Dust Collectors?

M

Mike Trudel

Well-known member
I'm become more sensative to years of dust while decoy making. My present system is a regular cheap square fan with a furnace filter bungied to it. My foredum and sanding creates so much dust that I am looking for a system to suck it away from me.

I don't want to go with the mask and that whole exterminator look or the big air filters that look like bag pipes on steroids. Should I buy a Shop Vac with a hose and a coned dust collector or is their another system for immediately sucking away the dust? And how big of vac would I need? Hoping to stay under $200 on this project.

Thanks for any help.
 
Mike,

Here are a couple more to consider. Both of these will exceed your budget by the time you add shipping. The Delta seems to be the better buy as it comes complete with the hose and hood. The Rockler shows a hose in the picture but no hose is listed in the parts list so I don't think it is included.

Delta The DELTA AP300 includes 3/4 HP, 120 Volts, 60 hz motor, 4" X 10' collection hose, 30 micron dust collection bag, metal dust hood, angled support tube, all clamps and hardware, instruction manual

Rockler 650 CFM suction capacity and a 3/4 HP, 60 Hz, 110 Volt, 12 amp motor, A 15 gallon, 30-micron bag is included.
 
Mike,

I just picked up a used Grizzly 3/4 hp dust collector for $100 that was in like new condition. Found it in the local classifieds section of the paper. I'd also recommend searching Craigslist.com or checking with carving clubs around that area. Jim Williams found a great deal from a experienced carver that was stepping away from carving.

Tim

P.S. Thanks for your help on Saturday! We all made it home safe and sound, ready to start making saw dust.
 
Mike the sensitiveness to dust is a big issue with any one who works with wood. The worse part is the fine particles that go through the bags. The bags do a good job of collecting the large particles. The stuff that hurts you is the small stuff. The Delta that Dave provided a link to would have enough suction and would work well if the unit was outside or in a room where no one would breath the dust. They only sell those units to people who occasionally work with wood. Otherwise law suits would put them right out of business. Its buyer beware.

Having a fan like the Delta with a box to catch the large particles and a hose to the outside would be ideal. Now if your thinking like I am what about heat loss. Thats a dilemma, heat loss or health.
 
I am using a small 1 hp dust collector from Harbor Freight and my own design on a box. The dust collecter was about $100 on sale and is reasonably quiet. The bag is about 14" in diameter and about 36" long. The box was made out of plywood that I had laying around. I made the top out of Lexon from Fleet Farm and the whole top slides back and forth, depending on how I feel like working. I have been very happy with how much dust it sucks up, I do not wear a dust mask anymore. Next task is to convert the blower/bag into a small cyclone separator.

I did have to do some work on the blower before I got started. On both the inlet side and outlet side of the blower housing there was 1/2" plastic grid, that I removed. The impellar is stamped steel, which I won't run anything but dust and small chips to protect it.

The box
101_0282.jpg


The dust collector
101_0283.jpg

 
I'm at the same stage as you. I recently tried the funnel and shop vac and it works, but I still wear the mask.

The shop vac is a bit noisy I place the vac outside when I can. Right now, I'm looking for dust collectors.

Andrew's carving box looks like a nice set up to try with the vac, or dust collector.
 
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I tried my carving box with just the shop vac, didn't like it for two reasons, first too loud, second the vac doesn't move enough air, unless I was right in front of the dust port. I cann't remember how many cubic feet of air the blower moves, but little to no dust makes it out.
 
Harbor Freight has a one horsepower, 13 gallon dust collector on sale for $100. General Machinery brand; is any one familiar with unit or should I spend twice as much for a brand name?
 
They will also sell you a replacement warranty for a couple extra bucks. While I haven't had any problems with mine, it's only about 6 months old, however, I they have replaced a water pump I use for my fish tanks, burned it up twice and they have handed me a new one without any question (as long as you have the paperwork) one was my fault, one was junk.
 
Mike the sensitiveness to dust is a big issue with any one who works with wood. The worse part is the fine particles that go through the bags. The bags do a good job of collecting the large particles. The stuff that hurts you is the small stuff. The Delta that Dave provided a link to would have enough suction and would work well if the unit was outside or in a room where no one would breath the dust. They only sell those units to people who occasionally work with wood. Otherwise law suits would put them right out of business. Its buyer beware.

Having a fan like the Delta with a box to catch the large particles and a hose to the outside would be ideal. Now if your thinking like I am what about heat loss. Thats a dilemma, heat loss or health.
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Pete, Grizzly offers sub-micron bags. Wouldn't this take care of the fine dust? Most oem bags are 30 micron.
 
1 micron is what you are looking for Mike.

