Dust collector vs cyclone?????

[Ron Bontz]

I need to replace my 1250 cfm delta 50-850. Just doesn't cut the mustard. I want a central unit but low on dollars. I was considering the Griz. G0562Z 3HP Double Canister Dust Collector or the 2HP cyclone Griz. makes. The CFMs always seem quite a bit lower compared to cost on the cyclones. I plan on using 6" for the main trunks. Are the cyclones really worth the extra cost? Thanks.

[glenn bradley]

A bag unit will provide more suck-per-buck. I was considering building a shed outside the shop and going with a bigger bagger when I upgraded. I also looked at adapting better filtering on top and solid bags below on the bigger bagger, footprint, dust bin access and all that.

Once I did the math, keeping the cyclone in the shop got me the best bang for the buck with the smallest footprint, ease of access and the shortest time frame to completion. If I could have vented outside easily I would have gone for the bagger. If you heat or cool your shop, venting outside can be an issue and this again would lean one toward the cyclone.

All of the preceding is just one man's opinion ;-)

[Philip Rodriquez]

Yes, cyclones are worth the cash... but it all adds up quickly.

Single stage units clog the filters pretty quickly - which quickly drops your CFM's. To combat the issue, you have to keep the filters clean - which is a big problem and the reason why I dumped my Jet 1100C.

Cyclones send almost nothing through the filters - therefore, your CFM's stay the same for hours and days .

[Edward Bartimmo]

I have a 2hp Jet 1200CFM with the Canister filter... I bought a seperator (cyclone chamber) online via ebay and retrofitted the entire dust collector.

The engine is turned on its side and sits over the cyclone chamber which sits on top of a air tight box that I placed a tin trash can inside. I left the canister filter with bag underneath beside the seperator. To say the least I haven't changed the plastic dust bag in 3 years and there isn't even a cup of dust in the bottom. I would not have expected that level of performance. I have emptied the trash can several dozen times over the past few years.

That said...next time I would spend the money to buy a Cyclone. I would also figure a way to put it in its own closet or outside to cut the noise down.

I will attach a picture when I get home from office.

Edward

[Ron Bontz]

I tend to forget to close a gate when bouncing back and forth from machine to machine. One open gate is about all the 1200 cfm can handle well. So I lose CFMs The double drum sander particularly requires all the CFMs I can muster up. Then of course the bag starts to fill up and there goes the CFMs again. My ceiling is of course only 92" tall, I believe, further frustrating things.
So how long can someone expect the cartridge filters to last on dust collectors vs the cyclone collectors? Thanks for the input.

[Jim Andrew]

My cyclone filter stays real clean until I run the barrel over.

[Edward Bartimmo]

This is the best photo I have...unfortunately, you don't get a view of the Canaster filter and bag that is to the left in the picture.IMG_0642.jpg

[Ben Hatcher]

I tend to forget to close a gate when bouncing back and forth from machine to machine. One open gate is about all the 1200 cfm can handle well. ...
So how long can someone expect the cartridge filters to last on dust collectors vs the cyclone collectors? Thanks for the input.

I used to do this too until I put microswitches on all of my blast gates and connected the dc to a remote starter. Now it comes on when I open the gate, and I know if there's another gate open because the DC is on.

A filter will help because it has 2-3 times the surface area as your current bag. However, those fines are going to clog the filter fast leaving you to clean the filter frequently. A cyclone will reduce the amount of dust getting into your filter by at least 90%. The better the cyclone, the less dust will get to your filter, the longer you have those high cfm!

I doubt you'll find a single cyclone owner who would eliminate the cyclone from their system. I know that you'd have to rip mine from my cold dead hands

[Philip Rodriquez]

I had a Jet 1100C for several years and it worked great for collecting big stuff. However, I never liked the performance drop when I ran my Performax 16/32.

Now, I have an Oneida V-3000. I can run my 16/32 all day long and not have any problems... plus, I save on the paper.

[Callan Campbell]

I tend to forget to close a gate when bouncing back and forth from machine to machine. One open gate is about all the 1200 cfm can handle well. So I lose CFMs The double drum sander particularly requires all the CFMs I can muster up. Then of course the bag starts to fill up and there goes the CFMs again. My ceiling is of course only 92" tall, I believe, further frustrating things.
So how long can someone expect the cartridge filters to last on dust collectors vs the cyclone collectors? Thanks for the input.

I too struggle with low basement ceilings, there are a few "low boy" cyclone units out there, check out JDS for their system. I'm not sure how much of a compromise the lower units are, you'd need someone else to answer that. 2 stage dust collection is the way to go though, cyclones rule, or it they suck real well!

[Jon van der Linden]

I need to replace my 1250 cfm delta 50-850. Just doesn't cut the mustard. I want a central unit but low on dollars. I was considering the Griz. G0562Z 3HP Double Canister Dust Collector or the 2HP cyclone Griz. makes. The CFMs always seem quite a bit lower compared to cost on the cyclones. I plan on using 6" for the main trunks. Are the cyclones really worth the extra cost? Thanks.

Your current unit is overpriced and undersized. Realistically you're trying to get something high quality/power for little money. Don't count on it being easy, or everyone would have it solved.

The cyclone has two advantages. In an underpowered unit filter clogging is a real problem. A cyclone helps solve that. If you're sucking up a lot of fine dust as opposed to chips, again the cyclone helps because of the first reason. A properly sized single stage unit is designed for use after the filters have a coat of dust on them, because that is their normal operating condition.

From your post on the double drum sander causing clogging, I'm not surprised. Single stage collectors designed for high dust loads (as opposed to chips) have a higher filter surface area for the same amount of air moved. Your Delta is just not capable of handling that kind of load.

In a properly sized unit all these problems disappear. In my experience, even in a garage sized shop, you'll need at least 5hp for a serious central collection system. I think you're going to find you need something a lot more expensive than your current system, or something that's very mobile and used for one machine at a time, or both.

[Ron Bontz]

Well, my eyes and brain grew weary and then I saw that "Bing" symbol beside a Grizzly 3HP cyclone. 1654 cfm I believe is what "they" rate it for. At least that paid the shipping cost. So now I own a cyclone. I am no doubt going to have to re arrange the shop...AGAIN. I am just hoping I have not committed a major blunder. I am also hoping between the cleaner filter and increase in CFMs I'll see a reasonable improvement. It will be interesting to see if my air cleaner stays cleaner as well. What ever happened to those good ole days when men were men,(however ignorant) and dust and smoke were no big deal? A lot has changed in 30 years. Thanks for all the input.