Dust Collection Setup?

Would it be better, more practical, cheaper to get a large hepa vac for the whole shop or would it be better to have multiple smaller hepa vacs? Maybe a couple 10 gallon Bosch’s or DeWALT’s. One for table saw, another for miter saw, then one to move around for the rest? I like the idea of the smaller ones because they have self cleaning filters. 

interesting question.  I would say no.  The Dewalt and Bosch hepa vacs are about $500 apiece.  In order to not plug up the filters (even though they are self cleaning) you would want to add a cyclone to each one.  You would have to empty them more often than the larger unit plus they would take up a good deal of floor space unless you are able to store them somewhere.  

Plus the small vacs don’t have enough suction to keep up with thickness planers, jointers or drum sanders.

I ran a very similar setup for quite a long time and I eventually upgraded to the DC unit.  

tugnut1 wrote:

52 minutes ago, tugnut1 said:

interesting question.  I would say no.  The Dewalt and Bosch hepa vacs are about $500 apiece.  In order to not plug up the filters (even though they are self cleaning) you would want to add a cyclone to each one.  You would have to empty them more often than the larger unit plus they would take up a good deal of floor space unless you are able to store them somewhere.  

 

Plus the small vacs don’t have enough suction to keep up with thickness planers, jointers or drum sanders.

 

I ran a very similar setup for quite a long time and I eventually upgraded to the DC unit.  

cool. Didn’t know if 3 vacs a third the size of a big guy would be as good as one big guy. Thanks for the info. What is the cyclone? Is cyclone the same as hepa?

By cyclone he means a centrifugal pre-filter. 

They make them for both small and large filtration systems. An absolute must. 

Hugh Jass wrote:

By cyclone he means a centrifugal pre-filter. 

 

 

They make them for both small and large filtration systems. An absolute must. 

The real value is that you maintain suction for 100 fold longer than without it. I vac’d about 25 gallons of various size debris from drywall to blocks of wood and there wasn’t even a handful of crap in the bottom of my vac, still had good suction and the filter was only moderately dirty.

I don’t think it would be cheaper getting one for each tool

In agreement with John, buying my new home is the catalyst for getting a designated DC unit. I ran a Ridgid shop vac on my planer and table saw for years with poor results. My Festool MIDI HEPA is for the hand portable power tools and it does wonderful work but if you are doing anything with a table saw, planer, jointer (if you chose to run D.C. on one of these), bandsaw etc. they do not do the job efficiently. Not enough CFM.

A cyclone is connected to your shop vac or blower motor.  It sits in line before you dust filter and is designed so that it allows all of the heavier materials to drop out in a bucket before going filter.  That way, your filter is only seeing air with fine particulates and stays cleaner for a much longer time.

 In regular shop vacs, as soon as the filter becomes plugged, your suction drops out dramatically.  If you run a shop vac, I would suggest getting a dust deputy from Oneida air systems.

I have upgraded to the larger cyclone version….Jet 2HP cyclone dust collector

I like this unit a lot, but I am finding that the bag under the filter is filling up pretty quickly which tells me that particles are being carried over from the cyclone and isn’t falling out in the bucket as well as the dust deputy does.  I have a theory as to why this is happening too.  If you look at the size of the cylcone cone, you will notice that is is pretty stubby compared to the dust deputy and Oneida’s larger unit.

I think the size of the cone makes a difference as to how much material is carried over.  

The jet, Laguna, Baileigh Industrial and a few other dust collectors run this stubby cyclone and I think it is to keep the units under 7 feet in height.  My ceilings in the basement are 7 foot and I am unable to fit the taller units in my shop.

I would suggest you make a list of the tools you will need to run with dust collection, a big cyclone would be great, but there are still plenty of uses for a small shop vac with Hepa filters. Planers and jointers generate big chips and a pretty good quantity quickly, I would never hook either to a shop vac. Miter saws tend to be one of the more messy tools and need some sort of a “backsplash” to help contain some of the mess even if there is some sort of dust collection port and ducting. Jobsite tablesaws generate moderate amounts of sawdust, but I haven’t run into the need for more than a shop vac and cyclone. In a lot of cases with the table saw it is also about the material being cut solid would or even plywood tends to generate bigger sawdust, whereas particle board, MDF and masonite tends to create really fine dust. If you are running big bits on a router table you are going to want big dust collection, both in fence and below the table. With smaller bits, a shop vac and cyclone can handle it. For tools like biscuit joiners and sanders shop vacs have no trouble keeping up.

