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How do you translate thevalues for airflow andresistance into
findingthe right dust collector?Start by determininghow many
machines
you plan to hook up. Ifyoure looking to installa duct system
that willservice your whole shop,these machines will notwork for
you. Theyremeant for short ductruns or dedicated hook-ups to only a
few
machines. (See theillustration at right for asimple
three-machinesetup.) For a centralsystem, youll need a more
powerfuldust collector or a cyclone.
The machines in this test have 112-and 2-hp motors, but to find
out howless-potent dust collectors perform, weincluded a typical
1-hp unit in our
Dust collector10" Tablesaw
12" P
6" Jointer
Typical shop seTup for aporTable dusT collecTor
One dust collectorconnected in this mannerserves three
machinesby using blast gates.Or you could use onelength of
flex-hose andsimply move it from onemachine to another.
T t t t t jt p . W w w t t w t t t p .
SHOP-TESTED
Dust CollectorsUnder $400
WOOD magazine March 2008
Would you buy a dishwasherthat didnt actually cleanyour plates
and pots? How
about a lawn mower that cuts only halfthe blades of grass it
passes over? Ofcourse not. You expect machines to per-form their
tasks.
Were with you. And thats why we sayyou should not spend your
hard-earnedmoneyand risk your healthon adust collector that fails
to trap fine
WOOD magazinetester Jeff Halladjusts the funnelon the end of
theduct to createresistance duringairflow testing.
dusteven dust too fine to see. In ourtest of 15 portable dust
collectors, wefound that all could move debris fromthe machine to
the collection bags withvarying success. However, nine of
thoseunits featured dust-capturing filtrationso inferior, they
merely recirculatedmuch of the fine dust back into the air.And its
that breathable dust that medi-cal studies have proved to be the
mostharmful to your health.
Dust collector basicsBefore we get into filtration, its
impor-tant to understand how a dust collectorworks. The type we
tested suck chipsand dust into an impeller, which thenspews them
into bags strapped aboveand below a steel rim. The bottom
bagcollects what settles, while the top bag(and unfilled areas of
cloth bottom bags)filters and traps the dust as air escapesthrough
it.
A dust collector needs to move dustand chips at least 3,500 feet
per minuteto keep them suspended in the air andprevent them from
settling in the duct.Multiplying the air speed by the area ofthe
duct gives you cubic feet per minute(CFM), the performance spec
cited mostoften in dust-collection discussions.Typical home
woodworking machineshave 4" dust ports and require a mini-mum
airflow of 400 CFM.
But CFM is only one of two key factorsin gauging dust-collector
performance.The other is resistance, measured ininches of
static-pressure loss. The very
ductwork you need to channel the debristo the collector actually
chokes that air-flow, especially as you add length orchange
directions. For example, everyelbow, wye, or reducer in your line
cre-ates resistance versus a similar setupwith a straight duct of
one size. Thelength of duct and material its made ofalso adds
resistance. (Ribbed flex-hose,for example, adds three times the
resis-tance of smooth-walled metal duct, soits important that you
use as little of itas possible.)
We went high-techto test these collectorsWith assistance from
Dr. Greg Maxwellof Iowa State Universitys engineeringdepartment, we
created a testing appara-
tus using smooth-walled metal ductworkthat we attached to each
collectors port(shown at left). On the open end, weused a
funnel-shaped stopper, threadedto an anchored bolt, to simulate
differ-ent lengths and shapes of ductwork.
We utilized a pitot tube and manom-eter inside the duct to
measure airflow(CFM) and resistance in inches of static-pressure
loss (SP). These figures helppinpoint which collector will work
foryou. To determine the amount of SP lossyou should expect to
encounter, go towoodmagazine.com/spcalc, or read issue119 (December
1999), pages 1618.
