Recommendation on Dust Collector

[Scott Thornton]

I know this can turn into a F vs E type of argument here, but that's not what I'm looking for...

I would like a couple recommendations on dust collector systems, I'm looking at getting my first one, mainly for my MM J/P, MM20 and sliding table saw. I use the Festool for smaller tools.

I have been looking at the Felder, Oneida, Grizzly, Delta, Jet etc. However, having not ever used one, I'm looking towards my peers for their recommendations as I'm just trying to keep things cleaner in the shop. My main dust collection to this point has been my John Deere blower!

Thanks in advance...

[David DeCristoforo]

Hey, there's nuttin like a good rip roarin' spat to liven up the day, right? So, let me kick it off for you. Go with Oneida. Why? Simply because that's what they do. They don't make saws or drills or sanders or blenders or anything else...just dust systems. So, they can set you up with everything you need to put your system together and you can pretty much count on getting good stuff. The only other thing I would suggest is that you also take a good look at the EcoGate system.

[Chris McDowell]

Scott I just upgraded to a 3 hp cyclone unit from oneida. Jesse was the salesman I dealt with. The whole system is awesome and I can't even begin to tell you how much it has improved my shop environment. I can cut solid surface or melamine without a hint of dust coming off the saw. As a matter a fact I have to be careful and not set my excalibur blade guard too close to the table surface or the suction will pull my insert out of the table top.
You'll really appreciate the dust collection no matter which way you go. Best of luck and make sure to post on which unit you go with.

Chris

[brian lanning]

I would like a couple recommendations on dust collector systems, I'm looking at getting my first one, mainly for my MM J/P, MM20 and sliding table saw. I use the Festool for smaller tools.

I had a 1100 cfm 2hp delta that I used for a while. I ran it through a trash can separator. It was so-so. Then I got a killer deal on a 5hp delta monster from amazon. It's about 4000cfm iirc. The motor is in the middle and has two trash bags on each side with two giant flet bags on each side. After using it for a while, here's what I've learned:

1. Bigger is better.
2. Bigger is not always better because the air velocity can drop as the air moves into larger diameter hoses. If I just run 6" hose to each machine, this shouldn't be a problem though. And in the end, you can just open the blast gate for a second machine to keep the velocity up. Now I just have to make 6" dust hoods for *every* machine and cook up a cyclone dust separator of some sort.
3. Get a cyclone.
4. If you go over 3hp, you'll have a hard time finding a remote switch for it. Although iirc, the grizzly 5hp DCs have remotes.
5. When I finally end up in my permanent detached kung-fu shop, i'll have a separate central vac system with a godzilla vacuum system and appropriate piping around the shop. This way, i can run hand-held tools through that. Hand held tools like low cfm, high velocity (read shop-vacs) while the big machines like high cfm, low velocity (a dust collector).

brian

[Scott Thornton]

Chris:

Can you send me his contact information?

Thanks.

Scott I just upgraded to a 3 hp cyclone unit from oneida. Jesse was the salesman I dealt with. The whole system is awesome and I can't even begin to tell you how much it has improved my shop environment.

Chris

[Philip Giangarra]

Scott,

I bought and installed a 5 hp ClearVue cyclone a couple of months ago, and am extremely pleased with it. It really does live up to its reputation. I am currently running it through 25 feet of flex hose, and it "really sucks" big time! I can't wait until I can afford to pipe the shop with metal duck work.

Phil G

[Scot Ferraro]

I just went through this decision earlier this year and I ended up with a Felder AF22 Mobile and I could not be happier. This unit has a lot of suction, does not take up a ton of room and it collects two 53 gallon bags of saw-dust. The thing for me is that I did not have the space for a dedicated cyclone unit and so a portable collector was a better option. I agonized over microns and whether or not a "portable" would be powerful enough for my needs but so far it has exceeded my expectations. This unit is strong enough to hook up to a duct-work system should I want to go that route in the future -- it is a 4hp unit that is rated at 1,800 CFM (I know that there is a lot of debate over this and there are a lot of variables that go into measuring airflow between manufacturers). Suffice it to say that this thing really sucks, in a good way .

I went with Oneida for all of my machine fittings and hoses and Jesse assisted me with all of my questions.

Good luck!

