# Harbor Freight Dust Collector



## NewBi (Mar 23, 2017)

Good Morning,

I am thinking about getting the Harbor Freight Dust Collector and it seems that a lot of folks go with the Wynn Environmental filter upgrade.

I am tired of breathing all the saw dust. A couple of questions I have are.

1. Does the $100 or so filter upgrade make that much difference?

2. Will the 4" to 2" capture that much dust?

3. I have a 5hp Rigid shop vac that does a horrible job. Will the HF DC do better than that?



Thanks,

Gary


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I've never used the Wynn Environmental filter. Once upon a time I had this sander set up outside and it created so much dust it looked like smoke from a fire that carried a dust cloud more than 100' from the sander. When I moved it inside I got a HF dust collector and it picks it all up.


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## NewBi (Mar 23, 2017)

Steve Neul said:


> I've never used the Wynn Environmental filter. Once upon a time I had this sander set up outside and it created so much dust it looked like smoke from a fire that carried a dust cloud more than 100' from the sander. When I moved it inside I got a HF dust collector and it picks it all up.



Thanks for the quick reply and info. That looks like a HUGE sander. 

So it did a good job capturing the dust as you were using the sander?



Thanks,
Gary


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

NewBi said:


> Thanks for the quick reply and info. That looks like a HUGE sander.
> 
> So it did a good job capturing the dust as you were using the sander?
> 
> ...


Yes, it's a big sander. I uses a sanding belt 6"x281". It came out of a furniture factory in Indiana. 

The dust collector does very good at catching the dust from the sander however I don't have duct work running all over the shop, the dust collector is just hooked to the sander only. I have a second dust collector hooked up to my table saw.


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## Catpower (Jan 11, 2016)

Steve Neul said:


> I've never used the Wynn Environmental filter. Once upon a time I had this sander set up outside and it created so much dust it looked like smoke from a fire that carried a dust cloud more than 100' from the sander. When I moved it inside I got a HF dust collector and it picks it all up.



I sure wish I could have found a stroke sander like tat, I do have a Grizzly that does a real good job, but it is only 24X60

But it beats the chit out of belt sanding door panels


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Catpower said:


> I sure wish I could have found a stroke sander like tat, I do have a Grizzly that does a real good job, but it is only 24X60
> 
> But it beats the chit out of belt sanding door panels


Need to keep an eye on ebay. I got that one for 300 bucks. Had to go 230 miles to get it but worth the trip. 

That one is a Mattison. Beech stroke sanders are much better and more versatile. You can pretty much set it up the size you need as they are in three pieces.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*dust colletors vs shop vacs*



NewBi said:


> Good Morning,
> 
> I am thinking about getting the Harbor Freight Dust Collector and it seems that a lot of folks go with the Wynn Environmental filter upgrade.
> 
> ...


First off, a dust collector or DC, moves a lot of air (CFMs) at a slower speed. A shop vac moves less air, but at a much higher speed. Secondly, the 5 HP shop vac rating is a myth, it ain't gonna happen. You can not power a 5 HP motor on a 120 volt , 20 amp circuit.. They rate them by some mystical standard and are not the same as true HP ratings like on the DC.

So, to collect airborne dust like from a table saw cabinet you need lots of air moving into the filter, and that won't happen with a shop vac. Shop vacs are great "point of source" suckers like at the blade guard on a radial arm saw or hooked up to your ROS sander.

The Harbor Freight DC is a bargain and you'll get them for around $150.00 with a 20% off coupon if you watch the woodworking magazine ads. It is the most popular and most "modified" DC on You Tube by far. Do a search there, you'll see. The bag filter that comes with it is 30 microns, I think. A 1 micron bag is available online from Amercian Fabrics Filters. That's a 300 % difference. Bag filters have less surface area than pleated cannister filters by far. So, a 1 micron cannister filter is another quatum leap in efficiency over a 1 micron bag filter. Wynn filters are well regarded. If you combine a Thien top hat cyclone or a typical cone cyclone like a Clear Vue, you can "pre-filter" the dust before it builds on on the cannister.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f32/...version-dust-collection-suction-tests-148626/

Get over to the Dust Collection section here and start reading! There's a whole bunch of free advice from our members there!
Also go to You Tube.


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

I have the HF dust collector with a Wynn paper filter, and the thien baffle.

The difference between the stock filter bag and Wynn filter is amazing. The stock filter bag is more like a dust redistributor. Very little gets past the Wynn.

I use mine on one machine at a time.


