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Dust collector size

R

Raif Harik

Joined
Jan 14, 2020
Messages
279
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100
Location
Austin, TX
Hi, I am just finishing up a a new shop I'm building on my house! It is a glorious and luxurious 270 feet! I can now have an actual table saw. I'm just sooo happy. In any case, dust collection comes to mind as this shop actually has walls and a roof. I have a few questions.

1) Do people use DC for their lathe and do they find it effective/useful
2) Do people recommend a big open mouth sort of thing on the ground behind the lathe ( lathe up against a wall ) or some gaping maw up at lathe level behind the work
3) How many cfm is necessary? Seems like either way there's going to be a great big opening and that that would require way more cfm then a fairly closed system.
a) I have cabinet saw ( yay! ) and a 24/36 lathe, I may get some other peripheral tools but nothing that will be critical, maybe a chopsaw.
b) The shop is basically 10' X 30' X ~8' H minus a section for the house's AC condensor, so I might have to run some hose a fair distance.
4) I have no room. I can't believe it. It's like 50% larger than my lean-to but I'm already out of room ( in my mind ). So maybe one of those wall mount ones would be better?
5) Given the above, maybe I should have something on wheels and just move it to the appropriate spot when needed. That said lazyness may lead to less consistent use.
6) Whatever you recommend, do you have one you could sell me :)
Thanks for your thoughts,
Raif
 
I don't send my curls through to the dust collector. I turn green and I get curls a foot long. I do use the dust collector when I am sanding on the lathe. A good shop vac would control the dust I generate on the lathe. I highly recommend something with a cyclone for the other machinery. Also keep flex hose to a minimum. 1' of flex is like 10' of smooth in air restriction.
 
Wear a good respirator, preferably a powered respirator with a P100 filter.

My shop is also 270 square feet. It seemed big enough until I moved all of my machines into it. Now, it's so crowded that I don't even have enough room to change my mind. I have to go outside to do that.
 
I use a “2 hp” HF DC, which isnt 2 hp, but is sufficient. 10 ft 4” flex hose that can connect to table saw, planer (neither get much use anymore but great to have when needed), and the lathe. Ive played around with a bigger hose inlet but it doesnt seem to help much. I use a slip on type fitting at the hose inlet, and a neo magnet attached that will hold it to the lathe. I can move the placement around to best suck dust in, which seems to work better than a big inlet that cant get as close, and its easy.

I use the DC any time I sand and when cutting dry wood, and most of the time when cutting drier wet wood because I see particles floating around in the beams of the lathe lights. Most always wear a respirator in addition to the DC. I dont try to capture lathe chips - sweep them up.

Shop vac can do some limited good for the lathe, but doesnt generate the volume flow of a small 110v DC like mine. It measured ~ 600 cfm at the hose inlet with a Wynn filter and without a thien trash can baffle. With the baffle/trash can it measured ~ 430 cfm.

I mostly use the DC for lathe dust. After watching the video below, I switched over to the cut bag/ 5 gal bucket and took the thien baffle out of the system. Before, the fine dust that made it into the DC bag would get entrained in the air column and taken back up to the filter. I could clean the filter blowing it with compressed air, dust would fall. Over time the same dust would find its way back up to the filter. The 5 gal bucket allows the dust to fall and not be entrained in the air column, and not find its way back to the filter. It also increased air flow back to ~ 600 cfm.

View: https://youtube.com/watch?v=oosMqnORR6k&feature=share
 
Well, you can do the cheap version, which is a 1 hp DC on wheels that you move from machine to machine. I found out I was always tripping over extension cords and the hoses. I went with a centralized system. Probably highest quality are the ones from Oneida. Clearview also is supposed to be very high quality. I know Oneida has very small foot print sizes for smaller shops. 1 hp would be kind of minimal, 2 hp would be more than you need, but if you expand, then you wouldn't have to upgrade. You will have to run pipes. Oneida, and others, will tell you what you need for duct work. Having a pleated paper air filter is a huge upgrade from the old cloth bags. As others have said, you don't use your dc to pick up shavings, scoop shovel works good, and I use contractor grade plastic bags rather than a barrel because the barrel seems to get packed, and then the chips don't want to come out.

robo hippy
 
Raif Harik said:
Hi, I am just finishing up a a new shop I'm building on my house! It is a glorious and luxurious 270 feet! I can now have an actual table saw. I'm just sooo happy. In any case, dust collection comes to mind as this shop actually has walls and a roof. I have a few questions.

