Portable Dust Collectors

[John Buzzurro]

I'm in need of a dust collector that can be rolled around the shop, and hopefully doesn't take up much more space than a large shop vac. I only use 1 machine at a time, and don't mind moving the collector around. I do not have the space to run a lot of duct work for a central DC system. Power is not a problem, since I'm in the process of adding circuits in the shop.

So, what I'd like to know is, how much CFM would be good enough to cover most machines? I just ordered an 8" jointer, and the manual says minimum of 400CFM at the dust port. Up until now, my shopvac has handled all the other machines, but if I upgrade the tablesaw, planer, or whatever, what is the max CFM I should expect to be able to handle?

Finally, what are some of the products out there that you would recommend?

Thanks,
John

[Robert Waddell]

John,
Any of the 1.5hp or 2hp units will work nicely for you in this maner. I would suggest you look at the Jet canister models 1100 or 1200.
Rob

[Curt Harms]

Robert's suggestion of Jet is a good one. I have a Penn State 2 h.p. with a Wynn spun bond poly cartridge filter. It seems to move a lot of air. It is stationary with 6" PVC ducting & 6" hose from Wynn & Jet hose from Amazon. The Jet hose seems to fit PVC fittings better for some reason, though I only have a couple hose/pipe junctions. I've heard of people banging into Deltas on clearance for a good price. It seems the biggest single predictor of performance is fan size. Hook a 30 h.p motor to a 10" fan found in small D.C.'s and it still won't move much air. Of course too large a fan hooked to too small a motor isn't good either, 12" fans & 1.5 to 2 h.p. seem to be a good size.

HTH

Curt

[David Wambolt]

Though I plan to hard duct it, I went with the Jet 708626RCK DC-1100 which is a 1-1/2hp dust collector with canister and remote. I wanted a remote because I plan to have it sitting in the corner away from my other equipment. Plus the Jet has a nice timer feature built in, so if you plan on cutting for 10 minutes or so you can set the dust collector to run for 12 minutes and not have to focus on turning it off. I know, not a big deal but hey every little bit of convenience is nice in a shop. Amazon seemed to have the best deal on this model for $449 and free shipping. I should have it in the next week, but all the reviews I read were positive.

If I had a higher budget and my compressor room done, I'd buy the Oneida. However I'm sure the Jet will get the job done and it was less than half the cost. I also ordered Jet's air filtration system for $229 to go along with the dust collector.