Quote Originally Posted by Cary Swoveland View Post
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?
Cary,

I purchased my Oneida 2 Horsepower SDG back in 2009. The unit was sized for my shop and tools by Oneida and they said it would be adequate by a good bit. It's done well so far and no new tools are planned (no more floor space, ).

If I were buying a system for another shop, I'd talk to Oneida about sizing it for me to see what they think, and that would be my starting point. I'd also look close at the pricing of upgrades at the time of purchase. When I bought my system a 3 HP SDG only cost about $100 more than a 2 HP SDG (so, why not a little more HP).

Personally, I prefer a ducted system over a portable system. But I can understand that might not be the case for everyone.

Good luck with your purchase and install.

PHM