WorkTheWood Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I have really been considering a Penn State 3.5HP cyclone for my soon-to-be basement shop. I will say I already own the HF 2HP unit, but I am afraid it may be a bit under-powered to do an adequate job. I am really looking for a solution that collects and eliminates as much ofthe "fine" dust as possible... http://www.pennstate.../TEMP1535S.html I want a powerful machine that will capture a lot of dust effectively. My shop is 450'ish square feet and will eventually have a table saw, 8" jointer, 12" planer, Router (mounted in a table), SCMS, Band-saw, Drill Press. My frugal-side wants to consider lower cost options so I can put the money saved towards other tools. What would you suggest that would do a great job, and keep the total spend under 750? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
man of wood Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I have a 900' shop and I use a 1hp Delta and it does just fine. I have to move it from my table saw to the other branch that has my jointer,planer,sanding station,spindle sander and router on it. I just have to open the gate at each too. I don't mind moving it once in a while, I love just working in my shop and love it better that it is in my basement. I never have one outside and never will. Remember, the dust drop before it will ever get upstairs, so dust in the living room is not a good fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidrn Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 I would suggest CraigsList, if you are near a city, then keep an eye out for shops closing. I was hunting for DC equiptment, and lucked out at the end of the summer. I found a custom one man shop that was closing, he was going back to being a shop teacher. I paid $400, and got a 3HP Reliant and all the metal pipes and fittings. I built a Thein seperator and the system is working great for my good size hobby shop. If you interested in what I put together for less than your budget, here is a shop tour I made of my new DC system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linkmx674 Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 if this is going to be your permanent shop for a long time? i guess go with what you really want and will know will be good. having all the filtration air purifiers and stuff would help too a little. i am in a garage and the hf 2hp does an awesome job for me. i have not used on my sander or router, but i hope it works as good on those to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 With the micro sized dust collectors we use your not going to get "powerful" and "cheap". I have a 3 hp cyclone and it cant keep up with my planer. It will pull all the chips out of the shop but a good portion makes its way out the exhaust. This is because even though it has the HP the cyclone portion is to small. I think people think way to small in terms of dust collection. If this is a long term investment I'd hold off and get a big unit. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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