Lathe Dust Collector for home

Dan Mosley

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1,169
Location
Palm Springs, Ca
I saw this ad on craigs list and it is brand new - 1hp which what im told can be 110 or 220 - it is the lower end of dust collectors from Delta. The lady is firm at 100.00 for it. From what I see its an "ok" price i guess...................Currently I do not use anything because i move my lathe out in the driveway (on wheels) when I am using it. When im done i sweep it up into trash cans - later the shaving are taken for horse stalls.

However, I have a large bandsaw and thought it would be kind of nice to just sweep the shaving up into a system that sucks it up quickly.
I was told that it would work great for one machine at time which is fine but I thought I would see what others use and think. Also that you can purchase other micron bags that would pick up much finer material........
 

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I have a "2 hp" (more like 1.5 hp on a good day) Harbor Freight DC. It's used on my bandsaw and at the lathe when I'm sanding. I also use it as a giant shop vac to clean up the shavings and stuff around the lathe that were missed with the shovel and pushbroom. It came with something like 30-micron filter bags, which are just about useless, since they don't trap any of the really dangerous finer dust. (They blow it around, instead.) Before I even used it, I replaced the filter bags with a 0.5-micron pleated paper cartridge filter from Wynn Environmental. I've been happy with its performance, although I have done some other modifications to it (primarily adding a Thien baffle) to help keep debris in the collection bag and not in the filter itself. I realize that my DC isn't moving enough air to completely eradicate the dangerous < 5 micron airborne particles, but it does reduce them, as well as reducing the nuisance dust.

The little Delta DC would be similar to my DC, although with even less airflow. It has a smaller motor and a smaller impeller (the fan blades that move the air). Kind of like a shop vac on steroids. The filter plays a big role in how effective it would be. If you get it, I'd recommend getting either a pleated cartridge filter from Wynn or or a high-quality cloth filter bag from someone like American Fabric Filter.
 
I don't know how you are loading the shavings to the horse stalls, but if you enclosed a two wheeled garden trailer for behind your lawn mower, you could eliminate the bags altogether and blow it directly into the boxed/enclosed lawn trailer and haul to your stalls directly!:thumb: Of if it is for other horse people, blow into a plastic trash can and keep it lidded to keep out rain. That thing has great possibilities. :thumb::thumb:
 
I had the 1hp delta before getting a cyclone. It is a good cleanup tool, grabs all the large stuff with ease. I got it used for around that, was well worth the money for me. It struggles with jamming on the planer, and really doesn't do much for the air quality with the factory bags. For general cleanup though, it works quite well. No problems with the table saw, band saw, router shavings, etc. It's definitely a one tool machine though. I ran mine with 8' of flex, and still use it for cleaning the floors (not that I've seen my shop in a month, been working almost every day 12-14hrs/day this month)
 
Jeb.............yeah i have been working so much I have not seen my shop much either in a couple months.............but i still look around for stuff for it..............thanks...........if its still around i may consider it or just save up for a better system..................
Vaughn...and all ...........thanks ill let everybody know if i get it or I may hold off like i said for a better one
 
I have the same one Vaughn has from Harbour Freight. I put the same filter on from Wynn. They don't do really well picking up curlies as it will plug the input. I shovel most of the chips out and then use it to pick up the small stuff. I have a Y connection at the lathe with a hose coming up each side for sanding. Also have it hooked up to both bandsaws with blast gates. I give a lot of my chips away for bedding or mulch but don't give away the walnut chips especially for horses as it shouldn't be used for them. I don't use them around the garden either as the walnut chips can kill or retard plants.
 
I have it....

I have that DC. It's worth $100. I use it on my TS, jointer and Planer. My BS is too far away to string 4" pipe together. I have an old (deafening) shopvac hooked to my mitre saw switch. For my lathes, I could hook up the DC but it is such a pain to orient the 4" pipe into position. If I bought/built a dedicated stand for the pipe it might be worth it.

