Shop Regenesis: Dust Gorilla

[Steve Aiken]

Having a basement shop, I realized long ago that I needed really good dust control. I bought the very best Craftsman shop vac that I could (on a good sale), a garbage can, and a cyclone separator top -- and I did the best I could for dust control. It helped alot, but I realized quickly that I needed to save up for something better. After alot of research (thanks to the Bill Pentz website and to Sandor Nagyszalanczy 's "Woodshop Dust Control"), I decided to purchase a 2hp Oneida cyclone system. I was fortunate that by the time I had saved up the money, the Dust Gorilla had just been released.
I bought my Gorilla in April 2005 in a big panic because I wanted to take advantage of the free Baldor upgrade that was offered in the early days (and later became standard). Because I was "up to my armpits" in a heavy-duty kitchen renovation, I wasn't able to get the Gorilla installed at the time.
Finally, the day has come....
Pics 1, 2, 3
Because the Gorilla is so heavy, the placement of the brackets (hence studs) is pretty critical. Also, because I was mounting the Gorilla with the motor up between the floor joists (to save vertical space in my basement), I made up several life-sized mock-ups in cardboard and paint cans. I am confident that the installation went flawlessly because of the effort I put into the planning.
There were two critical areas for my installation. (1) I wanted to get the filter as close as possible to the wall, but still ensure that there was adequate room to blow out the filter; and (2) because I had to put the motor up between the floor joists, and because the joists run parallel to the basement wall, I had to make sure that the studs were the correct spacing out from the basement wall to allow the motor to fit in the joist cavity with approximately equal space on either side. Once I was satisfied, I carefully taped off around the cardboard with masking tape.
Pics 4, 5
Another thing I did before I got started, was to take the brackets down to the local welding shop to have them fabricate and weld a second diagonal bracket. The stock bracket that came with my Gorilla had only a tiny little 2 inch brace between the horizontal and the vertical arms. I knew from other posts at SMC that there was a tendency for the heavy Gorilla to bend the bracket arms, so I thought the reinforcement would prevent sag – and in the end, I was right!

[Steve Aiken]

Oops...clicked 'save' instead of 'preview'... here are the pics

[Pete Brown]

Very nice Steve. The welding was a good idea. I have the super dust gorilla and yes, the brackets to flex quite a bit.

PS, please post larger pics in your threads

Pete

[Steve Aiken]

Pic 6
I screwed the bottom 2x4 to the concrete floor with Tapcon screws. It’s hard to see in the picture, but instead of foam gasket between the concrete and wood, I used a length of bailer belt – available from the local farmer’s co-op store. My thinking is that the heavy rubber will act as a vibration dampener to reduce noise transmission.
Pics 7, 8
Next I attached the studs. I attached the first stud to the bottom plate with screws. I cut the blocking to go between the joists so they fit quite snugly. I attached another strip of bailer belt to the 2x4, then tapped the block until the stud was plumb. Then I screwed the first block to the joists. Next I ‘sistered’ another 2x4 to the first using screws and PL2000. The studs are 3/4" short of the subfloor above. Next, I stapled more bailer belt to the new 2x4 and clamped up the second piece of blocking. I drilled through the sandwich of 2 blocks, 2 studs, and 2 strips of bailer belt. Then comes the bolts, washers, locknuts, and bolts. Whew...first set of studs up.
Pics 9, 10
Placement of the second set of studs was very critical because the bracket has to be mounted with the bolt holes spaced exactly 21 3/4 inches apart for the 2 Hp Gorilla. I went through the same process as above, and checked and double checked to make sure of the distance, all the while being completely anal about the plumb and trueness of the studs
Now we’re finally ready to mount the brackets...

[Steve Aiken]

Pic 11
I physically measured the height of every piece of my dust collector to make sure the measured plans supplied matched the product in my hands (turns out Oneida was only 1/4 inch off!). I subtracted the assembled height from the height of my basement and determined the height of the top of the angle ring at the top of the blower assembly – this was the height of the top of the mounting brackets. To make sure I didn’t make a mistake measuring by tape, I made up a ‘story stick’ and clamped it to the stud to make sure I mounted the first bracket at the correct height. Then I drilled holes and attached the bracket with lag screws and washers.

Pics 12, 13
The location of the mounting screws was now highly critical in the second studset, so I created another ‘story stick’ at exactly 21 3/4 inches long to mark the centerline. Then I clamped up the second bracket and used the level to make sure of the placement, rather than just relying on the ‘story stick’. More drill holes. A little holding of the breath........and yes, halleluiah.....the bracket fits 100%. Well......actually, I lie.......I had to loosen the brackets and put in several strips of aluminium tape shims, because the brackets had splayed out a little bit and I had to get the holes back to the 21 3/4 inches o.c.
Pic 14
Another thing I had to do because of the location of the motor between ceiling joists, I had to wire up the motor before mounting the unit. It would have been possible to wire it afterwards, but it was a lot more convenient wiring it first. I am using a plug/receptacle disconnect.

