Reply by Fred Hargis

Good DC requires moving lots of air, and then separating the dust from the air stream. If you have a unit that does that, it really doesn’t matter whether it;s a single stage or a cyclone. Cyclones have a lot of advantages, though. Because they increase drag on the system they often have bigger motors and impellers, but because the stuff doesn’t hit the fan (so to speak) the impellers can be designed for maximum air flow. Single stage impellers have to be designed to withstand impacts. A well designed cyclone will not clog, one not-so-well-designed can send a lot of fines into the filter creating a need for frequent cleaning, mine is such a model. If you haven’t visited the Bill Pentz site, do so. But to avoid spending the next year there trying to catch up on the techno-babble just go to the FAQ section and peruse. Follow up on what’s of interest to you. One tidbit, more than any aspect of woodworking, DC has a broad range of opinions of what’s good and what’s not. That’s because the opinions are formed on expectations that differ greatly, from those who believe the DC is to keep them from sweeping up the floor to those who believe it needs to capture and contain every possible spec of dust. Choose where you are on that span to make your own assessment.

-- I long for the days when Coke was a cola, and a joint was a bad place to be (Merle Haggard)