new workshop

[howard wright]

I just built a new garage workshop and need some help with the dust collection. I am interested in either the Grizzly G0703 1.5 hp cyclone dust collector or the Oneida mini Gorilla. What air filtration system would pair well with one of these? My garage is 600 square feet.
Thanks, Howard

[Mike Wilkins]

If by air filtration you mean the type that hangs from the ceiling and clears the air; the majority of these are very similar with only a different paint job. The best ones have multiple speeds and/or a timer built in the unit. Most use ordinary household AC filters, but I am having difficulty finding 12 X 24 inch filters at the big box store.

[Cameron Handyside]

Hello, I just bought a Jet air filter for my ~600 sq ft shop. At full speed, it'll cycle the air 8x an hour and filters down to 0.5 microns. It is true that all major systems (Jet, Delta, JDS, Rikon) are all basically the same machine.

[Mac McQuinn]

I believe most the Ambient Air Filters on the market will filter down to around 1 micron at best although you can replace the inner Filters with items from Wynn Environmental which increase filtering to around 0.5 micron. As far as different brands, I would check fit, finish, warranty and how closely the filter assemblies fit within the housing. I found enough differences to make it worth my time to look them all over carefully. Even when running a 0.5 micron filter equipped AAF, I would still wear a respirator during machine operations as the AAF will keep the particles airborne until they are filtered down to minimal particle size. Perhaps a better method of use would be to turn it on with a timer once you've finished for the day to clean the air in the shop when unoccupied.
Mac

Mac

[Michael W. Clark]

Howard,
I would lean toward a higher HP motor with the cyclone (2HP minimum). This will ultimately give you more CFM at the machine, reducing the airborn dust, and reducing the workload of the aircleaner.

Mike

[Jim Andrew]

I agree with Michael, if you haven't bought it yet, go 2 hp. My 2 hp is just barely adequate, would like to change to 3 hp.

[Jeff Monson]

Howard,
I would lean toward a higher HP motor with the cyclone (2HP minimum). This will ultimately give you more CFM at the machine, reducing the airborn dust, and reducing the workload of the aircleaner.

Mike

Good advice, check Penn state also, you can get a 2.5HP 1450CFM cyclone for 1095.00. I noticed they were on backorder, but worth a check anyways.

As for a hanging air filter, wait for the Powermatic to go on sale. I have had mine for a couple years, I have high ceilings so a remote was a must. It does a great job, highly recemmond this air cleaner.

[Christopher Reyes]

Hey everyone! I'm new to SMC and to woodworking in general, but I have been fortunate enough to have a wife that understands my newfound addiction, so luckily I have the standard load out of machines needed for a shop....except a dust collector (the garage looks like a termite warzone). Anyhow, Jim had mentioned that a 2 HP was just barely adequate... I'm just curious if that is the case even with blast gates to isolate the separate tools. Again, I am new and so I am just trying to price out a specific size that is appropriate for my shop.

ALso I am curious if you guys have any preference on brand. The Grizzly 2HP cyclone looks nice. One feature that I really like about it is that it comes prewired for 220V, so you don't have to waste the money on their rewiring kit if you want to run it at a higher voltage.

I look forward to hear what you think.

~Chris

[David Kumm]

The proper size Cyclone blower unit depends on the length of runs, size of pipe, amount of flex and type of machine. Tough to give general answers but assess what machines you have currently and what you intend to get. If you do a full piped in system with drops and gates at the machines the cost of an extra hp or extra inch of fan diameter is small. Most ambient cleaners are rated MERV 10-11 and clean down to 1 micron. Spun bond filters are similar, nano are MERV 15 and HEPA type sold by Oneida are MERV 17. The finer the filter the higher the pressure drop caused by the filter and all the more reason to up the hp. 3 hp is as small a stationary system as I'd spend to lay out pipe for. Dave

[G Douglas Fowler]

I have a 2hp Grizzly cyclone for a 900 sq ft shop and it handles everything I throw at it provided you design your run, drops and gates correctly. I Often have 2 blast gates open at the same time because I'm too lazy to walk over and close the last one used and it still handles the dust/chips.

[Christopher Reyes]

I have a 2hp Grizzly cyclone for a 900 sq ft shop and it handles everything I throw at it provided you design your run, drops and gates correctly. I Often have 2 blast gates open at the same time because I'm too lazy to walk over and close the last one used and it still handles the dust/chips.

I am looking to get the same one. Did you find that mounting it to the wall was a real hassle or did you spring for the steel base that they advertise along with it? Also curious if the noise was a problem, I've never been around an operating dust collector so I've hesitant to bring one into my garage.

~Chris

[Michael W. Clark]

The proper size Cyclone blower unit depends on the length of runs, size of pipe, amount of flex and type of machine. Tough to give general answers but assess what machines you have currently and what you intend to get. If you do a full piped in system with drops and gates at the machines the cost of an extra hp or extra inch of fan diameter is small. Most ambient cleaners are rated MERV 10-11 and clean down to 1 micron. Spun bond filters are similar, nano are MERV 15 and HEPA type sold by Oneida are MERV 17. The finer the filter the higher the pressure drop caused by the filter and all the more reason to up the hp. 3 hp is as small a stationary system as I'd spend to lay out pipe for. Dave

Good advice from David. You may be able to get by with a 2HP if your runs are short with minimal flex, but I would prefer a 3HP if I were buying. If you are just getting into WW, your needs/wants will grow and so will your shop space. Get a remote for the DC, run 6" (at least) to all the machines, and put a blast gate at each machine/drop. Open one gate at a time when running the system.

I bought cheap to start with to make sure I liked WW before investing a lot of money (found a Jet DC1100 for $100 with canister filter). The most efficient way to go (money and time) is to try to anticipate your future needs and buy for that. You can choke a larger system back, but it is hard to get more flow/pressure out of a smaller system. When I updrage, I'll still have the 1.5HP DC and this will give me some flexibility to use it and minimize the ducting for the upgrade unit.

Mike

[Jim Neeley]

Since the OP question was on room air filters, I'd suggest going to http://www.wynnenv.com/cartridge_filters.htm and, nearthe bottom for the page they have links to *good* aftermarket filters for Delta, JDS and Jet. I'd choose one of the models that will take their filters and go with it. Once you have the filter, the rest of the unit is just a fan and pre-filter. My personal preference is the Jet AF-1000B, but that's just a personal preference.

If you want to understand why I recommend Wynn Environmental, I recommend checking out Bill Pentz's web site on dust collection which is considered by many (myself included) the reference on capturing dust in a wood shop. http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm

Just my opinion.. YMMV.

Jim

[Michael W. Clark]

If you want to understand why I recommend Wynn Environmental, I recommend checking out Bill Pentz's web site on dust collection which is considered by many (myself included) the reference on capturing dust in a wood shop. http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfmJim

Jim, there must be a business relationship between BP and WE. BP is only plugged (4) times in the opening paragraph of the link. If BP mentions them on his site, could there be any bias?

All kidding aside, I agree with WE and BP on the A/C (Air:Cloth) ratio they recommend for filters, especially after cyclones. A ratio of 2-3 CFM/ft2 of cloth is what we recommend for industrials when trying to filter fine dust. Otherwise, the filters blind and you can't clean them effectively without damaging them. Eventually, you can't clean them at all, resulting in a premature filter change. I know the business about A/C ratio has little relevance to this thread, but maybe it helps you make a decision on which cyclone to buy. Based on what I understand, this was a leading factor as to the reason BP got going on DC in the first place. His filters plugged, reducing airflow at the hood, and launching fine particulate in the air at the machine.

Mike