Of the 15 units we tested, 11 have 6"inlet ports and the rest
have 5" ports. Allmodels come with a wye that mountsover the inlet
and allows you to attachtwo 4" ducts. (All have a cap so you
canclose one of the 4" ports.) We tested eachunit with 4" metal
duct for a true apples-to-apples comparison (see chart at
right),and also tested them with 5" or 6" ductto match their ports
(next page). Wefound that each machine achievedgreater suction with
less resistance usingthe larger-size duct. (Using 5" and 6"duct or
flex-hose, however, requires a
testing. It did not fare well,meet the 400 CFM minimushown in
the chart below. Yhave luck using one of thesa very short duct (6'
or lesslikely leave some debris beh
Know your dust-collection needs
greater minimum CFM level than 4"duct to keep debris in
suspension.) Ifyou intend to use 4" duct or flex-hosewith a wye,
plan to add blast gates nearthat wye so you can close off one
ductwhile using the other. Leaving bothopen cuts your machines
suction capa-
bility in half.
Filtration proves cfor you and the coWood debris ranges from
h(like planer chips) that qthe floor, to microscopic that remain
suspended inminutes or longer and c
without magnification. Th
4" Port Performance
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Standard CFM
Static
Pressure
Loss
(inches)
Typical1-hpunit377.0 [email protected]
Minimum CFM requirement for 4" ductwork
Dust collectors lose CFM as the amount of resistance (SP loss)
increases. Select aoperates at a high CFM rate for a gi ven SP loss
for your duct setup. Because youmaintain at least 400 CFM in 4"
duct to keep dust and chips in suspension, look fresults to the
right of the shaded area. Peak performance of each dust
collector
Two Units Deliver Adequate Airflow Over 8" Static
Wt free v xgw t ttg g wk w w t v twgz./tt
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68
a human eye can see is about 10 microns.(Human hair, by
comparison, measuresabout 4060 m icrons in diameter.)
These dangerous, breathable, ultrafineparticles easily escape
through theporous woven-cloth bags rated at30-micron filtering
efficiency. Youshould insist on at least a 5-micron filtermedia
(bag or pleated cartridge), but a1-micron filter proves even
better. Thesefiner filtration bags are made fromthicker material
(usually felt) and havemore pinholes per square footto allowair to
pass throughwhen comparedwith 30-micron woven cloth bags. So
not only do these bags trap fine dust,but they also increase the
collectorsairflow by reducing resistance.
Five of the units we tested come stan-dard with a 1-micron top
bag, and ofthose, Penn State also includes a1-micron bottom bag on
both of itsmodels. The other three (Delta 50-760,
JDS 14040, and Steel City 65200) havenonporous plastic bottom
bags. Deltas50-850 comes with a 5-micron top bagand plastic bottom
bag.
Ironically, two unitsGeneral Inter-nationals 10-105M1 (2
microns) andGrizzlys G1029Z (2.5 microns)includedfine-filtering top
bags but offset themwith 30-micron bottom bags that allowedfine
dust to escape. After we shared testresults with these companies,
both
elected to replace the bottom bags withplastic, effective
immediately. (Griz zlysBill Crofutt said the company will
alsoreplace both 30-micron bags on theG1028Z with a 2.5-micron top
bag andplastic bottom bag.)
All other models except Rikon (10microns) feature two 30-micron
bags. Ifyou want to upgrade the filtering effi-ciency, you can opt
for bags or cartridgefilters from most of these manufacturers,or
you can buy much larger high-effi-ciency aftermarket bags that
providemore surface area to filter dust and allowair to escape.
(For a comparison of theirperformance, read A high-efficiency
topfilter combined with a plastic bag belowproves best on
nextpage.)
