I'm ready to order a HF DC, but now I see that they have at least 4 different models, from $99 dollars up...
I WAS going to order this one
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seems to be the normal HF 2 hp $159 model that I had posted questions about, priced at $149
It looks like I would need this accessory kit, at a minimum, to get started
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adds another $39
Then, I saw this one
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though only having 1 hp seems to be a better filtering machine and though higher priced, seems to come (I downloaded both manuals) with a Y and at least one hose..
I'd like to order one of these today or tonight, so any help clearing my confusion is appreciated..
ALSO.. HF doesn't seem to carry anything like a cyclone unit, except for a 5 gallon one with 2 1/2" fittings.. any suggestions on where to look for either a unit to buy or parts to build one?
Wait! That HF dust collector has a 30 micron bag which means all the fine dust will be spewing back into your shop.
Check out:
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(watch the wrap)
this is a little more expensive, but has a 1 micron bag. I bought this machine a few years bag with a 3 micron bag and it works very well. I think you will be disappointed with 30 micron filtration.
There are many other models/manufacturers, but whatever you choose, get a good set of bags.
nope.. only the HF one so far, because I started a thread asking about it, expecting a HF flame, and several folks actually have it and said it was a good deal for the $150 price...
On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 19:25:55 GMT, mac davis wrote: forgot to mention this... others asked this about the $159 at HF: The one for $190 comes wired for 11ov but has instructions in the manual to wire it for 220...
sorry.. we beat my original post to death and I thought everyone had read it and was tired of it.. *g*
I'm getting back into wood working after a lot of years away from it.. working in a 2 car garage that is still shared with wife & laundry machines, so I have about 2/3 of it..
no heavy stuff yet like jointer or planer, and won't be adding them for quite a while.. (we hope to sell the house and move to a more rural area)
I use 1 RAS, CMS, shopsmith mostly for drilling and routing, and small power tools like drills, biscuit jointer, etc..
Besides 2 shop vacs, I'm not using any DC at all.. I did just get the old portable swamp cooler out of the shed and I run it (blowing out the garage door) when ever I'm making dust...
If I add a jointer or planer, I'll also add a cyclone type separator to the system.. right now, even the space a DC takes up is a sacrifice..
Realizing you are cramped for space, I'm going to comment without regards to space. The biggest space saver is no dust collector at all. Since you want one, you think its important enough to allocate some space for it.
Ok here goes. You will have the best space utilization if you put the dust collector in a corner or against the wall some where and put a network in overhead. If you go with portable and drag it around, it will have a much bigger impact on your space utilization.
Now having said that, I like the idea of getting something substantial 1 1/2 hp or larger. My dealer actually tried to convince me to settle on a 1 1/2 hp unit, even though I made it known I could pay for the 2 hp. I bought the
2 hp (Jet) and have never, ever regretted it. As a dust collector fills up and filters get dirty, your collection efficiency goes down (like a vacuum cleaner does when the bag gets full). A larger unit has more reserve and provides enough capacity even when its degraded by partially full bags and dirty filters.
Getting control of the dust in my shop made a huge difference in my enjoyment of every minute I spend there. Now I need to figure out how to control the mess when I get going with my No. 8 hand plane. :-)
the one I like best is the one I made. I'm going to post some pictures this weekend of that and other stuff. It requires 3/4" plywood for the top and a couple of PVC pipe fittings and some clamps. A router is almost a must to be able to make it.
I'm planing on something like Ken Vaughn has in his shop, which is larger than mine.. 3 or 4' hoses on each "station" that connect to his DC hoses..
Doing measurements this morning, and figuring that a DC is about 40 gal water heater size, I have an empty wall area behind the shopsmith that is about 12' or so from the RAS & CMS... it's sort of up for grabs which needs DC more, the RAS or the shopsmith, since I do a lot of long edge routing on the SS.. I think that if I have the DC available to the SS & RAS with blast gates (see, I did learn something here), that most of my ]large] dust concern will be met.. Then, the next project will be to build a filtration system..
Bottom line is still whether the $190 2 hp, 1 micron bag or the $150 2 hp 30, micron bag would be better for my needs.. I'm kind of leaning towards the $190, after looking at grizzly and a few other pages that folks here recommended, because it seems that even though it's HF, it looks like my size machine for what I'm doing.....
