Cyclone opinions/ advice needed

[John Coloccia]

re: can it be too big?

No. If this were the case, you wouldn't be able to have one large cyclone service multiple tools. You would need to have a small cyclone per tool.

Dust collection is expensive, but purchasing dust collection twice is a lot more expensive. As your system gets larger, you options open up. A nice downdraft table comes to mind as something which requires a LOT of airflow that a perfectly sized system for your tool may not handle well. A larger DC can also handle things such as a large hood for a radial arm saw, a large hood for capturing sanding dust off a lathe, etc. My lathe actually just has two wide open 6" ports for capturing sanding dust.

Personally, I think you should reconsider the Clearvue and just rattle can spray the MDF to a color you like, but regardless what you choose, my opinion is that you should buy the best and biggest dust collection you can afford.

[glenn bradley]

Dust collection is expensive, but purchasing dust collection twice is a lot more expensive.

I'll add that not purchasing adequate dust collection can be even more expensive. I now have to wear a respirator even though I have a cyclone, modified bagger and an ambient filter. Buying the right stuff too late has strapped me with sinus issues that cause disabling head and ear aches if I am not overly cautious. Don't go there ;-)

[Ole Anderson]

I, too, am looking to upgrade my dust collection from a Penn State 1 hp 2 bagger. Looking at the 2 hp Oneida unit, the Grizz G0440, the ClearVue and now the 2.5 hp Penn State Tempest. The clearVue just looks too homemade for my wants and I don't feel 5 hp is a very "Green" solution. The Oneida is US built, but pricy while the Grizz has mixed reviews and the filter is way too small if you read Bills filter sizing criteria. I am leaning toward the 2.5 hp Tempest as it has about 9 inches of suction at the 800 cfm needed for a TS and it has the double filter with 452 sf of surface area.

Also the PSI has a non-sparking aluminum impeller, and the 2.5 hp motor seems very efficient at 13 amps vs the 14 amp 2 hp Grizz and seems even more efficient than the 11.5 amps for the 2 hp Oneida. Although I see my Baldor 3 hp on my Kazoo cut off saw only draws 12 amps.

But I have to say my head is spinning with all of the info I have read over the last 3 days.

Brian, that being said, with a shop as big as yours but only running one tool at a time, a good 2-3 hp collector should be fine, IMHO.

http://www.pennstateind.com/mm5/merc...ews=1#prodtabs

[Jim O'Dell]

Ole, I can tell you from 5 years experience with the Clear Vue that it works. The wood parts have been absolutely no problem, and the PTEG material is tough as nails. Have you had a chance to see your finalists in action at a woodworker's shop? I'd ask here and other forums who in your area has each of these, and try to see them in person. The V series Oneida may be the toughest one as they are fairly new on the market. Maybe write each of the companies and see if they can put a customer in touch with you in your area that has one of their products. Is steel better than wood? In some situations yes, others no. The MDF parts of the CV only hold the motor and PTEG pieces in place. They aren't in the line of fire of the dust and wood chips. Just some information for you to ponder. Jim.

[Brian Cosgrove]

Thanks to all who have provided helpful information to this point so far. Aaron, I too noted that the V5000 has an 8" inlet and was thinking the same thing, that the V5000 numbers are with 8" pipe and choking it down to 6" will only marginally increase performance over the V3000.

I just installed a V3000 in my shop and have all of my duct work run, though I haven't really had much of a chance to use it yet. I went with the V3000 over the V5000 because I knew that I was using 6" duct the whole way. The V5000 has an 8" inlet. Running the V5000 with 6" ductwork provided less an a 5% improvement over the V3000. The other thing that drove me to the V3000 is that it's about 50% quieter than the V5000 based on the posted noise levels. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for buying tools with more power, but I just didn't see any upside for me to own the V5000 over the V3000. I can tell you that the V3000 is a substantial improvement over the HFDC that it replaces.

[Brian Cosgrove]

Jim, I may take the advice on seeing them each in person before buying. That might help.

