Dust collector

[Justa Beginner]

Im looking at getting a dust collector. Have read up on them and their importance in the shop. Still don't know which I will be getting yet but come across something that kinda confuses me. For example, Home Depot here in Canada sells the Delta AP400 1 hp Dust collector with a 30 micron bag for $300. Now i have seen one at busy bee for $160 which is a 1 hp and has a 1 micron bag. It is my understanding that the lower the micron would be better as it is allowing smaller thus less particles to escape. Is this correct? For my use it would be in a small shop where i would keep it portable as my machines are close together and have been buying them with mobile bases for ease of movement. Thanks for reading.

[Duane Bozarth]

For the bag comparison alone, you're correct. What else you need to look at is static pressure, rated cfm and impeller size among other items. The no-name also may not have much of a motor even if it is 1 hp rated...

[WillR]

Found this very helpful.

you look through his site.

[mac davis]

Just sort of a side note: Make sure that the wiring in your shop can handle the DC that you buy..

I have the Harbor Freight 2hp one and ended up bringing in a new circuit to the shop for it and the other "big load" tools... Every time the DC went on, the lights would dim and flicker for a second, even though they were on another circuit... makes ya reluctant to turn on the DC... This might just be that the HF unit draws a lot to start up and others don't.. only tried the HF..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Phisherman]

Yes. The lower the number, the finer the particles that can be trapped. It is the fine dust that is most damaging to the lungs (if you can smell the wood, it is getting into your lungs). After a DC, a dust filter is helpful. Money spent on these items is money well spent to protect your health.

[George]

Nope. If you can smell it, volatiles are present.

Although you are the convinced, others might want to look at some work done on dust

dusts are not the same as inorganic, the ones from which the dire consequences of wood dust have been extrapolated.