Cheapest way to go for proper dust collection?

[Michael Yadfar]

I bought all my new power tools awhile ago to start my woodshop, but sort of left dust collection out of the picture. The reason I haven't used the tools yet is because I did things in an odd order and decided to insulate the shop after buying the tools, and I still haven't touched the planer or jointer (planer is still in packaging 2 months after I bought it). I have used my table saw a lot, and used the bandsaw and miter saw a decent amount of times. Typically for these tools I use my shop vac, which is suitable for these because these don't produce heavy chip flow. However, it's still not the best, and for my 15" spiral head planer, it's not gonna seal the deal.

I know little to none about dust collection, so I need some advice. I pretty much need something suitable for my 15" spiral head planer which will produce the heaviest chip flow. People have also said stuff about better bags and some kind of cyclone separator. I've also heard people mention buying a cheap Harbor Freight one that they did heavy mods to, and while I'm religiously against shopping at harbor freight, this would be my one exception if necessary. Does anyone have any advice on how to do this cheaply and properly?

[Prashun Patel]

You'll get different answers. here's mine:

Get a single stage machine, change the filter to a 1u cartridge, and then build a pre-separator. I have a couple Thien separators that work very well. The HF 2hp machine is a good value - I wouldn't call these mods 'heavy'. They're quite doable and straightforward.

I would also get a good shop vac and buy a Dust Deputy for it. A DD does a great job for dust collection for routers and sanders and other portable tools.

You can also save a good deal of $$ and increase your efficiency by planning your shop so either the hose can be moved from tool to tool or so the DC can be rolled up to each tool as necessary.

[Matt Day]

I have similar machines and have a Delta 50–760 1 1/2 hp dust collector. I installed a Wynn environmental cartridge filter instead of the stock cloth bag. I also filled a separator, which makes removing all the dust and chips easier.
I have about 20 feet of 4 inch flex hose going to my 15 inch planer, and it does a decent job of collecting everything. Ideally I would have a cyclone unit with more horsepower, but funds do not allow for it and I am pretty happy with the setup.
So I would suggest a set up like this, or similar with a harbor freight unit. I seem to see these type dust collectors top up quite a bit on craigslist. For instance a friend of mine just got a used 50-760 for $100 but it did not include a filter bag or anything, which you would not need to make the modifications you probably will want to do.

[Marty Tippin]

Unless your shop is in the basement of your home (or otherwise attached to the living area) and unless you spend occupational-length hours in the shop, I don't see any reason to get carried away with a super-efficient cannister filter. But I also wouldn't use a DC with the paper-thin filter bag like the HF or low-end Jet models.

I have both the Delta 50-760 and Grizzly G1028Z, both have a 2.5 micron filter bag, and am deciding that I like the Grizzly a lot better, as it does a much better job of inducing a "cyclonic" flow that separates that heavy chips and dust. For $394 delivered to your door, the G1028Z seems like a no-brainer. You'll almost certainly spend more than that for a cheap DC and a cartridge upgrade and pre-separator. And I just don't see the need for that.

My shop-vac is a Rigid 16 gal with a disposable paper filter bag. I use it with an adapter on my ROPS and at the router table, since I haven't set the table up to work with the 4" pipe on the Grizzly DC. The paper filter works great to take dust out of the air and 16 gal capacity is a lot. As in, I bought the vac 8 months ago and still haven't changed the first bag...

[Matt Day]

I just want to add that I agree with Marty to some extent about the cartridge filter. It definitely is not necessary for going the cheapest route possible, I upgraded mine after a number of years and it was actually a Christmas present. I did notice an increase in CFM after installing it.

[Loren Woirhaye]

"Cyclone" trash can lid and whatever you want to use to pull suction through it. It's the long runs of fixed ducting that demand higher powered impellers. A planer can be chip-collected using a cyclone lid and a shop vac... pretty adequately.

Now, if you're talking about the health risks of "fine dust" that's a different matter. Planers and jointers produce a lot of chips and not a lot of fine dust requiring fine filtering. They do produce some but it's only a noticeable cloud when doing a lot of continuous operation. Table saws, sanders and band saws produce much more fine dust. The table saw also like to throw it around the shop. Overhead and well as under the saw dust collection is the way to go with the table saw. The band saw at least tends to carry dust down into the cabinet and while really effective dust control with band saws is difficult, you can get a lot of the airborne fine dust by porting the lower cabinet to get it where it falls.

[Prashun Patel]

The Delta 50-760 comes with a 1u bag, I believe.

