Dust Collection Problems

[Chuck]

In an earlier post, someone was asking if anyone had experience with the Delta 22-580 - 13" planer. In my comments, I said that the dust collection port on mine was constantly getting clogged, to the point it was too much trouble to use. This machine makes a huge mess when I run it without collecting the dust. Someone suggested that if I switched from a shop vac to a real dust collection system the problem would probably go away. Does anyone have any comments or advice on that? I'd hate to spend all that money to find I still have the same problem.

I also have problems getting the dust / shavings to eject properly from my Delta 37-195 jointer. It seems to be always clogged and blowing all of it shavings back out of the cutter opening. Does anyone else have this problem or any advice on how to correct it?

Thanks in advance, Chuck

[SWDeveloper]

Really, get a good DC. Grizzly or Penn State are very good brands. Get a 1.5 HP or more. A DC moves a lot more air than a shop vac and you should be using one every time you make dust. Justify the DC cost by saving your lungs.

[Pat Barber]

Did you ever wonder why most woodworking tools have a

4" adapter or larger ?

Does your shop vac come with a standard 4" hose ?

Do you see my thought process here ?

Chuck wrote:

[Leon]

Do you have a local dealer with a working dust collector? Take the planer to his store and see what happens. Then if the collector does the job as expected return the favor and buy the collector from him.

[Dave Jackson]

I have the same 22-580 planer connected to a Jet 1100 DC. The only time it has ever clogged is when planing softer woods, and even then it's not often. If your jointer is throwing dust up, make sure there is not already a clog up in the chute somewhere. A good 1.5 hp or better DC should prevent any future problems. --dave

[Leonard Shapiro]

chuck,

had the same problem until I got a DC now no clogs. look on criegslist and local papers for a used one if money is a problem or you can take extremely light passes in the planner(very very light passes)and continue to use the shop vac. this will work but you have to put the wood thru a great many times to get to the result you want.

Len

[Woodhead]

A 1100 CFM unit will pull the chips off a 16" planer in fine fashion.

Jim

[marc rosen]

Hello Chuck, I'm using the Delta 22-760 (similar capacity plus a 30 gallon chip collector upstream) and I never get any clogging from either the 15 inch planer or 8 inch jointer and these two machines are at the end of about 30 foot of 4 inch pvc (grounded for you naysayers). Buying a suitable DC is money well spent. You will not have "the same problems" and if you get additional hose length and a floor sweep you will be very pleased how clean your shop will become. Save the shop vac for your table tops. Marc

[CW]

[George]

Well-known problems, and some perplexing answers. Should be the other way?

Shop vacs work on pressure, DCs on volume. They don't necessarily cross over at a happy medium. Instead of looking at some HP rating, look at the flow and the pressure against which the flow is measured when shopping for a collector. A 13" planer wants to be able to move ~400 CFM to keep up. You'll need more flow rating if you have a "system" with its leaks and verticals, less if you connect direct. You also want to drop them into a can or cyclone, not run them through your impeller.

Heavy cuts make heavy chips, so a shopvac will haul them away better at its higher vacuum than a DC, but it'll clog like crazy on the volume of material produced. That's what's important on a planer, that and direction, as I've discovered. I like the side pickup on mine. When the knives are fresh and the boards wide, a 13" shaving has difficulty bending into a 4" centered pickup. That's where some extra vacuum might be nice.

As to a jointer clogging, almost impossible unless you've got an obstruction under the cutterhead. It's gravity all the way and shavings into a box. No dust produced. Turn it off, unplug it, run a stick up the chute and rattle it around to get the clog out of the way. Hard to find a commercial stand that doesn't allow free drop, but some folks put a collection fitting in the gravity path anyway. Remove it or use it.

[Bob]

I use a 22-580 with 4" PVC pipe to a good dust collector. It has NEVER clogged. I've planed mahogany, oak, pecan, pine, and ash. Never a problem.

Bob

[Doug]

I don't know if your budget is an issue. Ultimately, depending on your setup a DC system can wrack up a pretty good bill. I've been running the Harbor Freight 2HP 1550 CFM DC for about 2 years with not a hitch. I bought the unit on sale for about $150.00 and have been absolutely satisfied. It's very powerful and runs smoothly. It is truly a knock off of many of the other units you see with comparable specs selling for literally twice as much. I don't use the thing daily, but I do recommend it if budget is an issue. If you search this group, as I did before I bought mine, you'll likely find that people consider this to be one of the few excellent deals offered by Harbor Freight.

[GMoore]

I have used a Delta 22-580 for approx. 3yrs. I originally used a 2hp bagged dust collector with it. It filled the bags too quickly. Installed a "trash can separator" between the planer and the dust collector. This worked much better.

The >> In an earlier post, someone was asking if anyone had experience with

[Chuck]

thanks for all your answers. I gues I'm going to havr to save up for a dc system.