1) Do people use DC for their lathe and do they find it effective/useful
2) Do people recommend a big open mouth sort of thing on the ground behind the lathe ( lathe up against a wall ) or some gaping maw up at lathe level behind the work
3) How many cfm is necessary? Seems like either way there's going to be a great big opening and that that would require way more cfm then a fairly closed system.
a) I have cabinet saw ( yay! ) and a 24/36 lathe, I may get some other peripheral tools but nothing that will be critical, maybe a chopsaw.
b) The shop is basically 10' X 30' X ~8' H minus a section for the house's AC condensor, so I might have to run some hose a fair distance.
4) I have no room. I can't believe it. It's like 50% larger than my lean-to but I'm already out of room ( in my mind ). So maybe one of those wall mount ones would be better?
5) Given the above, maybe I should have something on wheels and just move it to the appropriate spot when needed. That said lazyness may lead to less consistent use.
6) Whatever you recommend, do you have one you could sell me :)
Thanks for your thoughts,
Raif
Click to expand...
Like others I use the dc mainly when finish turning dry wood and sanding. A grain scoop and 30 gallon plastic barrel are essential for turning green wood. I have a 3hp Oneida central system in my 1100 sq ft cabinet shop, with filtered air returning to the shop. I have a 6" drop with a flex hose and a rudimentary hood that I can position close to the turning action. The closer you can locate the pickup to the dust production the more efficient it will be.

Given the nature of turning I would consider 1 1/2 hp a minimum. Cfm ratings are meaningless unless plotted on a fan curve relative to static pressure. The cloth bags on cheap collectors are ok at collecting chips but too small and too coarse to protect you against the fine dust that is the worst for your lungs. Cartridge filters pack a large area into a small volume and can filter fines well but are a major pain to clean when clogged. Given your location you may be able to exhaust whatever dust escapes a Fein baffle or a cyclone directly outdoors without a filter - that is efficient and gets the dust outside if you can stand the heat loss and your neighbors don't object. You can locate the blower outside which will help in a small space. Rigid duct is more efficient than hose. Use blast gates at the machine drops. You might want to look at the Harvey dust collector gyro G-700, kind of pricy but small and gets good reviews.
 
I have a very similar system to Doug Freeman and it has worked well in my small shop (11ft x 19ft). Harbor Freight DC with Wynn cartridge filter, an internal Thein baffle, use the 4" flex hose to reach lathe plus other woodworking machines. I have an air cleaner mounted near the ceiling and wear a respirator with P100 cartridges any time I'm working in the shop.

I bought one of the Black Hole dust collection systems from Craft Supplies. It works great to put the dust hood where you want it. Very pricy though, and much more money now than when I bought it. Ken Rizza at Woodturners Wonders sells a similar system for less. Before that I tried some units that had floor stands supporting the hose and dust hood. They didn't work for me; there wasn't enough room between the back of the lathe and the wall.

@Doug Freeman thanks for the link to the Stumpy Nubs video. That looks like a great improvement vs replacing the collection bags every time they fill up.
 
For dust collection, airflow is the biggest factor you want to consider. The more air you move, the better you will be. I started with a Delta 1.5HP dust collector and plumbed my shop with 4" PVC sewer/drain pipe. Blast gates at every machine, a cheap chip separator in front of the collector. It worked....more or less (usually less than more) and was prone to getting clogs in the pipes somewhere. I decided to upgrade. Sort of.

