have the Wynn cannister, and have been really happy with it. I need to replace the plastic bag because I also popped a hole in mine.

[Bob Bouis]

My dust collector bag is covered with patches. Foil insulation tape works really well.

[Dave Bunge]

I bought the same plastic bags from Amazon that Todd linked above. They are a little oversized, (diameter of the bag is bigger than the diameter of the housing that you mount it on). But I folded it over on itself and it sealed fine.

Wynn Environmental also sells bags that fit better, but they're more expensive once shipping is added. They are definitely worth considering, especially if you are already buying something from Wynn. Click here and scroll down to see their bags:
http://wynnenv.com/products-page/woodworking-filter-pricing/

[Jeff Walters]

I simply use the black 55 gallon contractor bags I get at Lowes. Granted you cannot see into it but I find it is not necessary
Jeff