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Thread: Quiet yet mobile DC

  1. #1
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    Quiet yet mobile DC

    Yet another DC thread

    Like many I have a garage shop and all my tools are on wheels to be parked on the side when not in use. Ideally I'd like a DC to follow the same idea but have a little flexibility.

    My goals are:

    Relatively quiet - I don't have room for a permanent enclosure and while whisper soft is unrealistic there are some options from Oneida and Laguna that are noise considerate, I have a not so pleasant neighbor who's on the HOA board and not looking to start a confrontation

    Good dust collection - needs to handle planer/jointer combo 12" spiral head, drum sander 16-32, and standard other stuff table saw, router etc. but only one tool ever at a time

    Mobile - the only wall that has space for mounting is on the other side of the 3 car garage and would require at least 20-25 of piping before getting to the closest tool (if there would be something workable I'd consider this)

    Power - 20Amp 240 is all I have and getting something larger would be a pretty hefty investment

    Price - I'd like to stay near $1500 but could push to $2000 if that's the right way to go.

    In an ideal world I'd try for something like the Dust Gorilla Portable but it's stretching a bit much so I've had my eyes on something like the Mini Gorilla Portable or the Laguna P-Flux.

    Other thoughts or recommendations would be VERY welcome!

  2. #2
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    Sorry you're not getting a lot of response here. You might want to percolate a bit on your budget. HOA (or even nosy neighbor) wars can turn legendary. My point is that an extra $1000 now could save many times that in heartache over time. There have been threads where people have actually ended up moving over neighbor disputes. Just food for thought.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  3. #3
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    That's definitely food for thought.

    The portable gorilla is claimed at 73-74db, the P-Flux 1 is rated at 70db but I've read it may be a bit louder as much as another 10db and the mini gorilla is around 78-80db. The portable gorilla is most likely the quietest, but above the price point I was hoping for, but without a doubt an all around better product. I think all 3 would be quiet enough to not stir the wasps nest.

    I haven't read much about the mini gorilla and if it would be adequate for my needs and the Laguna gets knocked for a shorter cyclone but in practice seems to be talked about positively. If I could get away with one of the less expensive options and still be decent performance wise I'd like to go that route, but in a pinch with the above advice could find a way to swing the portable gorilla if absolutely necessry.

  4. #4
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    Those db measurements can be manipulated wildly. If you have a DC and a db meter, you can get lower readings just by backing away from the DC. Or if you hold the distance to the DC constant, but put the two devices in an anechoic chamber, the reading goes down because you're not collecting the sound reflected from walls and ceiling.
    In the hands of an engineer who's trying to improve his product, the meter can be a useful tool. If he makes his measurement in a consistent way, he can see the effects of changes in the product. But as a way of comparing products from two manufacturers, the numbers are just about useless.

  5. #5
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    I completely agree which is why I'm soliciting real world input on the above.

  6. #6
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    Sound intensity drops off like the square of the distance from the source. That is quite fast. dB measurements that don't specify a distance from the source to the meter are completely meaningless.

    Oneida has a very good reputation but my personal dealings with them have been far less favorable. I no longer consider them a premium manufacturer.

  7. #7
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    According to all the vendors these measurements are at 10'. However I know the Laguna reading is off based on other reviews. I've heard good things about Oneida but have no real world info for sound.

    I guess my questions should be rephrased to help direct this thread.

    How quiet are the Mini Gorilla or Portable Gorilla and all things being equal for a mobile one tool at a time would the mini Gorilla or Laguna P-Flux be suitable for my high dust/chip producers, the 12" jointer/planer and 16-32 drum sander?

  8. #8
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    Michael, I'll be in the same boat in a couple of months from now. Going from a 1000 sq ft shop down to a 2 car garage with a neighborhood association. My tool collection is similar right now, but looking to do some upgrading at the same time.

    I have thought seriously about the Oneida Mini Gorilla. There was a good review in FW in the last year or so. But it will probably only work well directly connected to a machine. So you have to be able to easily swap the hose connection directly to every machine in need. Can you design your tool layout in a circle to make this work? Do you want to do this type of reconnect every time? I'm debating that. I have even considered two Mini Gorillas, yes I would be loosing valuable space in the garage for this, but with one always connected to the table saw and the other floating between the j/p and sander and bandsaw, it might really cut down on the reconnecting. And the price for two is similar to the larger portable Gorillas.

