# A Dust Collection Story



## mbrun (Jan 12, 2020)

Years ago I purchased a Jet DC1100 from my brother when he moved. It sat unused in storage while my hobby was inactive. A year or so ago I decided it was time to get it out of storage and put it to use after having completing multiple projects, creating lots of dust and doing loads of cleanup. The cleanup was getting old....again.

Honestly, I did not truly expect what I experienced. What I was Not Expecting was more overall dust throughout the shop (in fact the whole building), plus daily sinus, respiratory and throat irritations. What I Was Expecting was less cleanup in the shop. I got that! 

I am familiar with all the irritations I referenced. I associate them with past days of heavy sanding or heavy miter saw use. On those days I knew to wear some form of dust mask respirator. The difference now was that regardless of what I was doing, when the dust collector was active, it was like a sanding day. Leave it off and no problem.

Fast forward. 

The DC1100 I have I believe is one with the 30 micro filter bag, similar to this one. I refer to it as a ‘Chip Collecting Dust Generator’. It became immediately evident that I needed to upgrade the filter. 










Since my intent for dust collection has always been installed system rather than portable, I quickly ruled out a direct canister filter replacement for the bag. I wanted external so I could mount it where I wanted, and so that I could reuse the filter when I upgraded to more powerful blower. I opted for a pair of Wynn Environmental 13F230NANO filters.









I knew that I wanted a cyclone separator of some sort. I opted for a Super Dust Deputy XL. I went with the XL over the standard because I know a larger blower is in my future.










I wanted the DC system to occupy little or no floor space in the shop. I knew I would need to install it up high, perhaps even in the loft, if I were going to achieve this.

And finally, before I made a 3HP or greater DC blower purchase, I really wanted to experience just how useful (or ineffective) the existing 1-1/2 HP version would be when hard piped to just a couple of tools. You know, there is nothing like first-hand experience.

With the SDD, filters, and blower in hand, it became my mission to install them. Here is what I came up with.

I removed the blower from the Jet stand and mounted it on a frame within the dead space I have up between the floor joists and rafters as can be seen here. This dead space is high above the bottom of the stairs that lead up to a storage loft.










I mounted the SDD cyclone directly beneath the motor and secured it to a purpose built shelf. Like everyone else, I located a collection can directly beneath the cyclone for chips and dust. I added foam gasket between lid and can. The can ended up being the only thing that occupied floor space.










For the filters, I installed the two flanged filters atop a custom plenum box up in between the joists as well, right near the blower. And as you can see, the filters stand vertical like the Twin Towers. Again, no floor space consumed, but filters easily accessible from the loft.










The bottom of the filter box is itself a box. It is on hinges and is latched in place. It can be opened and dumped as needed. Filters can be cleaned from loft above by rapping on them with the hands or using compressed air like the manufacture says, or, if desired, they can be vacuumed from below using a soft bristle brush attached to the end of a vacuum wand. Filters can be easily removed from above by removing 4 screws. The bottom can be opened when standing on the 3rd step of the stairs.











In its final form, I expect my final DC system will have 6” mains ducting run to major tools in the shop. For now, I opted to use some existing stock of 4” DWV pipe to connect up the table saw and router table so I could get back to work and use it. I just needed to buy some 45s to connect things together.



I purchased and installed an iVac wireless control system with three remotes. One handheld and two current-sensor type. The current-sensor versions were installed on the table saw and router table. The DC now turns on and off automatically. They work so nicely that when I complete my installation, the current sensors will be installed on other fixed position tools.











OK. So how does it work?

I am no longer experiencing the sinus or throat irritation when the DC is running. So I know the filters are doing their job quite well.

The cyclone definitely works. Using a 4” hose connected at the table saw end of the pipe, I completely vacuumed out a 3/4 full trash can of saw dust to see just how well. I was able to empty the can without issues. The pipes did not clog but the filter box ended up with <=1/32” of super fine dust in the bottom. This suggests that the SDD XL is still useful at lower CFMs, just not as good as it would likely be at higher CFMs. I am glad I made the XL decision.

