Pulled the trigger....

[Michael Gabbay]

After much debate (not really) I decided to order the 2hp Super Gorilla. So I called and got on the 6 week wait list!:eek: Actually, the wait will help me get some projects finished and time to really look at how/where I want to locate the system and the duct work. I've already got a duct system in place and Heather at Oneida was confident that 90% would be reusable.

Some of the outstanding questions that I need to decide on besides the duct configuration are whether or not to order the bag gripper. It's $89 at the time of purchase (I have until the ship date to decide). Any thoughts?

I'm not going to opt for a remote starter. Heather actually recommended not having one since too much on/off can cause the motor to overheat.

She mentioned that the db rating was 78-80 at 10 feet. How quiet is this unit in real life? Does the placement of the filter affect the loudness of the unit?

Since fellow Creekers like to see the builds in progress, I'll try to post the installation project as I go. I'll probably be posting soon to get input on the duct design. :)

Mike

[Frank Pellow]

Congratulations Mike!

I have the earlier Onieda 2 hp Commercial which I expect is similar. It's loud, so I built an insulated vented closet around it and that helps a lot to cut down the noise.

I don't have a remote either, but the reason is that I always lose remotes so I don't trust myself with them. I did hook up the unit to a dedicated circuit with a four way switch, so there are switches close to most of my connected machines.

[Jerry Bittner]

If you have a shop vac, you can get an idea how loud your DC will be -- roughly comparable and your DC's rated decibels is sprobably less.

Question whether a remote will lessen the life of the motor bny overheating. Perhaps a repeated on/off/on/off, etc will casue more heat given the motor is under more load at startup than running.

Without a remote your etiher goiong to let it run for long periods of time or do a lot of waliking to the switch.

Regardless, good luck with it 00 can't imagine life without mine.

[Michael Gabbay]

Jerry - I guess Oneida feels that more than 4 on/off cycles in an hour becomes an issue. I'm sure that is very conservative. I can always add a remote later. I'm just not sure if a remote would work with a magnetic switch. Seems like the remote would never turn on unless I remove the magnetic switch from the circuit.

My current DC is a Jet 1100. I'm hoping the Oneida is not as loud.

Frank - I clip my remote to my apron so I don't lose it! :)

[Larry Norton]

Hey, Mike! Your post couldn't have come along at a better time! I'm in the process, well, serious thought, of buying the same one. Maybe after you get it, we can have a get together and include Alden at your house. Maybe even help you for a day to install it? I'd love to see how well it works.

[Michael Gabbay]

Larry - Long time no hear! How are things in LaPlata?

I'd love to have you guys over. I should be getting it in early April. I need to work on the duct design between now and then but I think the hook up should be fairly easy. Seems like the hardest part is going to be anchoring it to the concrete wall.

[Frank Pellow]

...
Frank - I clip my remote to my apron so I don't lose it! :)
If I did that, I would lose the apron. :o :confused:

I have learned that I can't keep track of remotes, so I don't have any. (My wife keeps and operates the TV and video remotes and I am very happy to have her do so.)

[Mike Waddell]

Hey Mike -

Been looking for some fellow 'Creekers in the area! I work in Reston, live just down the road in Falls Church.

I have an Oneida unit that I installed last year. You are always welcome to come by if you would like to see/discuss what was designed for my little shop.

Looking forward to the pictures and descriptions of what you are going through!

All the best,

Mike

[Mark Singer]

Michael, I have the Oneida 2HP comercial....it is very quite. If a machine is running..even my bandsaw, I can't tell if its running. I have the remote and switch it on and off often and no problems. I don't undrstand the concern.

[Steven J Corpstein]

I just got on that same 6 week list on Monday and my salesman never mentioned a thing about the remote possibly causing issues. I ordered it with the remote so I don't have to walk across the shop to turn On/Off. Interesting!!!

[Jeff DeVore]

Hi,
I'm going to be ordering a Super Dust Gorilla in a couple of months. Was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on whether to get the 2hp or the 3hp model. I will at times be running two machines at once such as a Jet 15" planer and a Performax sander or a small Onsrud inverted pin router or a Jet 18" band saw. I don't mind getting the 3hp model if I thought that it would be beneficial. Are there any downsides to getting the 3hp model?Jeff.

[Frank Pellow]

Michael, I have the Oneida 2HP comercial....it is very quiei. If a machine is running..even my bandsaw, I can't tell if its running.
...
I have the same machine and, as I said above, I consider it to be very noisy. :confused:

So there you have it Mike two oposing opinions about the degree of noise. I guess you will just have to hear it for yourself.

[Joe Chritz]

I positioned my gorilla in another room and ran the filter back through the wall. This was to cut down on noise and to add floor space.

What I found was that the unit is as loud and the air moving through the metal piping. Everyone's definition of loud is different. It is to loud to hear a regular phone but not uncomfortable to work around.

A remote is handy although my DC stays on for long periods if I know I am going to use it again. I figure I turn every other electric motor off everytime so the added benefit to punching a button on a belt clip is worth it for me.

Regardless, congrats it is a good unit and you will like it a lot.

Don't have the bag gripper so I can't comment on that. I just dump the chips in the woods behind the shop or in the horse paddock so it's not real useful for me.

Joe

[Michael Gabbay]

I have the same machine and, as I said above, I consider it to be very noisy. :confused:

So there you have it Mike two oposing opinions about the degree of noise. I guess you will just have to hear it for yourself.