I took the Delta apart, and completely modified the whole setup. Originally, the whole thing was on a cart. The blower/motor were mounted on the bottom of the cart, with a 4" WYE inlet. Out of the blower was a 6" flex into the ring that separated the bag filter from the poly bag that collected the chips. Out of that, the blower (and it's motor), the ring, filter bag (more on that momentarily), and poly bag remain. Other than the Delta logo on the bag, and on the motor (if you can contort yourself enough to see the logo), you would never know it's origin. I bought an Oneida cyclone, which sits on a shop-made adapter ring on a 33 gallon galvanized trash can. The outlet of the Oneida is at the top, and goes directly into the now 6" inlet on the delta. Hiding under the 4" wye was a 6" inlet. Hiding under THAT was a restrictor plate. The plate has been removed, the WYE has been removed, the motor and blower are now mounted horizontally on a piece of plywood attached to the 2x4 frame that holds the entire new dust collector setup. A very short piece of flex (a couple of inches - more of a coupler than a run of hose, really) connects the blower output to the filter/bag ring. Currently it contains the original bag filter and poly collection bag. I am ordering a Wynn kit this week, once I identify exactly what I need. Not sure if I want to go with 1 or 2 filters yet. The plumbing has been removed. I am about 2/3 finished with replacing it with 6" round galvanized steel HVAC duct. At each tool location is a 'full flow' tee, that goes into a 6 to 4 reducer, then blast gate, then hose to machine. There are only a few elbows in the run, what are there are all 45 degrees or less. A 90 turn lowers the airflow. Somewhere on the internet are some interesting HVAC models that show airflow through ductwork in various scenarios. This applies to dust collection as well, since airflow is what you are after. All seams and joints are taped with foil duct tape. All unused holes in the blower and filter bag assemblies have been sealed with the same foil tape - a piece on the inside and a piece on the outside.

I also hooked up a shop-made manometer. It does not tell me true pressure, as it is not calibrated, but it does serve as a 'change the filter' indicator. The current manometer hookup is temporary. Once I get the Wynn filter, I will put the manometer pickup tube in a better location (like in the middle of the cover at the top of the filter) and mark the final 'good zone' on the manometer backboard.

One thing I have not yet done is figured out a way to make a 'can full' indicator for the can under the cyclone. Currently, the only indication I have that the can is full is if I see something in the clear poly bag under the filter - that means the can is full to the point where the tube in the middle of the cyclone is sucking stuff out of the can. I am not sure if I have pictures of the setup at the moment. I will have to look. On the to-do list, besides the improved filtration, is to run a line across the shop to connect to the pipe coming up out of the floor that goes to the table saw. When I had the pole building put up, I worked with the contractor and buried a run of 4" schedule 40 PVC in the floor (along with some conduit and a box) so the table saw would be able to sit in the middle of the floor to give plenty of working room around it. Of course, the dust collector wound up on the wall opposite where it was originally supposed to be. I am going to put a full flow tee on the line from the dust collector, run a line up to the ceiling, across the ceiling, down the opposite wall, and connect to the 4" PVC. I will probably add another tee somewhere over the table saw and just cap it for now, to give me the option of adding an additional dust collection 'drop' there. That would serve one of my workbenches as well. I also need to continue the line along the wall where the dust collector sits to pick up a couple of other machines. The DC is in the middle of a long wall, the line I ran picks up the thickness planer, band saw, and ancient Delta drill press (seriously - this thing is a 'bench' drill press and easily weighs as much as my bigger floor standing drill press! Cast iron and steel make up this beast. Plastic? Wassat?). That line goes around the corner and to the lathe. The opposite direction hits the router table, radial arm saw (which I am getting rid of), floor standing drill press, and will also pick up the bench sander. I have everything I need for that except the full flow tees. Could not find them when I went shopping this week. Sold out everywhere local, it seems. I have none of the parts to go across the ceiling yet, have not entirely decided the actual route that will take, as I have to avoid the air cleaner (mounted over the dust collector) and the ceiling fan (pretty much directly in line between the DC and the point where the pipe stubs up). If necessary, I can probably move the ceiling fan - it has no back box and is mounted directly to a joist in the ceiling.

I did airflow measurements when I first completed the run I have, but cannot find the video I took. I might have to rectify that when I go back out to the shop tomorrow.
 
