Yet Another DC Thread...my head is spinning...long post...

[Vivian Ecker]

Hello Everyone,

I have been studying SMC's dust collection threads and Bill Pentz's website since Saturday afternoon in search of a workable solution. My brain is fried so I would like to ask for your advice to get me back on track, help me think through this thing. Given my situation - which I describe below - what dust collection system would meet my CFM needs, fit in my small shop, and protect the breathing and hearing health of me and my family? Oh, this should only take a moment...

I am a hobbyist woodworker. Current goals: complete the construction of my shop and then build acoustic guitar(s) with beautiful but nasty woods such as rosewoods, mahogany, spruce, red cedar, ebony, koa. I plan to resaw quite a bit of those woods within the next year. My shop is in the basement of my house - both are small.
- Shop dimensions: 8 feet x 22 feet with 88 inches between concrete floor and the joists in the ceiling.
- Power tools: Jet 6 inch jointer, MiniMax S16 bandsaw, Performax 16-32 drum sander, benchtop spindle sander, Ryobi 12 inch planer, Jet belt-disc sander combo (6x48 inch belt and 9 inch disc), JDS 750 air filter suspended from the ceiling
*AND*
a Jet 650 DC with an AFF felt bag.

This past weekend I was so excited, I was milling Southern Yellow Pine and Douglas Fir laminations to make my version of a smallish Roubo workbench. I had never used my bandsaw, planer, jointer, and dust collector as much as I did on Saturday. At the end of the day I saw that a fine brown powder had "bled" through the felt filter bag of the DC and had coated an area of the wall. Yikes! That powder is so fine it's almost creamy. Yuck. I wore a mask for most of the active machining time but not while the machines weren't running. My lungs felt a little weird Sunday and yesterday. I can't let myself use that filter bag again. I have since learned from AFF that I can "beat" the bag to dislodge the dustcake but I don't want to deal with the powder bleeding through. If I beat the felt bag now I can't imagine what's going to come through the felt into the workshop air.

So I want to/need to find another method or system to deal with dust collection, especially that tiny sub-micron stuff that poses the greatest health hazard.

- I can't put the DC unit outside because I live in a residential area.
- If possible I would like the DC to run on 115V so I don't have to hire an electrician to install another 220V line (trying to keep costs down, if I can).
- I need a fairly small footprint, the shop is quite tight.
- My shop is too small to build a noise-reducing closet for a loud cyclone.
- I would like to use filtration media at or close to HEPA standards, ideally able to filter down to 0.2 microns but I'll take 0.5.
- I only run one machine at a time.
- My machines are so close to one another that I probably don't need ducting. I could just move a quick-connect hose between them.

The options I've thought of so far:
- trying to retrofit the Jet 650 DC with a Wynn cartridge - or -
- considering an Oneida Dust Pod for the Jet 650 DC - or -
- maybe buy an Oneida Mini Gorilla?

I appreciate any and all of your thoughts about this dilemma!
Thank you very much,
Vivian

[Maurice Ungaro]

Vivian,
I've been going through some of the same issues you have, though my table saw is probably the biggest dust maker right now. The Dust Pod may be an option for you, considering space, etc. IF you would consider 220v, you might also look at Oneida's V-Series collectors (2 HP).

Maurice

[jerry nazard]

Vivian,
I would try the Wynn or Jet canister filter first. You should get better filtering and a bit better performance from the DC without spending a bunch of $$$. If you upgrade at a later date, the canister filter will definitely add to the sales value of the 1 hp DC.

-Jerry

[John Eaton]

The Wynn cannister on my HF unit was more than enough for my initial needs in my basement shop (especially with a separator - if I were to do it again I'd build the Thien design) - I upgraded to a Grizzly GO440 when I finally decided to have stationary tools with permanent setups - pushing around the HF unit got to be troublesome. Since I was already setting up circuits for the equipment adding an extra 220 for the DC wasn't hard at all. I also added an ambient style filter which removes any airbornes (I think it evacuates the space every hour when it's on but I can boost it to recycle more often - I haven't needed to so far).

-- John

[Jamie Buxton]

Does Wynn now offer a beater for their filters? I used one of their filters to convert a bag-type DC, and it clogged up very rapidly -- so rapidly that I went back to the bags.

[Sonny Edmonds]

... you would be well served by Oneida's mini-gorilla.
Beings as your shop is relatively narrow, it begs the question of portability, or a stationary placement.
But strictly from a filtration standpoint, the mini will catch and hold that dust you see.
Gotta run off to the day job.
Don't let Bill Penze's site scare you.
More later,
Sonny

[Mike Wilkins]

To cut costs, try to find a canister filter for your existing DC. I just added a canister filter to my Delta 80-850 1 1/2HP machine. The install was easy, but the main reason was to add plastic bags to collect the dust/chips and avoid the messy hassle of emptying the cloth bag into a garbage can. I have also read there is a slight increase in CFM due to the increased filter area of the canister.
You might also consider the addition of a shop air filter to get the fine stuff that floats in the air, instead of using your lungs as a filter.

