Dust Colllector choice

[Dale Gregory]

I'm going to break down and buy a small dust collector to help with dust while power sanding on the lathe. I think I've about ruined my shop vac. and I'm still getting lots of fines coating the work area. I have two choices:

1. New HF, 2hp
2. Used Jet DC650, 1hp

Both would be about the same price, and I already know that I will need to replace the filter on both units to a 1 micron or less filter. I have two questions:

1. Which would you buy?
2. If I went with a low micron bag vs. canister would I have to replace both the upper and lower bag?

DG

[Dennis Peacock]

Dale,

There's 2 things to keep in mind about dust collection at the lathe:

1. You're never going to get it all.
2. You need a LOT of CFM of air flow in order to be decent at collecting at best.

With a standard dust hood on your lathe, you'll need at least 600CFM and you should prefer 800 - 1000 CFM of air flow to do what you hope it will do.

Remember: It's NOT Horsepower that makes all the difference in total air flow, it's the size of the impeller. A 12" impeller is only going to give you 600 CFM and that's with it spinning at 3450RPM. What you really need is a DC setup with a 14" impeller and that will push you to around 1400CFM if you are on a short run. I have a 75' run of 6" PVC pipe to my tablesaw and I'm getting almost 1100CFM at the tablesaw.

In short, a 3HP motor spinning at 3450RPM and turning a 12" impeller will yeild about the same CFM of air flow as a 50HP motor spinning at 3450RPM while turning a 12" impeller. ;)

So there....this is all I'm going to say on the subject. :D

[Rich Souchek]

Dale,
I myself would keep on looking beyond those two choices. They are ok, but nether is real good or real cheap.
I would read up on dust collection both on this turning forum and the woodworking side upstairs and at woodnet.net.
Turners dust collection is almost entirely about dust pick-up while sanding and finishing. Some of the dust comes while turning to size, but most is involved in the finishing side. Some turners finish on the lathe, some never finish anything on the lathe. Which do you do?
You may need a sanding station dust collector, and make sure you INCLUDE the whol shop dust collection requirements.
I personally have wasted more money on dust collection that isn't used or does not work than everthing esle in my wood working shop combined (excepting my lathes.)
Read up, study, ask many questions, plan a GOOD bit.
Rich S.

[Reed Gray]

Just about any dust collector will work better than your shop vac (think dust collector vs vacuum cleaner). Personal preference is for a 2 stage system, with a barrel on the bottom, and a pleated paper filter on top. I doubt that the systems you are looking at have these features. They come at a price, but work so much better. Look up Oneida dust collectors. That said, a 1 hp will work fine. How much dust it collects depends on what you are sanding/turning, and what you do with the end of the hose. A hose end is fine for pens. A vent of some sort will work better for bigger things, and if you can a hood is good for bowls. Dust collectors don't work well for shavings. It is too much volume, and if you don't have a cyclone, it will clog up your impeller in a heart beat. Use the shovel and plastic bag for the shavings.
robo hippy

[Mike Peace]

I have the HF DC and am generally happy with it for getting dust at my lathe while sanding. I bought a 6 foot shaker bag from Rockler to replace the original top bag and replaced the bottom bag with plastic. I was planning on retrofitting it with a round pleated filter on top, but I was fortunate to stumble upon the bag at Rockler for 1/2 price at $25. I guess they no longer stock that one since I do not see it in their on-line catalog. Huge improvement over the original bag which probably spread more dust than it collected. It took weeks for the bag to get coated with enough cake inside for it to fully inflate because the air flow is so good.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Dale I have the HF DC and am extremely satisfied with it. I bought a .5 micron Wyn Cannister Filter for the top which is made special just for the HF and a plastic bag on the bottom. It helps a lot keeping the fine dust under control and seems to have more suction. I have it running to 4 machines that use blast gates. Two lathes and two bandsaws. The lathes have a big gulp hood that really does well with dust. As far as big chips until you get up to the big boys it doesn't get it all. I am well satisfied with mine for the money. I also have a ceiling hung air cleaner which also works quite well for fine dust.

[Dale Gregory]

Dennis, thanks, I get it now, it's all about impeller sizing not hp. That said does anyone, know what size impeller these two units have? The Jet is only rated at 650 cfm and the HF at 1600 cfm. If the advertised flow rate is true, wouldn't the HF do the job?

Reed, I looked at Oneida and those are going to be out of my price range. They look nice! Actually, the shop vac does a decent job when used like I did (held it close to the bowl with the left hand while power sanding with the other hand so I could pinpoint the draw). But like I said too many fines coming back out into the room and I've practically ruined it. I leave the shavings for the broom, it's only sanding dust I'm concerned with...... that is my wife is not happy about sending it throughout the house. I also use a Hepa filter positive air faceshield when sanding for my protection.

Rich, my work area is about 14x8 and houses a lathe, bandsaw, elect. hot water heater, washer and dryer, so moving it to one or the other would not be a problem. I use curtains to try to contain the mess to an area about 8x8 I only finish pens on the lathe, but my main focus is bowls which I finish by hand.

Guys, thanks for the feedback and keep it coming. It helps to hear first hand experiences. I've read quite a bit about the HF model here on the site, and for most the comments were positive with a few modifications to it. You also have to gage needs vs. what the wallet can tolerate as well! I don't have a problem with upgrading as I go, at least that way I'm enjoying myself vs. waiting to get the money for the best. I'm trying my best to keep the economy rolling. I've already earmarked my tax rebate for Hollow Form and Coring equpment ....the Vortex continues to suck me in. :D

[David Wilhelm]

Dale, will this be portable or will you duct your DC to other equipment as well? I have sent you an email with some interesting info.

[Dale Gregory]

Mike/Bernie, thanks for the input on the HF.

Dave, thanks for forwarding the info. you recieved, it helped a lot! I will only be using it for the lathe and bandsaw and they are right next to each other. Sounds like with some minor mods (better bags/canister addition and increasing the size of the intake and hose) the HF will work ok for general dust collection.

Thanks! Dale

[Don Eddard]

I have the same HF DC/Wynn filter/big gulp scoop setup Bernie mentioned, and it's much better than the shopvac I was using before that. It's not a 3+ HP cyclone with a 14" impeller, but it was within my budget and beats using nothing.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Dale - for what it's worth, I have the Jet 650 and while it works well I find myself thinking about upgrading to the HF model with Wynn cannister filter. Have to think having a lot more air moving would be beneficial! Good luck with what ever you decide!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Dale on test that Wynn Filter run on the HF the 1600 cfm is more like 1200 or so cfm. It still does a decent job sucking up the dust.

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

the latest rockler flier was advertising 20% off all in-stock dust collector/filter cannister combos. sale is good thru 2/8/08.

could be the right time to pull the trigger. :eek:

[Steven Wilson]

I've seen a DC650C work collecting dust from a mini lathe. The key was a properly designed hood and extreemly short hose (2-3'). I wouldn't go with the HF as the impellor is very small and wouldn't support anything close to their claimed numbers. IIRC the Jet 1100C (similar motor size) has a larger impellor and the canister is pretty good. I would use that and a short piece of 6" hose hooked to a hood for lathe sanding. That, a decent respirator, and a air filtration unit, plus decent ventilation would be a pretty good setup.

[Brett Baldwin]

I'll put in another good word for the HF/Wynn cannister combo.

[Dale Gregory]

Steve, the info. I've received here list the following impeller sizes:

Jet DC650 9.5" (1 hp)
Jet DC1100 11" (1.5 hp)
HF 2hp 11" (actual hp measured at 1.6hp)