650 vs 1200 CFM for Dust Collection Questions

[canadian_woodworker]

Hi Wreckers.

Close to starting my dust collection system

1) 18x18 Shop. I expect longest runs to be 10 feet. 2) Multiple machines hooked up, but only one at a time - Mitre Saw - Table Saw - Router in table - Drill Press - FUTURE: Planar, Jointer, etc. 3) Planning to run a main 4 inch pipe, with blast gates to sub pipes. 3) Im in Canada - note the currency!

Im torn between a 650 cfm vs 1200 cfm machine. Im looking at

a) $229.00 - King 1HP 650CFM:

$379.00 - King 2HP 1200CFM: (The $200 price difference is alot imo.)

This post has a response from Robin Lee stating that 1200cfm is overkill has swayed me as well:

all this above, here are my questions!

1) Given my specs above what would you reccomend - 650 or 1200 cfm? 2) Has anyone had any experience with the King Dust Collections? 3) If you have a similar 650 or 1200 machine - how do you feel about it

- mish you had more, more than you need?

Also note - the money I save on the smaller system could be put into a high quality

[Toller]

On closed machines (router tables, jointers...) 650 is perfectly adequate. On open machines (CMS, TS) there is a big difference. I just went from 1hp to 2hp for that reason.

Once again though, I will recommend used equipment. I bought a used 2hp canister unit that had never even been turned on for US$200. (well actually I had to buy a 2hp and a 1hp for $350, and I sold the 1hp for $150). You probably won't get this lucky, but it is still worth looking.

BTW, your 2hp King DC isn't anywhere near 2hp, nor will it do 1200cfm. 2hp motors will be about 16a. Also, having only one felt bag will really choke the flow off. Either go for a canister filter or two felt bags. Canisters are much nicer, but also more expensive. I also take offense at their claiming 52-62db for the 1hp; it is only near

52db when it is in the next room. I haven't seen the machines, but based on their advertising, I would advise against King.

[canadian_woodworker]

Yea, I'd have a tough time arguing that the King is a good brand - its considered a bargin tool up here (perhaps along the lines of Chicago or Harbour Freight in the US). (That said, I consider a DC a pretty straightforward machine - I'd feel more comfortable with a no-name of that as opposed to say a router or TS).

Re - HP, CFM and db claims. Yea, I hear ya - I take all that with a grain of salt.

As for used - hey hey - I'm all for that. Trouble is I've had a tough time finding a used DC - anyone selling or know of one in southern ontario (Toronto ish) area?

Thanks for the comments.

[Leon]

Something to consider. I only see a $150 difference in price, not $200. Also and more important to me would be bag capacity. With a 14x 24 bag, I think it would be almost as much trouble keeping it empty as simply sweeping up the dust with a broom. the larger unit has over twice the capacity of waste storage. If you add a planer I can assure you that running 6 or 7, 8' boards through it will produce a pile of saw dust that will probably fill the smaller unit 2 or 3 times.

> Given all this above, here are my questions!

[2fatty]

I think thats a little hard on King. I'd say they are more in-line with Grizzly/GI/BusyBee.

[Ron Kolakowski]

I've got a 20x20 shop, and have used a 650 cfm Jet dust collector for several years. It handles my planer, jointer, tablesaw, router table, etc., without a problem, as long as I've only got one machine connected. I get by with a single 10' flexible hose, and don't know how well it would work with metal or poly pipe plumbed through the shop. As a hobbiest, the time it takes to move the hose from one machine to another doesn't bother me, so I've not worried about a fixed installation, and its' resulting loss of flow through elbows, etc. The

1 micron bag, or better yet, a canister, is on my wish list, however.

Ron

[Dr. Deb]

Excellent point about through flow. An option to spending the extra for a two filter bag system is modify a one bag system to handle two. I did this with my HF DC and it works like a champ. And at $159.00 for the basic unit, less than $40 for the necessary hardware from HF and two "Shaker Felt" bags from Highland Hwd (about $29 each), you have a system that is a true 1150 - 1200 CFM and filters down to less than 1 micron.

Deb

[canadian_woodworker]

"Something to consider. I only see a $150 difference in price, not $200"

K, ill meet you half way - 15% tax on $150.00 makese a difference $172.50. :)

[Joseph Connors]

Speaking of loss of flow (ie resistance), a 10' section of flex is equivalent to 30' of pipe. Bag collectors will clear chips fine, but are useless against the very fine dust ( I've got a 20x20 shop, and have used a 650 cfm Jet dust collector for