16ga

I’m thinking of picking up a dust collector sometime after the holidays and looking for advice on what to get.

I’ve got a small shop and want something that will hook up to the miter saw and sanders as well as handle shavings off the lath. The shop shares the same room as the heater so I want to try keeping the dust levels down for safety reasons.
I don’t have a lot of room in the shop so I’ld prefer something thats not too big. Also I’ll probably only be able to spend about $100 to $150 on the system.

Looking for any advice on what models and attachments too get as well as anything I need to think about out look out for.

Thanks.

Joe C

I've been looking at the Jet and Steel City 650 cfm models. They are not that expensive and will do the job in a small shop. By combining one of these with an overhead ambient air cleaner, it should keep the shop and your lungs pretty clean.

http://www.craftandwoodworking.com

mmwood_1

Well, I know I'm out of the ordinary on some things, and I think this is one. I do not have a dust collector in my shop. What I have is an old central vac (Modern Day) which I picked up for trade. I mounted it on a wheeled base, and I hook it up to my table saw, jointer, and planer. I made the hookups out of wood. It effectively collects about 90% of all dust and chips. It has a 5 gallon capacity cloth bag, so there's no cost in bags. It takes up little space, and went for 10 years before I had to spend $60 on a new motor. Before I had it, I used a shop vac in the same manner. But this capacity is larger, and I'd burn out the shopvac motors in a year. (I bought them for about $5 at yard sales)

Anyway, you may be able to find a central vac on Craig's list, or ebay, for cheap. If your budget is $150 max., you may not have a lot of options.

__________________
mark

http://markmeyerwoodworking.com

16ga

Thanks Joe.
I’ll look around and see if I can find one of those units a little cheaper.

mmwood_1 I’ll look and see what I can find.
I know most of the systems are out of my price range but I don’t have a lot of extra to spend on the shop right now and I’m afraid if I go much higher then that I won’t be able to get the hoses and such for it.

16ga

Ok guys I’ve looked around and think I’ve come down to 2 models.
The Delta AP400 and Grizzly G8027

Any one have any experience with either of these?
Hoping to get one after Christmas.

KC7CN

Normally, you would have a lot of response to a dust collector question, but everyone seems to be waiting for the next guy to chime in.

Based on your budget, the infamous Harbor Freight 2HP dust collecotor would be a good choice. Here's the link: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=45378

Currently on sale for $169.99, and there is a 15% coupon available, so you you can get one for less than $145; that's a good price! A good machine for the money and all the power you will need. However, the filter bag is only 30 microns; typical for a lot of collectors, but not enough to catch the fine dust. You really need 1 micron!

I had this DC, and it did a good job; I just set it near the garage door when I used it! If you can put it outside, you would not have the fine dust issue! In any case, that's what I could afford at the time, and it served me well for nearly 2 years.

Luck shined down one day, and I had the opportunity to buy a Delta 50-760 1-1/2HP DC with 1 micron filter, for $147; usually sells for $300 plus. So, that's what I have now.

If you want to consider the HF, you can always upgrade the bag for around $30.

-Don

16ga

Don how can I find the coupon for that?

Also how well built is that model?
I like the idea of a 2HP one but I’ve had issues with harbor freight equipment over the last few months.

JP Sinclair

16ga-

I've got a grizzly, very happy with it. I also have a double collector (powermatic) on the planer. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it not only grabs everything from the planer but also does a bang up job on cleaning the air in the shop. I bought a delta air cleaning unit but haven't put it up yet because the planer collector works so well--

Daveb

16ga
I bought the Harbor Freight collector a month ago, along with the accessory kit. My thinking was, other than the motor, there is not much to a basic DC other than the frame and the motor - so why not try the HF. Here are my initial observations:

The 4-inch hose seemed a little stiffer than I expected. In other words, it likes to stay coiled. But I have nothing to compare it with.

The other minor issue is the plastic blast gates that come with the accessory pack. The slide does not have enough friction so, depending on orientation, the gate tends to slide open or closed, which is a minor hassle.

But overall, the DC seems to perform its intended function. They do sell a 1 micron canister, which I am thinking of buying. With the 30 micron bag, I wonder whether I am creating more airborne dust that without the DC.

It does build a lot of static, and the hose is not self-grounded. But I suppose most other brands are also not self grounded. I plan to strip some extra home wire and run a ground through it.
Dave

ramon68

If the dust collector will be located inside the workshop, look at the information on Wynn Environmental's site, wynnenv.com. Wynn sells affordable cartridge filters that you can put on any system that uses bag filters. I have one on my Jet dc1100 that filters better than any bag system.

16ga

Thanks guys.

My have to go with the HF. Just need to find that coupon.

I plan on setting this thing in the corner next to the garage door so in the summer I could probably puss it out side. Just won’t have that option most of the winter.

KC7CN

"Don how can I find the coupon for that?" Here's a link to the HF 15% coupon I was referring to:
http://www.harborfreightusa.com/html...on/coupon.html

"Also how well built is that model?" Speaking for myself, I think it is a very good value for the money. I owned one until just recently, when I stumbled across a gloat deal on a Delta 50-760 for $147. Although I sold the HF, it is still a good machine, and I got a fair price for it. If you really want to know more about this DC, go to this web page.

http://www.cianperez.com/Wood/WoodDo...C%20Thread.htm

-Don

16ga

Thanks Don.

Don’t think I’ll be able to use the coupon then. Don’t have any retail stores for then that close and don’t know that it would be worth the time and gas.

Still on the list with the delta and grizzly.

Also I assume any 4" hose could be attached to it and not just there own right?

16ga

Thanks for all the help and info guys.
Found a nice deal on a 1hp craftsmen and ordered it. Should have it in a week or 2.