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Thread: Will a 2HP dust collector, handle a 15" wide belt sander?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    NW Indiana
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    Please do not be fooled by the claims that the dust collector mfg make. I do not believe that a 2 hp DC can pull anything like 1700 cfm. I have a 5 hp cyclone with 15" impeller. With an 8" duct, I get a little over 1700 cfm measured with a hot wire anemometer.

    With all the sanding, I would get something more than what you are suggesting. However, it is your shop and health. I would briefly think about people who work there and the risk of undersizing the dust collector both with health and liability. It is your business and your choices.

  2. #17
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    Sep 2008
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    Western Maine
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    The issue is, as my friend constantly reminds me, is that it is the dust we do not see that is dangerous. All DCs leak dust. Venting outside is safer. Also, collecting dust at the source is the best strategy, and that requires power and efficiency. Otherwise all one has is a chip collector ..

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    Oh, I agree, in cold climates its just literally not physically possible on a shop scale. I would then need to install a heating system capable of heating 1500 CFM of air 70-90 degrees f in the dead of winter... Dont wanna even think about how many BTUS that would require.

  3. #18
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    Aug 2007
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    I understand, Larry.
    But again, the mfg of the sander, says it needs 700 cfm. The mfg of the DC says it pulls 1700 cfm.
    Am I not giving myself a lot of wiggle room, to offset marketing hype?

  4. #19
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    Dec 2006
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    Quote Originally Posted by dirk martin View Post
    I understand, Larry.
    But again, the mfg of the sander, says it needs 700 cfm. The mfg of the DC says it pulls 1700 cfm.
    Am I not giving myself a lot of wiggle room, to offset marketing hype?
    No Dirk, you're not.

    The duct may have 4" WC static pressure loss, or maybe 6"WC. Your sander needs 700 CFM at that restriction.

    Even with clean filters, the dust collector you've selected may not have that much performance.

    The only way to know is to determine your static pressure loss and compare it to the curves for the dust collector. If the dust collector doesn't have a set of curves, you can't determine whether it will work.

    As an aside, HP numbers are meaningless for dust collectors, the only thing that matters is accurate performance curves. I could put a 15 HP motor on a 1 HP collector and it wouldn't work any better than it does with the 1HP motor. A good fan design can provide much more airflow than a poor fan design, with less power requirements.

    Regards, Rod.

  5. #20
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    Aug 2007
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    So when I see grizzly with the exact same DC, and the ONLY diff is the HP of the motor....I'm being scammed?

  6. Quote Originally Posted by dirk martin View Post
    So when I see grizzly with the exact same DC, and the ONLY diff is the HP of the motor....I'm being scammed?
    If the impeller is exactly the same, and if it's sized to draw 1hp with minimal ducting/static pressure then the 2hp will do nothing for you, except maybe last longer as it is only working at half or less of its capacity.

    Normally a 2hp would have a larger impeller than a 1hp even if they appear the same from the outside.

    Cheers, Dom

  7. #22
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    Dirk, one of the things you're going to run into by considering "mass market" products for DC is that there seems to be "less engineering" and more "price point". Specifications are often suspect and many mass marketers do not provide fan curves. I make this statement without reference to any particular vendor, too. Proper dust collection requires engineering. Yes, that costs more money. And again I mention that for a one person shop where it's only "you", your choice is merely personal. If you have employees, then the bar is higher on safety for both regulatory and insurance purposes.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  8. #23
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    Mar 2015
    Location
    Birmingham, MI
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    Dirk,

    The advice above is spot on. You will never get anywhere near 1700CFM from that unit. When DCs first started reporting performance they were single stage and listed what the "FAN" could do in optimistic lab conditions. Once you connect the fan to the separator and filter bag performance drops significantly. When cyclones became available company's started showing performance of the complete system (not just the blower) and are in some cases very close to reality. As suggested above, start with a performance curve. I have not seen one for the 2HP version you are looking at but the model below is shown in this review http://www.portercable.com/uploads/P...Collectors.pdf

    Grizzly states that it should provide 1550CFM but this test shows the best it could ever do is 863CFM (slightly more than half of what was claimed). Apply the same adjustment to your model and your 1700 looks more like 900 (just an approximation). This is before you add your ducting to your machine! So as suggested you need to first understand your SP loss for your setup and find a curve (Preferably from an independent test) for a machine you are considering or something close and determine if you can get 700 CFM at your machine with the duct and hose layout you plan on using.