Wow, this is a lot of great information.
My previous shop had many, many, many drawbacks, but having only two walls and a roof, air through put was one of the good things. Living in Austin as I do, keeping warm is not a top priority. Keeping cool on the other hand ... So I simply had a fan on one side that served to prevent me from melting into a puddle of liquid flesh as well as to blow the dust away. I am starting to think perhaps that would not be a bad solution here. I have included a nearly to scale drawing of my shop. You'll notice the lathe, expertly drawn, is right by a large sliding barn door. Perhaps a fan mounted between the table saw and lathe, high up, pointing at me and the lathe might serve the same ends as in my previous shop.
I also want to add that I have used up every last square inch of space on the property so I can't place anything "outside" because that would likely not be my property :).

That said, I did want to post this product that looks like it could be pretty great. Typically wall mounted dust collectors kind of stink ( couldn't bring myself to pun ). However, these canister things increase air throughput considerably, which I believe would make the unit considerably more effective.
https://www.amazon.com/Right-Canist...ust+collector+canister+filter,tools,84&sr=1-5

The Stumpy video is pretty great. What a great system for emptying the chips. That is really a game changer for a horrible chore.
Anyway, thanks for the help, and please let me know what you think about any of the above. Raif
 

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The drawing is a little unclear, or my prescription is old. Do you have a tree in your shop?

The linked canister is just an expensive pleated filter. If you want to add to or change the filter on an existing dust collector there are better sources like Oneida and Wynn.
 
I have an Oneida V1500 cyclone which has some permanent ducting to 3 places, one of them being a drop to my lathe. I use the Black Hole collection system (bought from Craft Supplies USA or woodturnerscatalog.com). It attaches to my lathe via a completely adjustable post which slides along a track mounted to the back of the lathe. It comes with a dust collector hood which attaches via a telescoping post to a bracket which slides along the track.

My cyclone is a 1.5 HP HEPA system, more than sufficient for my shop. Since I never run more than one machine at a time, it handles the dust from any of my stationary power tools well. One of the permanent drops is to the lathe hood. I would say that almost no dust that floats off the piece I'm sanding escapes. Shavings and sometimes dust drop downward, but anything that is airborne from turning and sanding at the lathe is sucked away through the hood. I've been very satisfied. I'm sure that you can make something similar to the Black Hole but, for me, it was an easy, quick setup (although a little pricey).
 
If you want to continue working at outside temps, a fan to blow dust out the door would work. I’d get a squirrel cage type blower vs the typical prop blades - more, higher velocity air. You should still wear a respirator IMO.

Being in TX you really need AC! Talk about a game changer for your shop!
 
@Kevin Jenness , Yes a tree. I didn't put it there :)
re: the filter, the one I linked goes on a wall mount dc. So yes, I would have to buy one of those. They can be had starting at ~$200. So the whole thing would be ~ $500. Rikcon sells the same sort of thing but all in one for ~ $650. Perhaps that's the better direction though, a) better resale, b) better quality, c) works out of the box no messin about. What seems like an advantage of these things is that they have that little handle that spins a little ... wacker inside to shake out the dust. Does anyone have experience with that? Or think that would be useful?
Thanks
R
 
Wish my pleated cannister had that feature. It would be a whole lot easier than dismounting the cannister and taking it outside. Laguna CS suggested using a quarter sheet sander to vibrate the cannister and shake off the loose dust. I haven't really given that a try yet. Maybe next spring cleaning.
 
I did take one old paper filter outside to clean it out and used a hose. It had filled up a couple of times from not checking my shavings barrel.... No problems with it after, and the DC system dried it out really fast. I told Oneida I did that, but didn't hear back from them telling me I am crazy or a genius. It was great for getting down to the bottom of the pleats, and kept the dust down as well.

robo hippy
 
I have used a "flicker" on a cartridge filter and it worked ok for gross debridement but fine dust that gets packed into the bottom of the corrugations clogs the airflow and can be dislodged only with an air or water hose. A rule of thumb is 1 square foot of filter media for each 10 cfm of airflow, and more is better. The key to using cartridge filters for dust collection is to keep the fines out of the filters in the first place. I use tube filters in my system to avoid the headache of cleaning a cartridge, but that requires more floor space than many people have to spare.
 