More factors to influenceyour buying decisionClampless bags
mount easiest.Securing the lower bag to the collectorhousing proves
to be a two-handed jobat best, and sometimes a third handbecomes
necessary. We found the easiestto install were bags with a springy
metalhoop [Photo A] sealed inside the bagsrim. These also produced
a tight seal
We tested the four dust collectors with 5" inlets using 5" duct,
and the Delta 50-760 clearlyoutperforms the others. It achieves
greater CFM and also overcomes higher SP losses.Peak performance of
each dust collector is noted at right.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Standard CFM
Sta
tic
Pressure
Loss
(inches)
CentralMachinery45378-1VGA599 [email protected] SP
Delta 50-760844 [email protected] SP
General10-105M1649 [email protected] SP
Rikon60-200669 [email protected] SP
Minimum CFM requirementfor 5" ductwork
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Standard CFM
Static
Pressure
Loss
(inches)
Craftsman21337676 [email protected] SP
Delta50-850746 [email protected] SP
GrizzlyG1028Z750 [email protected] SP
GrizzlyG1029Z863 [email protected] SP
JetDC-1100A798 [email protected] SP
JDS14040685 [email protected] SP
PennState DC2V2719 [email protected] SP
ShopFox W1666741 [email protected] SP
ShopFox W1685712 [email protected] SP
SteelCity65200745 [email protected] SP
PennState DC2000B822 [email protected] SP
Minimum CFM requirementfor 6" ductwork
Using 6" duct on those units with a 6" inlet, we found that more
than half barely reach theminimum CFM level at static-pressure
levels less than 3". The Grizzly G1029Z and Penn StateDC2000B excel
above the others. Peak performance of each dust collector is noted
at right.
against dust leaks. Only the Delta 50-760 and Jet DC-1100A have
such hoops.
Next best is a continuous pocketaround the bag, with the
lever-actionband clamp slipped into it [Photo B].Some models use
friction clips to holdthe plastic bags in place [Photo C] whileyou
tighten the band clamp aroundthemeliminating the need for a
thirdhand. Bags with belt loops [Photo D]make bag changes difficult
and tendedto bunch and create dust leaks.
Theyre all mobile, but... Becausethese dust collectors are
portable, theyall have four swiveling casters, so youdont have to
parallel-park them. Butonly two units, the Central Machineryand
Delta 50-760, include handles foryou to guide them around. Some
havesturdy legs that bend away from the bot-tom bag that also serve
reasonably wellas handles. The majority proved wobblybut strong
enough for their purpose.
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
30 Micron Bags (569 CFM@5.
30 Micron/Plastic (530 [email protected] SP)
5 Micron/ Plastic (615 CFM@6
2 Micron Cartridge/Plastic ( 611 [email protected] SP)
Standard CFM
StaticPressure
Loss(inches)
1 Micron Aftermarket/Plastic ( 615 [email protected] SP)
Minimum CFM requirementfor 4" ductwork
Any high-efficiency filter medium paired with a plastic bottom
bag gainsand overcomes more SP loss than any system using a
30-micron bag. Peaperformance of each combination is noted using 4"
duct.
Spin the handle of a cartridgepaddles inside that flip dust
o
To find out which combination of topfilter media and bottom
collection bagworks best, we tried each option onthe Jet DC-1100A.
We paired upcombinations of the standard30-micron cloth bags, a
plastic lowerbag, a 5-micron filter bag (from Jet),a 2-micron
cartridge filter (from Jet)[Photo E], and a 1-micron oversize
bag(from American Fabric Filter, 800-367-3591 or
americanfabricfilter.com).
As you see in the chart below, usinga high-efficiency filter on
the top anda nonporous plastic bag on the
bottom added 4080 CFM of airflowversus 30-micron bags. And
althoughstepping up from a 5-micron to a1-micron bag didnt improve
airflowin our test, it will boost your shops airquality. Some
manufacturers told usthey get greater airflow with cartridge
filters versus standard-size bags. Wewere unable to test each
collector withall filter and bag options.
But finer filtration and increasedairflow come at a price. A
cartridgetypically costs $200$250, three timesas much as a
high-efficiency bag.
