I have a small basement woodshop that’s packed with power and hand tools. It’s a dance moving things as I work, but it does the trick. I’m killing the furnace filters and me, so it’s time for a dust collector and small filter. I would only ever use one piece of equipment at a time and wheel the dust collector to whatever machine I’m using. I was looking at the JDS 1hp dust collector with 1 micron bag. It’s small, and has two wheels like a dolly or handtruck. It looks more user friendly than the small dust collectors than have 4 small caster wheels. If anyone has any experience or knowledge of these, or of JDS dust collectors in general, please let me know. They have a special right now for $319 with free delivery, so I’m considering it.
Thank in advance.
Replies
What tools are you collecting from? A 1HP collector is going to be challenged by a table saw, something to think about there.
I do like the design of the DC you're considering, as far as how it moves around.
I have a regular 3hp Jet table saw, enclosed base Delta bandsaw, Jet mini-lathe, Rigid Planer, Delta chop saw, 12 inch disc sander. I know the bag will fill up fast, but most of the projects I build are small (because of space) and I use my planer very little. I don't have much access to rough cut lumber because of living on the prairie. I did just mill 200 board feet of rough cut ash for a work bench I'm building, and several hours of wearing a respirator mask have pushed me towards buying a dust collector.
I know the unit I'm looking at has a small capacity, but frequent dumping of the bad doesn't concern me as much as ease of moving it around in a shop that's about 16 feet by 8 feet. There's lots more crammed in there than just the tools I mentioned. Scroll saw, drill press, mortiser, and more hand planes than any single person should be allowed to own.
So I'm curious more about how well this 1hp collector will pull the sawdust than I am about the volume of the container. And also if anyone has any specific pros or cons about the JDS dust collectors themselves.
Thanks again for all of your help.
Doc,
Have you looked at the Penn State Industries web site?
Might be able to get something a little more powerful for a similiar price.
I have the 1.5 hp with the 1 micron bag that sits out the side of the motor hooked up to my table saw. Despite how much wood comes out of the saw I am always amazed at how much goes in to the bag.
ASK
"So I'm curious more about how well this 1hp collector will pull the sawdust...." Not well, I'm afraid, just too small to effectively collect from a table saw. You'd still end up wearing at least a dust mask, if not a respirator, depending on what you were cutting.
As far as JDS-specific feedback, they've not been marketing these for very long, so it may be hard to find people here that have one. You can see reviews of the 1.5HP model at Amazon (they don't carry the 1HP model). As usual, some reviewers have a better background than others, and can provide better information.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I have the 1.5 JDS unit, and it does a fine job keeping up (even if I forget to close a blast gate...) I can't speak to how the 1 hp will do, but I'm happy with the item.
You also NEED a collector. I have the JDS 750 (that the little one), and it does an admirable job.
Hi, Ed. "Doc" is the OP, the person asking about the JDS dust collectors. When you say "You also NEED a collector. I have the JDS 750 (that the little one), and it does an admirable job." that you're referring to an air filter a.k.a. air scrubber.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I know you believe you understood what you thought I said; I'm not certain if you realize that what you believe you heard is not what I meant. :-)
Ed,
Thanks for the headache! My brain hurts after reading that.
:-)
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Okay, one last question (I think) for everyone. Bag or pleated cannister. Aside from cost difference, is there are big performance difference as long as both have 1 micron capabilities?
Thanks again.
Given equal fine-particle filtration, I would still prefer the cannister design because emptying the collected dust is a much simpler, cleaner proces AND you have more filtering surface area because of the design of the pleated filter.
Once the cannisters hit the market, I could think of no reason to spend $$ protecting myself from dust, and then making a humongous POOF, clouds and clouds of dust, in the process of cleaning a bag. ;-)
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 8/19/2009 11:54 pm by forestgirl
Just so I understand, you recommend the cannister top with the pleated filter, and the cannister bottom for ease of disposal.
Sorry, Doc, I confusicated things with that last post. No, I was just meaning a pleated cannister filter on top -- more surface area, easy to clean (they have a paddle that you can spin around from the outside).
