• It's time to cast your vote in the April 2025 Turning Challenge. (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Steve Bonny for "A Book Holds What Time Lets Go" being selected as Turning of the Week for 28 April, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Dust Collection

MarkAndrews

MarkAndrews

Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
33
Likes
5
Location
Costa Mesa, CA United States
I hope it's OK to post 2 topics in a row...I know there have been several threads regarding this topic over the past couple of years. I have read them and I'm still somewhat confused. My situation is this. I have no dust collection system in place to speak of. I have what I thought was a good industrial style dust collector (see the attached picture), but I haven't installed the duct work. After reading Bill Pentz's articles on dust collectors I don't think what I have is adequate or safe.
Honestly, I would like to do this once and do it right. I'd be willing to pay an engineer or a company to design and install a proper system. Several people have recommended Oneida, I've also seen the Felder RL series recommended, I'm hoping someone can make the case for one of those or another alternative. I live in Southern California where my neighbors practically sit on top of me, so unless the unit I purchase takes up the same footprint as a couple of trash cans, putting the DC outside is not an option. If I did put it outside, it would have to be fairly quiet or put in an enclosure that would muffle the noise. If I put the DC inside my shop (it's a 3 car garage with no cars:)) then footprint is still very important because I have limited space. The DC would need to service a PM66 tablesaw, 20in Bandsaw, Nova Lathe, chop saw and a joiner.
I don't want to throw money away, but I also want to do this right and do it once. If I haven't provided enough information, please let me know. All suggestions and advice are appreciated.
Thanks,
Mark Andrews
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20170124_150653249.jpg
    IMG_20170124_150653249.jpg
    751.1 KB · Views: 85
I installed a 5 hp Onieda Dust Gorilla about 3 years ago. I put it outside of my shop in a simple enclosure. Onieda designed the duct work and I did the installation myself. I would never put a dust collector in my shop as the noise is terrific and I do not care to inhale the dust that is not trapped by the filter.
 
The only downside of putting it outdoors is that you will be drawing outdoor air into the shop to replace the air exhausted through the dust collector. If the shop is being heated or cooled this will run your heating/cooling cost up. Oneida has always been very highly rated in magazine reviews. If you think that noise is a problem then you could build an enclosure to help muffle the noise. I can't tell from the picture what sort of DC you have currently.
 
True, outside air is a concern but space in the shop is also. I built my enclosure with a wall common to my shop. When air is exchanged it comes back to the shop through an opening in the wall that is slightly larger than the intake for the collector. The opening in the wall also has a filter for the return air. I use a set of "allergy" filters to cover the opening. Even though the Onieda has a "hospital grade" filter, the wall opening filter collects an amazing amount of dust and fine particulate. So, in my opinion, an enclosure for your collector can help to reduce exposure to harmful particulate.
 
Mine is a great deal like what Greg described, except it is in the attic. I would suggest what ever you do get get a canister filter on it. My Grizzley had a bag on it and lots of dust went thru it so I finally got a canister filter. Not only did the canister catch almost all the dust it also increased the air flow.

Lots of talk about the vortex design and I found an article on putting a wok in the return bag to cause a vortex and decrease the amount of dust going into the filter. That is something down the road for you depending on what you buy.
 
X 2 on the Onieda. I have the 5hp model as well. Unfortunately mine is in my basement shop which adds noise. If I had a ground floor shop I would definitely have built an enclosed shelter. Greg's return air idea above is excellent.

CORRECTION: Mine is a 3HP Onieda. Off the 8" main run I have a 6" drop to a floor sweep and the table saw w/ separate gates, a 6" drop to the Woocraft dust hood at the lathe, a 7" drop to the dual port bandsaw with a 4" connector to the 12" disc sander.
Ear muffs required.
 
Last edited:
I've had a Delta 1.5hp for 13 years with a cannister filter. My shop (24x24) has similar machines to yours. I have pvc pipes to each tool and use PSI Lone Ranger system with switches attached to each blast gate. It turns on whenever I open a blast gate. Works great. Having said that after recently seeing a Jet 1.5hp cyclone I just sold my Delta and am upgraded to the Jet cyclone. I'll have it installed in a few days. A big draw was it's small foot print, just 37" x 22".
 
If you are by yourself in the shop, 5hp of dust collection is probably overkill. Think about layout, and perhaps moving the DC from machine to machine (remember, large diameters, short runs, smooth walled...)

In the Oneida line, I considered the "roll-able" units (dust gorilla portable), but eventually settled on a 3hp fixed system. I only turn on the DC when I sand (or when I'm using the bandsaw; I don't have a table saw anymore). Where I am, I need to recycle shop air unless I want a horrendous heating bill, so I use earmuffs when the DC is on.