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## gmcsmoke (Feb 6, 2011)

I had the HF bag, then I moved to the wynn filter now I vent outside. I got tired of cleaning my filter; If I had it to do over again I would have vented outside from the get go. I also have a thien baffle and love it.


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## Catpower (Jan 11, 2016)

gmcsmoke said:


> I had the HF bag, then I moved to the wynn filter now I vent outside. I got tired of cleaning my filter; If I had it to do over again I would have vented outside from the get go. I also have a thien baffle and love it.



The only problem with venting out side is if you heat and cool your shop, it will suck in a lot of unconditioned air


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## gmcsmoke (Feb 6, 2011)

I heat with a small kerosene heater and haven't noticed excessively longer run times to keep the shop at temp. I can buy a lot of fuel for a $120+; of course I'm only heating a 12x20 shop.


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## NewBi (Mar 23, 2017)

sanchez said:


> I have the HF dust collector with a Wynn paper filter, and the thien baffle.
> 
> The difference between the stock filter bag and Wynn filter is amazing. The stock filter bag is more like a dust redistributor. Very little gets past the Wynn.
> 
> I use mine on one machine at a time.


Thanks for the reply. Does your setup reduce to a 2 1/2?

Thanks,

Gary


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## NewBi (Mar 23, 2017)

woodnthings said:


> So, to collect airborne dust like from a table saw cabinet you need lots of air moving into the filter, and that won't happen with a shop vac.


That is why I am trying to find out what the suction is like if you reduce the 4" down to 2 1/2.

Thanks,

Gary


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## NewBi (Mar 23, 2017)

gmcsmoke said:


> I had the HF bag, then I moved to the wynn filter now I vent outside. I got tired of cleaning my filter; If I had it to do over again I would have vented outside from the get go. I also have a thien baffle and love it.


Thanks for the reply. Venting to the outside a option, I have neighbors too close.

Gary


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*That will not help*



NewBi said:


> That is why I am trying to find out what the suction is like if you reduce the 4" down to 2 1/2.
> 
> Thanks, Gary


If you reduce your 4" suction from the DC down to 2 1/2" it will not improve the collection, rather it will reduce it. A DC wants to move large volumes of air, so the larger the suction and the less restrictions from ribs and sharp bends, the better. 

Dust collection on a table saw is a problem, since most older saws do not have a blade shroud. This confines the suction area locally right at the blade and improves dust collection immensely. The older saws rely on gravity and the dust just falls to the bottom where ii is collected at the 4" port. It ain't all that great. A shop vac will not work on the 4" port with such a long distance from the point of origin of the dust. 

Newer saws have integral blade shrouds like my Bosch 4000-09 job site saw. It has a 2 1/2" port out the rear for the shop vac and that works very well. I did make a sheet metal housing for my 12" Powermatic saw which had no blade shroud. It was a fairly worth while improvement. 

Like I said, table saws are usually problematic.... :|


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## NewBi (Mar 23, 2017)

woodnthings said:


> If you reduce your 4" suction from the DC down to 2 1/2" it will not improve the collection, rather it will reduce it. A DC wants to move large volumes of air, so the larger the suction and the less restrictions from ribs and sharp bends, the better.
> 
> Dust collection on a table saw is a problem, since most older saws do not have a blade shroud. This confines the suction area locally right at the blade and improves dust collection immensely. The older saws rely on gravity and the dust just falls to the bottom where ii is collected at the 4" port. It ain't all that great. A shop vac will not work on the 4" port with such a long distance from the point of origin of the dust.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the reply. That is what I thought (reduce = less). I have a Dewalt saw that has a shroud.


Gary


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

I've had the HF dust collector for about a year and it does a great job. Like others, I use it on one machine at a time. Last week I upgraded to the Wynn 0.5 micron filter and wow what a difference! The one I got is with the removable lid so you can stack them but I spent the extra $20 not so I could stack them but so that I could remove the lid to clean it; this just seems like it will be easier. 

It was $225 delivered, so about $50 more than the DC itself. It's also quieter now; not a lot but I can tell the motor is running freer than before. I wish I had checked current draw before and after but it just feels like it is spinning easier now (kind of like in my hot rodding days and putting glasspacks on a car). There's a lot more surface area and now I don't see fine dust around it like I did with the bag.

David


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

NewBi said:


> Thanks for the reply. Does your setup reduce to a 2 1/2?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Gary


Hi Gary,

I only use 2 1/2" flex hose for the router table, hand routing, and handheld sander. I use the 4" flex hose to hook up to the table saw, bandsaw, and planer. The 4" line picks up more dust.

No matter what, the table saw is going to throw a lot of dust at you from the blade. I'm slowly working on adding a 2 1/2" line for over the blade.


