Oneida Mini Dust Gorilla.

[Patrick Walsh]

Anyone using it.

i am thinking of buying one to tide me over till i can afford a V3000 or Felder RL 125. I know i know its a waste of money and i should just wait till i can afford a bigger system. The bigger system is going to going to cost 2-3K more as i am going to go with the Norfab duct work.

This is the situation. I just acquired a used but really really nice 5 horse industrial SawStop with a 52" fence for a amazing price. To date i am a Festool tracksaw user that gets by with my job sight saw when i absolutely must.

I am just about to pull the trigger on a Hammer A3-31 or Minimax FS30. Im really pushing the limits on my spending but need dust collection for both new machines.

My thought is the Mini Gorilla should get the job done barely for one machine at a time "all i need".

When i have the funds i can upgrade and probably recoup much of what i spent on the Mini Gorilla. Or i can keep it for whatever machine ends up furthest away form my stationary machine like say my band saw.

So is 600 CFM enough on my SawStop and planer jointer combo?

[Fidel Fernandez]

I have a Unisaw 3 HP and Jet JJP-12 combo.
I have a http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and it is 650 CFM.
It has worked ok for so many years, I keep it close to the machines and It is in my 2 car garage, so there is not any long pvc duct.

The only thing is I also use a 31 gal metal drum to divert the big debris and I have to dump it often. If you try the 17 will fill quicker than mine.

[Jim Dwight]

Is it enough from what standpoint? I have the same Delta AP-400 DC that Patrick has. It is rated 650CFM but it is a 1hp motor so it's real suction capability isn't as great as the 1.5 hp Oneida you are looking at. CFM depends a LOT on the conditions so when it isn't specified, you don't know what you are looking at. HP is at least a rough indicator of performance. I had my little Delta plumbed to all my tools in my old shop and opened one gate at a time. It worked well on the table saw and other tools except the jointer (8 5/8). I suspect it wouldn't have worked too well on the 10 inch planner either but I never got it hooked up.

I would think the Oneida would handle any one tool pretty well if you are trying to get most of the debris. It should also not spread around what it doesn't collect too bad with a HEPA filter on the outlet. It may not pull enough air to get all the fine dust, however. I would be primarily worried about something like a CMS which is hard to get good collection from. Even there it is going to save a lot of sweeping.

If you visit Bill Pentz's website he will tell you that a 5 hp cyclone is the minimum. I thing my Delta is useful and the Oneida you're looking at would be even better. I think it would serve you well. But you may still have some fine dust to deal with

[Patrick Walsh]

Thats pretty much what i have been thinking.

My Festool CMS will stay hooked up to a CT36 regardless as the dust ports are tiny for a dedicated dust collection system. That is good enough for me so long as it and the Kapex are the only two tools that don't collect well. I have a feeling even my Laguna band saw might not collect that well either regardless of what i have it hooked to.

I have Delta air cleaner and that alone does a pretty good job with the fine stuff.

Going with the Mini Dust Gorilla and the AD-31 will save me a boat load over going with the Minimax FS30 upgraded to a Byrd head and the Felder 125. We are talking $5500 for the Hammer Mini Dust Gorilla combo vrs $ 11000 for the Minimax Felder RL combo. Sure ill upgrade to the Oneida V3000 ultimately or RL but that could wait indefinitely provided the Mini Dust Gorilla works.

So long as the Mini Dust Gorilla will get the job done good enough for the time being I'm ok with the upgrade later. I don't have the same attitude with regard to the jointer planer combo purchase. That purchase needs to be made right the first time i plan on having that machine for the next 20 years plus..

[Jim Dwight]

Jointer/Planners are the challenge for DCs in my experience. I just take my lunchbox planner outside. A 1.5 hp DC on a good cyclone is a pretty good system in my book.

[Jim Becker]

No, that's not going to be adequate for the J/P...and I base this on, um...experience...

[Patrick Walsh]

Does it fill too quick or does it lack suction?

Or both.

Im sad to hear this did not work for you as this was going to be the economical solution i opted for so i could splurge on a FS41 vrs the FS30.

Plus i need about a grangs worth of accessories for a used ICS SawStop i purchased. New blade, dado stack, throat plate, mobility kit and dust collection hood with riving knife.

It just never stops.

I gotta chill for a while after i get the Minimax machine and Dust collection taken care of. Im gonna go all Norfab duct work so it gonna be pricey. Maybe ill just buy the V3000 and run flex hose off that to my machines. After all i am going to put my cyclone very close to my three or four big offenders. Maybe 10' in any direction.

[Jim Andrew]

I have a 2hp cyclone, and consider it the absolute minimum. My 15" planer collects very easily, when Delta designed the original planer, they must have really put a lot of energy in making the chip collection work.

[Jim Becker]

Does it fill too quick or does it lack suction?

DC isn't about "suction"...it's about moving air in volume which in turn moves the material. The smaller unit doesn't have enough CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air movement to clear the heavy dust and chip load that a J/P generally produces, especially with wider material being milled. And yes, you'll fill up a small bin "very quickly". I can fill my 55 gallon drum in a very short period of time!

[Patrick Walsh]

I pretty much figured this would be a no go.

Right now i use Dewalt lunchbox planer hooked to a large Rigid shop vac. It fills very very quick. So much so once it is full i normally just pull the hose off and make a serious mess.

Ill never fit anything more than a 35 gallon drum in my shop due to height restrictions. I had considered the Felder RL units long term. I have now crossed them off the list as it seems the pleated filters are problematic.