Remember this though, that most of them need a 2HP motor to handle the new load. That 1HP model you are looking at will NOT be enough and you will lose your CFM and your motor has a high likelihood of burning up. FYI
 
Mike, When I first saw your subject line I thought you were posting about trophies, old motors, guns or anything sitting around "collecting dust". I guess that could include me this winter.;-)
 
"Remember this though, that most of them need a 2HP motor to handle the new load. That 1HP model you are looking at will NOT be enough and you will lose your CFM and your motor has a high likelihood of burning up. FYI "

I think this is only partially true, First off, you may lose CFM, but depends on the surface area of the filter. Smaller filter, higher pressure will lead to more particles getting throught, defeeting the purpose of the better filter and cause a loss of CFM. However a 1 hp with a decent sized filter will work, but space may be an issue. Second, doubtful it will burn up the motor, I had my large dust collector motor burn up years ago, the old guy that rewired it, said the motor was working harder without the shroud as it was pushing too much air, but either blocking air from entering or a plugged filter not letting it out, worked the motor less.
 
Hello Mike

If you dont know me , First sorry about my english ( i m french ) ... i dont post offen since few months .. but i m a old one here

I can tell i made few chip of wood with foredom too ...

You only have to ask one question : what it a dust collector.

If you want the best one at lower price, you need to made it your self with scrap piece


what it a dust collector: it a squirrel cage attached with a 1 hp motor , must you mouve air, better it will be your system , air go in a filter , the best it a 1 micron bag , bigger as possible ( air need to past trout the filter with least pressur as possible).

Squirrel cage it easy to fing from a old heathing systeme .

Motor is come from a old pool filtration systeme

you need to buy the filter arround probably 25-30

and few piece of plywood

Mine it a King 1.5 hp, pay arround 400$ , inlet it a 4'' and plastic bag on the bottum and a 1 micron over ,I used a box, 45 degree for the side and top in glass , it eat all .

I think if you buy a full machine, it a japan or chinise motor , never compatible with a US motor ( shaft it a special one ) my motor past away few years ago , a replacement it the same price of a full machine. I change it for a US Motor , standart shaft , and prefer to rebuild the Squirrel fan for i never have the work on that anymore

In the wooden box i used a 8'' fan to help to eat all ... put a elastic on your glass ... I never eat Tupelo from this time ...


View attachment PC190549.JPG

View attachment PC190549.JPG
 
So the my argument that a plugged filter or "tighter" fliter not hurting the motor has been bothering me, so I borrowed an amp meter and ran some tests, here is what we found:

AmpDrawonBlower.jpg


We took several readings, first without the filter bag (w/o bag) and with an empty bag on (w/bag) for base line comparison, we then clamped on a blast gate from my shop dust collection system with and without about 10' of 4" flex pipe, to see what effect the volume of the pipe had. In all cases, the amp draw decreased as we closed the gate, thus the motor was working less. So plugged filters are not the reason why we burn up motors but rather dust in the motor or just cheap motors.

Here is a pic of the motor plate, one of the questions I came up with and can't answer is why is the amp draw significantly less the what is says on the plate?

101_0289.jpg


Lastly, here is a picture of the meter, another interesting question is the amp meter never went to zero with the motor off?

101_0291.jpg


Now the question about how much CFM is lost with better bags is still unanswered, but I don't know anyone with a tester for that.

Next up on the project list is a small cyclone separator for this blower, I found the old article I was looking for in Fine Wood Working issue #100, it gives all of the measurements for three different cyclones based on CFM/hp, and a few photos of one a guy made powered by about the same blower, with a small footprint of space. If when I finish it, I will post up some photos.

Anybody want a copy of the article, shoot me an email and I will scan it in.
 
, thus the motor was working less.
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Exactly...in physics, work = mass X distance (or technically height, but we are in the real world, where mechanical and air frictions are what we are fighting in this case). Anyway, if you move less volume of air, you are doing less work. The restriction on the bag isn't creating less friction, just less movement of air (and dust) making the machine ineffective, not making it draw more power.

As far as your question about the name plate, I see some possible explainations:

1- you took your amp reading at the circuit panel, you voltage will drop as you get further down the cable, which should cause a higher amp reading

2- your voltage may be higher than what they tested at, 110, 115, 120 and 125 are kind of "interchangable" depending on locality

3- most likely the explaination is the engineers just put a buffer in to avoid circuit overload...quite common actually

edited above in blue
 
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And the minimum amp draw when the motor is off, is the reason you ALWAYS have a physical disconnect (like unplugging) before you work on anything...a little slips by the switch.
 
By the way, I was quite impressed with my computer skills of making a chart in Excel, coping and pasting into paint, then saving as a jpeg and finally being able to up load it.
 
By the way, I was quite impressed with my computer skills of making a chart in Excel, coping and pasting into paint, then saving as a jpeg and finally being able to up load it.
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Nice job with that...now how about some pictures of your Titantic ;^)
 
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