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Did you have any problems when you got the DC? I read a number of reviews- missing parts, parts don't line up, etc. Would like one and it fits the budget. Too big to tell SWMBO- Oh, I've had that for years!

Used to live in Shreveport, BTW. No crawfish boils around here.


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

Pineknot_86 said:


> Did you have any problems when you got the DC? I read a number of reviews- missing parts, parts don't line up, etc. Would like one and it fits the budget. Too big to tell SWMBO- Oh, I've had that for years!
> 
> Used to live in Shreveport, BTW. No crawfish boils around here.


Everything was in the box with ours and it all went together just fine. 

Where is 'here'?

David


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*a tip from one who has done it*



sanchez said:


> Hi Gary,
> 
> I only use 2 1/2" flex hose for the router table, hand routing, and handheld sander. I use the 4" flex hose to hook up to the table saw, bandsaw, and planer. The 4" line picks up more dust.
> 
> No matter what, the table saw is going to throw a lot of dust at you from the blade. I'm slowly working on adding a 2 1/2" line for over the blade.


If you split the 4" into an additional 2 1/2" you will lose efficiency. I used a shop vac for my over the blade dust collector because of its high velocity air flow in a concentrated smaller area in addition to the 1 1/2HP Jet DC with the 4" port at the bottom. It worked just fine. The combination of a zero clearance throat plate and an over the blade dust collector will be good. I don't think a standard throat plate works all that well with just the DC on the bottom port and it is not really as safe as a zero clearance plate.

My "must have " safety accessories are:
Outfeed support table
Riving knife or splitter
Zero clearance throat plate

Additionally, I like a 2 position fence like the Delta Unifence, for working closer to the blade than a tall fence will normally allow, making more room for a push stick or your fingers when required.
Ya gotta know what you are doing when working between the fence and the blade with thin rips, and using the proper push er makes a huge difference.


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## NewBi (Mar 23, 2017)

difalkner said:


> I've had the HF dust collector for about a year and it does a great job. Like others, I use it on one machine at a time. Last week I upgraded to the Wynn 0.5 micron filter and wow what a difference! The one I got is with the removable lid so you can stack them but I spent the extra $20 not so I could stack them but so that I could remove the lid to clean it; this just seems like it will be easier.
> 
> It was $225 delivered, so about $50 more than the DC itself. It's also quieter now; not a lot but I can tell the motor is running freer than before. I wish I had checked current draw before and after but it just feels like it is spinning easier now (kind of like in my hot rodding days and putting glasspacks on a car). There's a lot more surface area and now I don't see fine dust around it like I did with the bag.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info. I will probably do one tool at a time as well. Do you use any 4" to 2 1/2" tools and if so how do the do.

Gary


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## NewBi (Mar 23, 2017)

woodnthings said:


> If you split the 4" into an additional 2 1/2" you will lose efficiency. I used a shop vac for my over the blade dust collector because of its high velocity air flow in a concentrated smaller area in addition to the 1 1/2HP Jet DC with the 4" port at the bottom. It worked just fine. The combination of a zero clearance throat plate and an over the blade dust collector will be good. I don't think a standard throat plate works all that well with just the DC on the bottom port and it is not really as safe as a zero clearance plate.
> 
> My "must have " safety accessories are:
> Outfeed support table
> ...


Thanks for the reply and info.

I have the "must have" items you mentioned.

Gary


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## NewBi (Mar 23, 2017)

sanchez said:


> Hi Gary,
> 
> I only use 2 1/2" flex hose for the router table, hand routing, and handheld sander. I use the 4" flex hose to hook up to the table saw, bandsaw, and planer. The 4" line picks up more dust.
> 
> No matter what, the table saw is going to throw a lot of dust at you from the blade. I'm slowly working on adding a 2 1/2" line for over the blade.


That's the problem. Everything I have only has the 2 1/2". Bummer for me. 

Gary


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

NewBi said:


> Thanks for the info. I will probably do one tool at a time as well. Do you use any 4" to 2 1/2" tools and if so how do the do.
> 
> Gary


No, Gary, I use my shop vac for the 2 1/2" tools. That's only one, come to think of it, but I have yet to get an adapter or I would probably use the DC for that, as well.

David


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

You could use the 4" hose up to the tool, then use the reducer at the tool. That would be better than a 2 1/2" line.


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## NewBi (Mar 23, 2017)

sanchez said:


> You could use the 4" hose up to the tool, then use the reducer at the tool. That would be better than a 2 1/2" line.



I was wondering that very thing. That for the suggestion.


Gary


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