[Steve Aiken]

Pic 15, 16
After reading Oneida’s warnings and multiple posts at SMC about not trying to be a ‘cowboy’ and lifting the blower assembly by myself, I borrowed my strapping son-in-law to help. I used my trusty cardboard-and-paintcan mock-up, and realized that I’d need to loosen one of the brackets so I could move the bracket a couple of inches to get the motor between the joists. We set the unit on my workmate, then hoisted it up. Again, careful planning paid off. Not a glitch.
Pics 17, 18, 19
Quite a bit of reading and re-reading later, I decode Oneida’s otherwise clear instructions...you have to remove the vortex tube ("V-tube"), install the rubber gasket, then reinstall the vortex tube into the cyclone chamber – all before you even think about lifting and attaching the cyclone to the fan assembly.

[Steve Aiken]

Pics 20, 21, 22, 23
So now I put the cyclone barrel/vortex tube assembly up on my WorkMate, and run upstairs to fetch the strapping son-in-law. He’s fast asleep on the sofa. Hmmmn. How can I connect the cyclone to the fan assembly without waking him? You’ll see that I rested the cyclone on the dust bin, and then used a series of shims to wedge it up into position.
Pic 24
I struggled for about an hour because the bolt on the ring clamp is too short. Oneida should use a bolt that is about 1/4 inch longer. Finally, I got out an old oil filter wrench, which allowed me to compress the ring clamp enough that I could thread the washer and nut. Whew, again!

[Steve Aiken]

Pic 25
Now it’s time to mount the cone. Son-in-law is still slumbering . I fought off the urge to take a nap, and plunged forward. With the cone resting on the trusty WorkMate, I worked in enough shims to bring the cone flange up tightly to the bottom of the cyclone barrel. Same dealie with the ring clamp, but by now I’m a pro. And it’s snugged up in minutes!
Pic 26
The bin fit under the Gorilla with plenty of room for the flex hose, and all the parts fit together very nicely thanks to Oneida’s careful engineering.
Pic 27
Now we’ve got the exhaust and filter assembly connected. They all fit together nicely, but the instruction manual was not very clear. After I get it mounted, I realize that the 10 inch long foam gasket was supposed to go between the outlet and the exhaust, so I had to disassemble it and put in the gasket. Oh well, since this was the only ‘glitch’, I really can’t complain.
Pic 28
Here is the Gorilla in it’s glory.
Now, in the next few days, I’ve got to run the electricity and fire it up......
For more about my shop regenesis......http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=56193

Stay tuned.

Steve

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Steve,

I want to thank you for posting the pictorial installation process! Later this fall I hope to repeat your installation in my own shop! I will find this invaluable!

Thanks again!

[Pat Zabrocki]

Looks good. I've got a Tempest S from Penn State Industries. Funny how things work out the same. The frame you made looks just like what I did, the fit into the rafter is the same.... I've even got a light just like that right next to mine. I wish I'd seen your post last year. I put all of mine together and then me and my neighbor muscled it up as unit. I wish I'd put it together in place, my back is still killin' me.

I think you put much more thought into your process and it shows, bravo

cheers
Pat

[James Manning]

Steve I just went thru the same process, and after I got it up I realized how much the brackets flex. I will be doing some mods to mine in the near future. Great job and thanks for the pictures......and like Pete said please enlarge your photo's,

James.

[Don Bullock]

Steve, your detailed instructions with pictures are fantastic. I'll have to print them out so when I finally get a dedicated shop, hopfually in a couple of years, I''l be able to duplicate what you have done. It's posts like yours that can truly help many of us save a lot of time and effort.

Congratulations!!!!

[Pete Brown]

you have to remove the vortex tube ("V-tube"), install the rubber gasket, then reinstall the vortex tube into the cyclone chamber – all before you even think about lifting and attaching the cyclone to the fan assembly.

Interesting. The construction assembly of this is very different from my super dust gorilla. They must have retooled partway through the run (or else there are construction differences between the super and regular). For example, I have no vortex v-tube, and the way the pieces attach are with bolts - the same bolts that go through the bracket that attaches to the wall. Also note that my bracket is different.

Oh, and since I had no help, I had to hoist it up myself. Yes, it was very heavy and not just a little dangerous

Pete

[Peter Stahl]

Steve, Great job on the Gorilla install. Only 2 years, I'm still thinking about buying one!