Dust collector filter bags.

Chuck Ellis

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6,997
Location
Tellico Plains, Tennessee
I know this has been asked and answered, but didn't come up in my search...

where would I get the cloth filter bags for a Harbor Freight 2 hp dust collector...

I opened my DC closet this afternoon to find a solid cloud of dust inside the closet.:eek:.. my upper bag has two or 3 tears in it and I'm pumping more dust into the closet than into the catch bag. I keep a black contractor's bag in the lower bag to catch debris, but most is blowing out the tears in the upper bag.
 
What Tod said. I have a six foot high, 36" diameter one on my 2hp collector. It replaced the perpetually clogging filter cartridge I paid extra for when I bought my DC.

If you were closer, I'd give you the cartridge filter, but you'd be happier with an AFF bag.

Thanks guys... I knew I'd seen the contact on the web somewhere... I think my bags are 20", but will measure and see... I don't have enough height in my closet to go to 6' upper bag... my whole unit, upper and lower bags, is about 75" and because of the slope of it the closet ceiling is less than a foot over that...
 
... I think my bags are 20", but will measure and see... I don't have enough height in my closet to go to 6' upper bag... my whole unit, upper and lower bags, is about 75" and because of the slope of it the closet ceiling is less than a foot over that...

Chuck,
If you have the room, get a bag that flares outward to a larger diameter. That'll give you much more filtration area, and the DC will operate more effectively (flow more air).

My DC has 20" flanges, too, but AFF made the bag to 'funnel' outward to the larger diameter.

BTW, if you order a custom bag, have them put belt loops around the mounting flange. It'll make it easier to put the bag on and off if the steel band is secured to the bag. You might want some hanging loops on the top, too - depending on the bag height. I have them on mine, since it's six feet high - otherwise it'd collapse when the DC is off.

FWIW, I paid about $160 (delivered) for the custom bag, about three years ago.
 
Thanks all for the quick responses.... I looked ath the AFF bags and while they're probably just what I needed, the price is a little beyond the budget... I found one, a 1 micron, on Amazon for under $40 including shipping....
 
Chuck, How do you like that HF dust collector? I've finally decided that I've breathed enough dust and am going to make the investment. I was surprised to find the HF 2hp dust collector under $300. A lot of the stuff at HF is cheap crap but some appears to be OK and for the price you can't go too wrong.
 
Chuck, How do you like that HF dust collector? I've finally decided that I've breathed enough dust and am going to make the investment. I was surprised to find the HF 2hp dust collector under $300. A lot of the stuff at HF is cheap crap but some appears to be OK and for the price you can't go too wrong.

I'm pleased with the operation of my HF DC... it's a 2 hp motor that has a rating of 1600 cfm on the suction...runs on 120 V... I've had my hand sucked into the mouth of the intake.. actually, the intake tube sucked up against my hand, when I got too close to it... I had a switch go out on the motor about 10 months after I got it... didn't think to look at the switch at the time and called HF about the motor being bad.... they sent me a new motor for the DC...

This is the one I have,

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97869

but I think I caught a sale and got it for under $200...mine doesn't have a clear bag on the bottom... it came with two canvas (think they were 5 micron), but I put a black plastic 45 gallon contractors bag inside the lower bag to catch the debris... only have to pull the bag out and dispose of it....

If you have room or can do it, I put my DC outside my shop in a separate closet that I built onto the end of my shop... good thing to, when the upper bag developed a hole this past week, there's about 1/2 inch of dust over everything in the closet.... after I switch the bags, I'll have to blow all that dust out with the shop vac so I don't cause the motor to get clogged up and go out on me. All that dust in the shop would have been a bigger disaster than I already have.... I have a layer of dust inside the shop because I forget to turn on the DC sometimes when I'm turning or sanding....
 
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Hey Dave I seen where HF is going to have an in store coupon for 25% off one day only on the 1st you might want to check that out if you are going to buy one.
Jay


Jay,
Thanks for reminding me... I thought of that to tell Dave, but by the time I looked up the DC and finished my post, I had forgotten to tell him... this is why I believe in the here after.... I get to another room and then say to myself, "I believe I'm here after something"....:rofl:
 
Chuck this is what I did with my HF DC. I put a Wynn cartridge filter on mine. Have had it on for 2 yrs now with a plastic bag below. Works well for me. The Kit I got was the one for $106 and is .5 micron.

http://www.wynnenv.com/35A_series_cartridge_kit.htm

Bernie,
Yours must be brand new or you dusted it just for the picture...:rolleyes::D:D mine is covered in about 1/2 inch of dust right now until I get a new filter bag on the top... I opened the closet where it sits.. outside the shop.. and it looked like a Sahara sandstorm in there, there was so much dust in the air you couldn't see the back wall and it's only a 4 x 4 closet.:D:D

I just got a 1 micron bag through Amazon that I'll use for now... since it is outside, it's not so much a problem for me in the shop.
 
Chuck, How do you like that HF dust collector? I've finally decided that I've breathed enough dust and am going to make the investment. I was surprised to find the HF 2hp dust collector under $300. A lot of the stuff at HF is cheap crap but some appears to be OK and for the price you can't go too wrong.

I've also been happy with my HF DC. I did essentially the same thing Bernie did...I added the Wynn filter and a plastic bag at the bottom.

Here's a write-up I did describing the initial mods I did...

http://workingwoods.com/hot_rodding_a_DC.htm

I have since added a Thien baffle...

http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13551

The only problem i've had is the swith, which I had to replace after about a year after I got the DC.
 
I've also been happy with my HF DC. I did essentially the same thing Bernie did...I added the Wynn filter and a plastic bag at the bottom.

The only problem i've had is the swith, which I had to replace after about a year after I got the DC.

Vaughn
I had same problem with mine.. the switch fried... I went to a local electrical supply house (as local as things get around here.. it's almost 30 miles away) and got a new switch.. heavier duty, but I leave it on all the time and use a wall switch in the shop to turn the DC on and off. My Dc is outside the shop in a separate closet with the hoses and electrical running through the wall.

I like the baffle you made... I need to see if I have room in my little closet to set a garbage can so I can do the same thing.
 
Vaughn,

I am thinking about adding a Thien baffle to my dc. Have you noticed a difference in the amount of dust/bigger chips in the top filter? I have a delta 50-760 and I get a lot of bigger pieces up into the filter bag.
 
Add the Thein!!! and use a Wynn filter

I mod'd my Shop Fox with a Thein - mounted it to the flange with a 1 1/8 gap around the circumference. It works wonders. I also added a windshield wiper motor to run a "tapper" and the Wynn filter sweeps. I fill the lower bag about every two weeks and only get a cup or so of fine dust off the filter in that time.
 

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Vaughn,

I am thinking about adding a Thien baffle to my dc. Have you noticed a difference in the amount of dust/bigger chips in the top filter? I have a delta 50-760 and I get a lot of bigger pieces up into the filter bag.

John, Ive seen a huge difference in the amount of chips and dust in my filter. Well worth the effort to add the baffle. Phil Thien has a website andforum that has lots of info about adding the baffle to various DCs.
 
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