Dust collector issues

[Bill Jobe]

Got my HF DC put back together and used it for the first real test..a large diameter piece that took a lot of cutting to get it round.
I took it apart and mounted the motor pedistal and the motor on 1/4" firm rubber pads to try to quiet it down.
I was pleased with the results...it makes considerably less noise.
But the DC alone ain't going to cut it. Making lots of chips is beating the blade in the blower to death. Definitely going to get a cyclone to protect it.
I saw right away what all the talk about cyclones is about.
Those of you with the 2hp HF unit, did you go with the 5" Super Dust Deputy?

[Steve Schlumpf]

Bill, no matter what brand of DC you have, you don't want to have the chips hitting the blades. I have a very small Jet 650 and put a separator (https://www.woodcraft.com/products/trash-can-cyclone-lid) between it and the lathe. Works pretty good and I have a lot less cleaning to do with the bags on my DC.

[Bill Jobe]

Yeah, but it took using it without for it to really hit home. I'm not using it again without a cyclone.

[Bill Jobe]

Just spent a couple of hours over at Bill Pentz's website. I'm not only not in the same ballpark as far as dust collector thinking, I'm not even on the map.
I need to do some SERIOUS thinking about air quality.
Ever see the guy who juggles running chainsaws? My efforts to provide clean air have been about that risky.....

[Jeffrey J Smith]

I've got the HF 2hp dc - it's running through a cycone separator on a 32 gal trash can (metal). Works great. I also threw away the bags and went with a Wynn Environmental nano cannister that collects virtually everything down to .3 microns. It's actually a good unit. I'll be moving it into the crawlspace soon to keep noise down and running duct where I need it. I'll keep the separator in the shop since it needs to be dumped fairly often, especially when roughing. the dust bag on the unit seldom needs attention - I've only emptied it twice since I've been using it. the cannister needs to be blown out once in a while.

No dc is going to collect all your chips. As long as I can keep the sandind dust down, I'm happy. I'm also adding an ambient filter to keep the air in the shop moving and a little cleaner. Wynn Environmental has a series of kits made for this unit, and a range of cannisters. worth a look.

I'm not a fan of most of what they sell at HF - at least their power tools, but this is a keeper. Been using it for nearly 4 years, bought it used at a yard sale for chump change. Invested in the cannister and separator to supercharge it.

[Neal DaMommio]

I use a home built Thien Cyclone Separator on a 55 gallon drum that I love. Not costly and works very well. Instructions are here. http://www.jpthien.com/cy.htm

[Bob Coates]

I second Jeffrey use of trash can, however mine was a plastic one with a top that turned to lock in place. Put a plastic bag inside to easy emptying and made a Thein baffle with 4" pvc elbow to get cyclone effect. Catches all but sanding dust witch is caught in wynn filter. Works great.
Jeffrey,
The manometer doesn't seem to do much. See old post here
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?235435-Update-on-Wynn-filter-selection&highlight=

[Richard Dooling]

Bill, no matter what brand of DC you have, you don't want to have the chips hitting the blades. I have a very small Jet 650 and put a separator (https://www.woodcraft.com/products/trash-can-cyclone-lid) between it and the lathe. Works pretty good and I have a lot less cleaning to do with the bags on my DC.

Steve,

I also have this collector. It's right next to the lathe so while it's not very powerful it works OK.

Have you seen much drop in efficiency with the separator?

Thanks- Richard

[Steve Schlumpf]

Richard, I think it works pretty good. I have a 4' section of hose from the DC to the separator and an 8' section of hose from there to the lathe. I usually bungee cord the hose just under the toolrest. Works great while sanding and OK when turning in general. Only issue I have had was when positioning the hose, sometimes it wants to break the seal around the trash can. Solved that by putting weather stripping under the rim and a 10 pound weight on top of the lid. The separator does make it easier to clean the DC - only stuff in the bags is fine dust.

[Don Jarvie]

I use the D.C. Or vacuum for sanding and that's the real threat. I let the chips fly and shovel them up after I'm done. I haven't found the chips to be a real hazard. I know some here have allergies so that's a different issue.

The regular DCs are designed for dust or sawdust not chips. Try a separator and as long as it has enough suction you should be ok.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

Bob - I thought about the manometer, just never got a chance to put it together. Seems pretty straightforward to tell if the filter needs to be cleaned out when the pressure decreases...

[Dan Hunkele]

Bill, I have the Super dust deputy hooked up to a HF dust collector and it works very well. Note that the longest run to a machine is 10 feet.

[Bob Coates]

Bob - I thought about the manometer, just never got a chance to put it together. Seems pretty straightforward to tell if the filter needs to be cleaned out when the pressure decreases...

I too thought it was simple, but I have never noticed a change in the settings. Perhaps I did it wrong. Just my .02.

[david privett]

If you buy a extra factory bag or make a cloth bag instead of the plastic bottom bag it will reduce the backpressure allowing a few more cfm"s giving a hair more suction, but get a cyclone to catch your chips, and you will be good to go. women are good at making bags in trade for bowls and candlesticks and anything else you can bribe them with. It is then a joint effort too.

[Bill Jobe]

Like I said above, I'm not going to skrimp when it comes to dust removal. I want all of you to know that I appreciate all of your comments and suggestions.
But I'm either going to replace the HF unit with a serious upgrade or I'm going to sell my lathe.
As I think I've already pointed out I have my lathe in an attached garage, so my meager efforts to maintain healthy air has resulted in fine dust in our home. I have 8 grandkids, many of who visit often.
With that said, I'm looking at Bill Pentz's filterless units with plans to blow what makes it's way through the cyclone going outside. I'M giving serious thought to buying his CV1800 filterless and would appreciate some feedback from those who have one.
First of all , why a left and a right handed model. Does it matter?
What is your overall opinion of this unit?
I have to go with single phase due to the lack of 3 phase supply to the house. What would I be giving up there?
78 db sounds high. Do you consider it to be louder than DCs made by other companies?

If you have a unit you consider to be better overall, please post what you have.
Thank you.

[John K Jordan]

First of all , why a left and a right handed model. Does it matter?


ClearVue told me the difference in performance was not significant. I chose the left-hand mode since it fit a lot better to where I needed to bring the inlet duct in my DC closet.

The 5 hp ClearVue is amazing. Very loud, controlled by the insulated closet. Extremely strong. I'm glad I got it rather than a smaller one.

JKJ

[Peter Christensen]

You can use a 3 phase in a single phase shop. You need to get a variable frequency drive, VFD, they take the single phase and make it into 3 phase. The only real reason for doing it here in North America is so you can slow down the DC motor when doing small work like sanding a pen barrel and wind it back up when doing larger work like bowls. You pay a little more for the CV 3 phase motor and about $250US for a VFD if you buy direct from China like I did. Mine was from a company called Powtran (bought through alibaba) and it is the one the Aussies usually use with their CV to boost the 50 cycle power they have to 60 cycle we use to get the same performance as over here. I hope to have my system running in the fall.

You can muffle the exhaust to cut down the noise if you have neighbours. Enclosing the cyclone will quiet it down inside.