Dust Collector

Bought the Harbor Freight unit last year and immediately bought the
Wynn canister as well. Been very happy with it, can tell even with my
contractors table saw when I don't have the line hooked up. More chips
off the top of the blade if the DC is off.

photo can be found:

http://www.webbyhome.com:8080/ia5/photos/20050408_hf_dustcollector_4.jpg

what the inside of the canister looks like after a few months of not
knocking down the dust with a good whack once in a while:
http://www.webbyhome.com:8080/ia5/photos/20050408_hf_dustcollector_1.jpg

Han wrote:

< OP snipped>

> I myself am leaning to the Harbor Freight 2 HP unit at $160. Flyer just
> arrived yesterday, and I am getting ready for something better, easier
> and quieter than the old Shopvac. I'll have to buy somewhere a better
> filter. I want a <1 micron canister, so I'm open to suggestions asa to
> where to get it. Then I'll need to get the piping as well. Shop is in
> the basement, but there is an old covered chute from the attached garage.
> I was thinking of putting the DC in there and piping from there to the
> basement.
>
> --
> Best regards
> Han
> email address is invalid

I have tha HF unit and it seems fine. Based on the current draw, I
think it's more like 1.5 HP, but that's okay. I just wish it wasn't so
big.

I initially upgraded to a 3 micron bag from Highland Hardware. It was
the least expensive I could find, but I'll admit I didn't do an
exhaustive search. The link below should take you right to the correct
bag for the HF 2HP unit. You want the 20" x 32" bag.

http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2182

I read comments on this board and elsewhere that the felt bag would
provide much better airflow even while filtering much finer particles,
so much so that a felt upper and plastic lower would flow better than
dual stock HF bags. Well, being too cheap to buy a "real" plastic DC
bag, I tried it with a heavy duty contractor cleanup bag on the bottom.
This would probably have worked very well, but after fumbling with
getting the clamp over the garbage bag for 15 minutes, I quickly
realized that I didn't want to go through that every time I emptied the
bag. I went ahead and ordered another felt bag for the bottom, thus
saving my sanity and maximizing the airflow.

Tom M.







I bought one felt bag and tried using a heavy duty garbage bag on the
bottom

Buster wrote:
> Hey all, well the time has come to purchase the dust collector unit. Right
> now I'm leaning towards a 1 1/2 HP or the 2 HP General Unit. With the 1
> micron cannister filter. Why? It's readily available and serviceable here
> in Canada.

Hey Buster. Have you considered the Busy Bee CT030 which seems to meet
your specs/requirement. I believe they have a branch where you are. I
got this model last year and am happy with it. It comes with a 1 micron
felt bag but you can also purchase a cannister upgrade. I believe they
also sell a similar model now with the cannister as standard.

BTW , when is the Edmonton tool show?

Yes I can agree with that.

My mentor here recomended the 2HP GI with Canister Filter, and a
pre-separator.

I'm very fortunate right now to have a little extra cash in the pocket for
the dust collector and my next project. But space is the real concern. My
stationary machines are set up on one side of a two car garage. I have
plans to annex the rest, but the wife is putting up fierce resistance. The
set up on my side is relatively permanent.

I'm really leaning to the GI 2HP or the narly identical Canwood 2HP (tool
shop house brand).


<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Thu, 13 Oct 2005 05:05:37 GMT, "Buster" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>After reading "Bill's Cyclone site" on dust collection I'm a
>>little worried that everything is crap!
>>
>>Any help would be appreciated.
>>
> We've all read "The DC Gospel According to St. Bill" and frankly (with
> all due respect to Bill) I think it's a tiny bit extreme with regard
> to equipment. If you're a basically a weekend wood-warrior then you
> could possibly get by without a cyclone. I've worked in my small
> basement shop for 30 years and a year ago I added a Jet air filter and
> a Jet DC with .2 micron cannister. I love it... it's a thousand times
> better with regard to dust. Would a cyclone (at double what I spent)
> be 1000 times better than what I have? Nope.
>
> If you have the space and the unlimited budget, get the best of
> everything. If you have a limited budget, a 1½-2 HP conventional DC
> with a .1 or .2 micron bag/cannister plus a decent separate air filter
> would seem to be more than adequate for most hobbyist woodworkers.
>
> Remember, Bill was dealing with an illness and he did what is best for
> him... which is smart.