[Mike Schueler]

We don't have basements in Florida (generally), so forgive me if this is a goofy suggestion. But what I am planning to do with my stuff is put a hose out one of my shop windows and vent the stuff outside. I don't want a DC outside, because I really don't feel like building a house for it to withstand all the FL rains/humidity.

What I remember of the times I was up north, most basements have little windows up high; could you snake an exhaust hose through the window?

[Vivian Ecker]

We don't have basements in Florida (generally), so forgive me if this is a goofy suggestion. But what I am planning to do with my stuff is put a hose out one of my shop windows and vent the stuff outside. I don't want a DC outside, because I really don't feel like building a house for it to withstand all the FL rains/humidity.

What I remember of the times I was up north, most basements have little windows up high; could you snake an exhaust hose through the window?

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your response! I wish I could do what you suggest. I do have 2 little windows up high on one end of the shop but I also have a gas furnace in the basement. I am concerned that a robust exhaust fan would start to pull carbon monoxide-laden air back into the house from the furnace. I spent most of my morning hours distracted by thinking of potential schemes to get cross ventilation. But unless I put a hole in my foundation at the end of the shop opposite those windows - which I really don't want to do - I'll have to figure out something else.

Thanks again,
Vivian

[Vivian Ecker]

To cut costs, try to find a canister filter for your existing DC. I just added a canister filter to my Delta 80-850 1 1/2HP machine. The install was easy, but the main reason was to add plastic bags to collect the dust/chips and avoid the messy hassle of emptying the cloth bag into a garbage can. I have also read there is a slight increase in CFM due to the increased filter area of the canister.
You might also consider the addition of a shop air filter to get the fine stuff that floats in the air, instead of using your lungs as a filter.

Hi Mike,

Thank you for your reply! I am weighing all the options. So far it looks like the canister idea is in the lead. Since Sonny recommended the mini-gorilla from Oneida I'm waiting for more comments from him. Those darn day jobs!

Thanks again,
Vivian

PS I already have a JDS air filter, model 750, hanging from the shop ceiling. Luckily I'm only 5'6" - people taller than 6'2" have to duck.

[Vivian Ecker]

Vivian,
I've been going through some of the same issues you have, though my table saw is probably the biggest dust maker right now. The Dust Pod may be an option for you, considering space, etc. IF you would consider 220v, you might also look at Oneida's V-Series collectors (2 HP).

Maurice

Hey Maurice,

Looks like you did more than look at Oneida's V-series! Congrats! Let us know how it works out!

Thanks for you suggestion about the Dust Pod. I was too busy at work today to call Oneida but hopefully I'll have time to do that tomorrow.

Best wishes,
Vivian

[Vivian Ecker]

Vivian,
I would try the Wynn or Jet canister filter first. You should get better filtering and a bit better performance from the DC without spending a bunch of $$$. If you upgrade at a later date, the canister filter will definitely add to the sales value of the 1 hp DC.

-Jerry

Hi Jerry,

Thanks for your advice! My plan is to call Wynn (and Oneida) tomorrow to try to speak to a knowledgeable sales representative. I'll hide my credit card from myself until I finish the phone calls.

Thanks again,
Vivian

[Vivian Ecker]

Hi John,

Thanks for your reply! The canister idea is sounding quite good to me so far. I'll have to be prepared to do some retrofitting, cut some mdf, etc. But how can I do that without a good dust collector?

Best wishes,
Vivian

[Vivian Ecker]

... you would be well served by Oneida's mini-gorilla.
Beings as your shop is relatively narrow, it begs the question of portability, or a stationary placement.
But strictly from a filtration standpoint, the mini will catch and hold that dust you see.
Gotta run off to the day job.
Don't let Bill Penze's site scare you.
More later,
Sonny

Hi, Sonny, are you home from work yet?
I am eager to hear more about your thoughts on the mini gorilla and stationary vs. portable - and why I shouldn't let Bill Pentz's site scare me. As you could tell, it sure did...

Thanks very much for your reply!
Vivian

[Mark Carlson]

Vivian,

I'm in the same boat. I have a small shop with a Penn State 1hp dust collector. I upgraded the bags to a 1/2 micron canister from Penn State. The canister was a big improvement over the bags but I still feel I need more CFM than this unit can provide and its a pain to keep the canister clean. The mini dust gorilla is neat but I wish it wasn't so mini. I'd like at least 800 CFM and better yet 1000 CFM from a dust collector and a bigger drum. It certainly would be better than what I have but for $999 it might be better to put that money towards a cyclone. I'm leaning towards a clearvue CV1400 at the moment but that could change.

I look forward to see what others suggest in this thread.

~mark