# Lost in my decision with dust collection



## llmoore1953 (Jan 7, 2022)

Since I am new here, I will introduce myself. My name is Loren and My wife and I have bought a new home. With that said I am planning on a retirement hobby, Woodworking. Its been in my blood since High school and now have the time to fulfill my passion. The block that I am up against is Dust collection. I know i could use a shop vac but want to have a better system, more in the line of a 1,5 to 2 hp model with a separate collection bin. I will mainly focus on a lot of slab work so I will be producing quit a bit of rough material. I need to know the best option for me for a D/C when using small power tools, (sander, saw, jointer, etc.). I need for it to be compact since it will be close to the corner of the garage door. Space is in short supply for me and if I need to I can come up with making it mobile. Size of hose, length, etc. I need to factor in the CFM. I have been researching all kinds of systems and have came to the point in looking for advise. Would like to know what you have and what works best for you while still keeping a high CFM as much as possible. Thanks for any help you can give.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

There is no one single approach. that works best because there are 3 types of dust,:
1. the very finest airborne dust
2. fine sanding and sawing dust
3. heavier, larger chips from jointing and planing.
So, you need 3 different methods to collect the 3 different types:
An overheard air filtration system for the air borne dust.
A shop vac or dust extractor attached to your hand and bench belt sanders, even the bandsaws.
A large floor or wall mounted dust collector with a good filtration system and cyclone separator.
A separator will keep your final filters cleaner, longer. Cyclones are the most efficient, Dust Deputy is the smallest and cheapest.
Cloth bags are the least efficient and will get clogged with fine dust quickly, although there are some very good ones. Many bag filters are better than just one.
Cannister filters are the most efficient because they have the most filter area within the smallest space.

I have all 3 types in my shop.
I keep the flex hose runs as short as possible to reduce friction losses. Smooth wall pipe is best with no sharp elbows.
I have several Rigid 16 gal shop vacs. Each one stays attached to a near by machine, the bandsaw, the small jointer, the bench top belt sander and one for hand sanders and floor cleanup. Each has a separate remote on/off control.
I have 2 mobile Jet 1100 1.5 HP DCs with cannister filters that can be swapped between nearby machines, the drum sanders, planers, and table saws. Each has its own remote on/off control.
I have one Jet AFS 1000 over head air filtration with a remote control for fine air borne dust.
The remote controls make using them much easier.

The subject of masks and personal protection is a whole 'nother confusing discussion. Basically it boils down to face coverings like masks, organic compound respirators, and face shields with forced filtered air flow. That's from cheapest to most expensive. Then where will the sanding be done, inside a closed area, or outside where dust can be blown away? Then what species of wood will be sanded? That's important because some can be very "toxic" like some Rosewoods, some Cedars:





Wood Allergies and Toxicity | The Wood Database







www.wood-database.com





Typically, the Conifers Pines and Spruce, are less irritating and harmful than the Exotics.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Dust collection is one of those topics where its really easy to get lost in the weeds, while being a pretty easy topic at its core for most people. Really, it can get narrowed down with a few questions:

First, what are you hoping to accomplish? Are you wanting to keep the shop a little cleaner, or are you wanting something that can keep your shop air completely spotless to the point where not a single speck of dust remains and you can ditch lung protection?

Second off, what kind of shop are you looking to set up? Are you planning on doing a fully piped collection system to keep all your tools hooked up at once, or are you okay with a single hose you run from tool to tool as needed?

Third and last, whats your budget look like?

Lets talk about the first point. I will freely admit that i personally think that trying to choose a dust collector that catches every microscopic particle is a waste of time and money. Frankly, most people just dont need a 100% effective dust collector with a cyclone separator and HEPA filters, and the price tag that comes with that. A bottom-end collector with a cloth filter bag works just fine for collecting 90% of dust and a combination of a respirator and a box fan with a furnace filter taped to it will get the fine stuff. 

Points 2 and 3 are pretty easy to decide. If youre planning on running a hose from tool to tool, then a giant 5hp collector is overkill, a 1hp unit will work just fine. On the flipside, if youre planning on piping your shop, then you need more power to deal with the losses inherent in the pipe. Budget is equally easy to figure out. Only have $250 to spend? Get the harbor freight collector. If youre willing to spend $2k and want spotless air, get a gigantor 2hp unit with a cyclone pre-filter and canister filters

And for the record, ive got one of the harbor freight units. Works great. I run a hose from tool to tool as needed, and it works just fine. Grabs all the larger stuff, and i wear a respirator to deal with the fine stuff. The cheap collector does 90% of the work, its just not worth it to me to dump the time and effort in to futilely chasing that last 10%, not when the last 10% is accomplished with a $30 respirator anyways


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## DrRobert (Apr 27, 2015)

First let me say kudos to you for thinking of DC first. The first step in the decision process is based on what machines you need to collect, the second is based on space.

I didn’t read all the posts, hopefully whatever is redundant reinforces your decision.