As configured, the DC is collecting all the dust that the table saw and router table throw at it.  Saw dust is effectively being extracted from the table saw cabinet and router table dust collection box when only one blast gate is open. Nothing within the airflow path of either remains. I am thrilled with router table DC performance. Down flow DC through the bit opening into box is great. Still need to check DC performance dado glade is being used on TS.

For testing, I disconnected the table saw and added another 20’ of 4” flex to the end of TS pipe and hooked it up to my Delta 12” planer and then ran some 2x4 through it. DC seemed to as effective as it was when I had it hooked up directly to the planer. But I could definitely tell there was not as much air flow as when I previously hooked up directly to portable DC. Maybe collection with wide boards may not be as good.

A larger blower is definitely in my future so I can effectively hard pipe to all stationary tools. But for now I know I am better off than I was before I started the project. 

Here are a few photos of the piping.


































Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

excellent execution and write up..
thanks...


----------



## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

I agree with Stick, Michael - great job and write-up! That looks like a very well thought out solution. We found the same thing with our 5 micron bag filter on our HF unit - fine dust everywhere around the DC. I switched to the Wynn 0.5 micron filter and now the shop no longer has that fine film of dust.

David


----------



## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I had my DC inside the shop, but even with the Wynn filter, it was too dusty. So I moved it outside. Built a sealed chamber between the shop shed and office shed. Made it pretty air tight, put a Super Dust Deputy on a fiber drum and placed that with the HF DC unit inside the chamber. Linoleum on the floor sealed the bottom of the chamber and doors on each end holds air in. I have a little more to do to seal the chamber completely.

Doors on each end can be opened to blow out any stray dust on a windy day. 

Rockler makes a connector that's long enought to go through a wall, and a 4 inch hose runs from tool to this connector, and anothe flex hose connects the pipe to the SDD. I shortened the second hose to increase air flow.

Being desert, we have extremes of heat and cold, so this chamber allows me to recirculate conditioned air back into the shop through yet another 20x20 filter. You can see the white, metal filter holder on the wall just back from the Wynn filter on the DC unit. This blows the return past the AC and Heater.

I will be suspending the round lid on the 30 gallon chip collection fiber drum to make it easier to empty the drum, Probably will use bungi cords for that (KISS). 

I ran wiring through the wall with an on/off switch to control the DC unit, but can add a remote on/off at any time.

The final item is a WEN hanging dust filter that has a timer and power levels. I can leave the shop and have it run for up to 4 hours unattended. This unit is physically smaller than the Jet unit, but has identical stats and uses the same filters. I paid $99 on sale from Walmart and have a second for my garage. Hang this near a wall to creat a circular air flow.

This system performs very well and now the only sawdust in the shop is from the small amount of uncollected dust from the table saw when I forget to open the blast gate for the over the blade DC Shark. And once in awhile, I just forget to turn on the DC unit. At some point, I hope to build a deck on the front of the shop shed so I can pull the sliding miter outside. That thing is a horrible sawdust producer and I avoid using it as much as possible. A shower curtain surrounds most of the sliding miter saw, and collects into a box with a 4 inch connector on the bottom, but it is not a great solution.

Pix 1 is the interior of the chamber as it sits now.
Pix 2 is the chamber under construction. Nothing was square, so it was a chore getting the doors hung properly. 
Pix 3 is the WEN hanging filter box.


----------



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I also use the 5 micron Winn filters and are very happy with them, The only caution that I have is that winnn recommended not using an air hose nozzle to blow air from the outside to clean the filter, it can blow holes in the filter fabric. I reverse the hose on the shop vac and blow mine out, and hitting it with an old tennis shoe before I open the door. You will be surprised at how much fine dust is trapped in the pleats. Some of the commercial units have a rotating brush inside the filter to clean them. But overall a nice job, well thought out. When you get to stage 3 and install 5"-6" ducting you will be amazed how much more the increase in airflow helps. But for now , this will be quite an improvement from before. Don't expect to choke it down to 1 1/2" to use on a sander or other power tools as the airflow will really be reduced to almost nothing, a vac is better for that with the small DD in line. I found that dust Collection comes in stages I went through 4 before I was happy.

