Originally Posted by
Nathan Callender
Hey all - I've spent some time trying to get my head around dust collection, and here's my situation. First, I've read as much online as possible (bill's site, phil's site, etc). I'm just starting out with larger power tools, in my 2 car garage that we still want to park inside :-), and I want to make sure I get off on the right foot as I'm starting a few rather largish projects, but this is strictly a hobby for me on the weekends, nothing more.
I'd love a large cyclone, but the truth of the matter is that something smaller would work better in my space. Overall, here are my requirements:
1. small, roll-around unit that I can hook up to one machine at a time (table saw, planer, router)
2. it will have to store under some shelves (so the vertical units will probably not work)
3. I want something that filters down to 0.3m if possible. From what I've read, even 1m is too large
4. I need something that will get the majority of fines from the table saw. It's a ridgid 3660 and from the looks of it, it has a dust shield surrounding the blade below, but I may have to build something to seal that up a little more. The blade guard doesn't have a port, but it should be easy to add. I've got a ridgid planer that has an internal exhaust fan to a 4" port, so I'm not as worried about that.
5. I just bought a bunch of stuff, and I'd like to spend not a great deal of money on this - after these few large projects, I may be in the 'shop' for 2-3 days a month. If I start doing more, I don't mind upgrading, to get the more convenient features...
6. It needs to be quiet-ish. I thought about just using a shop vac, and even with the low airflow, the noise would not be condusive to an enjoyable environments (ie, the neighbors will shoot me...)
I work with the garage door up, and regularly try to clean up and blow out the garage with a shop vac. I also use an n95 respirator whenever (and after) I make any dust. I'm going to upgrade the filters to n100 though just to be on the safe side. (Personally, I don't mind wearing a respirator even though I look a little dorky :-) )
So, there's a little 1hp (green) harbor freight unit that may fit the bill. I'd need to find a better bag. Would this work for what I need (if I do some duct work on the machines)? Also, where could I find a better 0.3m bag for it? There used to be a machine similar to that from HF rated at 1.5hp which seems like a better fit, but I can't find it on their site any more.
Any other setups you guys can suggest that may work for me? I've searched the forums and really can't find a whole lot about the effectiveness of these little machines for occasional 1 macine use.