Gorilla coming

[Chris McDowell]

After much debate and not more than a little urging from my signifigant other. I finally broke down and ordered a new dust collection system from Oneida. Jessie has been great to deal with and the engineers did a good job of ductwork planning for me.
As many people post questions on here about DC, I though I would give anybody interested a heads up. I'll try to post pictures and give all the information I can, both good and bad, on the experiences I'll get dealing with Oneida.
The system is due in next week. After it arrives I have to fabricate a stand for it, then the hard part. I have to shut the shop down for a few days to remove the old and install the new. It's really phase one of a masssive shop overhaul that is way overdue. I look forward to getting it up and running, but I dread the prospect of moving the shop around to get it done.
Anyway if anybody has any questions as this goes along fire away. Hopefully somebody will be able to learn something that might help them.
As always best wishes.

Chris

[Joe Chritz]

Grats...

You will love it. It took me about a day and a half to run everything. I used the wall mount which seems to work fine. I did have to add a bolted on piece of angle to stiffen it up some.

Enjoy

Joe

[Jim Becker]

Congratulations, Chris! You'll enjoy having that Gorilla breathing the dust and chips for you!

[Chris McDowell]

Thanks guys I am excited about the prospect of a relatively dust free environment. Joe the reason I have to fabricate a stand is I ordered the Y splitter and 2 of the 35 gallon drums for chip collection. I want something wide enough to accomodate that and I am not crazy about mounting it to the shop wall.
Do either of you guys still run any kind of ambient air cleaner or do you find the cyclone sufficient enough? I'm still a little skeptical that the whole system will work that efficiently.

[Joe Chritz]

I don't have an air cleaner but my shop built downdraft works well and it is actually under sized by 1" on the duct. I moved it after I had piping installed.

I can put poly on a stair tread on one end of the shop and sand for two hours on the other with great results.

I really only get chips off the top of my tablesaw blade, a few from the shaper. I have to change some piping and add a run soon but to date it is the best thing I have in the shop. I run it with an x10 remote.

Do not let the drums fill up over full. I have done it several times, again day before yesterday and it makes a really nice mess.

Enjoy

Joe

[Jim Becker]

Chris, I have an air cleaner (JDS 750) but only run it when I'm spraying water borne finishes. I rarely turn it on otherwise.

[Eric Wong]

I have a smallish air cleaner, and I make sure it is always running when I'm making sawdust. My new cyclone system will be much better than my old one, but even then you can't collect all the dust, so you should get the rest with an air cleaner if you really want to protect your lungs. Just my opinion.

Chris, I'm a big fan of Bill Pentz' work, have you checked out his website?
http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/Index.cfm

[Chris McDowell]

Jim the 750 is what I have. I think I will continue to run it just for precaution.
Eric I have checked out Bill's website. It is very interesting and big. One of the things that really tipped me toward Oneida was everyone I deal with recommended them for a whole shop solution. Cyclone , ductwork, blastgates, etc.
I told Jessie I never want to think about my dust collection while I am working. Looking forward to that day.
Joe that is the reason I went with two drums. I would have liked to have two 55 gal. but where I want to sit the cyclone it would have been a height problem, so I went with twin 35 gal. drums. I do appreciate the warning about not letting them overflow.

[Tom Ruflin]

Hey Chris,

Congrats on the new DC. I have a 3hp gorilla and love it. I made a stand out of 2x4 with a shelf to keep the dust bin off the garage floor. I also used the wall bracket as part of the stand. If you do a search on "Gorilla in my garage" you should find pictures of the stand. I also have a JDS 650 air cleaner that I run at about 1/2 speed whenever I'm in the shop because my shop is in the basement and I try to keep dust at a minimum. If I'm sanding I run it at full speed. The gorilla is a huge improvement over the1 1/2hp Jet I had. The Onieda folks were good to work with. I had a couple of minor issues with the duct order which they fixed right away. I spend a full 2 days running the duct work which ranks right up there with doing drywall ( I hate drywall ) but it was well worth the effort.

[Chris McDowell]

Thanks Tom, mine is the 3HP too. Just got a call from UPS and expecting delivery tomorrow sometime. By the way after I posted my JDS was the 750, I went out and looked at it. Oops, I have the 2000. I plan on running it anyway. I do enough solid surface work it can't hurt.
I'm dreading installing the ductwork, but no pain no gain. On top of installing this system I am moving every tool in the shop to a different location. I did a work flow study which was recommended by some of the guys over at woodweb and boy did I discover I was wasting a lot of steps and time. Hopefully this will be a big improvement all around.

[lou sansone]

congrats on the new system. I have an oneida and really like it.
lou

[Jim Becker]

I did a work flow study which was recommended by some of the guys over at woodweb and boy did I discover I was wasting a lot of steps and time.