So I have nothing to suck up the big chips. I sweep them up and they are used in flower beds at church. I do have a (low noise) shopvac (with a hepa/.5micron filter) hooked to my 3520B that I turn on when sanding. I found a magnetic clamp at Rockler that allows me to leave a 2" pipe in position. I have to move it slightly as I vary between forward/reverse sanding. I can see the dust go down the pipe. I am extremely lazy so I also bought a 9.99 remote switch (for xmas tree lights) for the shop vac that was in the sale bin after Christmas. The switch hangs on the belt box door.
 
Well im not off until Tuesday now and im not sure if she will have it but im still thinking about it........

I have the lathe on wheels and pull it out into the drive way and turn there. When im done I sweep the shaving up into a pile and put the shavings into clean trash cans. When I have 5-6 of them full they are loaded into my truck and taken to horse stalls for bedding etc............

My Davis-Wells BS sits just inside the garage door and can really kick out alot of saw dust but is easy to blow out into the driveway and sweep up or blow it away. Even with all that I get alot of dust in the garage that I really hate because it settles on everything and everywhwere. I also use large fans to keep the any dust blowing out the front of the garage but still the problem persists.

I have thought about putting a swamp cooler in the garage to make it more enjoyable during the summer to work out there but the dust build up by closing the garage door is a turn off.

Soooooo, I have concluded I need to keep doing the turning outside in the drive way and sweeping it up - it seems to be the cleaner at the moment
 
I have a "2 hp" (more like 1.5 hp on a good day) Harbor Freight DC. It's used on my bandsaw and at the lathe when I'm sanding. I also use it as a giant shop vac to clean up the shavings and stuff around the lathe that were missed with the shovel and pushbroom. It came with something like 30-micron filter bags, which are just about useless, since they don't trap any of the really dangerous finer dust. (They blow it around, instead.) Before I even used it, I replaced the filter bags with a 0.5-micron pleated paper cartridge filter from Wynn Environmental. I've been happy with its performance, although I have done some other modifications to it (primarily adding a Thien baffle) to help keep debris in the collection bag and not in the filter itself. I realize that my DC isn't moving enough air to completely eradicate the dangerous < 5 micron airborne particles, but it does reduce them, as well as reducing the nuisance dust.

The little Delta DC would be similar to my DC, although with even less airflow. It has a smaller motor and a smaller impeller (the fan blades that move the air). Kind of like a shop vac on steroids. The filter plays a big role in how effective it would be. If you get it, I'd recommend getting either a pleated cartridge filter from Wynn or or a high-quality cloth filter bag from someone like American Fabric Filter.

There are other ways to approach this. I have the same HF dust collector and it still has the original 30-micron (or whatever they are) bags. I built a small shed room attached outside the shop and the 'super fines' that might get through the bag are basically trapped in that room - small screened outlet near ceiling to the outside for vent purposes. I generally don't worry about breathing in anything with this setup. I've also been pleasantly surprised by how little of these 'super fines' are evident in the DC shed.

I also used a Thien, but mine is on a 30-gallon garbage can before the input to the HF DC. This has turned out to be quite effective in trapping all the large stuff. So far, nothing has hit the impellers that can cause damage. What gets to the bag on the DC is extremely fine and I empty the garbage can five or six times before I dump out what little is in the bottom bag and then generally dust the bags off. If I forget to check the Thien can for the amount that's in it, I get more volume into the bags because of my own screw-up.

My connection in the shop is with a manifold that goes through the wall into the room with the Thien and the DC. The manifold has 4 gates that are used to get to various places in the shop.

The only problem I have with this setup is dumping the garbage can contents into plastic bags - messy, especially when I let the can get too full.