I got the 2hp from Grizzly which I like a lot and the price and quality is
right compared to other brands.


"BillyBob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Buster" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:BWl3f.164815$oW2.111824@pd7tw1no...
> > Hey all, well the time has come to purchase the dust collector unit.
> Right
> > now I'm leaning towards a 1 1/2 HP or the 2 HP General Unit. With the 1
> > micron cannister filter. Why? It's readily available and serviceable
> here
> > in Canada.
>
> When I bought mine, the dealer told me "The 1.5 hp is all you'll need".
But
> I noticed his shop was smaller than my 3 car garage and he had a 2 hp
unit.
> I decided the worst thing in the world would be to buy the smaller unit,
> then discover I could have used the extra oomph. I had in mind running 6"
> pipe one day and I wanted plenty of capacity. I ended up running dual 4"
> pipes instead - for the table saw - 1 below and 1 above. As a dust
> collector fills and filters get dirty, they lose suction, until you empty
> them and clean the filters. I felt the extra capacity gave me some
margin,
> as the thing gets filled. All of my theories may be all wet. I just know
> that I am still tickled with what I bought - a Jet 2hp with filter
> cannister. Its now 2 years old. Its one of those cases where the price was
> quickly forgotten and the satisfaction remains.
>
> Bob
>
>

"Buster" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:BWl3f.164815$oW2.111824@pd7tw1no:

> Hey all, well the time has come to purchase the dust collector unit.
> Right now I'm leaning towards a 1 1/2 HP or the 2 HP General Unit.
> With the 1 micron cannister filter. Why? It's readily available and
> serviceable here in Canada.
>
> I view the Dust as a safety device more than a convieience item, so
> I'm willing to put in a little extra work to get a good quality one.
>
> The key here folks is that it has to be available here in Canada
> (Calgary).
>
> A little background on the shop. It's an 18x20 garage shop that
> shares 1/2 with the car. The non mobile machines are on one side of
> the garage, while I move the more mobile ones out to the other half
> when I need the space (or the machine). After reading "Bill's Cyclone
> site" on dust collection I'm a little worried that everything is crap!
>
> Any help would be appreciated.
>
I myself am leaning to the Harbor Freight 2 HP unit at $160. Flyer just
arrived yesterday, and I am getting ready for something better, easier
and quieter than the old Shopvac. I'll have to buy somewhere a better
filter. I want a <1 micron canister, so I'm open to suggestions asa to
where to get it. Then I'll need to get the piping as well. Shop is in
the basement, but there is an old covered chute from the attached garage.
I was thinking of putting the DC in there and piping from there to the
basement.

--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid

On Thu, 13 Oct 2005 05:05:37 GMT, "Buster" <[email protected]> wrote:

>After reading "Bill's Cyclone site" on dust collection I'm a
>little worried that everything is crap!
>
>Any help would be appreciated.
>
We've all read "The DC Gospel According to St. Bill" and frankly (with
all due respect to Bill) I think it's a tiny bit extreme with regard
to equipment. If you're a basically a weekend wood-warrior then you
could possibly get by without a cyclone. I've worked in my small
basement shop for 30 years and a year ago I added a Jet air filter and
a Jet DC with .2 micron cannister. I love it... it's a thousand times
better with regard to dust. Would a cyclone (at double what I spent)
be 1000 times better than what I have? Nope.

If you have the space and the unlimited budget, get the best of
everything. If you have a limited budget, a 1½-2 HP conventional DC
with a .1 or .2 micron bag/cannister plus a decent separate air filter
would seem to be more than adequate for most hobbyist woodworkers.

Remember, Bill was dealing with an illness and he did what is best for
him... which is smart.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I haven't seen the King tool version, but the Canwood seems to be very
comparable to the General. I'm putting my final purchase off until after
the Edmonton wood show/tool sale.

The General International machine could be bought at The House of Tools here
in Calgary (although they didn't have them in tonight when I dropped by
after a 'quick' Lee Valley trip). The can also be purchased at Pro-Tool
City.

On a side note that may interest you, Canadian Woodworker is opening a store
in Calgary. They seem to stock some General stuff. They should be open any
day now.

The 2HP GI runs about $629 for the 'bag' version. The cannister would be
slightly more obviousy ~$100. I'm a big fan of General tools.