Something we should all do from time to time. Good workflow can also result in more space for things like assembly, too!

[Pete Brown]

IDo not let the drums fill up over full. I have done it several times, again day before yesterday and it makes a really nice mess.


A few months ago, I did that and it ended up backing up into the cyclone and then into the filter. The filter was full of chips. I cleaned most of it out (dusty! - defeats the purpose) and need to blow the rest out.

Right afterwars, I did it a second time when I didn't realize that there was a piece of cutoff stuck in the cyclone, creating a shelf that ended up filling up with chips and then blocking off the bottom. The drum wasn't full, but out into the filter all the chips and dust went again.

What a mess. Who knows how much life I took off the filter doing that, too. Live and learn :)

It's amazing just how quickly that drum fills up. The two 55 gallon drums here sounds like a very good idea. I do wonder how that will work, though, as the chips spin (like a cyclone) around the perimeter of the hose when dropping down. It seems they would end up mostly in one drum vs the other.

Pete

[Chris McDowell]

Well I had hoped to be bringing more information than I will be able to at this point.The cyclone arrived around noon on Tuesday but unfortunately a few items are backordered. To oneida's credit they are right on top of things and keeping me updated on the ETA of the backordered pieces.
The bad part is I will have to work in my shop in a state of chaos for a week or so since I can't just sit idle until the new system is installed. The good part is it has given me a little extra time to get the steel and weld the stand together.
Up to this point I can say Oneida ships promplty and all the items arrived very well packaged. Instructions look very straightforward and well written. The body of the cyclone is well made and powder coated for a nice finish. The ductwork also is top quality. They have been a pleasure to work with even considering the backordering situation. Honestly you have to expect some minor glitches no matter what you buy or who you buy it from.
Jim-I would recommend every woodworker do a workflow study whether they are professional or hobbiest. After the first five minutes tracking the traffic pattern through the shop I realized I had a major problem. I am looking forward to seeing the improvements in this area just as much as having the new system installed. Besides it also helped me map out where the slider will be sitting when I can finally get it.
Pete-I have been assured by Jessie that the two drums will work just as well as one. I will definitely let everyone know how it functions once everything is up and running. If it works as advertised, I would think it's a great addition for the money.
Well guess that is all for now. I'll post more when I finally get all the parts. Until then best wishes to everyone.

Chris

[Pete Brown]

Well I had hoped to be bringing more information than I will be able to at this point.The cyclone arrived around noon on Tuesday but unfortunately a few items are backordered. To oneida's credit they are right on top of things and keeping me updated on the ETA of the backordered pieces.

Chris, there is one thing you can do while you're waiting.

On my 2hp Gorilla, the bolts for the impeller housing were powder coated like the rest. I couldn't thread a nut on them without trying really really hard. Before you assemble, try threading nuts on those bolts and clean off any ones with too tight a fit (or no fit)

While I bough the 2HP, looking back, I think the 3HP would have been a wiser purchase. It's doing fine for now, though :)

Pete

[Eric Wong]

Anyone have any good information on how to do a workflow study? I'm sure I need it....

[Chris McDowell]

Eric there are tons of opinions and a few books on the topic. What I did was to draw my shop out on graph paper placing the machinery, benches, etc. on the graph where it currently was placed. Then I took a pencil and drew a line to simulate the path material would have to travel through my shop to build a cabinet from beginning to end. Ideally you want a straight line that never crosses itself. That is poor travel or flow through your shop.

If you are like me, it will look like a plate of spaghetti on your paper. By the time I am finished all materials should come in one side of my shop and come out the other side without wasted travel or movement. I kind of blew the thought off at first, but after trying a few minor adjustments I am a believer in workflow study.
It's really amazing how much time and steps you can save just by a little planning. In my case I used to pack my sheetgoods all the way across the shop to store them, pull them out when needed and go back across the shop to the saw. Now both my plywood storage and lumber rack are right at the door with my panel cart between them. I can unload and store immediately right at the door. After I get finished moving everything around I'll be able to pull sheets straight off the rack to the panel cart,roll about 8 feet to the saw and start cutting. A tremendous time saver.
I hope this helps you. It takes a little time but it is well worth the effort.

[Eric Wong]

I like the idea of "mapping" all the locations a project would touch. You're right, it would definitely be spaghetti in my shop! I've got a CAD drawing of my shop, I'll print it and do what you suggested. The problem I have is that my shop is very weirdly shaped, and fairly small. Picture a 2 car garage, but with the right bay (as you are looking at the shop from the driveway) being double deep (tandem, as they say). It's essentially a big "L". My shop is the back of the tandem bay, and part of the bay right in front of it. I have to be able to bring a car into that bay during snowstorms, so anything in the front bay has to be mobile. Its mainly the small space of the rear bay that keeps my workflow from being more efficient. But hopefully I'll get some better ideas after doing the sort of study you suggest.

