More on Harbor Freight DC

[mac davis]

Got it today and put it almost all together tonight.. haven't put the bags on yet because I'm confused (as usual)

What a PITA! I think it would have taken me an hour or so if the instructions weren't all f**ked up... ended up taking almost 3 hours but I only kicked it once and gently..

Got stalled on the FIRST step... put casters on base using 4 hex screws on each.. went nuts double-checking all the bags, etc... only hex bolts there were too big... must be missing a bag??? Nope.. I guess they changed the DC a few times without updating the directions.. found 16 phillips screws for the damn casters..

About step 4 or 5, I tried putting the "motor, blower and motor base", which it stated was a pre-assembled unit, onto the base... NO WAY! It wouldn't fit... time to light a smoke and walk around a bit.. (for about the 4th time) Ok.. they changed the unit again.. that bracket thingy over there must be the motor bracket... put it on and then mounted the assembly.. Damn good thing I was working in the garage, needed 2 prybars and a hunk of 2x4 to line the sucker up... arggg...

I won't go into any more details.. but when I thought I was done, I realized 2 things: they shipped the unit separate from the startup kit, so no hose, valve, etc.. Hey.. where does the hose hook up when I get it?? OH.. that plastic Y thing that isn't included in the instructions must go here and fasten with this screw..

One question, though I'm afraid that I know the answer... The filter and collection bags have different part numbers but appear to be exactly the same... did I get a bad packing job, or is the filter bag the same cheap canvas as the collection bag??

[Bob]

I hope it works well for you when its finally all together. You're writing a good story illustrating the meaning of low cost.

Bob

[patriarch]

mac davis wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I was tempted. The web sites indicated good experiences. Wreckers all over said this was one of the few reliable good buys. I went to the semi- local store, and browsed. I stayed for only about 4 minutes. It felt like a sleazy liquor store, where you wouldn't want anybody from your church to see you. That kind of feeling.

(Now I've prolly pi$$ed off a bunch of you. Sorry. I didn't mean to offend. It was a metaphor.)

But I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. So I stopped in at Rockler, and bought the Delta while it was 10% off. Delta isn't what it used to be, I suppose. This one is made in Taiwan, rather than China, for whatever that's good for. But everything was there. The instructions were in a language I understood. The pictures matched the parts. And it sucks big time.

A 72" aftermarket 3 micron bag, hanging in the rafters. A shopmade seperator, with plans posted here on the Wreck. 35' of dust explosion defying, ungrounded 4" PVC, hanging from the rafters with Made-in-Canada bungee cords. Real, honest-to-goodness silver duct tape, until I can get the good stuff. Red Green would be so proud.

The saw cabinet clears of dust. The planer doesn't throw chips like it did before. The plastic lower bag of the DC is as pristine as new. I just need to figure out a floor sweep, because the router and the biscuit jointer and the hand planes and the hand saws still drop stuff everywhere.

But there's no bilious green in my shop. Yet.

'Twas worth the few extra sheckels.

Patriarch

[mac davis]

well, the wife got home from school and I had her look at the bags... After 30 min. of "this one is larger.. no, it's not" and so on, she agreed that the bags were identical, so I put 'em on and fired it up..(would of been nice to have the hose & stuff.. hope it comes tomorrow) The light all dimmed (florescent on a 40 amp circuit) while it would up, but once running it's fine.. not as loud as I expected a 2hp motor to be.. kind of like my sears shop vac but a little louder and a different tone.. I expect that it really sucks.. *g*

Hopefully, when we move I'll have a shop with more circuits and I can dedicate one to it and put a remote switch on it..

Next step.. build a cyclone of some sort..

[Buttonhole McGee]

You're darn right I'm mad. That was a simile, for crying out loud!

[Greg O]

"patriarch [e-mail]" >

That is why I bought the HF collector, Delta and Jet were both made in China or Tiawan, so I figured why pay more! I have been very satisfied with mine. Greg

[patriarch]

Buttonhole McGee wrote in news: [e-mail]:

You know how long ago I last paid attention in an English class? I think Barry Goldwater was running for President...

But count on a wRecker to correct an error! ;-)

Patriarch

[Alan W]

Grizzly.com has a abs floor sweep that works pretty well. I go from

5" grizzly clear hose to their reducer, to the floorsweep and anything within a couple inches of the middle is gone, screws included!

I DID have to use the portable propane heater to "adjust" the 4" reducer to actually go OVER the floor sweep. Nice tight heat induced fit now.

Alan

[rcook5]

I'm glad you're happy with your HF tools, but keep one thing in mind. With Chiwanese tools it isn't the manufacturer or the design that is of overriding importance, it is the quality standards of the company that's buying the stuff for sale in the US.

In other words, you can have several different Chiwanese tools which look almost exactly alike and may even have been assembled in the same factory, but which are of widely varying quality. The thing that makes the difference is the quality of the company's inspectors and the standards they write into their contract with the manufacturer.

Again, to quote Grandfather. "Some days the magic works and some days it doesn't."

--RC

Sleep? Isn't that a totally inadequate substitute for caffine?

[cathar]

Since I just received an HF unit (based on reviews here as well) thought I'd post my experience. First, paid 159.99, then it went on sale. Called and they immediately credited the $10 difference. Got it in about two weeks, put it together in about 1.5 hours (directions are horrible). No crow bars, no hassles. The screws (with nuts) that hold on the casters fit fine, but the wheel locks hit the base so the weels don't swivel. Will require a spacer. Otherwise everything fit fine. Got the Wynne filter $108 canister filter and plastic bag combo. With that and two flexible four inch hoses, a completely modified Jet contractor saw (homemade acrylic blade gaurd w/ collection and sealed and enclosed base) spews only minor wood from above the table on some rips, and definitely no dust. Delta 13" planer is no problem. Works on a dedicated 15A circuit. Motor is relatively quiet for "2 HP". Sucks like mad. No regrets so far. See how long the motor lasts.

BTW, no stores nearby (east coast) so I just see their lousy web site, not the sleazy store. Maybe that makes me more confident. Besides, sleazy isn't always all bad :)

[mac davis]

Damn, I forgot to mention the castor clearance thing... I used the 4" grinder to make small indents in the rim of the baseplate.. just enough for them to clear.. NOTE.. check them with the weight on them, it changes the arc..

[Pat Barber]

Sleazy is good at 2:00am and closing time...

cathar wrote:

Snipped parts about HF DC and