# first DC on the cheap?



## bond3737 (Nov 13, 2009)

hey guys, Dont know much about the art of dust collection all I know is I dont have one. I used to have a vacuum and set it up next to my lathe but my old landlord stole it (part of the reason we moved) it didnt do that great of a job anyway. So Im planning a major overhaul of my shop. Cleaning, organizing, the whole bit and would like to set up a functional dc so my entire workshop doesnt get coated in half an inch of micro dust. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Happy turnin,
Bond


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## robert421960 (Dec 9, 2010)

get the hf dc on sale
there are alot of people here who have one and like it
including me


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## ArmedFerret (Aug 24, 2011)

Harbor Freight has been running a coupon page in Wood magazine for ages that prices their DC at $149. Couple that with a homebuilt separator and a better filter, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anything that works as well for anywhere near the price of admission.

Lots of threads on this one with the specifics.


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## bond3737 (Nov 13, 2009)

okdok got a question. So in terms of horse power there's a shop vac at lowes that has a 5.5 horse power peak. The hf one seems to come in at 1 hp. Is this the one you all were referring to ? http://www.harborfreight.com/13-gal...-782A-E011-B31E-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA What is the difference in terms of suction and how one works as opposed to how the other works. And what is a separator? Think I know what a filter is but have not heard of a separator. Thanks for the info about the hf. Looks to be a good price just want to make sure its gonna be the right thing for me!! happy turnin all, 
Bond


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## robert421960 (Dec 9, 2010)

no this one
http://www.harborfreight.com/2-hp-industrial-5-micron-dust-collector-97869.html
you can get a coupon in woos magazine to get it for $149 i think


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## haugerm (Nov 19, 2009)

Here's my recent review of the Harbor Freight. Hope it helps you some.
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f24/harbor-freight-2-hp-dust-collector-31876/
--Matt


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

bond3737 said:


> okdok got a question. So in terms of horse power there's a shop vac at lowes that has a 5.5 horse power peak. The hf one seems to come in at 1 hp. Is this the one you all were referring to ? http://www.harborfreight.com/13-gal...-782A-E011-B31E-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA What is the difference in terms of suction and how one works as opposed to how the other works. And what is a separator? Think I know what a filter is but have not heard of a separator. Thanks for the info about the hf. Looks to be a good price just want to make sure its gonna be the right thing for me!! happy turnin all,
> Bond


Hi - 5.5 HP Shop vac will get you about 200 cfm max with about 59" standing pressure of vacuum. Check here, click on "performance". 
http://www.shopvac.com/wet-dry-vacs/default.aspx?hp=4+to+5.5&ts=Any

The HF dust collector you're looking at says 660 cfm but doesn't give any vacuum specs. HF also doesn't give filtering specs on that particular model, the ones they do give specs for are about 5 micron. With the shop vac you can get HEPA filters for which go down to the 1 micron range. 
I use a 6.5 HP shop vac with a drywall bag and HEPA cartridge filter. To keep the bag from filling so quickly, I use an Oneida Dust Deputy "seperator". Just google Dust Deputy. Downside of this is I haven't got enough volume to plumb the whole shop so the hose moves from machine to machine but that really isn't an issue in my small space and the air coming out of the vac is pretty clean. 
Hope this helps :smile:


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## ShaneLyall (Jan 12, 2010)

+1 on the HF. Best bang for the buck I've spent in my shop. I tried a ShopVac with my CSMS and it still made a mess. The dc has enough volume to work with the tools where as the vacs just don't. With a lathe you'll need volume as the chips are generally larger and slower. you can get a hood at Rockler but I use a piece for HVAC duct from Lowes. Really don't use anything unless I'm sanding. The ductwork piece is about half the price of he hood and works well.


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

+1 for the HF 2HP DC.
I don't turn so my suggestion may be off base for a lathe. For my SCMS, I bought a large plastic storage container at the Dollar Store. Cut a hole in the side for a toilet flange (with the opening turned to the saw, the flange is on the "bottom") and attached my HF DC hose to that. Works great! And, a whole lot less expensive than other hoods I've seen advertised.


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