Dust Collection Question

[Tom Saurer]

Ok. Doing a search I couldn't find an answer to this, so....Do the small cyclone lids that you put a 5 or 30 gallon container actually work? I don't have the room or money to spend on a larger dust collector right now.

[Steve Cox]

I used one on a 30gal with a Jet DC-1200 system. Worked pretty well for me but nowhere near as effective as a cyclone. It was a definite improvement over using the system without one though.

[Tom Saurer]

I should clarify. I intend to use this with my Shop Vac and attach it to my planer and table saw. It would probably be used 2-3 times a week during the spring-summer-fall time frame.

[tod evans]

tom, that type of set-up might help somewhat on your tablesaw but you`ll backup the sawdust into a lunchbox planer in short order.....02 tod

[Steve Aiken]

I have used the cyclone lid with the largest amp Craftsman shopvac I could buy for the past 5 years. I have the Dust Gorilla sitting around my basement in pieces waiting to get finished my kitchen reno, so that I can get permission from my LOML to install it. Five years ago all I could afford was the shopvac/cyclone lid. It is far from ideal, and that's why I saved up my pennies to buy the Gorilla. But has been better than nothing.

I purchased a HEPA filter from Sears. An ordinary filter is useless. You'll have to seal between the lid and the trash can--I used foam insulating tape.

Problems:
1. As pointed out, the volume of air is not enough to keep chips clear in the TS and planer ports--so you just have to stop frequently to clear the hoses.
2. Does not do keep the workspace free from dangerous teeny-weeny dust particles that you can't even see. The shopvac keeps 75% of the chips off the floor, but I've had to wear a NIOSH-rated respirator multiple hours after working wood in the shop. The better dust collectors do a much better job of wisking away the tiny particles and keeping the workspace safer from the tiny particles--faster.
3. The combination of the shopvac--large amp vacs take up quite a bit of floor space--and trashbin take up quite a bit of precious floorspace, if you're in a tiny shop like mine. The relatively small 'footprint' of the Oneida will free up more floor space for me.
4. The 'portable' nature of the cyclone lid is inconvenient--I'm constantly moving the shopvac and trashbin around the shop from one machine to the next. Annoying.

But like I said, the shopvac+cyclone lid is better than nothing. I could have bought a low-end dust collector years ago, but after doing the research, I held off until I could afford the best (my opinion).

If you're new to dust collection theory, check out the Bill Pentz website and http://dgroups.woodmagazine.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=airfiltration

Steve

[Tyler Howell]

I have the Jet cyclone lid. works fair but there is a lot of CFM loss.
It comes with the lid seal installed.