Show above: a Jet dust collector that Ben was able to score for free in his neighborhood.
Now, shown here, is my Festool CT26 dust extractor, which I purchased a few years ago. It works fantastic when paired with my Festool track saw and sander, and also the router sample and Domino joinery machine I’ve been testing.
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It also does a great job when paired with a portable table saw.
But I’ve been discovering its limitations.
Over the weekend I used a trim router with a small nozzle attachment I hoped would catch some chips and sawdust. Nope. There’s a lot of dropoff, and not a lot of suction just beyond the 2-1/2″ outlet part of the nozzle.
(It was a Loc Line nozzle attached to their 2.5″ modular hose and a vacuum attachment. The nozzle works great for fine dust, but next time I’ll pick up the Dewalt dust collector attachment.)
The Festool dust extractor excels when paired with handheld woodworking power tools and some other types of equipment.
I’ve got a router table on the way and have started working with a small woodworking lathe. It looks like I’ll need a dust collector with more airflow.
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I’ve read that the Rockler lathe dust collection scoop doesn’t do as good a job when paired with a 2-1/2″ shop vac-style dust collector as if paired with a true dust collector.
Dewalt’s DW735 planer has a built-in chip blower that users have said tends to over-power shop vacs and other similar portable dust extractors.
I’ll be putting a lot of maple and birch through that planer in a few weeks, and will likely channel the dust into pail, garbage bin, or similar. There is no way my Festool extractor can handle the chips output from a planer, even a portable planer.
Something like the Big Gulp dust hood ($16 via Amazon) seems useful for some of the work I do, and it’s said to be good at collecting dust thrown out the back of a miter saw, but I’m thinking it’s probably not going to be very effective at gathering chips and dust when connected to my Festool vac via 4″ to 2-1/2″ adapter.
Maybe that Big Gulp will work better as a shield that deflects chips and dust to the vacuum hose. Its design seems to suggest that – if I use something like that where the bottom is flat or inclined down to the hose, it might work better with my dust extractor vac.
I’m left with a dilemma… do I buy a dust collector with 4″ port, and if so, how big do I go?
I have the needs for one, and my budget can handle it, but I’m not quite sure I have the space for one – at least not the size that’s most suitable for personal woodworking use.
There are some wall-mountable systems, such as Rockler’s. There’s also a new canister-type filter that improves the filtration efficiency of that Rockler unit. But… the main unit is $250 and the canister filter $200. So that’s $450 right off the bat.
And although it’s wall-mountable, it’ll take up appreciable space.
Some user reviews say it’s comparable in power to their shop vacuums. It also lacks a cyclone stage, which would cut down on bag changes.
I have a 220V outlet in the corner of my workspace, and plenty of 15A outlets wired with 12 gauge wire and connected to 20A breakers, and so I can go a little beefier.
So then I came across a portable Laguna dust collector,the B Flux 1, for $500 via Acme Tools. It looks okay, but I can’t find much info about it online except for a single 2-line user review complaining about an air leak that Laguna customer service told them to seal with silicone.
At $500 for this setup, including a mobile base, the Laguna seems like a better buy than Rockler’s dust collector and canister filter duo.
All of Laguna’s marketing efforts seem to be on their much larger and more featured full-size dust collectors.
I came across some good-looking semi-mobile dust collectors by Oneida, but they’re rated for over 15A. I would ideally like a 110V <15A unit that can be moved around my workspace with greater ease. If I’m going 220V, I’d stick the dust collector in the corner by the outlet.
So then I looking at Clearvue, Jet, and other typically well-regarded brands, and the cost goes up along with size and weight, while mobility goes down.
I won’t have a traditonal woodworking shop setup, at least not anytime soon. I’m working towards equipping my new workspace with a more fluid setup, where I can roll mobile-base-mounted tools out of the way, or shelve lighter benchtop tools when they’re not being actively used.
With more space and upgraded electric, I want to upgrade to a larger benchtop milling machine, maybe a benchtop lathe.
So do I compromise when it comes to a woodworking dust collector, or keep putting it off?