American Fabric Filter (AFF) custom-designs and manufactures
oversize1-micron bags ($60$160) to fit eachcustomers dust collector
and shoplimitations (low ceilings, for example).
A high-efficiency top filter combinwith a plastic bag below
proves be
These bags add filtration susaid AFFs Stan Wnukiewicz
Youve got to have a larfilter bag that wont inflateballoon,
Wnukiewicz saysall that air pressure will forcopen and allow dust
particand that reduces suction. Yto anticipate what that filtein
six months or a year afteuse. With pleated filters andbags, that
dust gets forced
fabric or pleats to the pointmight never get it out.
carTridge cleans qu
bag mounTing meThodsfrom besT To WorsT
Simply twist Deltas metal hoop slightly andit pops loose; put it
back with a similar twist.
Clamps in sewn pockets that open in onlyone spot prove easy to
use.
Metal clips hold plastic bags while you securethe band clamp,
which still takes two hands.
Bags that rely on belt loops and a band clampproved the most
difficult to install.
WOOD magazine March 2008
Sewn pockets
Friction clips
Belt loops
Delta Stands Out Against 5"-Port Peers
Not All Units Can Support 6" Ducts
Fine Filters Increase Airflow and Quality
Tester Jeff Hall learned a tough lesson with wood dust
whiletesting these collectors. Jeff has a sensitivity to walnut
dustthat gets his nose and sinuses running, but he purposelyused
walnut dust to season all of the bags before takingairflow and
resistance readings, using it as a red flag that aparticular
machine might be leaking dust. And many of themdid leak around
fittings and seals. But what Jeff didnt count
Dusty trail leads to doctors office on was that the units with
30-micron bags actuallmuch of the fine dustincluding dust too fine
to into the air he was breathing. When his nose alertbegan wearing
a resp irator. But it was too late. Sogot into his lungs that it
caused a respiratory infeclasted three weeks and required three
rounds of aThe lesson: Filtering and trapping dust is critical,
s
filtering media on your collector of 5 microns or le
A
B
C
D
E
(Continued on page 70)
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COLLECTING THE DIRT ON DUST COLLECTORS UNDER $4
CENTRAL MACHINERY 45378-1VGA 2 110 14/7 12.1 5 5.35 30/30 79 P/P
C D B A A C 81 ALL 6 100 90 DAYS C $220 800-423-2567 h
CRAFTSMAN 21337 112 11 0/ 22 0 12 /6 8 . 9 6 6 .18 3 0/ 30 8 3 B
/C B - D B B - B + A 8 2 H B ,D ,M 8 1 08 1 C 3 00 8 00 -3 83 -4
814
DELTA50-760 112 110 /220 15/ 7.5 16.2 5 4.07 1/ P 86 H /H A A A
A A A 84 H ALL 8 100 2 T 350
800-223-7278 delt50-850 112 110 /220 12 /6 9.1 6 5.09 5/ P 83 B/
C B+ A- B A- B+ A 84 H ALL 8 100 2 T 390
GENERAL INTERNATIONAL 10-105M1 112 110 /2 20 14 /7 12.5 5 5 .5 3
2 /3 0 7 6 P /P B B- A A B+ A 8 4 AL L 6 10 6 2 T 3 40 514 - 3 26
-1161
GRIZZLYG1028Z 112 110 /220 18 /9 15.7 6 5 .53 30 /30 76 S/ S B D
B B B- A 8 4 ALL 6 115 1 T 240
8 0 0- 52 3- 47 77 G1029Z 2 220 12 9.8 6 5.53 2.5/30 76 S/S A B-
B B B- A 84 S ALL 6 123 1 T 260
JDS 14040 112 110 /2 20 1 6/ 8 14.8 6 5 .5 3 1/ P 7 6 P /C B- A
B C B A 8 4 AL L 6 110 2 T 3 40 8 00 -4 80 -7 26 9
JET DC-1100A 112 110 /2 20 11 /5.5 11 6 5 .2 7 3 0/ 30 7 9 B /H
B D A A B A 8 5 AL L 6 110 5 T 3 30 8 00 -2 74 -6 84 8
PENN STATEDC2000B 2 110/220* 18/9 8.7 6 5.87 1/1 93 P/P A A A A