Frank - you are forgetting, Mark has a 100,000 sq/foot shop so he probably does not hear the 20" planer running on the north side! :eek:

Mike W. - I might take you up on that. Maybe we can meet for lunch some time. I work over near Worldgate in Herndon.

Jeff - Based on my discussion with Heather, she said the 2 hp is made for a smaller home shop with one machine/gate open at a time. The 3hp is probably what you would need.

Joe - How did you wire the remote? Did you take out the magnetic switch?

[Jim Becker]

I just got on that same 6 week list on Monday and my salesman never mentioned a thing about the remote possibly causing issues. I ordered it with the remote so I don't have to walk across the shop to turn On/Off. Interesting!!!

It seems to be generally accepted that the induction motors on many machine, such as dust collectors, don't prefer to be cycled on/off many times per hour. The issue isn't the remote...it's how you use it. That said, if you are a weekend-warrior, you'll likely not have problems even if you do hit the button frequently. But I tend to leave the DC running as I move from machine to machine most of the time and just change the blast gate in use as I do so. (I own the 2hp Commercial from Oneida)
------

Michael, nice choice on the cyclone. You'll enjoy having it. Yes, it can be loud, but it's all relative. The sound is lower frequency from a shop vac and simple baffling or other interruption of the "line of sight" will reduce the apparent noise level to your senses. Putting in a closet for the DC and compressor is the ultimate way to deal with it (and what I did) outside of having it "outside" of the shop all-together...and that applies to any DC system. Also, I find "hood noise" to be more of an issue. For example, when I use my jointer/planer combo, the hoods really scream and actually increase the noise level of the tool. Hearing protection is not in any way optional when using that tool.

[Jesse Cloud]

I have the 2 HP Oneida commercial, and I am glad I got it. I waited on the remote but wound up getting one. I wear the remote on a lanyard around my neck. Hang it on the same hook I keep the shop apron on as I leave the shop, haven't lost it yet ;^).
Definitely take up the offer for help installing. The motor has to be mounted about 7 ft high and the sucker is heavy!!
While you are waiting, give some thought to mods to your tools to allow larger ports. I bought the 4 inch adaptor that Delta makes for their bandsaws and it works way better than the original port. I'm still looking for a good soltion for catching the dust from the miter saw - lemme know if you find one!
Happy breathing!

[Michael Gabbay]

Jesse - I threw together a wrap around hood for my CMS. It works ok. I plan on remaking it so that the side walls extend closer to the CMS. I have a 5" pickup from the bottom so the dust basically shoots straight into it when the DC is on.


So does anyone have any thoughts on the bag gripper? I'll probably go ahead and order that since carting a drum of sawdust through the house would not exactly make LOML all that thrilled. :mad:

[Alden Miller]

Larry, are you crazy????

Mike lives in Virginia!!!!!

I told him to use his nephews to do the instal! :D :D

I guess I might be talked in to helping... Just can't be to agreeable at first.

-Alden

[Dan Larson]

So does anyone have any thoughts on the bag gripper? I'll probably go ahead and order that since carting a drum of sawdust through the house would not exactly make LOML all that thrilled. :mad:
I have one. It's a handy gizmo. I like being able to seal up the bag full of sawdust, pull it out of the drum, and carry it out of the house without making a mess or getting a lungful of dust. You could probably sit down with a McMaster-Carr catalog and cobble one together yourself, but for 89 bucks it's probably easier just to order it from Oneida.

Dan

[Chris Lee]

Mike,
I think you will be real happy with the Gorilla. I have had one since they first came out and I really love this thing. I would not call it a quiet machine but the noise is not at all bad. Nothing compared to my ear piercing noise that comes from the planer! I have it in the corner of my 22x22 garage and it has more than enough power for what I need.

The Bag gripper was not out when I bought mine so cant help you there. Seems like a good system, but since I just pop off the top and dump it in the big garbage can 20 feet away. No big deal. I am guessing your shop is in the basement if you would have to go through the house so I would think you would want it. I get yelled at when I track in a few wood chips, let a lone a 35 gallon drum of em'. Make sure you line up some friends for the install, i think the motor.blower housing weighs in over 100 lbs.

Chris

[Chris McKimson]

"How quiet is this unit in real life?"

Quite enough my wife didn't think it was to bad sitting in the nearby living room with both the TV off and TV on. Really that's all that matters. :D I have the 3HP Super Gorilla.

Chris

[Travis Porter]

I have the remote and it is built into the magnetic switch. I didn't expect it when I ordered the system, but there it was and I love it. It is a key chain remote.

[Bob Michaels]

I installed an Oneida 3 HP DC last year and this year I added the bag gripper. The bag gripper allows you to use poly bags in the DC barrel and just plain makes life a hell of a lot easier. I highly recommend it. As far as remotes, I bought a 220V remote with key fobs from Woodcraft and it works great. I like it so much that I bought fobs for each machine ($14 each) and attached them to each blast gate so it's a one reach scenarion of pull the gate open with the fob and simultaneously press the fob. Same in reverse when closing the gate and shutting down the DC. I am one of those who constantly turns the DC on and off without a problem. After I shut down a machine I don't want to hear all that noise. Should probably have installed the DC in the adjacent 2 car garage and ducted it into the shop, but that would have put the noise closer to the inside of the house. Bottom line, buy the bag gripper and remotes of some sort.

[Mike Waddell]

Mike -

Sent you a PM.

MW