Right now, space is my biggest limitation. I’d really like a good wood jointer, but where to put it? I’d also love to buy a cabinet-style table saw, but where to put it? A track saw and portable table saw can substitute for a large table saw, but every time I shop around for a benchtop jointer the negative reviews discourage me.
I’m very reluctant to seriously consider the smaller Laguna dust collector, shown above. It would be a good compromise, but it seems to have been designed to be “more affordable.” And if I take Laguna’s zero marketing as a sign of its lower popularity, what happens in a few years when I need a replacement filter or other parts?
Thoughts? What would you do in my place?
“Work outside with messy tools” only really works a few months out of the year. I tried to do that yesterday, but it started to drizzle every time I moved some tools to the driveway.
Maybe my short-term solution is to design some kind of shielded downdraft table that would work well with my Festool vac. I’m sure I can come up with a way to trap fine sawdust, and if I can at least contain larger chips for easier cleanup, that will put off this headache of a dust collector purchasing decision for a while longer.
The frustrating part is that I have the budget for a good dust collector. It’s the right tool for the job. I just don’t have the space.
Realistically, I’m not going to have large woodworking tools, such as a cabinet saw, jointer, planer, drum sander, or shaper. Maybe eventually, but not anytime soon. Maybe I should take that as a sign to hold off on getting a large dust collector.
James Jackson
The -Flux dust collector line is very new (Fall 2016), so that might explain the lack of reviews for that model.
In my experience, if you are planning on taking the dust collector to the machine (i.e. not putting in ducting runs to each machine), any 1-1.5 HP dust collector should be fine. The big difference between the models is going to be in the filter bag on top (Canister vs bag, and size of particle collected)
I have one of these, and it works well on my DW734 planer, and a Jet 1632 drum sander
https://www.amazon.com/Delta-Equipment-Corporation-50-723-Collector/dp/B0146RKJOY
If you really are only going to be working with the DW735, I’ve read that the blower is powerful enough that you could just run a hose to a trash can and collect the chips that way (I’ve never actually tried that though)
James Jackson
Also, this is a cool idea that I wish I had done with my planer from a mobility point of view:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?208034-Made-my-Dewalt-Planer-Mobile-Using-a-Ridgid-MS-UV-Mobile-Miter-Saw-Stand
Kurt
How often do you need a big dust collector? Can it be stored in a garden shed and then brought into your shop when you need it?
Also, before you order new, try searching your local Craigslist – I almost always see them on mind. That way, if you find it doesn’t work out, you not be out very much money if you resell it.
BonPacific
Dust collectors are one of those perennial topics, there’s always more discussion popping up. I went the more DIY route, buying a Harbor Freight DC and accessorized it with a Super Dust Deputy cyclone. My setup is very similar to Ty Moser’s from the MonoLoco workshop YouTube channel. I’m in the process of switching away from the filter to venting fines directly outside.
In terms of compactness, I don’t think you’ll find better than the Rockler dust right, but it’s also not terribly powerful, and clogs on larger chips.
The DW735 doesn’t necessarily require a DC, the blower is strong enough you can just attach a bag to it and capture pretty much all the chips. Check out MakeSomething.tv for a review of this setup. You might want to try running 4″ tube right down to a trashcan.
Lathe dust collection? That’s one hell of an uphill battle. The only setup I’ve seen that looked to have good DC is Shawn Stone’s plexiglass enclosure he built around the top of his lathe, so he has full coverage, plus a pretty good DC. I just vacuum up after the fact when I use my lathe.
Unless you get into industrial-level DC, none of the options will actually protect you from the dangerous tiny dust, so it all comes down to tidyness.
Chris T
100% agree. I have the harbor freight unit with a chip separator barrel in front. Works great and for the price it can’t be beat. I recommend a cartridge filter for the fine particles.
Carl Sampson
Build a small storage shed attached to the outside of your garage/workshop to house the dust collection unit so no floor space is surrendered.
David
I’ve been on a similar quest since moving my shop into my basement. I have an older Delta drum style dust collector which, when paired with a Shopvac has been my dust collection solution so far. That worked, but wasn’t really powerful enough to handle my thickness planer well, let alone multiple tools with runs of pipe across the workshop. Since I wanted to optimize dust collection and reduce fine particulates I knew I needed a more capable system.