[John T Barker]

I bought all my new power tools awhile ago to start my woodshop, but sort of left dust collection out of the picture. The reason I haven't used the tools yet is because I did things in an odd order and decided to insulate the shop after buying the tools, and I still haven't touched the planer or jointer (planer is still in packaging 2 months after I bought it). I have used my table saw a lot, and used the bandsaw and miter saw a decent amount of times. Typically for these tools I use my shop vac, which is suitable for these because these don't produce heavy chip flow. However, it's still not the best, and for my 15" spiral head planer, it's not gonna seal the deal.

I know little to none about dust collection, so I need some advice. I pretty much need something suitable for my 15" spiral head planer which will produce the heaviest chip flow. People have also said stuff about better bags and some kind of cyclone separator. I've also heard people mention buying a cheap Harbor Freight one that they did heavy mods to, and while I'm religiously against shopping at harbor freight, this would be my one exception if necessary. Does anyone have any advice on how to do this cheaply and properly?

Cheap is a relative term. My first bit of advice would be Craigslist. I'm close to you here in Pa. and I check it regularly and there are always nice small shop dust collectors going for a good deal. One of these days I will get one but I do not plan to run pipe through my shop but will opt to move it from machine to machine as needed. HF seems like a good idea but I would wait for the word of guys that use them...some of that stuff is flimsy looking. A machine used as often as a dust collector might need to be a little better than their quality. (Who am I kidding, they're all made in China?) Id also try to build or buy a ceiling hung dust collector for the small stuff the bigger unit doesn't get.

[Curt Rowe]

Just to give you an idea of how cheap you can go, I survived for years with an old Delta portable. It had a 3/4 horse motor, IRC, on top of a cardboard drum with wheels. The inlet was four inches. I was able to do a decent job of evacuating the chips from my Delta 13" planer with 12 foot long leaking flexible hose connection. It did a much better job with my table saw and planer. I've since gone with a stationary 3 hp Oneida cyclone with metal duck work.

[johnny means]

I'm not going to recommend any particular filter or collector because there are way to many possibilities and most will do a decent job. But, I'll say that the biggest savings is probably to be had in the ducting end of things. A lot can be achieved with 4" pvc and fittings. Of course we'll hear from the DC technician crowd out there about how 4" ducting doesn't offer peak efficiency or may blow up your shop. Anyway, you can certainly duct a shop affordably with it and I've seen some really clean shops ducted with 4" pvc. Then, if you ever want to step up to the real thing, you can do it a bit at a time.

[Michael Yadfar]

I don't plan to duct, especially because the shop I'm working out of now is a joke, and I literally have to move a machine to the middle just to use it, and put it away and place another one in the middle to use that. If I can truely get away without the cyclones and upgraded filters, which I don't even fully understand yet, I may do that. I definetely will keep an eye out on CL, but I probably got to research what the heck I want first. I was just afraid to look there because 6 months of tool searching and only bringing in one used tool was painful. I went to the Muncy showroom to buy my Grizzly tools, and I probably should have just picked up a collector when I was there. Too late now...

[Kent A Bathurst]

Cheapest, functional, DC is any-old-brand used off of craigslist. Single stage. Two filters u, two collection bags down. 1.5 HP. 4' - 6' flex hose. Wheels. Roll it machine-to-machine.

There are so many chi-wan-ese DC units out there - I can't see spit's worth of difference between them at this level of performance. I'd bet 75% of them have main components all from the same 1 or 2 factories.

You are out a buck-fifty +/-, is my guess, for a nice collector.

[Paul McGaha]

I spent more on dust collection than any other tool in the shop (Counting the cyclone, duct system and all the other accessories).

I think I remember a very popular thread a few years back about where did you spend the money in your shop? It was pretty interesting. As I recall several creekers stated they spent more on dust collection than any other tool in their shop (counting all the accessories associated with each tool).

Just my $.02 but to me dust collection is not the item to go cheap on.

Of course it depends on a lot of things like the size of your shop, how long you plan to be in it and the tools you have (and might buy in the future).

PHM

[Jim Andrew]

My 15" Grizzly planer has a 4" outlet for dust, and that is all it needs. The machine is well designed for dust. My 2 hp collector can handle both the tablesaw and the planer at the same time.

[Michael Yadfar]

My 15" Grizzly planer has a 4" outlet for dust, and that is all it needs. The machine is well designed for dust. My 2 hp collector can handle both the tablesaw and the planer at the same time.

Are you talking about the Grizzly one? I will try the use route first most likely, but I may consider Grizzlys dust collection if it's half decent the way it is, just to match some of my Grizzly tools