Until recently, I never gave DC much thought. But now, both my Uncle and Grandfather are on oxygen – so I really want to get serious about DC. I recently moved to a new house and I keep 2 cars in the garage. I’ve got my tool area somewhat ready and now I need to turn my attention to my 3rd bay, which will become my bench/assembly area (someday).
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Currently, I’m using a Jet 1.5 Canister and a JDS 750-ER air cleaner. This system has worked well but I’d like to upgrade to a cyclone and keep the dust out of the house and out of my lungs. I’ve read Bill P’s stuff and I’m somewhat certain that a 2 HP unit would work for my needs. With that said, a cyclone and ductwork is a huge investment and I’d rather do it once… so I’m hoping some cyclone owners will chime in.
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Is a 2 HP cyclone enough? Are there any 2 HP owners that wish they would have gone with a 3 HP unit? Is a 3 HP unit too big? I think I’ll go with a cyclone from Oneida but I haven’t ruled out Grizzly. <!—-><!—->
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Here are the details:
- Most of my power tools sit in an extended garage area that is a little larger than a single bay
- I’m guessing that my longest run wouldn’t be any longer than 20 feet
- WW is my hobby and I’m the only one in the shop. Therefore, I wouldn’t need to run multiple machines at the same time
- Due to the cost of ductwork, I’ll likely just do a short run with two drops… and add on as funds become available
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The tools are your standard:
- Cabinet Saw with Excalibur blade guard and DC
- 15” Planer
- 10” Jointer
- 16” / 32” thickness sander
- 3 HP Shaper
- Router Table
- 12” SCMS
- 18” Band Saw
- Misc other stuff
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Replies
We installed a Clearvue for our CNC router last fall and I can say with certainty it is the best thing going for the money. We also have a large Oneida (15 Hp) and I can say with certainty it is the worst thing going for the money. What I don't like about Oneida is that their filters are proprietary. that is after your first set of filters reach the end of their life expectancy you'll have to buy replacements from Oneida which are quite pricey. In our case for the 15 Hp unit that means 4 filters @ over 400.00 apiece not including shipping. The filters are top quality to be sure. But the design of their system allows a lot of the finer particles into the filters. Oneida uses wider pleats so their filters do not become clogged too quickly. If you try to put any after market generic cartridge in their place the pleats will be of a tighter design and will soon become clogged and unusable.
The Clearvue cyclone does such a great job of separation that after many hours of fine dust from the CNC machine their is nary a trace of that in the filter, its all in the cyclone drum.
Dear T,
I have a 3 hp Oneida in my shop (30 x 40) and it is more than enough. More than the hp of the cyclone is the overall design of the system. I can run any three machines with no loss of dust collection. I rarely do that, but it allows for the occasional blast gate that can be left open so that I don't have to stop what I am doing just to make sure all but one blast gate is closed. I had Oneida design the system and supply all of the ductwork and I must say that I very pleased with my setup. I have no filter issues as I directly=t to the outside, but I can tell you that the cyclone catches virtually everything from MDF dust to chips. Even after a fresh snowfall, I get no discoloration of the snow under the exhaust port, unless I let the DC overfill. It is a high quality unit that I installed once, six or so years ago and have never had to touch it since. It will sit unused for a couple of months and then I will run it for a few weeks at a time on a commercial basis. Hot of cold, it just does its thing.
Best,
John
I have a 2 hp Woodsucker. My shop is about 500 sq ft, and I have the cyclone ducted to four machines: table saw, shaper, bandsaw, combo jointer/planer. It works just fine. In fact, it was oversucking the jointer. The thing sounded like a siren. I modified the jointer to such a little bypass air, and now it is easier to live with.
If you really want to be covered, whats your attitude about a wearing a good dust mask or even respirator most the time in the shop, in addition to rethinking the dust collection system?
Brian
Can't, it scares the dogs :0)
I too have a clearview with a 5hp motor and it does a great job,however you will need to invest a bit of time and $ to have it set up properly. Later Rickk
Going to a bigger DC may not really help that much. Some improvements to what you already have may be more effective.
Do you use a bag or a pleated filter on your Jet? Are you running two 4" ducts to the Jet, or have you gone to one 6"? Where is your air cleaner located? Which of your tools leaves the most dust behind when you're using them? Which leaves the least?
You may get more bang for your buck if you:
- Go to 6" main duct(s) off of your Jet. That plastic "splitter" on the inlet is easily removed.
- Add a trash can cyclone to the DC inlet.
- If you're still using a cloth dust bag, replace it with a pleated filter.
- Make sure that your ducting is well sealed at joints and fittings.
- Make sure that your blast gates fully close when not being used. (When mine collect dust in the gate channels, they won't close completely)
- Add air filters near the tools that your DC system can't handle very well (band saw, sanding station, etc), and place them as close to the tool as possible. You want the air cleanest at 6' - 7' off the floor, not at the ceiling.
Maybe I can help. I have been running a 1 1/2 horsepower Oneida since, as I recall 1995. My shop is a normally equipped 24X28 with four drops, the longest being about 26 feet. The system performs very well. The only modification I have made was to add the exterior filter when it became available. Two horsepower should certainly be adequate.
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