To solve that, I recently built a dust collector based on a Harbor Freight dust collector paired with an Oneida Super Dust Deputy cyclone and a Wynn filter. It took a bit of work, but it’s a significant upgrade already, with a total cost around where you’re at – the dust collector runs $200 list, or $150-160 with a coupon, Wynn filters are around $200, and a Super Dust Deputy is $170. You’ll end up investing in some other small parts to join them all together, but you’ll end up with a more capable, cyclone based system with a good filter.
Is this my final solution? I suspect it’s not. I’m already looking at Laguna’s new 3 horse power PFlux units as a potential upgrade. For now, my Harbor Freight DIY unit runs on 110 and does most of what I need.
Sean
Hi Stuart- love the site. I went through a similar calculation a few months ago for my dust collector: 110v + portable + decent canister filter = ?? I decided that there isn’t an ideal solution at the midway point between a shop vac and a full size dust collector, so I ended up sacrificing the portability aspect and bought the Laguna Pflux 1.5. A close second for me was the Oneida mini gorilla. Both had HEPA-ish filters, but the Laguna brought greater capacity and I had already resigned myself to the larger footprint. So far I’m pretty happy with it, no complaints. Good luck!
fred
Use some of you tools to extend your house or build a dedicated shop on the property (just joking). So maybe this isn’t practical – but how about housing your dust collector in an attached shed and ducting it up to your shop. Shop space is indeed one of those things that sort of follows an analogy to Parkinson’s Law – in that your tools and machinery seem t expand to fill the space that you have available and then some. When I bought my house – I looked at the 2400 square foot basement and thought that there was plenty of room for anything I’d ever want. I added some big doors at the rear to provide better access and started bringing in the machinery. The cabinet saw, RAS, band saw, drill press, scroll saw, 8 inch jointer, sanding station (2 belt sanders , disk sander, drum sander, rotating spindle sander) , big compressor, shaper – then router table, grinding station, portable band saw on a stand, surface planer, chop saw, baghouse dust collector, plus benches and set ups for dovetail jigs, doweling jigs, pocket hole jigs, wood and parts storage and so on soon filled the space – such that I put a portable table saw and a miter saw in the garage
Stuart
Unfortunately, a detached shed is out of the question. One side of the garage is attached to the house, one side faces the street, once side faces the driveway, and one side faces the backyard but is connected in parallel to a path from the driveaway to the house.
There is an attic space, but I don’t like the idea of having a dust collector housed up there.
How often would I use it? Probably anytime I used a benchtop tool, as opposed to a handheld tool. I would likely use attachments for tools like my drill press.
I can’t even think of moving a DC to the basement – the ceiling is very low. The stairs are somewhat narrow too, and so I would hate to bring materials up and down from there – the garage seems to be the better workspace.
The basement is huge, though, but spit down the middle by HVAC ducting.
fred
Bilco doors were my answer to providing better access to the basement – but mine is dug out pretty deep so I have 7 feet of headroom in the drop ceiling areas where the ductwork runs and nearly 10 feet in other areas.
So it sounds like you need a mobile dust collection system – Jet and Powematic make them – probably others too.
fred
I meant to say that Jet makes mobile unit that is rated for metalworking
Woodchuck
I spent years trying to rig up better dust collections, trying the HF with upgraded filter (if you want that route, I’ll make you a deal on a filter, but note it clogs up every 10 minutes and is a B**** to clean), etc. Finally, I just broke down and bought what I wanted: a JDS 3HP drum system. Now I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner. It’s got power for days (even going through 4″ tubing, when it ought to be 6″) I have branches galore with no loss of power. I can roll the drum out and pull out a bag (minimal mess) and dump it. The filter self cleans after using it. Take my advice, and don’t try to half ass it. You’ll save money in the long run.
A W
^ this.
You’ve only got one set of lungs. If working outside isn’t an option I would get a good cyclone system, put it on the 220v circuit, and rig up the duct work to allow for mobility in swapping tools out. Yes, it’s going to take up space, but all your major woodworking tools (cabinet saw, jointer, lathe, etc) take up space.
