Recommends on air filtration system - Grizzly, Jet, Penn?

[Montgomery Scott]

Where do you get your 50% more from? A new Jet on Amazon is 329.99. The JDS new from Woodcraft is 339.00. I can definitely see spending 10 buck to get the cleaner air.

Chuck

When I got mine it was $229.

[John M Bailey]

The blower on my shop built air cleaner cleans the air faster than I can produce the dust. I built my air cleaner using plywood and a 4 speed 100-4000 cfm fan that cost me $20. Two years ago, I found some thick 20" X 25" HEPA filters on clearance for $5 each, so that is the size I made the air cleaner. I use 2 cheap filters and one HEPA for prefiltering.
As for the timers and remotes, I have no need for them. It takes five to ten steps to reach the switch to turn the filter on or off.
There are disadvantages to building your own air cleaner. If you use plywood and a large fan like I did, it will be heavy. I wanted mine to be suspended from the ceiling and its weight made it difficult to get it 10 foot into the air. However, it is much quiter than sheet metal filter. All you can hear is a whooshing of air.
$20 fan, $10 in filters, $2 for switch, Free wires. Total of $32 for an air filter that outperforms the top rated JDS? No brainer for me!

[Jerry Olexa]

I've had the Jet for several years and very pleased..Timer remote is a nice option...

[ian maybury]

Bill Pentz's dust collection website is well worth a look before buying any commercial system. http://billpentz.com/woodworking/Cyclone/Index.cfm

He argues that most do not remove the small particles that actually do us harm, and offers a DIY fan and cyclone design (you can buy it made up from Clearvue Systems at the link from his page) as well as lots of design and test data.

I've no experience of it, and indeed would love to hear of anybody with experience of building and using one, but i'm more or less committed to building one of his systems for my shop.

His system is claimed (a) to shift enough air to get effective dust collection at the machine, (b) to include a cyclone that separates the very dust that cuses problems, and (c) to specify and correctly size filters that actually work.

He says most stock filters are too small and hence must either leak or else blind too quickly to be practical, most systems don't move enough air, (test nos. are quoted for unrealistic set ups) and most cyclones don't work. (are too small, and don't have enough air velocity to separate fines)

[Stuart Lees]

Not sure if the one I'm using is available in the US - I have had a Jet look-alike for a while, and have recently added a Microclene MC1000. They are certainly not cheap (and being made in the UK and shipped to Oz I'm sure does nothing to help the price).

Rated for 65% of 0.4 micron particles, so is scrubbing pretty cleanly. Runs at 1000 cubic metres/hr (so in the ballpark of 650 cfm)


Hangs from a chain over the top, and I can easily move it as required. Air drawn in the base, and vents out the slots you can see.

A bit noiser than the Jet look-alike, but scrubs a finer particle (and is quite portable). No remote on/off (I use a commercial (cheap) one), and no off timer. Also single speed, which may not suit all.

Your mileage may vary.

[Byron Trantham]

I have a JDS and have been using it for years. When I wired my shop I installed a bunch of duplex outlets in the exposed ceiling. Half of them are hot and the other half are switched. I plug my "florescent shop lights" and the air cleaner in the switched outlets. When go out into the shop I turn on the lights (and the cleaner). I buy my filters by the case from McMaster Carr. The whole setup has worked well for a very long time.

[Don Jeansonne]

The blower on my shop built air cleaner cleans the air faster than I can produce the dust. I built my air cleaner using plywood and a 4 speed 100-4000 cfm fan that cost me $20. Two years ago, I found some thick 20" X 25" HEPA filters on clearance for $5 each, so that is the size I made the air cleaner. I use 2 cheap filters and one HEPA for prefiltering.
As for the timers and remotes, I have no need for them. It takes five to ten steps to reach the switch to turn the filter on or off.
There are disadvantages to building your own air cleaner. If you use plywood and a large fan like I did, it will be heavy. I wanted mine to be suspended from the ceiling and its weight made it difficult to get it 10 foot into the air. However, it is much quiter than sheet metal filter. All you can hear is a whooshing of air.
$20 fan, $10 in filters, $2 for switch, Free wires. Total of $32 for an air filter that outperforms the top rated JDS? No brainer for me!

I am still struggling with buying or building? Everyone knows theirs works because they visually see dust on the filters but is it collecting the really small stuff that is the real problem (1 micro or less)? Once you buy high efficiency filters, switches, timers, etc. you maybe approaching the factory units.
Can you install an electrostatic filter on a shop-made unit? I don't know how they work to know if they need any special considerations.

Right now if I buy one it seems that the JDS is a better deal at only $10 more than the Jet on Amazon. Better CFM, collection performance, warranty, construction gauge......

[John M Bailey]

Once you buy high efficiency filters, switches, timers, etc. you maybe approaching the cost of factory units.

I would agree with this statement except for the buying of the filters. You will be buying filters with the shop built and the factory units. As far as the switches timers remotes and such, you will be spending a lot for those little things. If you want to have all of these upgrades, then buying the factory unit would probably be better.
My way of thinking is that in my shop, I work slowly, doing as much thinking as actually cutting or sanding, and having to turn my air cleaner on and off and selecting the speed at the wall switch was not a problem. The timers and remotes do not add to the cleaning ability of the unit, so they are not priority to me. Another person my very well wish to have those convienences, and be willling to pay for them.
As far as the dust collection, which is the purpose of the machine, mine will collect 1 micron particals. My shop is 20 X 32 with 11' walls and it will collect dust as fast and I can produce it. I can sand, blow the dust off the piece and spray or brush on a finish without having to wait for the dust collector to clean the air.

[Joe Trotter]

First off let me say I haven't been on here for 10 years. Fortunately I retired 7 months ago from a 24/7 on call job. I can now focus on the easier things in life.

Looking for the best option in air filtration I can buy for under $350.

Thanks, Joe

[Jim Andrew]

I found lots of U tube videos about this subject, and found I have a couple of furnace blowers, so thinking of building one. In winter my furnace filter picks up quite a bit of dust, so guess it acts as an air cleaner, probably a good idea to have something that just cleans air. My DC does a good job, but a few tools have no dust pickup, and a air cleaner would help with those.

[Alan Lightstone]

Holy old post, Batman.

The latest Wood Magazine review of air filters (I think it was Wood Magazine) gave the awards to both Jet units. I happen to have both, and they both work extremely well, albeit are noisy when both are running on high at the same time.