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Amer. Fab. Filter Bags - Any Users?

glenn bradley

glenn bradley

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I would imagine there is some improvement but, would you bother with a $110 bag for a $125 DC. My little Delta 1HP has performed admirably although it is overworked. I was planning on a Dust Gorilla but the price increase has me thinking of another solution (the shock will probably wear off).

In the meantime I was thinking of adding a custom bag from American Fabrics that will quadruple my filter area and bring me a finer filter than the OEM bags. Has anyone here tried these and are you glad? Do you wish you'd just waited another year and gotten a cyclone?
 
You Bet! I had them make me up a 20", tapering up to 32" diameter bag that's six feet tall. It's for my Penn State 2 Hp machine. Not only does it function better; it's also about 18 dB(A) quieter than the original machine with the filter cartridge.

Mine cost me about $160, earlier this year. See this thread.
 
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They make a big difference. First they have better airflow, which make your dc more efficent, second they are a big set up from the flour sacks the come with most dc units.
 
Allll-Rightee then. Talk about your glowing recommendation. Thanks gentlemen. You too Tod :D.

Seriously, thanks for the input. Its great to have a place where you can ask an owner.
 
Hi Glenn - I haven't used them, but I think at $100 I'd be leaning toward a cannister that'll give you more airflow and is easier to clean. Do these bags offer a characteristic that other upgrade replacement bags don't? I had a set of the aftermarket felt Grizzly bags that I thought were a nice upgrade from the stock bags, but they were still a pain to empty. I switched to a cannister and don't think there's much comparison. I get alot more airflow and can use a clear plastic bottom bag which is easier to empty...still not pleasant but easier!
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Am I missing something?
 
Amer. Fab. Filter Bags

These bags are great.

We here at Woodworker's Supply have been using then and selling them on our dust collectors for quite a few years. They have been fantastic. We also sell the bags as replacement bags.

Dave Laird
D & N Specialties
Pro Sales Woodworker's Supply
 
scott spencer said:
Hi Glenn - I haven't used them, but I think at $100 I'd be leaning toward a cannister that'll give you more airflow and is easier to clean. Do these bags offer a characteristic that other upgrade replacement bags don't? I had a set of the aftermarket felt Grizzly bags that I thought were a nice upgrade from the stock bags, but they were still a pain to empty. I switched to a cannister and don't think there's much comparison. I get alot more airflow and can use a clear plastic bottom bag which is easier to empty...still not pleasant but easier!
wink.gif
Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

This is the top bag and has a large increase in surface area and better filtering than the OEM bag. I'll be able to go solid bag on the bottom and reintroduce my seperator if the math is right. I consider this a temporary improvement to a system that will be re-tasked in about a year. So for less than a penny a day and no setup time . . . . Did that sound lazy? ;-)
 
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Bill Lantry said:
Glenn,

Before you spend that kind of money, have you thought of going with one of these?

DCLID21.jpg


http://www.pennstateind.com/store/DCLID21.html

I never have to empty my bags anymore... best 30 bucks I ever spent... ;)

It ain't a cyclone, but its much better than trying to put the bags back on the durned collector... ;)

Thanks,

Bill
Click to expand...

I've got one of those. It really puts a hit on the CFM . . . BUT, (and I've said this many times) the ease of emptying the trash can up to 10 times before having to empty the bag is great.

Unfortunately, while doing some maintenance I ran my DC with the separator out of the line and got a taste of what I had become comfortable with ;-( Well, I exaggerate a bit; it's not that bad vs. the ease of dumping. With the "king size" bag I am hoping to reintroduce the separator to the system.
 
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I'm with Scott on this - upgraded my Jet DC with Wynn Environmental aftermarket cannister. They sell a kit that includes the cannister, the plastic bags, and the attachment clips to mount it all up. It made a huge difference. No more fine layer of dust all the time. No more haze in the shop during long planing sessions.
To me, it was a better deal than the felt bag option - basically the same money, better air flow, and much easier cleaning.
http://www.wynnenv.com/35A_series_cartridge_kit.htm
paulh
 
one more thing......mine have easily had 25,000 gallons of sawdust bounced through `em and they`re still holding up fine.
 
Jim DeLaney said:
See my thread here.
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Thanks Jim. It sounds like the AFF bags are a considerable step up from cheaper upgrade bags. 18db is a huge drop in SPL. I don't recall noticing much difference, which means either I'm insentive :huh: or it's possible that there was less difference between my Grizzly felt bags and my cannister...a JDS 20" mated to a Griz G1029. My sawdust quantities are likely lower than yours. Clogging hasn't been much of an issue if I'm diligent about spinning the flapper or banging on the side. Anyway, thanks for the enlightenmnet! The AFF bags seem to have quite a following.
 
I looked at going with filters, but they are hard to find the size I needed and the are very costly for ones to fit on top of 55 gallon drums.
 
Al killian said:
I looked at going with filters, but they are hard to find the size I needed and the are very costly for ones to fit on top of 55 gallon drums.
Click to expand...

I already went with the bags but notice most 'conversions' that I have seen for filters involved a flat ring to reduce the size down to the filter inside diameter. HTH if you still want filters.
 
Glenn, I think that conversion method on the Wynn site is outdated. I know with my HF dust collector/Wynn filter setup there was no need for the ring and other accouterments. Just the filter, and four turnbuckle bolts to hold it onto the DC ring.

Hover DC 1 600.jpg
 
I was incorrect about the turnbuckles...it's three, not four.

I just got done a few minutes ago putting a new bag on mine, and did a thorough blowing-out of the filter. This is the first cleaning since I got the new compressor, and I got tons of fine dust out of the pleats in the filter. (Had to clean my shop vac filter three times in the process.) The vast majority of my "dust collection" is exactly that...collecting sanding dust at the lathe. As a result, the filter does get pretty caked up. The bag is probably easier to clean in that respect.

I've got the 0.5 micron filter. Out of curiosity, how fine of particles does the bag catch?
 
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