Personally, I would go with a couple of 48″ fans evacuating air out through the garage door (assuming you have a side window) before swapping out the festool for one of the portable dust collectors.
Josh
These commenters are right on.
Your DC is your most important tool in your shop, and the fine, sub-micron dust is what you have to collect – at the source – not just the chips.
Your Festool vac is excellent at collecting at a high fpm a small amount of air at a high SP – ideal for the handheld tools it is designed to accommodate. But your stationary tools need more CFM to effectively collect the fine dust. You will be surprised at how much you need and how ineffective most ‘hobbiest’ dust collectors are.
Here’s the choices IMO if you want to collect the most dangerous dust:
First choice is an Oneida or Clearvue cyclone with as high an HP as I could afford. The short cyclone collectors have unrated filters, lack verified fan performance curves and are designed for convenient hobby size and price point, not performance.
Second choice would be a minimum 2hp single stage collector with a MERV 13 or better filter, ie. Nano or HEPA, and an Oneida Super Dust Deputy XL to protect your filter. Or maybe a Thein baffle, but I think SP loss and efficiency on the SDD is better.
In lieu of filters venting to the outside is an ideal choice too, although not always possible.
Third choice… not ideal… get the single stage now and the seperator later… but don’t get a felt bag type filter… been there done that and it’s not a dust collector, it’s a chip collector and dust pump that will put dust into the air again and again every time you turn it on… You need a rated filter like the ones from Wynn Enviromental or Oneida…
For ducting keep it a minimum, minimise amount of flex hose used and keep it large diameter ie. 6″-5″ – SP loss in 4″ ducting will result in poor fine dust collection.
Everything else will leave you wanting and ultimately upgrading with your good money after bad…
Bill Pentz’s website provides the most comprehensive information on the subject that I’m aware of. Do check it out, you want to enjoy a lifetime of woodworking and not get yourself or your family sick from it.
Good luck.
Emma
There is this new system that might be of interest:
http://www.bridgecitytools.com/blog/2016/11/23/bridge-city-review-gyro-air/
http://www.bridgecitytools.com/default/gyro-air.html
Stuart
It looked interesting when I first heard of it, and then I saw the $4000 price tag and 400+ lb weight.
That amount of money could instead go to a CNC machine or shop full of upgraded equipment.
Might be a good idea for more active woodworkers, but its features and capabilities are overkill for my needs.
Drew M
I wouldn’t touch a Laguna. I saw some reviews of their stuff and I think all their taiwanese? made stuff is junk.
I’d just get the biggest Oneida system that you can afford and be done with it.
Tim
I have the oneida mini gorilla. It seems to work well now that its set up. When It first arrived it had a bad switch/ motor and after some back and forth they sent a new one and paid for shipping. Not sure how I feel about the plastic cyclone yet. It does have port at the base if the filter so that you can blow it out which is handy. There’s a 220 version but the 110 doesnt sound like it’ll work for you. I’m limited on space too and it seemed like the best bang for the buck with the small jet being next in line (when its on sale).
Koko the Talking Ape
Stuart, what do you think of the cyclone attachments for dust collectors. They take up space, but supposedly they work, and they don’t reduce air flow.
Stuart
There are lots of designs, most seem to work well.
The benefit is greater filter longevity, or less maintenance at the least.
For small stuff, it’s not worth the hassle. For example, if you do small sanding and have a HEPA vac with disposable filter bags or washable filter, it’ll be a very long time before a cyclone stage gives you a positive return on the investment.
BigDan
When I researched this a few years ago I found a lot of common comments around the smaller 4″ ones that you compromise on are just not strong enough to actually do the job. I ended up getting the $900 or so powermAtic and attached it to a 55 gallon fiber barrel with 4″ ports on it.
My Festool ct48 hooks up to my Bosch glide 12″ and does a pretty fantastic job of pulling in most of the dust. When I hooked my shop vac up to a reducer for the glide port I was very disappointed but the Festool was night and day. Very little dust left over compared to the shop vac. I think then if you put a big gulp behind it with a standard high flow shop vac that it would do a decent job of pulling the rest. The shop vac has better volume pull vs the Festool and the Festool has super velocity which really “sucks” pulling the dust straight from the 12″ blade. Using them in tandem usually does the job just fine.