B B 83 H ALL 7 101 2 C 260
800-377-7297 DC2V2 112 110 /220 18 /9 12.4 6 5 .53 1/ 1 76 B/ B
B A A C B- B 7 8 H ALL 6 95 2 T 330
RIKON 60-200 2 110 16 1 4 5 5.87 10/10 80 P/P B+ C+ B A B B 82
B,F,M 6 104 2 C 330 877-884-5167
SHOP FOX W1666 2 220 12 8.7 6 5.87 30/30 78 P/P B+ D A A B B 84
B,D,H,M,R 8 107 2 C 290 8 00 -8 4 0- 84 20 W1685 112 110 16 13.5 6
5 .53 30 /30 76 P/P B D A A B B 82 B,D,H,M,R 8 108 2 C 260
STEEL CITY 65200 112 1 10 / 22 0 1 4/ 7 11 .3 6 6 .3 1 /P 8 3 B
/ C B + A B A - B+ A 8 3 H B ,D ,P 8 9 8 5 T 3 20 8 77 -7 24 -8 66
5 s te el c
Jumper hose adds resistance.Fourteen of the 15 collectors we
testedhave the motor and impeller resting onthe base just above f
loor level. (Only theDelta 50-760 [Photo F] has them locatedat
midlevel.) Those 14 machines have23' of f lex-hose to transfer
debris fromthe impeller to the bags, and that createsmore drag to
cut into overall perfor-mance. The Craftsman [Photo G],
Delta50-850, and Steel City models use 6"hose, which creates less
resistance. (Ourtesting proved that larger-diameter ductcreated
less resistance when comparedwith smaller duct.) All others use
5"
impeller TransiTion facTors inTo airfloW
The impeller on Deltas 50-760 blowsdust and chips directly into
the collectionchamber without need for a jumper hose.
The 6" hose on the Craftsman has a smoothtransition from the
impeller to the collectionand filter bags.
The 5" hose on Penn States DC2V2 bendsat almost a 90
anglecreating moreresistancewhen the impeller is powered.
hose. Still, because of variables such asfan size and shape and
bags, some mod-els with 5" hose outperformed the 6"units. Were
confident those machineswould perform even better with 6" hose.Five
of the 5" models had extra-longhoses that resulted in near-right
angles[Photo H] in use, restricting airflow.Foam strip helps seal
leaks.General International was the onlymanufacturer to include
self-adhesivefoam, used to line the rim where thebags mount. This
proved effective at pre-venting dust leaks with the band
clampstightened.
MANUFACTURER
MODEL
RATED
HORSEPO
WER
VOLTAGE(1)
AMP
RATING(11
0V/220V)
MAXIMUM
AMPS
PULLE
DINTEST
BLOWER
INLETP
ORTDIAMETER
,INCHES
(2)
BOTTOMBAGCA
PACITY
(CUBIC
FEET)
FILTRATIONSIZE
,MICRONS
(TOP/BOTTOM)(3)
BAGCLAMP
STY
LE,
TOP/BOTTOM(4)
HEIGHTWITH
BAGS
INFLATE
D(INCHES)
AIRFLOWPERFO
RMANCE
QUALITY
OFBAG
FILTRATION
ABSEN
CEOFDUSTLEAKAGE
EASEOFCHANGIN
GBAGS
EASEOFMOBILI
TY
EASEOFASSEM
BLY
NOISELEVEL,
DECIBELS
STANDARD
OPTIONAL
POWERCORDLE
NGTH
,FEET
WEIGHT,POUND
S
WARRANTY,YEA
RS
COUNTRY
OFASSEMBLY
(7)
SELLINGPRICE(
8)
PHONE
MOTOR BAGSPERFORMANCE GRADES,
AS EQUIPPED (5)ACCESSORIES
(6) FOR MOR
1. (*) Te steda t220volt s. Units were tested at110volts unless
prewired for 220volts. 2 . A ll m od el si nc lu de a wy ew it ht
wo 4 " po rt s. 3. (P) Nonporous plasticbottom bag
4. (B) Band clamp in beltloops ( C) B a nd c l ampw it h f ri c
ti o n cl ip s (H) Hoop enclosed in bag rim (P) Band clamp in
continuous pocket (S) Band clampwith cinch straps 5. A Excellent B
Good C Fair D Poor
6. (B) Blastgates (D) Dusthoods (F) Canister filter (H) Flexible
hose (M) Finer-micron filtering bag ( P) P la st i c co l le c ti o
n ba g (R) Remote control (S) Separator lid for trash can (ALL)
Allo ftheabove exceptseparator
7. (C) China (T) Taiwan 8.
