The impetus for this project came when I moved to an older home with a long, narrow, low-ceilinged basement. My Delta 50-760 dust collector was now too tall, and I could no longer use it as the octopus at the center of a cluster of power tools. After reading a good bit about central dust collection systems with fixed metal ductwork, I decided instead upon the following priorities for my situation: use the existing 120 volt electrical circuits in my new basement work space; retain the stock 4” dust ports on all of my stationary power tools; achieve adequate efficiency by connecting the shortest possible run of flexible 4” hose to one machine at a time; use high quality filtering; use two stage collection, separated by Phil Thien-type baffles; have a collector at each end of my work space. As you can see in the photos, I got a pair 2hp collectors on sale at Harbor Freight. I purchased .5 micron Nanofiber cartridge filters from Winn Environmental. I replaced the cheap, flimsy HF collector chassis with my own design, which permits me to position the motor above the collector can and connect it directly to the impellor. I am very pleased with the result: no trace of dust in the air from connected tools, changeover to a different tool in about five seconds, quick, efficient dumping of the collector can, and never any need to tend the clear plastic bags, except after occasionally back-flushing the canisters with compressed air to restore their high efficiency. I don’t think there is any system on the market for less than about double the investment I’ve made in these rigs that can equal their performance. If anyone would like to make their own, let me know and I’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Michael MacDonald