I agree with a previous comment on the dewalt planer. It does a good job pushing on it’s own. If you were to hook up a trash can with a 4″ port right behind it and then a shop vac on 2.25″ or whatever on the other end to help pull while the planer pushes, I think you’ll be just fine. The shop vac hose won’t have to deal with the chips but will help with the air flow out of the back end. Just not a 55 gallon trash can but a smaller one.
I hook my powermatic up when I’m using the planer and also to a big gulp behind my miter saw along with the Festool, and then to the router table but I find it disappointing on the router table because it tends to clog as it’s not pulling the chips fast enough before they clump up.
Stuart
For the planer, my plan is to route into a trash bin or similar, and have a filtered exhaust cut into a lid, so that there’s place for the airflow to go after depositing the chips and dust. And like you said, maybe I’ll attach my Festool too, to ensure any fine particulates don’t clog the filter or make it into the air through a loose lid-can seal.
With your Festool, what size hose do you use?
The standard 27mm hose is great for some tools, but the 37mm is better suited for the big chip-makers.
Pete
27mm? Standard? Thats 1″?
Man i had to give away a shopvac that had a 1″ hose as it clogged with EVERYTHING!
I picked up a ridgid 16 gal. 6.5-Peak HP Stainless Steel Wet Dry Vac with a 2-1/2 hose and its been AMAZING!
I couldnt imagine paying $700 for a 1″ hose vac, sure it filters really well im sure but no thanks!!! The amazon ad didnt even say how many cfms it produces.
Stuart
Sorry, Festool “standard.”
Festool dust extractors come with 27mm hoses that fit most of their tools. Some of their tools, such as their sanders and Domino joinery machine, can only work with the 27mm hose, at least without adapters.
Their other tools can work with the 27mm hose, or a 36mm hose you purchase separately.
Track saws and routers in particular can benefit from the larger hose size.
You can buy other brands’ hoses if you don’t want Festool or don’t need anti-static properties. I have a cheap Shop Vac hose that I (rarely) use for large cleanup tasks.
Big Dan
For the can/barrel catching the 4″ chips I use this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004AJVD76?psc=1
For the Festool I use the 27mm, tiny thing that I was concerned about at first. But if you are hooking that up in a 2-stage setup with a bin catching the chips that should eliminate the chip issue. On my miter saw its mostly dust. Sometimes chips fly past the dc port as they are heavier and slower which the big gulp then handles, but I shouldn’t be chipping with my miter saw, I’m just an amateur. I use it as the secondary vac on my outer pulling the dust from underneath while the main port pulls the chips but that does get clogged sometimes mainly due to the router’s design though not the hose’s fault.
Even my powermatic clogs at the entrance to the fan unit. It has some bars there to protect the fan blades from large pieces and they tend to clump up, which is what caused me to get the fiber barrel and make it a 2 stage and I haven’t looked back.
I wouldn’t mind seeing a review on the Oneida Festool separator as I’ve heard concerns about units overheating but then seen that it doesn’t, so maybe it was an early gen version or maybe it was misinformation? Its definitely priced to go with a festool device….
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VR65OE?psc=1
Big Dan
Aaaaand I knew I’d heard that Oneida thing somewhere:
https://toolguyd.com/oneida-ultimate-dust-deputy-2014/
Haha.
Stuart
I’ll try to prioritize that for this week. Right now I’ve dug everything out and the pile of parts is waiting to be re-assembled. I’ve got to find some replacement gasket material, but other than that I think it’s good to go.
Hmm, those fittings seem like a great idea, thanks!
Some people have been using a HDPE drum for their small cyclones ($38 via Amazon)– I wonder if it’ll work well for this, but I’d like to try using something I already have or can build from scrap material first.
Dave
A empty 125lb bulk grease drum from your local oil change place along with a piece of plexaglass works great and allows you to see your chip level in the drum.