[Chris McDowell]

Finally all the pieces have arrived. I hope to start putting everything together in a day or two. Hopefully I will have a chance to get some pictures up by the weekend. Wish me luck.

[John Hain]

Finally all the pieces have arrived. I hope to start putting everything together in a day or two. Hopefully I will have a chance to get some pictures up by the weekend. Wish me luck.

Chris, where are you exhausting too? Outside or recirc?

[Chris McDowell]

John I am exhausting through a filter inside the shop. Had no desire to exhaust outside and come up with make up air in the winter.
I had hoped to have some pics but the digital camera is having a problem and that is my wife's area of expertise not mine. Anyhow started assembling the cyclone after ripping out the old duct work. It took me one hour and forty-five minutes to assemble. Everything went smooth and quickly until I got to the pants wye, which is the splitter for the two drum set up.
It had not been machined correctly and was an absolute bear to get installed. Jessie at Oneida promised me a new one if I wanted it. I plan to get it but I cannot have the shop down for that long so I will use this one until new part arrrives.After installing the wye I noticed there did not seem to be enough clearance for the drums to fit under the cyclone. Sure enough it wasn't even close.
I built a stand out of inch and a half steel angle, which you can see if I ever get the camera thing lined out. I did not build the stand until I received the cyclone and the owners manual. I built it to exactly 56" high but now I will have to bump it up to 68" for the dual drums to fit. Jessie at Oneida is waiting for me to call him with these measurements. It seems their product literature for the splitter set up with dual 35 gallon drums is lacking and he would like to get it corrected. I still believe I will love the set up but anyone thinking about going this route needs to be aware you will have to raise the height of the cyclone by 12".
Of course raising the cyclone to this height puts me well over 8' and now the ceiling comes in to play. I think it will be alright, but it's gonna be close. I have been very impressed with all of the components and the packaging from Oneida. It's been a top notch set up with just a few minor glitches. Hopefully things will get lined out with the stand and the drums and I can move on to ductwork. I'll try to get pictures as soon as I can. Wish me luck and I'll report back tomorrow.

[Calvin Crutchfield]

Can someone explain this make up air concept. I mean, I understand you take air out, it needs to be replaced or your shop walls will cave-in. But isn't an open window or door just fine?

I am thinking about installing a 3hp system in an outside shed and cutting a hole in he garage to feed to the Dust Collector. If I don't have an open door or window, what is the most common method to repace the air?

[Dick Latshaw]

Can someone explain this make up air concept. I mean, I understand you take air out, it needs to be replaced or your shop walls will cave-in. But isn't an open window or door just fine?
The problem comes when you live in Florida, as I do, and , during the Summer, the inside of your 'studio' is 78F with 60% humidity and the outside, replacement air is 95F with 95% humidity. Or, if you live in Minnesota and it's Winter and your shop is 65F and the outside air is -10F.

[Jim Becker]

Chris, if you need to, don't worry about putting the motor between the ceiling joists...works just fine! ;) That's how I accomodate a 55 gallon drum under my 2hp commercial with an 8' "ceiling".

[Chris McDowell]

Okay everyone I apologize for not checking in but I've been really busy the last couple of days. I still haven't got the camera problem figured out but my wife isn't working tomorrow so maybe I can finally get some pics posted.

Anyway the system is installed with the exception of the ductwork running to the bandsaw. I need another reducer from 5" to 4" and I'll be good to go. Man this thing has the suction. I was nervous at first about how the system would perform, but that tension has been eased after giving it a trial run.
I will be back in the shop tomorrow morning open for business and putting it through it's paces. I am excited to see how much more enjoyable it will make working. It easily has five times the suction of my old system and I have already fallen in love with the floorsweep. It's quite a bit noisier than my previos DC, but I wear hearing protection in the shop so it's not much of an issue with me. Hopefully I will have some better information after I use it for a day or two.

[Chris McDowell]

Well my wife is working on the camera thing. It turns out the problem was me not the camera. Not exactly a revelation by any means. I did use the cyclone today and I must say it works beautifully. There is enough suction from the excalibur blade guard to suck my zero tolerance insert out of the saw.
The engineers did a beautiful job designing the system. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again for any of my dc needs. For those of you curious about the dual drums, the chips end up evenly split between the two drums. So anybody thinking about upgrading to this set up can rest easy knowing one drum won't fill up while the other is half full. I would like to tell more but I really need pictures to explain so I will have to be nice to my signifigant other and try to get that done.