Portable dust collector question

[Steve Rybicki]

I hope to get a cyclone down the road, but for now I'm considering getting a portable DC that I can move from machine to machine. I'm concerned with getting something useful.

From what I understand, the really fine dust is the dangerous kind and I'm having trouble finding small units that filter anything very small. I need some guidance on what to look for. I'm guessing that sanding creates dust that is too small for these units, but I'm wondering if some can adequately handle the dust coming from the major woodworking machines?

[David G Baker]

Think about getting something to protect your breathing for the fine dust particles and a heavy duty shop vac for the big stuff, but by the time you purchase a "good" vac and "good" dust mask you may be getting close to the cost of a mid range dust collector.

[Steven Wilson]

A Jet DC1100C (canister), good ventilation, and wear a respirator when generating lots of fine dust.

[Gary Muto]

I recently bought a jet 650 CFM dust collector with the 1 micron filter canister. It works good on everything. I was talked into buying the 1000 cfm air filter (AFS1000?). With these two devices, I'm very impressed and breathing easily.
I highly recommend gettign the air filter regardless of any other dust collection method you choose. I thought it would help when finishing a project, but had no idea of how much dust I was inhaling. I never have that wood/sawdust smell in my shop for very long, and there are hardly any suspended particels in the air,

[glenn bradley]

I've got a 1HP Delta I picked up on sale a couple years ago for around $125. 650CFM and good for one tool at a time but, I don't usually run more than one at a time ;-)

If you're end-plan is a cyclone, I would spend as little as possible now and try to buy something that would be useful later. That is to say; a HF DC is reasonably priced but is sorta big and doesn't have a really good resale value so I'd look for a small footprint. You can also factor in how long you will use it. This is my favorite way to talk myself into buying something. . . let's see $200 divided by the 2 years I'll probably use it (of course I only PLAN to use it for a year but I know myself) equals a little over 25 cents a day . . . hmmmm.

My plan is to dedicate the 1HP to my TS overarm once I add a cyclone for the rest of the shop as it fits nicely into an unusable (is there such a thing?) spot near the TS.

[Matt Moore]

Get a good air filter as well. That will help to catch the fine dust. Use a dust mask too.

[Rod Sheridan]

Although many people use air filtration devices in their shop, once the fine dust is in the air, you are breathing it.

The secret to dust control, is to have a dust collector with high airflow, good filtration, and to trap the dust at the source so it doesn't get into the shop air.

In my opinion, the dust collector is your most important tool purchase, and should be the first item purchased and installed.

It's easy to upgrade your planer or tablesaw at a later date, however your lungs may be out of stock when you try to replace them at a later date.:)

Regards, Rod.

[Steve Rybicki]

Thanks for the info.

I'm still wondering though, is the 1 or 2 micron filtration of these portable dust collectors adequate for good health on non-sanding operations?

I've been using the shop vac/ dust mask combination for many years and would like to get away from them if possible.

[Brian Erickson]

Find a Lowe's with a Delta 50-760. You can get the price down to 100 or even 50 with some work. Call your local Lowe's, and have the tool person do a search for item #202439. They likely won't have one, have them check the region for any others in stock. It is worth the drive if you can get this kind of price, and the thing comes standard with a 1 micron (advertised) filter bag. It's a great start for a little bit of money...

[Tom Leasure]

Steve, been there with portable DC's. Do your self a favor & get the cyclone & set it up correctly. You won't be sorry. After buying 2 Jets ( 1hp bag & 1 1/2hp canister) then getting a cyclone I could have saved a chunk of money. The cyclone is the only way to go. If you want an almost dust free shop, either build or purchase a seperate air filtration unit that hangs from the ceiling. What your going to spend on a portable DC you can buy a good filtration unit. It all breaks down to dollars but your lungs will thank you in the long run