# Completely confused about my DC needs



## NewAtWood (Mar 17, 2011)

Hi, 

I'm sure many of you probably do hobby woodworking out of your garage. I've been trying to educate myself on DC, but I'm really struggling to figure out what I actually need for my situation.

I recently moved and had to give up my detached shed. All of my "project"/hobby time used to go to DIY home improvement/repair. I'm now trying to get into woodworking, but any woodworking is limited to the weekends. Since I no longer have my own "shop" (shed) space, I'm using a corner of my attached garage which I share with cars, dogs, kids and general household storage. I have some basic tools (table saw, miter saw, router, sander, etc), but hope to eventually expand the list as my skill improves. 

I've been using a 16 gallon shop vac for dust collection, but it isn't getting the job done, especially with my bosch table saw. Between two dogs, two cars, and my tool dust...the garage is always really dusty and dirty.

Ignoring my own health for a moment, with two small kids under 4 years old and a wife (who also happens to be suffering a lot from allergies), I'm worried the garage could be negatively affecting their health...both in letting fine dust/dirt into the house and also just from them being in the garage. This past winter, we parked the cars on the driveway quite a bit just so the kids could ride their trikes/bikes around in circles in the garage without being out in the cold/snow/rain.

I'm looking for a way to cut down on dust from my tools, but also be able to vacuum up the road dirt, sand, dog hair, etc that seems to accumulate in there. Hoping to stay under about $300-$350 if possible (including any additional filters, hoses, vacuum attachments, etc that I might have to buy). Also really hoping for something that is a lot quieter than my shop vac.

Saw the HF thread below, and already have the $139 coupon for the 2hp DC. Would something like that be what I need for my situation? Would that be more than enough? Would that be overkill? For my situation, would I also need to upgrade the filter to something like the Wynn (many recommend this), or is that overkill for my situation? 

When reading some of the recommendations from various sources on the web, it is sometimes hard for a novice like me to tell if people are talking about what is necessary for a situation where they are running multiple tools all day long, or are more like me and using their tools on a much less regular basis.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer some help/advice to a rookie.


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

*I am just like you.....*

Hey, There are alot of others on here that are just like you.... Hobbiests that work our of their garage or little shed that they call their shop.

I think you if you bought the HF 2 hp DC, that it would not be Overkill. In fact, I think it is a necessity to also get the filter from Wynn environmental as well, because it offers better filtering, and much more filter square footage, so that you aren't loosing any suction power from your DC.

If you are just starting out, this is probably the best thing/ most economical way to start your dust collection. you might want to check out bill pentz's site. http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm

He has a great deal of info regarding DC.

I also think that in addition to you the DC, you should build a Thein separator , a more economical version of Bill's Cyclone. It works quite well, is something that every joe schmoe can build, and is relatively cheap to make. This separator will take out most of the dust/chips, and keep the filter on your DC cleaner, and making the DC more efficient.

Another thing is that you might have to improve the actual dust collection shrouds on your equipment.... Bill pentz touches on this alot on his site.

I think that if you do these things, it will help with a good deal of dust in your garage, and you will be happier, and it should help keep the air cleaner for the kids too.

Hope it helps....

Fabian


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

I think the HF dust collector would be good even though it will take up floor space. A garbage can and thien separator would also help but I would get a canister filter from Wynn filters first they improve suction and they go to .5 micron which is much better then the bag filters on the HF DC. If you have the money after the canister filter then you could make the separator.


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## dwendt1978 (Mar 13, 2010)

Agree absolutely with these posts. Get the HF DC with the 139.00 coupon. Add a Wynn filter if you can afford it. Being new to the DC's myself, my HF DC is WAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY more powerful than my shop vac. And I have a 6.5 hp 16 gallon vac that is a joke compared to my HF DC.

GO BUY IT!!!:thumbsup:


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