Good job.
HErb


----------



## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Outstanding installation and the writeup is second to none...Great work...you obviously put a lot of thought into the installation meeting each of your requirements...AWESOME...! ! !

...and, of course, gonna copy some of your install...I really like the SDD going straight into the blower. I'll be looking into that for my Jet 1200VX...Thanks for sharing your work...

...but your shop is way too clean and organized...:grin:


----------



## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

Herb Stoops said:


> I also use the 5 micron Winn filters and are very happy with them, The only caution that I have is that winnn recommended not using an air hose nozzle to blow air from the outside to clean the filter, it can blow holes in the filter fabric. I reverse the hose on the shop vac and blow mine out, and hitting it with an old tennis shoe before I open the door. You will be surprised at how much fine dust is trapped in the pleats. Some of the commercial units have a rotating brush inside the filter to clean them. But overall a nice job, well thought out. When you get to stage 3 and install 5"-6" ducting you will be amazed how much more the increase in airflow helps. But for now , this will be quite an improvement from before. Don't expect to choke it down to 1 1/2" to use on a sander or other power tools as the airflow will really be reduced to almost nothing, a vac is better for that with the small DD in line. I found that dust Collection comes in stages I went through 4 before I was happy.
> 
> Good job.
> HErb


Herb, I'm pretty sure you mean 0.5 micron, not 5 micron. And as for cleaning, Wynn *DOES* recommend using compressed air blown from the outside to clean their filters. That's the way I've been doing it since day one and it works great. Here's their FAQ page - and about 1/2 way down the page you'll see this - *Our woodworking filters are cleaned-down from the outside with about 60 PSI of compressed air. Just use your blow-off nozzle.*

David


----------



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Yes you are right,David, .5 Micron, my error. Thank you for the correction, it has been a long time since I read their FAQ page, years ago they did not recommend Compressed air, not sure they listed a pressure limit then, but your information is good to know. I know they have improved the filters since this first ones I bought 15 years ago that didn't have the mesh screen both inside and out.
HErb


----------



## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

No wire mesh....

No compressed air....


----------



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Stick486 said:


> No wire mesh....
> 
> No compressed air....


The first one I bought years ago when the wood workers were first starting to use them instead of the 30 micron bags they came with were for commercial trucks. They were built to take air from the out side and exhaust it through the center. The mesh was on the inside and the outside had bare pleats. So you had to build a box to enclose the filter and have a exhaust hole in the center of the end of the box to exhaust the air out. one side of the box was hinged so that the filter and box could be cleaned. It was a messy job to clean.
Herb


----------



## mbrun (Jan 12, 2020)

Thanks for all the kind words. I am glad the write up was well received.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## mbrun (Jan 12, 2020)

Nickp said:


> Outstanding installation and the writeup is second to none...Great work...you obviously put a lot of thought into the installation meeting each of your requirements...AWESOME...! ! !
> 
> ...and, of course, gonna copy some of your install...I really like the SDD going straight into the blower. I'll be looking into that for my Jet 1200VX...Thanks for sharing your work...
> 
> ...but your shop is way too clean and organized...:grin:



It seems that the majority of the pre-manufactured cyclone dust collectors are built this way. It makes sense. One thing neither you nor I have going for us when we use the SDD is air rotation continuity between the cyclone and the blower. Cyclone air is rotating one direction but when it gets sucked into the blower it is forced to switch directions.

I read Bill Pentz’s research and believe he concluded that this was an insignificant for smaller HP blowers like ours, but maintaining the same rotation is a substantial efficiency issue for larger blowers. When I do upgrade the blower, I will be getting a blower that rotates the same as the cyclone. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## mbrun (Jan 12, 2020)

DesertRatTom said:


> I had my DC inside the shop, but even with the Wynn filter, it was too dusty. So I moved it outside. Built a sealed chamber between the shop shed and office shed. Made it pretty air tight, put a Super Dust Deputy on a fiber drum and placed that with the HF DC unit inside the chamber. Linoleum on the floor sealed the bottom of the chamber and doors on each end holds air in. I have a little more to do to seal the chamber completely.
> 
> Doors on each end can be opened to blow out any stray dust on a windy day.
> 
> ...