John S
Btw you want a great drop in replacement for a Festool 36mm hose (and don’t care about non-static) and not pay the inordinate Festool branded price get this:
Bosch VAC005 5-Meter Vacuum Hose 35mm
It fits perfectly to my Festool products that support the 36mm connector: Tracksaw, Kapex, etc.
Though its not “non static electrically conductive / non-static.
ToolNut is running a special this month for $40 off the Oneida AXD000009 Ultimate Festool Dust Deputy:
http://www.toolnut.com/oneida-axd000009-ultimate-festool-dust-deputy.html
I picked one up and it works wonderfully. In fact you don’t strictly *need* a Festool dust extractor for it. I was able to confirm it also fits the standard ShopVac hoses as well and works just as well.
The updated Oneida AXD000009 Ultimate Festool Dust Deputy does now have the grounding to eliminate the problems the first run has. Just remember to use non-static / electrically conductive hoses or properly ground jump points to keep the grounding through the system. (the hose I mentioned above again is not such a hose btw)
Stuart
I have one of those Oneida Ultimate Dust Deputies, but it’s not seen a lot of use. The bottom doesn’t mount to my CT very well and I’m been lazy to cut the tabs to fit. The gasket seal dried up and separated, I have replacement tape but it’s dried up from the backing. I’ve been meaning to get some replacement PSA neoprene to make my own gasket.
I received a retrofit kit and convinced them to send me an anti-static cyclone to replace the non-AS one.
I haven’t been going through bags very much, but plan to get it up in working order soon. I have a Festool 50mm anti-static hose that I’ll use for the vac-to-cyclone connection if I can, except when that hose is needed to connect to a table saw or other tool with 2-1/2″ port.
Big Dan
Sounds like you got an earlier gen model – wonder if they corrected those issues in the newest one, for over $200 it should be perfect!
Yeah it’s not about the bags as much as catching the chips first so the vac doesn’t clog. Which is where a good brute can with the dust right adapters might excel anyway.
Stuart
I know, but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced suction loss on my CT26.
Emma
I tried this. Had a shop vac connected through a trashcan cyclone to a 12 inch jointer/planer. Barely had enough suction to work. After 10-15min of use the hose and machine would clog. I would have to manually clean them out and do it again. Really makes doing larger jobs a huge hassle.
Chris
What are your opinions on the Ridgid jointer? Or even the bench top jointers from grizzly?
Stuart
Just looked at the Ridgid earlier, it seems to be discontinued. Can’t buy it from Home Depot, only from 3rd party resellers at higher pricing.
I spent some time looking at jointers today too. Grizzly seems to be well regarded, but I’ve read a lot of complaints about machines with out-of-the-box problems.
I would want to somehow be able to accommodate a Powermatic.
I’d be willing to try a benchtop model, but as mentioned all I see are complaints.
I have a big project coming up – my bench planes will see a lot of use.
Big Dan
Saw the powermatic and Jet models at Rockler the other day. They are a lot shorter than I thought, I’d probably build a workbench over top of it and roll it out when I need it.
fred
I have an benchtop 6 inch Delta that goes on the road with me – but my 40 year old 8 inch Delta long bed is the workhorse in the shop. Nice to have both.
Chip
A vacuum is like an elec panel box,truck,air compressor,or shop.
If improperly sized(to small) can cause aggravation, time and money to do it again.
Pulling a pontoon boat can be pulled by a small truck… Occasionally,but every weekend ,is to frustrating..
You were discussing blind corners in your cabinets,run it vertical in its own appliance garage,with a dust deputy above…And a bulk trashcan below.
Good luck.
Stuart
The blind corner is for office workspace – electronics work, precision work, etc. Complete opposite side from where woodwork would take place. I’ve left that cabinet/workbench build on hold until I can get other areas in better shape and at full productivity.
Chrisk
I purchased a Supermax DC unit to be the mainstay in my shop which is also served by a Festool Midi (attached via a cyclone to my Kapex) and a CT26 which serves the router table, TS and all of my routers. The Supermax 1.5hp was a great price. Made by Supermax. Win win. Having a 4″ port for my Sawstop, bandsaw and planer is a necessity. The Festools are phenomenal machines but don’t have the CFM’s of a 4″ DC.