I know that my system is bigger than you need...but maybe some things that you can make for your own shop... I located my DC outside. But, because I need to re-capture the conditioned air, I had to build a "filter vault" with a return plenum so that the 1 micron filtered air could be returned into the shop space. My shop is my basement and a 5 hp dust collector could suck all of the conditioned air out of the house above it quickly. I installed a shaker motor on the filter stack so that I can push and hold a momentary switch to shake the dust down to the bottom. The filter stack sits on top of, and is gasket to a false floor with a gasketed drawer that can be pulled out and dumped. Perhaps some pictures will explain better...
 

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Each time I empty my barrel on my V1500 Oneida cyclone I use a small Dewalt cordless blower. It's on the low end as far as air velocity goes, but it's enough to get out most of the dust between the pleats of HEPA filter. I just move the blower up and down around the outside of the filter cage. The only problem I have is that, when I set up the dust collector I didn't take this process into account and the filter isn't really far enough from the wall so one side is difficult to get at with the blower. I generally have to loosen up the holding clamps and rotate at least a 1/4 turn to get at all of it. (Poor planning on my part.) Every 2 or 3 barrel emptyings I take the filter outside and use the same blower and blow it out along the length of the inside. It's important, though, that whatever blower is used it isn't excessively forceful. So far, this method has worked for me.
 
Wynn says their filters are washable. You actually dont want to get a pleated filter completely clean, ~90%. That bit left over actually improves the filtering capability. Ive had mine ~12 years. I took mine off once, and what a mess. I can tell when its getting a bit clogged. Use the air hose, turn the regulator down to ~25 psi, and hold the nozzle 8-10” away. Start at the top 1/3, go around it, tapping on and shaking the filter mount. I can watch dust fall. Middle third, then the bottom1/3- thats when the dust really falls, from all of the dust from above and what has collected on the overhangs. Usually go around it 2-3 times, tapping and shaking until the dust quits falling. Mine is cart mounted and the filter mount is on slender legs, so its easy to shake it.

With the stumpy nubs 5 gallon bucket under the bag under the filter the fines are not getting back up to the filter, so I dont think I will need to clean it as often.
 
Randy Heinemann said:
Each time I empty my barrel on my V1500 Oneida cyclone I use a small Dewalt cordless blower. It's on the low end as far as air velocity goes, but it's enough to get out most of the dust between the pleats of HEPA filter. I just move the blower up and down around the outside of the filter cage. The only problem I have is that, when I set up the dust collector I didn't take this process into account and the filter isn't really far enough from the wall so one side is difficult to get at with the blower. I generally have to loosen up the holding clamps and rotate at least a 1/4 turn to get at all of it. (Poor planning on my part.) Every 2 or 3 barrel emptyings I take the filter outside and use the same blower and blow it out along the length of the inside. It's important, though, that whatever blower is used it isn't excessively forceful. So far, this method has worked for me.
Click to expand...
This is why I hate cartridge filters. Blowing out the pleats every third time you dump the barrel, you might almost as well not use a dust collector at all. An efficient cyclone will keep fines out of the filter until (not unless) you overfill the bin, then you are in for it. Typical single stage collectors are not near as good, even with a Fein baffle, at protecting the filter. Extending the drop bag as Doug suggests should help for sure, but a five gallon bucket is going to need emptying quite frequently and whatever fine dust gets impacted in the bottom of the pleats is going to stay there until it gets blown out from the inside. Don't ask me how I know this.
 