You might want to see who else pipes up about bag v. pleated filter. I'm just highly inclined (read: prejudiced) toward the rigid, pleated filters.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
No worries! Just learn to say it really fast - it's great thing to use on kids (or parents, of course ;-) )
Thanks everyone for the advice. I appreciate the input. Tonight I used my Rigid vacuum cleaner hooked up to my planer, and I was amazed at how well it worked. I wouldn't think that the 1hp dust collector would be any worse. But I know the table saw will kick up finer dust, and more of it.
If I buy one of the larger dust collectors, and it has the Y for hooking up two pieces of equipment, is it acceptable to just cap one of them? I would never need two, because I would always be wheeling it to one piece of equipment at a time.
Thanks again.
"...is it acceptable to just cap one of them?" Yes, I do it frequently. You could also remove the Y and use a bigger pipe from the DC.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
In addition to what forestgirl said you can also use the Y connector for those machines that might warrant over and under collection like your bandsaw, tablesaw with DC attachment in the blade guard, etc.
I have an Incra fence for the router table that has a DC connection so I connect to the Incra fence with one hose and hook up the other hose for under the table collection.
If you decide to use the Y and plubg one end when not in use I would recommend that you get good blast gates for a good seal when you close off the unused port.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Doc -If you're already struggling with a crowded shop, and having to move things all the time, adding another moveable tool will probably just add to the aggravation.If I were you, I would get a 1.5 HP unit with 1100+ cfm capacity and set it up as a stationary tool. If it has two inlet ports (AFIK, most of them do), cap one and get a long flexible hose for the other. Then, you can let the DC stay in one place and move the hose to whatever tool you're using.Long runs of flex hose aren't ideal, but it can work better than you might think. I have a Jet 1100 DC that is mostly hardpiped, but has a 10' piece of 4" flex hose that I connect to my planer or jointer when needed. With all the other gates closed, I get excellent collection. After using them, I rearrange my gates and am back in business.With your shop setup, I would also have a ceiling mounted air filter to get the really fine stuff that your DC misses.As far as pleated v.s. bag for the top, that's a no brainer. Pleated is the only way to go!
Edited 8/20/2009 9:21 am by Dave45
Doc,
Go to Bill Pentz site and read up on dust collection in general if you haven't already.
http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfmThere are some tables that tell you what you need for each machine, there is a static calculator so you can assess the impact of your piping etc.All of the main DC suppliers make small shop cyclones (2 stage) that do a much better job of dust separation than the single stage style you are looking at.If you are running your shop in the basement of your home, you want absolutely the best filtration available. Forget shop size, forget how often you need to empty the bag. Focus on ensuring that you have enough flow and velocity to capture as much dust as possible.If you go the single stage route, don't buy the pleated cartridge from the manufacturer. Buy an add-on on kit from Wynn Environmental - the .5 micron unit. http://www.wynnenv.com/cartridge_filters.htmTry to get them to tell you under what conditions they measure the unit's performance. This is one very important area where there are no standards. A blower will deliver a nice high CFM with the 6" to 4" "Y" removed and no filter. Put on the 2 X 4" Y, add a 1 micron element and you have a significantly lower flow. You need at least 800 CFM at your table saw and proper collection over the blade and under the body. Anything less and you will risk contaminating your home with toxic ultrafine dust. You do not want this.Another thing to do is to fabricate a simple cardboard hood to fit over the exhaust element. Not a tight fit, 3-4 inches clearance all the way around. Dust does not respond well to changes in direction - like fine river silt. The dust that passes through the filter will not be discharged directly into the air where it will remain suspended. Some of it will just fall to the ground if there is not a lot of turbbulence in this area.Some thoughts for you. This is your home and although wood dust is natural, like asbestos, it is a toxic substance. Don
Doc,
I don't think you'll be that happy with a one horse. Numbers wise it's adequate to do the job but, in reality, you need a larger unit for flexibility in layout..and perhaps a little less dancing. Also, one moderate session with the planer will fill that bag and that's a pain.
I have the JDS 3HP. It has four casters under it and can be moved at will. I have mine setup as a pemanent istall with duct work, but the collector comes with a 3 hose adapter for 4 inch hoses.
One of the reasons I liked this collector is for the automatic filter cleaner and the low profile.
As you can see in the photo below, I have it under the stairs.
more photos available here
http://www.superwoodworks.com/Projects/ShopShots.htm
Garry
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http://www.superwoodworks.com
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