Goodnightjohnboy
Don’t waste your money. Man up & take it outside like most of us do. You’ve never worked in the rain before? Tools are made to get messy & handle messy work environments. I’m just curious if the only thing that these collectors are good for is sawdust? What about drywall dust or masonry dust or metal dust or tile dust or plaster dust? Sawdust ain’t near as toxic as other particulates. Sawdust never really bothered me. Its all the other stuff that is really bad to breathe in. Seems sort of not worth the money if its only effective for sawdust. I am not very familiar with collection systems, but do they only work if your tool has a shop vac hose attachment? Seems like its very limited. Do they make something that just sucks the dust/particulates out of the air besides sticking a fan in an open window?
Stuart
No thanks.
Having to clear a path, move tools, and set things outside means small projects get delayed. And by the time I have the time for a few things, it’s snowing, or raining, or windy, or there’s a palette preventing me from wheeling a table saw or other tool outside.
Do NOT mix materials in a dust collector unless you know what you’re doing. Some dusts are explosive or combustible, or are heated when ejected. Imagine having a few gallons of fine sawdust and introducing some hot metal chips. BAD IDEA.
For masonry – what would you be doing in a personal workshop that you would create gallons of masonry dust? For machine shops producing a lot of metal dust (dust, not chips), there are specialty collectors. They run at around $1000. But a lot of metalworking tools produce mainly chips and not dust.
Yes, there are air cleaners that help to remove particulates from the air. Think home air purifiers but larger and louder.
Dust collection can be done when a tool has a dust collection port, or if you have special nozzles or area attachments, such as the Big Gulp I linked to. There are also products like downdraft tables that help to keep an area clean.
fred
In our commercial shop the metalworking downdraft table, welding fume hoods, portable debris collection etc. would have cost many multiples of $1000 to replace. The downdraft table alone – was probably in the $10k class and the modern version of the Nilfisk oily-waste vacuum I had posted about recently – now sells for over $4k. But for a home shop one tends to be a bit more conservative on spending – and perhaps more inventive on how to cobble together workable solutions. After all is said and done – you should still wear a good dust mask or respirator – and take steps to provide good ventilation. You especially don’t want others in the household being subjected to wafting fine particulate matter.
Woodchuck
I have a grizzly 8″ jointer, and it worked just fine out of the box. If you can afford a Powermatic, then go for it, I’m sure it performs 5% better than a Grizzly would.
My Grizzly did need some touchup alignment work after about 6 years (disassemble, clean, grease, shim the ways, new setscrews, etc.), which was kind of a pain in the ass. But honestly, the small sacrifices in quality far outway those of trying to do it with a benchtop model. I strongly suggest a 8″ grizzly with a parallegram style bed. Best bang for the buck.
Drew M
New Grizzly 8″ is ~$1300. I just saw a vintage US made Powermatic 60 sell locally in great shape for $750 last weekend.
Goodnightjohnboy
I forgot that your up north. Yeah can’t do much for 5 months cuz the weather sucks. I got it. I was talking about a grinder in terms of metal dust. Cutting durock or backerboard or tile or bricks or digging & pouring footings in a crawlspace in terms of masonry dust. I ain’t talking about a workshop, I’m talking about the job site. Something that ain’t stationary. Something that’s mobile that can move room to room. Something that you ain’t gotta have a hose hooked up to for it to work.
Stuart
I’ve also been doing a lot of work in the evenings. Even if the weather permits it, working by portable worklight and driveway floodlight isn’t ideal.
I updated the garage workspace with insulated walls and a mini split, so it’s nice and comfortable. Why work in winter cold or summer heat if it’s comfortable inside?
But really the most important factor is that minimizing “setup and get to work” time will allow me to do more – a LOT more. I started my office workspace drawers back in July. I finished one bank in September, and only in the past 2 weeks could I manage to make the drawer components, which are now awaiting glue-up. After that, I’ll shellac and apply polyurethane eventually. I’ve got more cabinets and lots more drawers on my to-do list.