Kevin Jenness said:
This is why I hate cartridge filters. Blowing out the pleats every third time you dump the barrel, you might almost as well not use a dust collector at all. An efficient cyclone will keep fines out of the filter until (not unless) you overfill the bin, then you are in for it. Typical single stage collectors are not near as good, even with a Fein baffle, at protecting the filter. Extending the drop bag as Doug suggests should help for sure, but a five gallon bucket is going to need emptying quite frequently and whatever fine dust gets impacted in the bottom of the pleats is going to stay there until it gets blown out from the inside. Don't ask me how I know this.
Click to expand...
Exactly why I have a 2 stage. The highly efficient Pentz EF 5 cyclone from Clearvue Cyclones, and a double stick of 1 micron filter cartridges, and a shaker. In 18 months of use...I have not had to dump the collection box under the filter stack.
 
Out of curiosity, I followed up with Oneida today just as a check on my habits, since my goal is to maintain my cyclone and filters as recommended by the manufacturer. The HEPA filters are too expensive to do something or not do something which is potentially harmful to the filter. For their HEPA filters, like the one on my V1500 cyclone (which would be like all their filters), they recommend cleaning it completely each time; in fact, much more often than I do. After describing what I do with my small blower, and how often I blow it out outside, they recommended continuing to do that. If particle residue is left in the pleats, over time these can harden and/or draw more dust and then the filter may have to be replaced prior to its normal useful life. It has always been my understanding that filtering is helped by already collected dust for filters only for the older type of filters, similar to those generally used in air cleaners like those many hang from the ceiling in their shop. With HEPA filters, the filter is already filtering at its highest level out of the box. Letting the pleats fill up only reduces the air flow and therefore can, in fact, decrease the dust collector's effectiveness.
 
If that's what they recommend, it's no wonder they don't tell you up front - who would want them? They really should supply double size cartridges to account for the efficiency loss inherent in normal use.

I had a 2hp Oneida system for over 25 years with 100 sq ft of polyester felt tube filters. If they got clogged a good whack with a paddle knocked the cake off the inside and I was back in business. When I upgraded to a 3hp system with a cartridge I learned the drawbacks of cleaning a clogged filter. Since I replaced the cartridge with 150 sq ft of polyester sateen tubes the system has better suction and the cleaning problems disappeared. As far as I am concerned the only advantage of cartridge filters for small woodshop dust collection is saving space.
 
... waaaaiiitttt as second. What? 150sq ft of ... like socks? Is that a thing? I've never heard of it. How much space does that occupy?
 
Kevin Jenness said:
If that's what they recommend, it's no wonder they don't tell you up front - who would want them? They really should supply double size cartridges to account for the efficiency loss inherent in normal use.

I had a 2hp Oneida system for over 25 years with 100 sq ft of polyester felt tube filters. If they got clogged a good whack with a paddle knocked the cake off the inside and I was back in business. When I upgraded to a 3hp system with a cartridge I learned the drawbacks of cleaning a clogged filter. Since I replaced the cartridge with 150 sq ft of polyester sateen tubes the system has better suction and the cleaning problems disappeared. As far as I am concerned the only advantage of cartridge filters for small woodshop dust collection is saving space.
Click to expand...
When I clicked on the link posted earlier in this thread, I could not find any specs. for sieve/micropore sizing. I am curious what they capture - and what passes thru....Any links?
 
Tim Tucker said:
When I clicked on the link posted earlier in this thread, I could not find any specs. for sieve/micropore sizing. I am curious what they capture - and what passes thru....Any links?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what link you are referring to. I did link to a Harvey dust collector but that is a horse of a different color. Oneida still sells felt tubes rated at 1 micron https://www.oneida-air.com/12-inch-10-foot-baghouse-tube-filter-1-micron. The material in the filters I am using now from US Air Filtration has similar characteristics to the felt referenced in the attached file.

System effectiveness depends on more than the nominal "pore size" of the filters. If the filters are undersized or blinded the system is going to leave more dust in the air on the intake side or push more dust through on the filter side. The way I look at it, every time I pull a cartridge to blow it out I am getting exposed to a lot of dust unnecessarily. Industrial cartridge systems typically collect dust on the exterior and have an automatic "reverse pulse jet" cycle to clean the filters within an enclosure without exposing personnel.