I bet you also appreciated moving the DC noise to the separate room too. I am weary of the additional noise when a larger blower gets installed. 

I have read other posts you authored related to this. I love the idea of the DC components being in another room from a noise perspective, and for the additional filtering you have. At some point I will be conditioning the work shop portion of my building as well and I will want to recirculate that clear conditioned air back to into the shop. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## mbrun (Jan 12, 2020)

Herb Stoops said:


> ... I reverse the hose on the shop vac and blow mine out, and hitting it with an old tennis shoe before I open the door...


That is a great idea Herb. I think I am will use wet-dry vac in reverse the first time I need to clean the filters to see how it goes. I already have experience using compressed air to clean the Clean Stream HEPA filter on my shop vac. I bet the increase volume will be a huge help.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

@mbrun
I enclosed my 3hp DC in a separate sound proof room and it is hardly audible in the shop. You can build an enclosure around yours and insulate it with rockwool bat from HD/Lowes and I used HF moving blankets stapled to the studs inside to assist with the soundproofing. It works quite well and then put a return air grill back to the shop.
Herb


----------



## mbrun (Jan 12, 2020)

Herb Stoops said:


> @mbrun
> I enclosed my 3hp DC in a separate sound proof room and it is hardly audible in the shop. You can build an enclosure around yours and insulate it with rockwool bat from HD/Lowes and I used HF moving blankets stapled to the studs inside to assist with the soundproofing. It works quite well and then put a return air grill back to the shop.
> Herb



Sound, acoustics and noise control is one of those unofficial areas of expertise I have. You have done good!

Funny story. I watched a you tube video years ago of a young guy doing scientific sound reduction study(in the UK I believe) and demonstrated how $ for $ and pound for pound, old bath towels could be a far better and more economical sound absorber than many of our purpose built acoustical materials are.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Great write up and photos showing your system. What I have found with my Cyclone CV1800 is that 5 HP is plenty and the 6" main line does well when straight runs, wyes, 45s and long radius 90s are used. Flex certainly makes a difference, the less the better, when used the tighter it's stretched the better. Looks like you've maximized the unit you have.


----------



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

sreilly said:


> Great write up and photos showing your system. What I have found with my Cyclone CV1800 is that 5 HP is plenty and the 6" main line does well when straight runs, wyes, 45s and long radius 90s are used. Flex certainly makes a difference, the less the better, when used the tighter it's stretched the better. Looks like you've maximized the unit you have.


How did you handle the noise level of the CV dust collector, Steve?
Herb


----------



## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

My shop is 12x24 in a shed in the back yard. The DC move into the separate chamber not only cut noise, but also gave me a surprising increase in shop space. About 10 square feet, which means not having to step over DC stuff to get the the tools in the back corner. If I have more space, I'd have just done what Herb did and built an enclosure. The shed's outside walls had hardened so much over the years that it was very hard cutting it open. I used curved 90 degree connectors to pull the air from the top of the SDD, but am thinking of changing it out to 5 inch to match the HF's 5 inch intake, preferably using metal pipe to increase airflow to the max.

I love the way NJW63 used straight pipe inside the shop, yet it's not a practical solution for mine.


----------



## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

I cast another vote for the Wynn filters. A great addition.

I use an electric leaf blower to clean mine.


----------



## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Herb Stoops said:


> How did you handle the noise level of the CV dust collector, Steve?
> Herb


Herb I built a closet and used sound dampening insulation. The table saw is louder then the DC and being upstairs directly over the running DC you'll hear a low hum. System pictures start on page 3 but the closet itself page 5 (this link)


----------



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

@sreilly
WOW, Great job and great shop. Thanks for showing.
HErb


----------