Shavings producers (planers, jointers) are easiest to collect. Dust producers (table saw, miter saw, sanders) are the hardest.

Some are task dependent. In slab work, assuming you’re using a router sled, thats a unique task that will require a custom made set up. Same for lathes and drill presses.

You haven’t declared a budget, so I’m going to give you a few specific options I think would be a good start. If space is on short supply I would suggest a portable unit. The filter is very important, so a canister is best. Something like this would be a good option - you could also consider a cyclone. Semi-compact cyclone units are available from Laguna and Jet and others. IMO the Jet 1100 is very reliable. FWIW I am using a Jet 1100 blower that is at least 20 years old and ne’er had an issue. I think Woodnthings also uses one.

Avoid the bag type filters and go with a canister. Bags are horrible at filtration and clog easily.










In the shop vac realm, again, space is an issue, I would suggest a dust extractor rather than a shop vac for a few reasons:

HEPA filtration
Less noise
Better suited to hand tool collection
Auto switching
Smaller footprint
Personally, I have a Festool CT36, but other HEPA models to look at include Bosch and Fein.

You will also need to address personal protection in the form of a respirator or mask. Personally I dont like full face respirators b/c they are too bulky, too hot, and not necessary for ww’ing. I only use one with carbon filters when spraying solvent based product. I recently purchased an RZ mask and like it a lot.

If your climate dictates the garage will be closed, an air scrubber is a good idea, too.

Hope this helps.


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## BigCountry79 (Jun 2, 2021)

What climate are you in and is your shop heated?

Opening a window will do more for you than a lot if the fine dust removal options.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

llmoore1953 said:


> Since I am new here, I will introduce myself. My name is Loren and My wife and I have bought a new home. With that said I am planning on a retirement hobby, Woodworking. Its been in my blood since High school and now have the time to fulfill my passion. The block that I am up against is Dust collection. I know i could use a shop vac but want to have a better system, more in the line of a 1,5 to 2 hp model with a separate collection bin. I will mainly focus on a lot of slab work so I will be producing quit a bit of rough material. I need to know the best option for me for a D/C when using small power tools, (sander, saw, jointer, etc.). I need for it to be compact since it will be close to the corner of the garage door. Space is in short supply for me and if I need to I can come up with making it mobile. Size of hose, length, etc. I need to factor in the CFM. I have been researching all kinds of systems and have came to the point in looking for advise. Would like to know what you have and what works best for you while still keeping a high CFM as much as possible. Thanks for any help you can give.


You do a lil work , you much need much DC. Do a lot and you will...

I have the older JET DC with the bag. It works fine..


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Now your sanding a lot by hand with belt sanders and ROS's. You won't catch it all with a shop vac attached. You'll need something in the air to catch it...


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## Biotec (Mar 14, 2021)

I think one of things is key to the solution is work space and Equipment will be located near a garage door.

As others have pointed out you have three types of dust collection to deal with. it will influence in regard of what type of dust collection system that you want to be employed. point of use system will be the least space taking and lowest first cost. a smaller piece of equipment like the Fetsool for very fine dust. and one for course dust. That one will be a home-built unit. Dust Cyclone Separator Cart | Dustopper & Ridgid Shop Vac  this is one I built. it will not work for a DW735 planer. it has more leaving CFM than the craftsman 16 gal shop vac. it had the highest CFM for the dollars.

good luck


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

This is a LOT of information to absorb, but a VERY important read for the subject is Dust Collection Research - Home

Bill Pentz is widely considered to the the largest authority in dust collection.

As a bare minimum, you will want..

2HP dust collector, pleated filter NOT a bag filter, at least .5 micron filtration, and your runs should be as short, straight, and smooth as possible. 

IF I were starting off now, and didn't want to mod a dust collector much, I would get a Wen 3403 2HP and add a Wynn 35 Nano filter, you will need to fabricate up a Neutral vane to help keep the filter clean, and then move the collector from tool to tool.


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## llmoore1953 (Jan 7, 2022)

epicfail48 said:


> Dust collection is one of those topics where its really easy to get lost in the weeds, while being a pretty easy topic at its core for most people. Really, it can get narrowed down with a few questions:
> 
> First, what are you hoping to accomplish? Are you wanting to keep the shop a little cleaner, or are you wanting something that can keep your shop air completely spotless to the point where not a single speck of dust remains and you can ditch lung protection?
> 
> ...


Thanks for all the insight for my decision making. I have been looking at the HF dust collector and may be a good choice to keep it mobile so i can go to each one as needed. thanks again


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## llmoore1953 (Jan 7, 2022)

DrRobert said:


> First let me say kudos to you for thinking of DC first. The first step in the decision process is based on what machines you need to collect, the second is based on space.
> 
> I didn’t read all the posts, hopefully whatever is redundant reinforces your decision.
> 
> ...


Thank you. I will be using a similar unit you showed above and may invest in an air scrubber to hang in the middle of the garage. I am also looking into the RZ masks and ear muffs too. thanks again.


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