"Clint" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:s_s3f.20853$yS6.10850@clgrps12...
> You can check out the Canadian wood-working magazine forums
> (www.canadianhomeworkshop.com for one) for Canadian specific items, so you
> don't end up getting comments on Grizzly and Harbor Freight units.
>
> I'm looking at dust collectors up here too (in Edmonton, BTW). The ones I
> was looking at are the King 2HP unit (3105C), and the House of Tools
> "house" brand, Canwood. Probably leaning towards the King based on price
> and specs. Where did you find the GI cannister unit, and at what price?
>
> Clint
>
> "Buster" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:BWl3f.164815$oW2.111824@pd7tw1no...
>> Hey all, well the time has come to purchase the dust collector unit.
>> Right now I'm leaning towards a 1 1/2 HP or the 2 HP General Unit. With
>> the 1 micron cannister filter. Why? It's readily available and
>> serviceable here in Canada.
>>
>> I view the Dust as a safety device more than a convieience item, so I'm
>> willing to put in a little extra work to get a good quality one.
>>
>> The key here folks is that it has to be available here in Canada
>> (Calgary).
>>
>> A little background on the shop. It's an 18x20 garage shop that shares
>> 1/2 with the car. The non mobile machines are on one side of the garage,
>> while I move the more mobile ones out to the other half when I need the
>> space (or the machine). After reading "Bill's Cyclone site" on dust
>> collection I'm a little worried that everything is crap!
>>
>> Any help would be appreciated.
>>
>
>

Last weekend of the October, Calgary is the following weekend with a few
different things. I'm going more for the tool sale than anything, there are
some good deals to be had or at least a freebee. I went to pick up a Drill
Press from House of Tools, and the sales guy just told me to wait.

"dwo49" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> BTW , when is the Edmonton tool show?
>

"Buster" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:BWl3f.164815$oW2.111824@pd7tw1no...
> Hey all, well the time has come to purchase the dust collector unit.
Right
> now I'm leaning towards a 1 1/2 HP or the 2 HP General Unit. With the 1
> micron cannister filter. Why? It's readily available and serviceable
here
> in Canada.

When I bought mine, the dealer told me "The 1.5 hp is all you'll need". But
I noticed his shop was smaller than my 3 car garage and he had a 2 hp unit.
I decided the worst thing in the world would be to buy the smaller unit,
then discover I could have used the extra oomph. I had in mind running 6"
pipe one day and I wanted plenty of capacity. I ended up running dual 4"
pipes instead - for the table saw - 1 below and 1 above. As a dust
collector fills and filters get dirty, they lose suction, until you empty
them and clean the filters. I felt the extra capacity gave me some margin,
as the thing gets filled. All of my theories may be all wet. I just know
that I am still tickled with what I bought - a Jet 2hp with filter
cannister. Its now 2 years old. Its one of those cases where the price was
quickly forgotten and the satisfaction remains.

Bob

You can check out the Canadian wood-working magazine forums
(www.canadianhomeworkshop.com for one) for Canadian specific items, so you
don't end up getting comments on Grizzly and Harbor Freight units.

I'm looking at dust collectors up here too (in Edmonton, BTW). The ones I
was looking at are the King 2HP unit (3105C), and the House of Tools "house"
brand, Canwood. Probably leaning towards the King based on price and specs.
Where did you find the GI cannister unit, and at what price?

Clint

"Buster" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:BWl3f.164815$oW2.111824@pd7tw1no...
> Hey all, well the time has come to purchase the dust collector unit.
> Right now I'm leaning towards a 1 1/2 HP or the 2 HP General Unit. With
> the 1 micron cannister filter. Why? It's readily available and
> serviceable here in Canada.
>
> I view the Dust as a safety device more than a convieience item, so I'm
> willing to put in a little extra work to get a good quality one.
>
> The key here folks is that it has to be available here in Canada
> (Calgary).
>
> A little background on the shop. It's an 18x20 garage shop that shares
> 1/2 with the car. The non mobile machines are on one side of the garage,
> while I move the more mobile ones out to the other half when I need the
> space (or the machine). After reading "Bill's Cyclone site" on dust
> collection I'm a little worried that everything is crap!
>
> Any help would be appreciated.
>