Im spending big money for me at the moment and its running out. I will just buy the Oneida V3000 and run it with a length of flex hose for now. This will give me some time to save for the Norfab Duct work.

i am trying to do this right the first time. Hence the industrial SawStop and Minimax machine and Oneida products. I just figured the Mini Gorilla could save me a few bucks and get me by for a while. Plus i would have a mobile unit i could hook to machine if it ended up needing to be placed further from the V3000 long term.

I think that idea os just a waste of $1000!

[Mike Chalmers]

My opinion, based on personal experience.

Prices are based on Canadian dollars and stores)

2HP DC with cartridge filter ($575)
Super Dust Deputy ($250)
55 Gallon drum (free)
6" hose from DC to SDD ($55)
Corrugated plastic sheet to hold the bag in the 55 gallon drum in place ($25)
5" hose from SDD to tool ($30)
5 to 4" adapter at tools ($6.99)

End result - Priceless. Works real well.

That being aid, I am upgrading to a 3 hp cyclone, mainly for the footprint and the easier bag collection system.

[Jim Becker]

Ill never fit anything more than a 35 gallon drum in my shop due to height restrictions. I had considered the Felder RL units long term. I have now crossed them off the list as it seems the pleated filters are problematic.

If you have exposed joists, you may be able to mount the cyclone motor up between them to gain height...that's what I did. That said, it may also be possible to use dual 35 gallon bins when headroom is tight. Do install a clear "window" in the top of the bin(s) or employ some form of electronic bin monitor...you do NOT want to over fill your bin(s) as you'll get blow-by and have to deal with a plugged filter. DAMHIKT!!!

[Cary Swoveland]

I am in a similar position and currently weighing the options. The Oneda's are nice, but very pricey. The current cost of the Mini Gorilla with various options that I would get is as follows: $730 for Mini Gorilla + $124 for mobile stand + $76 for 17 gallon steel drum + $148 for drum level indicator + $155 for flat-rate US shipping = $1,233! Oneida's 2hp Dust Gorilla Portable, which includes all those options (and a 35 gal. steel drum) currently sells for $1,445 but flat-rate US shipping is a staggering $395!

By contrast, the Grizzly G0703P, which comes with the stand and a 35 gal. steel drum, sells for $929 delivered. The Mini Gorilla has a HEPA filter and US-made motor, but the Griz has more CFM (775 CFM at 1.80" SP vs "up to 600 CFM" for the MG), a larger filter, a crank for knocking dust off the filter and a pressure compensation system that allows the use of plastic bags in the drum. Grizzly's cyclone systems have a modern cyclone design and seem to be quite well-built (in Taiwan). 220v operation requires the $69 P0703P088 220V Conversion Kit. Whatever I decide on, I plan on getting Oneida's $148 drum-level indicator, as overflowing the drum and clogging the filter is a real time-waster. I am also considering the Grizzly GO440 ($1,324 delivered) if I opt for a non-mobile solution.

This (somewhat dated) article contains a lot of good information. Among other things, it reports a 40% increase in CFM merely by switching from 4" to 5" flex hose.

Incidentally, having piped dust-collection is convenient, but I'm not going that route. I did that in my former location, and it just didn't work for me. It's expensive and takes up a lot of room, but the main thing I didn't about it was that if I wanted to relocate machines (which I did several times), I had to rework the piping each time. For me (a hobbiest), and my shop-size, it makes more sense to have a mobile or fixed dc in a central location with two blast-gated 5" takeoffs, one always going to my table saw, the other, with a quick-connect, going to other machines as needed.

[Paul McGaha]

Patrick,

It's been my experience that tool upgrades are expensive (unless the 1st tool was bought used). That's been the case for me.

I suggest you try to do the V-3000 first if you can.

Good luck with it.

PHM

[Cary Swoveland]

Paul, your suggestion has led me to what I think might be my ideal solution, and I'd like your views on it. First, a bit of background. In my previous shop I had a circa-2000 1.5 hp Oneida with a piped distribution system that had few twists and turns. It worked well enough, though I sometimes wished for a bit more hp. It was frustrating, however, as I tended to rearrange my shop fairly often. In my current--slightly smaller--shop, I'd decided to go with a portable cyclone and not have pipes. I've been using a 1.5 hp non-cyclone JDS with a HEPA filter, and it's OK as far as hooking it up to different machines goes.

I've recently revised my decision to go portable, and looked at Oneida's, Clearvue's and Penn State's offerings, but keep coming back to the conclusion that a portable unit would be better for me. Portable or fixed, I expect I'll be buying from Oneida again. When you look at what you get for what you pay and read reviews of different products, it seems to me that buying from Oneida is a pretty safe bet.

My idea is to buy the V-3000, as you suggested, and initially use it as a portable. I'd think I could easily do that by attaching the fixed base to a oversize base on castors. If necessary, I could add three guy wires on turnbuckles to reduce flexing of the stand (and still be able to remove the drum). The unit's relatively low weight would be a plus in that regard. Considering the unit's height, it would clear the bottoms of the fluorescent lights on my 8' ceiling when I moved it around. I'm thinking of having two 5" gated takeoffs to flex hose from the inlet, with one dedicated to my table saw and the other moved from machine-to-machine. If I later decide to go with a piped system I need only remove the mobile base. I'd also get the drum-full strobe, but don't need the remote switch.

The V-3000 seems to be at the sweet spot of the V-line. It's only $100 more than the V-2000 and the specs for the V-5000 are not better by as much as one might expect, probably because everything but the motor is the same (and sound levels are 75 vs 81 dBA).

What do you (and other readers) think of this solution?