What cyclone system would you buy?

[Matt Meiser]

I have the Grizzly G0441 and I'd probably buy it again after a head to head comparison with the Oneida's Gorilla line. I'm not sold on spending that kind of money an a plastic kit. Not sure if its still there but at one point Oneida had a list of criticisms of Grizzly cyclones. On mine, it appeared that Grizzly took that as constructive criticism and addressed the issues.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I have the stand on mine, it sure is simple. I liked plumbing it, because metal pipe is not exactly a flexible medium, and it turned out that I needed to move the cyclone a few inches to make it all fit. No big deal with the stand, a wall bracket would have been more complicated. I'm not sure the stand is worth what is cost, you could make one very easily if you have basic metalworking skills.

Personally, I wouldn't be scared of under the slab if you can take apart a fitting to get into the pipe with a snake if needed. I have a wood floor in the woodshop, and when it is finally finished, there will be under the floor duct. It is the best way to get to a tablesaw for example that sits in the middle of a room. Honestly, in the 5 years I've used my machine, I've never had a clog.

Keep in mind that the 1200cfm or so of return air will take a pretty big hole or the velocity of it will cause noise.

[Michael W. Clark]

I've always thought that if I did under floor ductwork, I would run it in a trench with a removable cover. It would give you access for changes in the future. Put electrical and compressed air in there too. It would be the best way to get utitlities to an island in the shop with minimal interferences.

If your return air from the DC is in a closet, maybe make part/all of the door covered with filters. The lower the velocity, the less noise from the air movement. However, you may will still have noise from the fan that exits through the fan outlet.

[phil harold]

I have always wanted under slab for the table saw the rest can run overhead
as long as you have access to either end clogs should not be difficult to fix under concrete

[Rod Sheridan]

I have an Oneida Cyclone with HEPA filter in my basement shop.

It's 12 years old now, great machine, one of the best purchases I've made.

As Janis indicated, you'll need somewhere around 600 to 800 CFM for a tablesaw, with around 600 CFM under the blade, and around 200 CFM over the blade.

North American style machinery tends to have extremely poor dust collection, I have a couple of Euro machines, they come with a test certificate for dust collection, that certifies that they meet a certain standard with an airflow of XXX volume............See the difference, NA machinery typically has a too small 4 inch port, no testing or engineering.

You should design for the higher standards that Janis mentions................Regards, Rod.

[Jeff Duncan]

You've gotten some good advice already, I'll just add a couple things….I mostly agree with Steve's view, a small home shop is fairly simple to set up for dust collection. Your generally using 1 machine at a time and so there's not a whole lot of engineering required on the user end. Whatever questions you have about setup can usually be answered by the supplier of your cyclone. It's when you get to larger shops with multiple tools be used that you have to start engineering the system. Even then you really don't have to understand it all as you can do like I did and have it designed for you

Second, I also would avoid putting duct into a concrete slab personally. You have NO real wiggle room once it's set in place, if you find you want to move a machine a couple feet or re-arrange its orientation….your pretty much stuck. Again, just my personal preference. I suppose if you've been using the same shop layout for years and it works well it could be advantageous having it below.

Lastly I always recommend using an air filter in a shop as it's impossible to not have residual dust in the air, no matter how good your dust collection is

good luck,
JeffD

[Thomas Canfield]

What are you planning to use for fittings with the PVC? The bend radius of normal PVC fittings will add to pressure drop in the system, and also be more subject to plugging. Also putting ductwork in the floor requires greater "lifting" and will require a greater velocity to lift the heavier trash. Venting a dust collector outside also means that replacing all the vented air with "fresh" air which then raises conditioning problems of temperature and moisture. Your duct work is a big investment and the layout deserves a long careful study to minimize the cost while providing the flexibility you may want now and with future equipment. All shops change over time.

[Dave Kirby]

A 3HP Oneida system would be my dream dust collection solution in my shop!

[Scott Brihn]

I went with the 3HP Oneida Portable with HEPA filter for my basement shop. The portable aspect has been a real benefit as I finalize the equipment and shop layout. Overall I've been pleased with the overall performance. In my case, the portable unit is also a bit shorter which I my situation requires.

[Michael W. Clark]

Your going to run the same velocity in the horizontal and vertical ducts unless you upsize the horizontal runs, which would add cost. I would recommend 4000 FPM or more as a minimum for all runs.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I really like my Oneida, 2 hp, Super Dust Gorilla. It has a remote control (like a key FOB) that is clipped to my shop apron, Oneida says that motor should be cycled on no more than six (6) time per hour to extend the life of the motor. Can't speak to the outside closet question since mine is inside the shop, but I would think, depending on the climate, that having the DC exhaust outdoors could have an effect on the heating or cooling in your shop.

I didn't know turning a motor on and off would wear one out. How does that apply to things like table saws and the like?

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I didn't know turning a motor on and off would wear one out. How does that apply to things like table saws and the like?

Dennis, I'll let the other guys answer why, they can do it better than me, but keep in mind that most of us are hobbyist level, and compared to the loads the motors were designed for, we hardly use them. I doubt you'll ever wear a motor out in a hobby shop environment. It would be different if the machines ran 8 hour/day all year, but they just don't.

[John Lanciani]

Dennis, I'll let the other guys answer why, they can do it better than me, but keep in mind that most of us are hobbyist level, and compared to the loads the motors were designed for, we hardly use them. I doubt you'll ever wear a motor out in a hobby shop environment. It would be different if the machines ran 8 hour/day all year, but they just don't.

Actually the usage pattern in a hobby shop can be a lot harder on a motor. In a single phase induction motor the starting circuit (the start winding, capacitor, and centrifical switch) can create a significant amount of heat every time the motor is started. In something like a table saw the motor gets up to speed rather quickly so the starting circuit is not in play for very long but in a slower starting load like a dust collector with a fairly heavy impeller the starting circuit is energized for a longer period of time. The additional heat generated needs to dissipate between starts to prevent damage to the motor.

Many people look at a motor name tag and see a continuous duty rating think that it is of some advantage. It really just means that the motor is intended for an application where the motor is started once and left to run for an extended period (at rated load) without overheating. There are specific purpose motors that are rated for frequent starts but they are rather expensive and not typically supplied on WW machinery.

[Ronnie Futo]

Your going to run the same velocity in the horizontal and vertical ducts unless you upsize the horizontal runs, which would add cost. I would recommend 4000 FPM or more as a minimum for all runs.

I was going to run 8" off cyclone down to the 6" PVC in floor and 6 and 4 to machines. Would a 5 hp work better than the 3hp, or is that over kill? Is there enough difference to justify the price difference?

Thanks again for everyone's help.
Ronnie

[Michael W. Clark]

You need about 1500 CFM in an 8" duct for 4000 FPM. I doubt you can get that with a 3HP unit. You will have a tough time getting it with a 5HP unit. It will depend on your system losses and how they match up to the CFM vs SP curve of the collector system. You will have siginifcant losses in the 6" and two 4" branches at this flow.