Dust Collection

[Andrew A]

Bram...budget is everything with dust collection. I just recently added a small dust collection system to my shop. The shop is small (one side of two car garage) with tablesaw (contractor style), bandsaw (14"), 12' Planner, 6" Jointer and Midi-Lathe and a small budget. I was doing all of my dust collection with a Craftsman Shop Vac which was OK at best, albeit noisy. The worst performing units with the shop vac believe it or not was the jointer and the bandsaw (I did not expect those units to do so poorly). I use a small 20" fan (reversed) with an AC air filter at the lathe for dust collection while sanding. This works well and will continue with this system.

I elected to go with a 1HP unit, but it is against most advise that was published. All the reading/research I came up with said 1.5 to 2 HP. The problem with that size for me probably meant a dedicated electrical circuit which is a precious comodity in my shop. The 1HP unit starts at about 10A@120V. I did not particularly want to add any electrical work.

Then one must consider bag upgrades to 1 to 5 micron otherwise ya still have a fair amount of residual dust just from the collector itself.

Going with the 1HP unit also meant its a one machine unit that must be connected to each machine as required. I added some quick connect units to each machine to make a good positive contact. All this can add up.

Here is a list of my approximate costs.

Delta AP400 (remanufactured) = $125
5 Micron upper bag = $40
Connectors and hoses = $100
Jet AFS 1000B Air Filtration Unit (WW show special) = $160
Total $425

and believe me I shopped around!

One of the nice things about the lower amperage unit is that I have it connected to an inexpensive remote on/off unit (used generally for outdoor lighting < $20). I already had that unit for the shop vac.

Its not for everyone but it works very well for my needs. This should give you an idea, at least at the lower scale for what you will be looking at spending vs. capability.