Having a clear and clean workspace will take me some more work to plan out and achieve, but I’m hoping it’ll pay off. The other day I had 10 minutes of cutting to do, but it took maybe an hour of shuffling things back and forth a few times, including time making a path for the wide table saw.
There are still some things that need to be off the floor, which will make heading outside easier. And I still might head outside sometimes, but for short builds, or long projects broken up into lots of small steps, having things inside will make the difference between a project taking a month or a year to complete.
For a lot of metal grinding, a metal dust collector might be a good idea. For every now and then, I think no dust collection would be better than using a wood dust collector, which could lead to all kinds of hazards.
There are lots of dust extractors suited for collecting masonry dust on jobsites. With the new silica rules coming out, most professional tool brands are touting their vacs and dust guards and other collection accessories.
Some guards or attachments are universal, others only work with certain tools.
I’ve seen a few in action, and they do make a HUGE difference in capturing most masonry dust as it’s created. You’d still need a vac and a hose, but they’re fairly portable.
Jobsite dust extractor vacs are generally well suited for a range of materials.
fred
Sometimes water (when and if you can apply it) goes a long way to keeping masonry and stone dust down. It is that dry cutting/grinding and drilling that increases the hazard – and flooding a cut with water is not always practical – especially on interior work.
Daniel Lawson
I have this little guy and so far it has done me well. http://www.grizzly.com/products/1-HP-Dust-Collector/G8027
My garage is only 11 by 20 and the front end has an extra 4 foot width to it so it s like 15 feet wide there. I use this with my planer and jointer and it works well for me.
Matt
You shouldn’t be using 15A plugs on a 20A circuit. There shouldn’t be a problem but heat could cause problems.
You said you had several #12 circuits. You could convert another circuit to 240V which may give you additional flexibility. Also if the load is known you could put a 25A breaker on the #12 in either 120 or 240V configuration. This would give you a full 20A available compared to the 16 you get with a 20A breaker.
chris parker
i might go with this option new at woodcraft…https://www.woodcraft.com/products/oneida-air-systems-4-super-dust-deputy-deluxe
Stuart
That’s a popular cyclone and the drum looks decent.
ktash
It’s a bit off the topic, but I was interested to read about the Dylos DC1100 Pro Air Quality Meter on Jay Bates’ website. Around $300. First time I’ve read about testing air quality in such depth. Beyond the scope of my very small shop. Jay discusses fine dust and some of his conclusions will be helpful to me in what I’m setting up. I already have many allergies including to some woods and don’t want to become more sensitive to wood. https://jayscustomcreations.com/2017/04/measuring-woodshop-air-with-a-dylos-dc1100-pro-air-quality-meter/
fred
Wood Magazine (Issue 247 – July 2017) just did a comparison of 8 dust collectors priced from $335 to $900. They gave “Top Tool” awards to the Jet DC-1100VX-5M priced at $550 and to the Shop Fox W1685 priced at $405. The said that the Grizzly G1028Z2 priced at $335 was a “Top Value” The $900 Powermatic PM1300TX-CK and Jet DC-100VX-CK ($700) seem to have been down-rated – given only a “C” for filtration effectiveness.
Stuart
Interesting, thanks!
I had been steering away from the filter bag models, since canister-type filters are supposed to work a lot better.
I wonder what must have happened for those Powermatic and Jet models to have been rated like that.
fred
Traditionally many woodworking shops relied on baghouses – but before I retired – we were thinking of an expansion (never actually undertaken) for our cabinet shop – and the Torit folks were pitching a changeout of our baghouse to a media-based system they called PowerCore. We never did it so I can’t say how good or not it was.
matt
So a really old thread i know… but curious if you did get the laguna unit?
I did, and i hate it… completely worthless. All i use it on is my sawstop table saw.
It barely does anything.
finally going to replace it with a real oneida unit…
just curious if you have the same buyers regret
Stuart
I ended up going with the basic Jet canister filter dust collector.
https://toolguyd.com/jet-dust-collector-1100vc-deal-blackfriday-2020/
I figured it wasn’t what I really wanted, but it’s 110V and would be a good fit until I knew of or what I wanted if I needed a more powerful 220V system.