Scot

[Jamie Buxton]

There's a big branch in your decision tree: are you willing to run the sawdust through the impeller or not? Cyclones don't, but the more-affordable designs do. There are several drawbacks to running the sawdust through the impeller. Small cutoffs ricochet through there like explosions. Long stuff like handplane shavings wind themselves around the impeller, and you have to tear the blower down to clear it. There's a small chance of sparks from metal or pebbles if you use the collector as a floor sweep. Me, I was eventually willing to spend the money on a cyclone.

One thing to watch out for in cyclones is the footprint. Some machines of nearly-equal performance eat a lot more of your shop space. In a small shop, that can be a big issue.

[Steven Wilson]

If you look through your documentation on the MM j/p and sliding table saw, they will give you the CFM requirements (expressed in metric, you'll need to convert) for the various hoods you employ. For the sliding table saw you'll need to add the CFM for the hood and cabinet, it will probably be more than your j/p. The largest CFM number is the one you need to fulfill with whatever DC unit you obtain. From that number and your piping layout you can determine what CFM will need to be at the DC intake inorder to evacuate your machines properly. The longer the piping network the larger the DC will need to be. My guess is that a 3hp or 5hp system with an appropriate impeller will provide adequate CFM for you. As for filtration, that's a different story and depends alot on how much MDF you're running or how much sanding. The only two folk's in your list of suppliers that really know how to work with you on this are Oneida and Felder.

[Jim Becker]

Oneida would be and is my choice. My Oneida system has performed outstandingly with my MM J/P, BS & SS. And it's only the older 2hp Commercial. Those big yellow machines really provide great performance and value, IMHO.

[Cody Colston]

Another vote for Oneida here. They only do dust collection, their CS is great and they are not a fly-by-night company. You can count on them being around for future needs.

I also have the 2hp Commercial unit (actually with a 3 hp motor) and it has performed flawlessly but If I were buying now, I'd go with a 3 hp Super Dust Gorilla.

[Bartee Lamar]

I have been reading DC threads for a couple of years. One big point that I got was that many people who started with a smaller unit eventually upgraded to a larger unit. So I have waited and saved until I could get a Cyclone to start with.

I ordered this http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0441 yesterday.

You can get a G0440 2 HP Cyclone Dust Collector for $819 delivered.

I was going with clearvue, until someone posted a very detailed comparison between Clearvue and Grizzly. Once you do the math the Clearvue gets more expensive. The Clearvue also is sorta a kit. You have to order and/or build the starter switch and the filters. A lot of guys have spent time to disassemble the parts and paint them. The Clearvue also has a lot of MDF while the Grizzly is heavy sheet metal.

I just did not need another shop project that was a project. I really want to get to building furniture.

I also looked at the Penn State S series. But in the end, I was so impressed by Pappa Grizz's recent post about service to a customer whose wife picked up the wrong item, I just decided I really like the service statement that made. I ordered over the phone. The CS lady answered all my freight questions completely and made sure I had the local phone number and location for the freight terminal. In sort a great experience.

That said, I know there are a lot of very happy Clearvue owners. I do not think I have read a thread about any cyclone installation where the owner was not very impressed with what they installed. The bottom line is all of these manufacturers are good and have done their research.

[Adam Grills]

Go Clearvue or Onieda 5hp units. I picked the Clearvue and can't say enough great things about it! Plain and simple. It works as it should. Fine particle separation is the key. In turn this saves your filters, saves cleaning your filters, saves down time, and best of all saves your lungs.
Adam

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi, 2 votes for Oneida.

I have the 1.5 HP cyclone with external filter in a small home shop and have been extremely pleased with the cyclone for the last 4 years.

This spring, my brother and I installed a 2 HP cyclone with external filter in his large home shop. He cannot believe how dust free his shop is now that he has moved away from a bag type single stage collector.

We are both very pleased Oneida customers.

Regards, Rod.

[Bob Michaels]

Another satisfied Oneida customer here. 3 hp unit for a 700 sf shop full of stationary equipment. Have Oneida design your duct system and recommend the unit size. I wanted the 5 hp unit and they talked me out of it. Be aware that these units are loud, however, there is a muffler available at additional cost. You may wish to consider remote turn on/off as a very convenient addition, as well as Oneida's small vacuum pump which lets you put a trash can liner in the collection drum. In my mind both of these are necessities.