Ole, I can tell you from 5 years experience with the Clear Vue that it works. The wood parts have been absolutely no problem, and the PTEG material is tough as nails. Have you had a chance to see your finalists in action at a woodworker's shop? I'd ask here and other forums who in your area has each of these, and try to see them in person. The V series Oneida may be the toughest one as they are fairly new on the market. Maybe write each of the companies and see if they can put a customer in touch with you in your area that has one of their products. Is steel better than wood? In some situations yes, others no. The MDF parts of the CV only hold the motor and PTEG pieces in place. They aren't in the line of fire of the dust and wood chips. Just some information for you to ponder. Jim.

[Jim O'Dell]

Oh, and my thoughts on the cyclones that can handle and are set up for the 8" input...would only be needed if you are running 2 machines that need 6" pipe at the same time. For a one man shop, would just be a waste of money, unless it's a BIG shop, then a ducting plan that would make use of the extra capability could be implemented. Jim.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Chris mentioned air scrubbing with the cyclone. I have a bigger dust gorilla, designed for an expected shop upgrade someday. I leave one port open besides the machine in use, and it does do a superb job of air scrubbing. It does cost more money to run a bigger machine, and mine is loud. Are you planning any duct run increases, like a bigger shop might bring? May want to consider.

[Ole Anderson]

Yes, running a dust collector as an air scrubber is very inefficient. A 1/5 to 1/3 hp ambient air cleaner will clean nearly the same volume that a 2 hp dust collector will.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Yes, running a dust collector as an air scrubber is very inefficient. A 1/5 to 1/3 hp ambient air cleaner will clean nearly the same volume that a 2 hp dust collector will.

Sure, but if you already have the 2100 cfm cyclone going, it may as well scrub. Starting a dedicated scrubber in my case would be silly. The bigger cyclone was called for if I get a wide belt sander someday, especially with the longer duct runs like what I'm expecting in the new shop.

Why you'd actually need a scrubber if your dc system is set up right is another animal for another thread I suppose.

I just brought it up to bring up the point of maybe needing more dust collector at some point in the future. Would stink to have to upgrade the cyclone, and possibly all the duct...

[Bernie Kopfer]

I have a V3000 with 6" pvc ducting and 4'' drops to the machines. Works great!!!! And the pvc is cheap and so easy to work with too. And the white looks nicer in my wife's opinion! The GREATEST and BEST thing I did was to place wired gates at every drop. I just have to reach out pull the gate open and the DC turns on and runs until I close the gate. I can run multiple machines but there is a drop in suction but not enough to be of concern. (Rarely do I run more than one) I have a Fox dust collection table ~ 20''x 45'' and that is where I could use more airflow. When sanding right on the table it is fine, but if more than 15'' above the air flow is weak. Cut a 3x3 window in the metal top of the collection bin and cover with a magnetic vinyl sheet (those advertising magnets) and then you can readily check the fill level in the bin. The Onieda is a great unit and if it where quieter it would probably be the best out there for the money.

[Jim Andrew]

My shop is bigger, 26 x 50, and the largest tool I have is a 18" woodmaster, which throws a lot of chips. My 2 hp Woodsucker handles my shop just fine. I can accidently leave a gate open and the dc takes care of everything except the planer just fine with 2 gates open. The planer requires just 1 gate, if it is going to get all the chips. Biggest problem I have is running the drum over when planing. Can fill the 50 gallon drum in about 20 minutes.Think your getting a lot of work done and oops!

[Adam Jackson]

Ive been looking at cyclones for 4 months and after going through the pros and cons of all the mentioned cyclones I chose the clearvue. I wanted the best possible fine dust collection and separation at the cyclone and from reading all the posts and reviews I think the clearvue cone design is superior to the rest.

[Scott Barrera]

I'm just finishing up an install of the v-3000. I haven't got to use it yet but I couldn't be more impressed with it so far. I will follow JP after a few more nights using it. I'm going through a total of 40 feet of 6" pipe to get to the farthest machine and the velocity is still incredible.

[Nick Lazz]

+1 on the ClearVue. It has been my best purchase to date as far as tools go. Don't let the mdf and plastic fool you. It is a high quality machine, will perform as well or better than any on the market and it was a less expensive option for me.
I had the same reservations at first, but I took a leap. Glad I did.

Good luck in your selection. I'm sure, whatever you pick will really suck!

Nick