At sea level, using "1-machine-at-a-time", a 2hp system is likely to provide sufficient flow against the various head losses etc. (I have 3hp because my shop is at 9400 ft altitude--my longest run is to the bandsaw; my lathe is a pretty short run, and sucks quite well with the Woodcraft large dust hood on a stand).

I used the spreadsheet on Bill Pentz's site to calculate each of my runs to make sure the motor curve at 2hp would provide sufficient flow against the head loss, and up-sized the motor to 3hp for altitude.

I really like having a floor sweep, but be careful not to shove too many chips quickly into the floor sweep. It is possible to clog a cyclone (don't ask me how I know that).

Some folks also:
  • Recommend having a standalone air cleaner on a timer that recirculates and cleans the shop air;
  • Wearing a respirator
  • Jerry Kermode has a custom system where he runs a duct from his house into his shop that blows clean air into his face shield (kind of like the virus movies where the biologists have suits with air hoses). Voila! He's always breathing clean air. Who cares about everyone else in the shop!
 
Gerald Lawrence said:
Mine is a great deal like what Greg described, except it is in the attic. I would suggest what ever you do get get a canister filter on it. My Grizzley had a bag on it and lots of dust went thru it so I finally got a canister filter. Not only did the canister catch almost all the dust it also increased the air flow.

Lots of talk about the vortex design and I found an article on putting a wok in the return bag to cause a vortex and decrease the amount of dust going into the filter. That is something down the road for you depending on what you buy.
Click to expand...

Gerald. Bill Pentz cylone design has a ramp in it that directs the fines to the outside where they drop into the drop box. Very efficient. When i built the one for our seniors shop i enlarged the discharge pipe which further reduced the discharge velocity
 
MarkAndrews said:
After reading Bill Pentz's articles on dust collectors I don't think what I have is adequate or safe.
Click to expand...

Not to be factious, but I think that's the point of Bill's write up....
scare you a bit, so you buy the best.

There's a ton of great info there, and it looks like DIY, but pretty high end.

Bill explains how to create a "perfect" system - which I doubt anyone has.
Keep in mind, that almost any DC solution is better than none.
:)
 
davehu said:
I've had a Delta 1.5hp for 13 years with a cannister filter. My shop (24x24) has similar machines to yours. I have pvc pipes to each tool and use PSI Lone Ranger system with switches attached to each blast gate. It turns on whenever I open a blast gate. Works great. Having said that after recently seeing a Jet 1.5hp Cyclone I just sold my Delta and am upgraded to the Jet cyclone. I'll have it installed in a few days. A big draw was it's small foot print, just 37" x 22".
Click to expand...
An update to my earlier post regarding a Ject 1.5hp Cyclone. I've had it now for over a year and it's wonderful. It has about double the suction I got from my old delta and is a cinch to empty and clean. Would highly recommend is.
 
for the last several years there has been a company displaying at the woodworking show here in saint louis. I think there name was Nor Fab (http://www.nordfab.com/us/). They had a local distributor and they offered free design service. Just send them a scale drawing of your shop and list of equipment and they will send you a list of what you need and of course their part numbers.

I replaced my old Harbor Freight DC (with super dust deputy cyclone and Wenn nano filter) with a Jet 3HP cyclone. I can't be happier. The harbor freight, on a good day, would suck a socket through the ducting the Jet will take the socket and ratchet handle any day (unless it jets physically jammed in the ducting).

Beware of the Harbor Freight as many claim that the 2HP rating is over rated (pun intended).

I also have two Grizzly hanging air cleaners. Even with the DC I am amazed at how much the outer filters collect. I taped 1/2 of a MERV-13 furnace filter to the inlet of each. $10 for a furnice filter v. $20 for two Grizzly filters.
 
Last edited:
I have the Oneida 3hp cyclone in my basement shop. It's not the quietest, but it's not bad enough to have to wear hearing protection unless I'm literally standing next to it. It is possible to purchase a muffler from Oneida to further reduce the noise level a lot more. I had a local sheet metal shop make up spiral pipe based on my layout. As I've pretty much gotten away from doing flat work woodworking with a shift in focus to almost exclusively lathe work, my current set up is almost overkill for just my lathe, bandsaw and occasional use of the table saw. I have the Big Gulp hood for when I sand on my lathe and with the Oneida cyclone, NOTHING escape getting sucked into the hood when I sand. I also bought myself a 3M Versaflo for when I'm turning spalted wood or some of the exotics. Fantastic HEPA filtration set up combined with terrific face and head protection.
 
Paul,

Have you tried putting rolled insulation (like in your walls) around it ?

Rich
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top