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Confused about Dust Collection

79424 Views 70 Replies 28 Participants Last post by  farmfromkansas
I'm getting very confused about the dust collection options. I've seen 1 hp wall mounted units, units with a big filter on top and bag on bottom in sizes from 1hp to 10+hp, units with cyclonic action before the filter and bag, shop vacs which seem to have as much power but much less airflow, and cyclonic add on's to shop vacs.Then there are supplementary filtering units and all of the units come in different specifications from 1 micron to 30 micron with 2-2.5 micron seeming most common. However, those measurements don't give percentages or how they decay over time.

Prices are also over the place. Shop vacs from under $100 to over $600. Top filter units from $250 to thousands. Cyclonic units seem to start at $800 with Jet having some add-on that they claim does a similar function in the same price range.

I'll need to handle one tool at a time. The tools will include a table saw (probably 3hp cabinet but possibly 1.75hp contractor), router table, miter saw, jig saw, handheld router, belt/disc sander, and, maybe circular saw.

What do you recommend? Will a shop vac with Oneida Dust Deputy cyclone be sufficient? Is an air filter needed in addition to the dust extractor?

The workshop is in the basement.

Thanks,

David
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I dont understand why everyone is so quick to recommend a particular collector. Every shop is different and you need to calculate the amount of flow from EACH machine and where it is placed and where the DC will be located. A Horror Fright 2hp DC may NOT be the answer to ALL shops. If you are gonna move the collector to each machine as it is used then the HF may work. But, if you are looking at a stationary cyclone you had better do the math first and make sure the main lines and subsequent branch lines are sized appropriately before you buy a collector. It would just suck, no pun intended, to set up a cyclone, run all the piping and then learn that you have undersized, or oversized, and the system doesnt work. One DC is NOT a solution for everyone and people who recommend a collector are just ignorant.
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