I don’t have a big cyclone and my basement shop has a low ceiling with joists right at 6 feet, My planer is Dewalt DW735 which has it’s own fan built in and pushes more air than most shop vacs. I usually take it outside and run it there. using the available kit it will blow the chips and dust into a trashcan without needing any help. A couple of hours of planing and a 30+ gallon trashcan is overflowing. It usually goes out once or twice a year and does a bunch of boards, but I will occasionally run one or two boards through it in the basement, but that is a last resort at crunch time not a normal routine.

tugnut1 wrote:

A cyclone is connected to your shop vac or blower motor.  It sits in line before you dust filter and is designed so that it allows all of the heavier materials to drop out in a bucket before going filter.  That way, your filter is only seeing air with fine particulates and stays cleaner for a much longer time.



 

 In regular shop vacs, as soon as the filter becomes plugged, your suction drops out dramatically.  If you run a shop vac, I would suggest getting a dust deputy from Oneida air systems.

 



 

I have upgraded to the larger cyclone version….Jet 2HP cyclone dust collector

 



 

I like this unit a lot, but I am finding that the bag under the filter is filling up pretty quickly which tells me that particles are being carried over from the cyclone and isn’t falling out in the bucket as well as the dust deputy does.  I have a theory as to why this is happening too.  If you look at the size of the cylcone cone, you will notice that is is pretty stubby compared to the dust deputy and Oneida’s larger unit.

 



I think the size of the cone makes a difference as to how much material is carried over.  

 

The jet, Laguna, Baileigh Industrial and a few other dust collectors run this stubby cyclone and I think it is to keep the units under 7 feet in height.  My ceilings in the basement are 7 foot and I am unable to fit the taller units in my shop.

 

JimboS1ice wrote:

Any word on how the rockler version is? Its half the price on the dust deputy

Jimbo

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tugnut1 wrote:

From what I have heard and seen, it’s okay, but doesn’t perform as well.

The Wood Whisperer did a review of the rockler, dust deputy, and clearvue about 4 or 5 years ago. It’s a good video.

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tugnut1 wrote:

1 hour ago, tugnut1 said:

From what I have heard and seen, it’s okay, but doesn’t perform as well.

The Wood Whisperer did a review of the rockler, dust deputy, and clearvue about 4 or 5 years ago. It’s a good video.

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Yep, that was a good video and Oneida is the only one of the three that basically had no pass through to the vacuum/bag.

I am leaning towards going Oneida again when I do my big system. I plan to do this just once. Famous last words 🙂

Sorry for not adding the cyclone video shootout to the earlier post, but I didn’t have access to a desk top at that time and I hate working off of a phone.

Here is the link to the Wood Whisperer’s video

I watched that video, decided on dust deputy deluxe got it from Ace hardware with a no exclusion coupon for $90 …
Just to add more info to this….. I added a remote switch to shop vac from HF $15 works great. (Switch on vac was getting squirrelly, and thought this would be cool)


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Foneguy wrote:

2 hours ago, Foneguy said:

I watched that video, decided on dust deputy deluxe got it from Ace hardware with a no exclusion coupon for $90 …
Just to add more info to this….. I added a remote switch to shop vac from HF $15 works great. (Switch on vac was getting squirrelly, and thought this would be cool)
 

I added a remote start to my shop vac as well and it is awesome.  I got my from Fastcap and instead of putting the remote control on the hose like they suggest, I will strap it to my wrist like a sweat band.  That way, I don’t ever have to go looking for the remote when I need it.  I may have to do the same type thing with my Jet Remote.

http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=45290

My product review video that I did a few years ago is even listed on this fastcap link, but I suggest that you do not watch it.  As a matter of fact, I request that you do not watch it.  Watch someone elses’ video.

tugnut1 wrote:

On 1/19/2017 at 6:39 AM, tugnut1 said:

Sorry for not adding the cyclone video shootout to the earlier post, but I didn’t have access to a desk top at that time and I hate working off of a phone.

 

Here is the link to the Wood Whisperer’s video

 

Video (YouTube)

 

I wish he did more videos like this. his woodworking videos are great but they are far and few between.

Jronman wrote:

I wish he did more videos like this. his woodworking videos are great but they are far and few between.

yeah I like his new livestreams.