Mike
 
Mike............This sounds like a good way to set it up - can you post a picture of your setup? I am not familiar with the Thein setup that your talking about but having it outside with a duct thru the wall is a solution I can easily put together......................thanks
 
Coming late to the party, but thought I would toss in my $.02. I had a similar DC about same size and HP. It works very well for a single machine and can pull through rather long hoses. The comment about the fine dust is true, the wall behind where I kept the DC was covered with the fine dust so if you can swing a bad/filter upgrade or move the collector to a dedicated closet or shed I would do that.

I recently upgraded to a new Powermatic DC and sold my old one for $100. That must be the going rate.
 
Mike............This sounds like a good way to set it up - can you post a picture of your setup? I am not familiar with the Thein setup that your talking about but having it outside with a duct thru the wall is a solution I can easily put together......................thanks

Will take some pics and try to upload here. Meanwhile, the Thien is described here by the original maker: http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/cy.htm

Mike
 
....I give a lot of my chips away for bedding or mulch but don't give away the walnut chips especially for horses as it shouldn't be used for them. I don't use them around the garden either as the walnut chips can kill or retard plants.

Bernie, a doctor explained to me that the chemical (which he named) in Walnut prevents seeds from germinating, but otherwise doesn't interfere with plant growth. I use my walnut chips on my foundation plantings, and have a waiting list when I have more. When I lived up north, and we had a walnut tree in the yard, the grass under the tree was poor, but that was explained by the northern grass propagating with seeds, unlike the southern grass the propagates with runners.

The story I hear on horses and walnut is that horse urine mixed with said chemical becomes a toxin absorbed through horse hooves, which explains why horses can run through a walnut forest without problem, but can't use walnut bedding.

Everyone... remember that when you put on a finer filter, you cut the air flow. I have a 2 hp 2 bag collector that moved dust to the corner of the shop, then mixed it with the air. I bought 0.3 micron bags, but that cut airflow too much (I will make anyone a heck of a deal on those bags). Then I bought a giant AFF upper bag that I have used for a several years. Earlier this week I ordered the cyclone that I should have gotten in the first place.
 
Will take some pics and try to upload here. Meanwhile, the Thien is described here by the original maker: http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/cy.htm

Mike

If this works, here are a couple pics of the DC setup I have:

The DC Manifold has a sliding plastic window so I can verify things are going OK and can clean it out if something gets jammed crosswise. There are 3 plastic gates on top and one on the bottom. Notice that there are cardboard tubes used for connectors and for long runs. These are obtained from big box stores when they finish unrolling carpet. They toss them and are free for the taking. Chop 'em up to whatever size you need, add fittings to them wherever you have to cut in. If you make a mistake, no $$ lost. I used a coffee can through the wall to the DC shed.

The shed shows the outlet to the Thien garbage can which then goes on to the HF DC. Note the hook on the post. Use will be obvious in the pic of the Thien. Also on the post is the remote relay for the DC. The plastic window shows the relay inside sized for 30-80amp draw and the white item plugged in is the remote I got at HD on clearance at $9. I scrounged the relay from my electric junk bin. These run from about $10 on ebay to $45 at your local electrical store.

The Thien (shown upside down) is pretty standard. I used 3/4" particle board and some auto spray from a rattle can I had left over from something else - just to seal it. Note the eye bolt on the bottom. This thing is real heavy and when placed on the garbage can, doesn't require any clamps. However, when lifting it off, I flip it and hang it on that hook on the post in the DC shed while I empty the can.

Mike
 

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That looks like a great setup. Mike. I wish I could put my DC in the shed out back, but it's full of junk that would otherwise be stored in the garage...er...my shop.
 
That looks like a great setup. Mike. I wish I could put my DC in the shed out back, but it's full of junk that would otherwise be stored in the garage...er...my shop.

Actually, my shop is in an old shed and when I got the DC, I realized I didn't really have the shop space for it and the Thien. I quickly slapped together the small shed on the backside of my shop shed after I convinced myself of the benefits of not having it in the shop in the first place - no noise, no space taken, no super fines in the air.

If you noticed in the previous pics, there are water stains on the bags from leaks in the original roof. Those are fixed.

Mike
 

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