Harbor Freight dust collector question

[Alex Berkovsky]

Larry,
It's a common problem with HF DC. I am not sure if I can link to another forum so I will PM you the links.

[Steve Sawyer]

I have the "2HP" HF DC. I fit it out-of-the-box with the 0.5 micron Wynn filter, and a plastic bag on the bottom. Works well through about 12 ft of 4" PVC ducting to a table saw, jointer, planer and bandsaw with blast gates. The jointer, planer and band saw have a flexible hose that I move from one machine to the other. The ducting is permanently attached to the table saw. I also have a 30-gallon plastic drum with a Thien baffle as a chip separator for the jointer and planer.

This setup works extremely well. However, I noticed (as mentioned above) that even with a good DC system, there is some that inevitably escapes, plus there are some operations that inherently have no DC at all - hand planing, hand sawing, jig saws, many routing operations, hand drilling, all of which are going to create dust that gets further spread around when you clean up. I began to notice some respiratory irritation when working in the shop, even when no wood cutting had been done for over 24 hours! I purchased and began using a Jet AFS400 benchtop ambient air cleaner that uses a 1-micron filter. I put it on end on a little roller base so I can roll it under one end of my workbench, added a timer switch to it, and was amazed at the improved air quality as indicated by my lack of respiratory discomfort. My shop is very small so I can get away with that small unit, but Jet makes larger units.

[David Hostetler]

Another 2HP HF DC / Wynn Spun Bond Poly 35A user here. I am adding a Thien Baffle. Mine is the 97869 (new model). DO NOT RELY ON THE NEW MODELS 5 MICRON BAG!!!! 5 microns is too course to do any good, you need to go 1 micron at least...

I got mine on sale with the 20% off coupon. I paid $144.99 for mine... The Spun Bond was $170.00 after shipping. WELL WORTH THE MONEY is all I can say about it...

Like a lot of other HF power tools, as well as other mfg tools that are equipped with the same Chinese components, the power switches are known to get gunked up and fail. On some of the older tools, such as that 45378, well their time is due on a lot of them. My Northern Tool Drill press has that same switch. It's simply a matter of time before it fails.. I would start tracing the wiring faults there. That is the most likely failure...

FWIW, I am not the biggest HF fan, but then again, I don't rule them out out of hand... I have the following...

Central Machinery #32208 Band Saw (Modded)
Central Machinery #97869 Dust Collector. (Modded)
Central Machinery #34706 12x36 Lathe with swivel head (Jet 1236 clone).

And I am up around 100 various bar clamps, pipe clamps, and spring clamps from HF as well..

I give them credit where credit is due, and warn folks away from the duds..

I think *MOST* of my HF tool descisions were made from the "HF Gems List".

[Keith Outten]

I have a question. I have a HF model 45378 dust Collector. Because I moved a little over a year ago I put my DC in storage. Now I have a new shop and pluged in my DC and it will not come on. Can anyone please tell me how I can get it going again?

Larry,

The HF dust collectors are made with low quality switches. I have one in the sign shop at CNU, the switch didn't last very long. The good news is that it is relatively painless to install a quality switch from your local Borg or hardware store.

In my workshop at home I have a Grizzly 1.5hp DC that is over 16 years old. The performance of the Grizzly is superior to the HF 2hp unit.

Neither of the Dust Collectors use bags or filters, I use a chip box located outside which improves performance and takes care of any little leaks and certainly the dust pump issue. If a little bit of dust leaks outside there isn't any harm, if it leaks inside the cumulative affect on your health is a serious issue.

For me there are only two suitable options concerning dust collection. Either use an exterior chip box or purchase a top notch quality cyclone dust collector with built-in filtering capability. The former option is inexpensive and just as effective as the more expensive cyclone. If the weather in your area is too severe in the winter making the heat loss a big issue then the cyclone would probably be your best choice.
.