    At the other end, which sounds like it wouldn't work for you, I am considering a 3hp V System and enclosing it in an insulated dust closet. Yes this would get me into the expensive and non portable installation of ducting, but it will be the quietest solution, and once done I'm not reconnecting any hoses, just opening and closing dust gates. If a quiet solution is the real need then perhaps it's worth reconsidering. The ducting can be all up above so cars can still get in and out and everything else can move around. With a 3hp cyclone and one main straight pipe going from one side of the garage to the other it should pull OK.

  9. #9
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    I was thinking the 3hp V system, but worried about the long initial run to where I'd be able to distribute to the tools.

    I think 1.5hp directly connected might be better than 3hp 20-25' away. My tools will be laid out so a 10' flexihose should get me most of the way without wheeling around a lot. I'd even considered the 5hp V but don't have the power for more than 3hp.

    So that brings me back to the two main ones Mini Gorilla or P-Flux 1/2 and if I stretch the 2hp Portable Gorilla but would prefer to keep the price down if the mini would do what I need.

  10. #10
    If you are looking at a straight line of smooth wall pipe, you hardly lose any flow. You lose flow through corrugated hose faster than any other way. I personally would not go less than 3hp.

  11. #11
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    Looking at the Oneida site they have losses for fittings and pipe lengths and running the 3hp V looks better performance wise than either the mini gorilla or Laguna options and its quoted sound level is on par with both. A little extra work but probably the right choice.

  12. #12
    I happened to be tinkering in my shop today with one of those $40 digital anemometer things that can measure CFM's. My cyclone is a Grizzly 2hp 440, 6" main of Nordfab type ductwork. The griz is rated at 1354 cfm @2.5 sp.

    Anyway, I measured 650 cfm at the 4" drop which is roughly 22 linear feet of hard ducting + another 5 feet of flex hose. I have 2 90's, a wye + 45, then another wye +45 between the blast gate and the collector to get the ducting up to the ceiling, out to the main then down to the machine.

    I measured a little over 1100 cfm at the RAS which is a 6" drop at the end of 40 feet of hard pipe plus a shorter length of flex to the dust box behind the saw. That run has an additional 2 90's.

    So, with good ducting you don't have to loose that much, 6"pvc should be fairly equivalent. My previous hvac pipe was much worse


    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Rector View Post
    I was thinking the 3hp V system, but worried about the long initial run to where I'd be able to distribute to the tools.

    I think 1.5hp directly connected might be better than 3hp 20-25' away. My tools will be laid out so a 10' flexihose should get me most of the way without wheeling around a lot. I'd even considered the 5hp V but don't have the power for more than 3hp.

    So that brings me back to the two main ones Mini Gorilla or P-Flux 1/2 and if I stretch the 2hp Portable Gorilla but would prefer to keep the price down if the mini would do what I need.

  13. #13
    Have you thought about the Grizzly 0777?
    http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0777

    We have one dedicated to a CNC router and it is significantly quieter than the neighboring 3hp OneidaV.

    it works well on the single machine we have it on with 10' of 6" spiral pipe and ~10' of 4" hose.
    Kevin Groenke
    @personmakeobject on instagram
    Fabrication Director,UMN College of Design (retired!)


  14. #14
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    I have the Oneida Dust Cobra. It's between a dust collector and a shop vac. For me it hits the sweet spot. Medium volume, not too noisy, small footprint, HEPA filter, 120 volts, middle price. It's made a huge difference in my shop, which had little dust control before.

  15. #15
    The other thing to think about is sound damping.

    There is a lot of benefit to be had by redirecting sound and adding a heavy, sound deadening enclosure of sorts. If your dust collector is on casters - a box enclosure wont make it too hard to move around.

    For example - you would be amazed at how much noise reduction you get by just leaning a piece of plywood on one side.... Contact the manufacturer to see if they have sound deadening enclosure provisions.... Most do - especially models made/sold in Europe... These cabinets dont have to be super expensive and will really help your hearing as well.

    Your building will also provide some natural sound deadening. Simply adding mass to the walls will increase sound deadening a huge amount. So stack your plywood against the wall facing his house.

    Last is being a good neighbor... Consider the proximity of your stuff to your neighbors house. Its going to be more of an issue if your bulding is right on the property line next to the fellow's bedroom or living room.. Next - Make noise at times when noise making is expected/acceptable... Like during the day time when all sorts of other noises are going on.... Avoid making noise in the middle of the night when its otherwise dead quiet and sound just seems to carry 4x as far... My shop is quite a ways from the neighbors bedroom.... So working indoors at night isnt really any more of a problem than the air conditioner unit...

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