If anyone reads this far down, I will probably get flamed for saying this, but... I find my DC almost useless on my TS and CMS. It really only works well on my router table, jointer, and planner. If you don't have those tools, I think you would be wasting your space and money on a DC. (I don't know about a RAS, as I don't have one) On the whole, I find my air cleaner a much better investment than my DC.
I'm actually thinking more of the shopsmith and router table..
I've tried using the shop vac and building hoods and stuff for the RAS and CMS and they just seem to spread the mess...
It's amazing how much a good shop vac near the router bit on the SS (think drill press) keeps the dust and chips down, so I'm thinking a DC would really work well there... Kind of a new experience, TRYING to buy something that I know sucks.. lol The RAS is a really tough one, because something that works at all when you 1st turn it on becomes almost useless as soon as you slide the saw away from it on a cut..
mac davis wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
OK. The RAS, the CMS, the biscuit jointer, the routing and drill press functions all produce larger chips, as well as 'fines'. The chips are what messes up the shop, and have to be dragged out and dumped regularly. The 'fines' are what drifts everywhere, causes your breathing and allergy issues, and means more work for whoever does the cleaning and dusting in the house. You need to take care of both. Your gear produces all the same stuff that bigger machines do, but maybe not quite so quickly.
If you buy a HF DC at about $150, consider that you are buying the beginnings of a kit. You will want to replace the lower bag with a heavy plastic bag, and the upper with either a filter (see the Bill Pentz site that others have recommended), or with a better, 2 micron or better, bag ($30 and up). This deals with the 'fines'.
The chips are best dealt with using a trash can 'cyclone' seperator. These can be assembled from purchased parts, or plumbing stuff from the hardware store and scrap plywood or MDF. The one I finished yesterday was a Rubbermaid Commercial trash can (*), two 4" S&D sweep 90's, and a 4" toilet flange, and a 24" round of subflooring plywood. Hooked up to the 1.5 HP DC, (**) there was NO visible collection of stuff in the plastic bag, after
3" of chips in the trash can. I'm planning to add a 2.5" port next week, to handle the router table plumbing I've had for a couple of years.
Budget another $50 to $75 for piping and flex tube, clamps, hangers, caulk flue sealers, etc. Like any other plumbing project, it will take three trips to the supply house at a minimum.
Information here on the wReck was very helpful in putting my system together - much better than most of the magazine articles I've read over the past several years. Thanks, folks!
Patriarch
(*) Rubbermaid seems to believe that here is where the profitable portion of the woodworking market lies.
(**) I bought a Delta 50-850, from the local Rockler retail site. They are right near my home, and are really much easier to deal with, if something should go wrong. Harbor Freight is a 40 mile drive, across a bridge, and an uncertain 'customer experience'. Besides, Delta Grey color coordinates with the drum in (*). And I got a discount for Delta Days.
Welcome to the world of lies, damned lies, statistics and dust collectors. I've been researching this for several weeks now. Damned frustrating.
Yeah - that's the one that everyone (who gets it) likes...
Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. You don't need it all of it. But you'd use most of it. You *need* the hose for sure. The rest depends on what machines you're hooking up. I bought a slew of the cheapie plastic blast gates. They work, but they'll probably get replaced with better ones in my shop.
But less power - and most likely less CFM and static pressure ratings. It's very similar to the 1HP DC I have right now.
Sucking's all about CFMs and Static Pressure ratings (and a slew of other variables). Personally (and speaking as an owner of a 1HP machine with .3 micron bags) - you go for the DC with higher ratings.
Yeah - the 1 micron (or better) bags improve a couple of things. But (a) you can always buy those later and (b) they don't make your shop dustless or eliminate the need for a dust mask or eliminate the utility of an air filtration unit.
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As for the cyclone - add it when you get around to it. It too will affect the entire system's "suckiness". Without it, you end up emptying the bottom bag more frequently, but big deal. The HF ain't one to brag about. I'm going to pop for the Lee Valley one, myself.
mac davis wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
A DC moves much larger volumes of air, at somewhat slower speeds, than a shop vac. If your saw(s) can direct any portion of their chips/dust towards a hood, or a plenum, then the DC will/should be a big improvement.
CMS is a challenge, however, unless you can move LOTS of air. The tool wasn't really designed for chip collection, and I don't know how it could be seriously changed for that, without turning into a RAS. There's a fellow posts here, handle of Rumpty, who seems to be the world's RAS expert. I'd bet a Google search would dig up some info.
Just changing the pitch and volume of the scream of the shopvac is a MAJOR improvement in my enjoyment of the hobby.
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