My current setup has about 10% more surface area than the cartridge filter supplied by Oneida and there are no crevices for dust to pack into. The airflow is better, judging by feel and reduced chip impression through the planer, and the home-made manometer has remained stable over 6 months of use. If I manage to overfill the bin it's a matter of emptying the drawer in the lower plenum.

I did check the air quality using a borrowed Dylos particle counter on my original system and though I don't recall the numbers they were in what I considered an acceptable range, even pulling sanding dust off the lathe with no hood. I haven't done that with the new setup yet.

What's not to like? It takes more space. It's not a standard option on most small shop cyclone systems. It's not "HEPA".

Perhaps the easiest upgrade for anyone with a cartridge system and minimal space available would be to stack a second filter under the stock one and thus minimize the effects of pleat packing and extend the cleaning cycle.
 

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Doug Freeman said:
Wow! I suspect an industrial style dust hopper that uses air pulse to clear the filters would use less space and possibly no more expense.
Click to expand...


Less space? Maybe, using cartridge filters. Less expense? I can't imagine a an industrial pulse jet system within an enclosure would cost less than what I did, which is just a couple of plywood plenums, a sealed drawer on the bottom one and $350 worth of filters. I could be wrong.DSC_0783[1].JPGDSC_0784[1].JPG
 
Tim Tucker said:
I know that my system is bigger than you need...but maybe some things that you can make for your own shop... I located my DC outside. But, because I need to re-capture the conditioned air, I had to build a "filter vault" with a return plenum so that the 1 micron filtered air could be returned into the shop space. My shop is my basement and a 5 hp dust collector could suck all of the conditioned air out of the house above it quickly. I installed a shaker motor on the filter stack so that I can push and hold a momentary switch to shake the dust down to the bottom. The filter stack sits on top of, and is gasket to a false floor with a gasketed drawer that can be pulled out and dumped. Perhaps some pictures will explain better...
Click to expand...
I'm curious as to what you are using as a shaker. I see what looks like the motor at the top of the filter stack, but not clear on exactly what kind of motor it is or how it does the shaking. I would also be interesting in knowing how well that works with your filters.
 
This is the motor I used:

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It is a motor with a protruding shaft on both ends. There is a "lobe" on each end placed 180 degrees to the other. As the motor rotates - it vibrates. This kind of motor is used in massagers, concrete vibrators, etc. It seems to work well to shake down the dust as it collects on the interior of the filter pleats.
 
I think when I first got my Oneida, the instructions were to take a board and gently tap the outside of the filter. I did try compressed air, and that put dust everywhere, and I figured my neighbors wouldn't be too fond of that. When I tried the hose, it worked excellently, and no dust flying around the neighborhood. I did not use a high pressure nozzle. I do remember seeing some that had an inside type of beater, but don't think those are a fad any more.

robo hippy
 
My 2hp Oneida super dust gorilla instructions say to use compressed air (30-50psi) with the nozzle around 6" away. Go up and down the filter with the air. This is with the filter installed, so any crap falls into the collection pan.

They also recommend using a flow monitor to determine when cleaning is required.
 
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Rob Fridenberg said:
My 2hp Oneida super dust gorilla instructions say to use compressed air (30-50psi) with the nozzle around 6" away. Go up and down the filter with the air. This is with the filter installed, so any crap falls into the collection pan.

They also recommend using a flow monitor to determine when cleaning is required.
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It is easy to make a manometer in the shop. Doesn't really need calibrated - just mark a 'good' zone when the filter is new/clean and a 'bad' zone when the filter is dirty.

Here's one from the Wynn Environmental site - searching for 'dust collector homemade manometer' will give you a bunch of hits.
 
Bill Boehme said:
Wear a good respirator, preferably a powered respirator with a P100 filter.

My shop is also 270 square feet. It seemed big enough until I moved all of my machines into it. Now, it's so crowded that I don't even have enough room to change my mind. I have to go outside to do that.
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I don't think it's possible to build a big enough shop. Mine is 40 x 60 (part of that is for metal working machines as this was to be a machine shop originally) and yet I am hoping to add some other wood working machines in the future and wondering where I would put them without eliminating all the free space I have at the moment.
 
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