    Your other question about 3 machines with the same impeller and different performance/motors. The impeller is only one part of the performance equation. You also have to consider inlet size outlet size, outlet load and housing size. Change any of these and your performance curve will change. With the lower performing units they have 5" hose and cloth bags on the outlet side - reducing performance. The unit you are considering they have a large metal duct on the outlet to the separator and a canister filter -both reducing output restriction and increasing current requirements(larger motor). The 3HP has a larger (7") inlet and a larger outlet feeding 2 filters (more surface area) requiring an even larger motor. I can't find a difference between the 1.5HP and 2HP versions, but imagine the blower housing is physically smaller.
    Hope this helps. Let Us know what you do.

    Carl

  9. #24
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    Well, I wanted to follow up on this thread, because I'm kinda shocked with my results.

    I did order the Grizzly 1hp and the 2hp DC.
    I put each one into operation, in my production shop, on each of our machines....including our 15" wide belt sander.

    We were so pleased with the results of this 1hp canister DC, that we sent the 2HP back!
    That's right....the 1HP DC on our 15" wide belt sander, is doing a fanstastic job.
    This saved us so much money, that we decided to add another ceiling air filter, just for additional lung protection.

    We are getting no dust from any of our saws, using these 1hp units.
    The bag is a bit small...especially for the planer, but we've got an idea how to lengthen the upgrights on the unit, to increase bag size.

    So, we now have a 1hp DC dedicated to each machine in our shop (on order).....tho, we do share one of the 1hp units between the radial arm, and the table saw.

    We've ordered 3 more of them, for the shop, and they are on back order.
    Nice, popular little units.
    Huge cost savings....both with the purchase, as well as the ongoing energy cost.

  10. #25
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    Dec 2017
    Location
    Willard,Utah
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    No, you will not get 1700 cfm out of that dust collector. Yes it will handle a 15" sander. Keep the filters clean on a weekly basis and you will be fine

  11. #26
    I have a Grizzly 15" wide belt sander, a 3hp cyclone, vented outside, and still have dust falling off the feed belt on the rear of the sander. Was wishing I had gone with a 5hp cyclone. Don't notice dust in the air though.

  12. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Andrew View Post
    I have a Grizzly 15" wide belt sander, a 3hp cyclone, vented outside, and still have dust falling off the feed belt on the rear of the sander. Was wishing I had gone with a 5hp cyclone. Don't notice dust in the air though.
    I don't think I've ever seen a widebelt that didn't shed some dust off of the conveyor. I've got more than enough cfm for my machine, I still get some. I don't doubt some improvements to the chute inside could be made, or compressed air used to agitate the dust and keep it airborne inside the machine.

  13. #28
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    Oct 2007
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    Cache Valley, Utah
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    I have a PSI Tempest 3 HP cyclone (no longer available) attached to my 36" widebelt via 6" S&D, with filter cartridges inside the shop. It works fine, although it does tend to clog the cartridges eventually after heavy sanding. I'll eventually go with socks/baghouse, or vent directly outside.

  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Andrew View Post
    I have a Grizzly 15" wide belt sander, a 3hp cyclone, vented outside, and still have dust falling off the feed belt on the rear of the sander. Was wishing I had gone with a 5hp cyclone. Don't notice dust in the air though.
    Makes no sense to me, when we are doing just fantastic with our 1hp DC, on our 15" wide belt.
    We just get a tiny bit of dust coming off the conveyor.

  15. #30
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    Nov 2007
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    NW Indiana
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    Interesting that a 1 hp dust collector which probably is pulling at best 300 cfm with max static pressure of 4-5" is doing so well. When pulling the 300-400 cfm, the static pressure will be low.

    For me, I know that drum Sanders put out a lot of very fine dust and guess that you have some leaking out. If it works for you great. BUT for me, I have my drum sander hooked up to a cyclone that pulls a real, measured 600 cfm at about 10" static pressure. At my age, I do not want to breath the fine dust.

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