Mini gloat and good experience

[Thomas Pender]

89045

89046

I have been ready to seriously update my dust collection for a while now and paid lots of attention to what Bill Pentz says and what many of you say about what you have (e.g., Jim Becker). Ultimately, it came down to either Clearvue or Oneida. I ultimately decided to go with Oneida (the 2.5 hp Super) because they provide everything you are likely to need and because their motors have a fairly low current draw (especially the 2.5 hp which is really efficient). (Note: One reason I did not go with Grizzly was because they send what I received in 10 boxes from Oneida in two boxes - just too much.)

During the process I was treated with courtesy and respect by everyone (unlike some of the experiences I read about on the Creek), including Grizzly, Penn, Clearvue, but most particularly by Mark Schreiber of Oneida. Mark was really patient and responsive (mostly by e-mail, but at least a few phone calls) and helped me through the process - most particularly the process of ordereing duct, where his good ideas saved me money over what I had thought I needed. Everything arrived on time and in good condition.

The boxes as they arrived are in the first shot and the assembled and operating Gorilla in the second. If I had not had the help of my sons I would have been in trouble. I assembled the unit on the stand and we pushed it up and then spent a few days running duct. Everything seems to be of first quality and the darn thing will suck up a bowling ball.

I used a professional electrician to run the power from the box and got a few more boxes, including a four gang over my bench. (That was a gain!)

I did notice the Gorilla picks up the drum (as some of you mentioned), but so far dust is not on the filter or the clean out underneath the filter. And, yes, I like the remote control.

Tom Pender

[Jim Becker]

Congratulations, Tom. You'll enjoy having that cyclone in your shop, helping you to keep both the room and your lungs cleaner.

[Don Bullock]

Great gloat Tom. It's good to hear about your good experience with Oneida. Your DC system looks great. That's definitely something I want to do once I get my new shop built.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Congratulations Tom! I sure like my Gorilla!

[John Keeton]

Tom, I ended up with the same unit - can't go wrong with that one! Did you put in a floor sweep? I really love mine, and would advise anyone doing a DC system to add one. So much help cleaning up the various debris that comes from tools not on the DC or otherwise.

[Bob Slater]

I want that so bad!! Just curious how much the ducting will cost once everything is done to your satisfaction.? Oneida has been tempting me for months with sales updates. they should know they have come close! How loud is it?

[John Keeton]

Bob, I don't want to steal Thomas' gloat or hijack his thread, and he may want to respond as well. There are several posts about the Gorilla systems. Ken has put in a nice system, as well as others. I had a running thread with my installation at this link http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=79131

However, I did not use Oneida ductwork as both Ken and Thomas did, so my cost was not as high - but neither is the quality! I am satisfied with my installation but have nothing to compare to. I am sure that there is less static pressure loss in the Oneida ductwork.

My unit is also wall mounted which probably increases the sound to some degree. Thomas' unit is stand mounted and I would think that is the best installation. I can't recall how Ken mounted his, but maybe he can chime in.

In the thread above I mentioned the noise level. I wear ear protection anyway, but without it I can hear the DC over all my machines except the router, but not when I run stock thru the planer. However, it is not unpleasant. With ear protection, I don't notice it as offensive at all.

As Thomas says, the suction is unbelievable. You should do it! You will not be disappointed.

[Thomas Pender]

Thank you all for your comments. I have read earlier comments by most of you and your comments had a lot to do with my choice.

The ductwork Oneida sold me (including straight sections, wyes, blast gates, radius turns (elbows), reducers and flexible hose) was of first quality. Really well put together and it went together well. The cost was around $600 and I am not finished yet, but I hooked up or can hook up a jointer, planer, bandsaw, router table, big sander (6x48 with 12" platten), a OS sander, and a TS. I did not buy a floor sweep - and perhaps I hould have. Usually I just push the stuff togetherand then pop off the flex hose to the router table or whatever and suck it up. Alternatively I use my CT 22 Festool, which has HEPA filters and really keeps my floors clean.

Mark from Oneida sent me this super manual on how to set up ductwork (Adobe file) and it just turned a switch on for me. The hardest thing was driving the sheetmetal screws - sometimes I used a drill to get them started. I also compared the quality of the stuff at the boxes and found the orange big box stuff to be, well to put it nicely, deficient (reducers that did not fit elbows, etc.) The Lowes stuff seemed better and my local hardware store had some good stuff, but slightly higher than Oneida, but after not paying tax, not bad. BTW - I used straight old GE clear silicon on the joints and in assembling the Gorilla on some of the bolts (as per the instructions) and used foil duct tape over all the joints. I am sure I have some leakage but I cannot find it.

I planed some white oak today and there were no chips inside the filter and no dust at the bottom of the clean out. Also, my shop just smells different now - the dust meter is less than what it had been (and is decreasing) and with the windows open it goes down to ambient outside air.

In terms of noise, I use hearing protection anyway and it is just background. I also agree the separate stand should be quieter. I also put 3/4" plywood under the feet because I bought the dolly from Oneida and had to to get it high enough, so this isolates it from the floor. The Gorilla seems decently quiet to me - my friend's DB meter had it pegged right around 77 - 79, what Oneida said it would be, which is quieter than my planer by far.

One thing I did not mention. Oneida has the most eclectric packing material I have ever encountered. They packed some stuff in white foam sheets that I am keeping (for dust cloths and moving blankets) and they do something with sliced up cardboard boxes that is unique. The stuff was really packed well. The only scratches on the equipment were put there by me.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Thomas, I got to use mine with my planer for the first time this past weekend. It worked famously! I, too, was exceptionally happy with the way mine came packed. Again....Congrats!

Bob,

I have a 3 hp and I wall mounted it. It is loud. My intentions are to steal Jim Becker's idea. I left room to build an insulated room around mine with a switch-backed return duct lined with sound proofing material to further reduce the noise.

[Ward Probst]

I have the Oneida 2HP Commercial and while it does make noise the frequency is lower than most power tools. Mine is wall mounted and _some_ day will be on the outside looking in. I'd concur with the air quality difference also. It's very noticeable even with 4 windows and double doors open. One happy Oneida customer here.
DP

[Bob Slater]

Great info all around. I would like to pull the trigger. Maybe one day soon!
HVAC going in the shop as my next purchase.

[Jim Becker]

Thomas...you WANT a floor sweep for two reasons. 1) because it's incredibly useful (Norm Abram agrees with that according to a quote somewhere on the Air Handling Systems site) and 2) because you CAN have a floor sweep with a cyclone pre-separation system.

You don't have to buy the expensive one from O if you don't want to...I have one of those, shipped with my original duct work and two that I made from cheap register boots; one of those is behind my lathe for convenience. These things really make shop cleanup a lot easier and eliminate the need to disconnect anything. You can also put them below another drop to keep the duct work cost down. One lateral, a gate and a little straight pipe is all you need in addition to your hood.