Beginner confused about dust collection

[Behr]

I'm really new to woodworking. I've made a few large desks, but they were built using hand tools. I just bought a SawStop PCS and I'm pretty excited to use it. The dust collection part has me confused though, so many options and products. What is the cheapest/most simple solution that I can get by with until I can save up more money for a better/permanent DC solution?

Thanks!

[Chestnut]

The harbor freight DC is inexpensive and works ok for getting started. The filter bag is crap so keep wearing a dust mask or respirator. It really just catches the big stuff and makes clean up easier.

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-hp-industrial-5-micron-dust-collector-97869.html

There are other units similar to this one that you just move the hose from machine to machine as you need it. Many take this unit and modify it once they figure out some goals and it can be a decent unit once modified. It will never be as good as a 3hp or 5 hp cyclone though they start in the thousands of dollars and operate best with a duct system.

A good option is to search craig's list or facebook for used units.

[JohnG]

+1 for HF 2HP dust collector if you aren’t ready to spend a few thousand on it. Far better than a shop vac for the big tools and is pretty cheap. For another $150ish you can get a nice filter to replace the cloth bag. 

[Robby W]

I would take a hard look at the Tickler 1.5 HP unit. You can get it with a good filter and as long as you keep the hose length down, is plenty big enough for a tablesaw. 

[Behr]

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately the HF DC is not showing online availability until late August. My local HF doesn't have any in stock. Robby - is Tickler the name brand? I did a google search but didn't find anything relevant.

Would the Rockler Dust Right Wall-Mount Dust Collector, 1250 CFM be a good unit to start with?

Edited April 29, 2021 by Behr
Added more information.

[JohnG]

I’m guessing that was an autocorrect from Rockler. 

[Behr]

That makes sense. Final question: I can see that I can upgrade to a 5 micron bag for the Rockler system. Is that good enough to NOT have to wear a respirator? If not, is there a different filter I can add so that I won't have to wear one?

Thanks for the help so far, I know these are very basic questions.

[Chestnut]

I can't make any recommendations regarding respirator usage that is a personal choice. Even with a hepa filtration and cyclone i wear one when working on my table saw as it throws fine dust everywhere. It's a fault of table saws not the collection unit.

[wtnhighlander]

FYI, ths WEN dust collector is comparable to the Harbor Freight unit, and can be purchased through Lowes, Home Depot, or online.

https://wenproducts.com/products/1500-cfm-16-amp-5-micron-woodworking-dust-collector-with-50-gallon-collection-bag-and-mobile-base

I did not go so far as to research delivery times.

[jussi]

You may want to consider a separator as well. Makes emptying the dust so much easier. Downside is you lose a little cfm. For me it was worth it.  I have a similar dc (delta 50-760) and  I made a one using a garbage can with a thien baffle. 
 

Also I would still wear a respirator. You won’t capture 100% of the dust and depending on the tool and how well the DC was designed it could be quite significant. 

[wtnhighlander]

One more point to toss in. If you have the option to exhaust outside, add a separator and route the exhaust outside with no filter. The flow is vastly better this way, and even a simple separator will keep anything visible from blowing out, unless you over fill the container. Also, you have to allow make-up air into the shop, so HVAC may be affected.

[Robby W]

@JohnG got it right. It was supposed to be Rockler. Their 1.5hp unit got a good review and it is available with a filter.

[JohnG]

I’m sure the google results were interesting the other way though.

[Richard Brown]

As for as a .5 micron bag I’m going to say no. Get the wynn canister filter. A bag filter gives you like 30 sf of filter area and the wynn canister gets you 220 sf of filter area st the same micron level. Its easier to clean and will not clog as often. 
 

https://wynnenv.com/woodworking-filters/

i second the separator idea. 
 

here’s my set up

3hp

2 canister filters 

cyclone

6” duct

30 gal can to collect dust

[gee-dub]

You can see just by the quantity of responses over the last few days that dust collection is an easy subject to get information overload on.  The old rule of thumb was to do the best you could given your budget.  We now have to add availability to that rule.

Basically you have chip collection and dust collection.  Chip collection gathers the larger stuff and you wear a mask or eject the exhaust outdoors.  Dust collection opens the can of worms but fundamentally:

- If your return air is pumped back into your workspace (a basement, neighbors or weather conditions that don't allow for an outside exhaust) it must be clean.

- Clean return air is .5 micron filtered or better.

- Fine filters clog quickly.

- A cyclone prevents fine filters from colgging quickly.

So you can see it is a sort of building block logic.  If you have to breathe your return air you need to filter it well.  If you run fine filters and don't want to clean them frequently you need a two stage solution.  A cyclone system designed as a cyclone system will likely out perform a single stage system having a second stage placed in the air path.

A 1 or 2 HP blower with an exhaust hose shooting outside your work area will be your least expensive solution as long as you don't live in suburbia with neighbors that have a lovely fountain in their yard ;-)