Pricescurrentattimeofarticleproduction shipping, where
applicable.
A
B
C
D
You wont go wrong with eitherof these dust collectorsOur tests
revealed three clear leaders in their ability to over-come static
pressure losses while achieving high CFM: Deltas50-760, Grizzlys
G1029Z, and Penn States DC2000B. Werenaming the Grizzly and Delta
as co-winners of our Top Toolaward. Heres why:
The Grizzly outperformed a ll units by overcoming the moststatic
pressure in 4" and 6" ducts and was second only to theDelta in
maximum airflow. Its 2.5-micron top bag filters outmost of the
ultrafine dust, and with Grizz ly making the switchto a plastic
bottom bag, its overall performance should onlyimprove. We tip our
hat to Penn State for its fine-filtering bags,but its airflow
performance proved slightly lower than that of
the Grizzly.But if you dont have the 220-volt hookup necessary
for theGrizzly, youll get great performance from the 110-volt
Delta.It achieved the highest maximum CFM, has the easiest
bag-changing system, and a superefficient 1-micron filter bag.
Gain airflow by adding an aerodynamic hoodWhile testing the 15
units with straightmetal duct, Jeff Hall discovered thatwhen he
cupped his hands around theopen end of the duct, the air
velocityincreased while static pressuredecreased. So we decided to
comparedifferent inlet ports in search of anadvantage.
We bought a common tapered dusthood and made a custom
bell-mouthhood, shown at right. For the latter, Jefflaminated two
pieces of34"-thick MDF,cut a 4" hole into the center, routed
oneedge of the hole with a 1" round-overbit, and then glued that
piece to astandard 4" plastic port. (You can alsobuy these in metal
or plastic.)
We tested these on several collectors,and found that on one of
the lower-
performing units, we gained nearly 100CFM with the plastic dust
hood andnearly 140 CFM with the MDF bell-mouth hood while dropping
resistancenearly 1" SP. We achieved similar resultswith one of the
top-performingcollectors. The reason for theimprovement? Air (and
with it, dust)changes direction easier when itencounters smooth
transitions versusperpendicular corners.
Adding either a bell-mouth hood or atapered dust hood to any
machine, such asthis jointer, will increase dust removal.
smooTh TransiTion gains cfm
Impeller inside here
Bell-mouth hood
Tapered hood
Delta50-760
GrizzlyG1029Z
Plastic or metal dust hoods andbell-mouth hoods sell for about
$720depending on size. (Many jointers comewith a dust hood, as do
sometablesaws.) But its easy to make yourown bell-mouth hood, using
whateverdimensions fit your machine. If yourmachine has a straight
port, you canremove it and replace it with a moreaerodynamic
hood.
F G H
70
Written by Bob HunterwithJeff Hall
Illustrations: Tim Cahill
You can do the same thing on anydust collector with
inexpensivefoam weatherstripping, available
at home centers and hardware stores.
Delta50-760
