# Dust collector, Harbor Freight 2 HP, model 97869



## Wildwood

Howard, very unusual set up, thought about getting a 4" hose clamp and putting a trash bag on your exhaust.

Have the same DC, but with Wynn Canister & plastic bags. I have used 32 gallon trash bags when got tired of trying to stretch clear plastic bags on. Takes lot of fussing to get my clear plastic bags on.

Switch on my DC went bad, could not find one here in town at big box stores. Ordered on from HF, shipping cost more than the switch. Owner's manual had me buffaloed, on needing a 20-amp switch. Should have known better you cannot re-wire that 2 HP motor for 220V.


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## ferstler

Bill,

I ordered a 20-amp slap switch from Grizzly and the shipping cost was also huge. I ordered some other stuff, too, but even so the total shipment size was not enough to justify a ten-buck shipping charge. I occasionally order electronic items from Parts Express, and even when the order is quite large, like, say an audio power amplifier, the shipping rarely goes above six bucks. (I guess shipping costs with small orders help Grizzly make workable profits.) Well, what is done is done. The new switch should fit into the existing cutout, but the outside flange is larger. Still should fit OK, though, and I may replace the flimsy existing mounting plate with a thicker one made of plywood.

I ran mine for two hours yesterday and felt the 14 AWG wire several times to see if it heated up. Did not even get warm. I also felt the motor housing and it barely got warm. There is a fan on the outer end of the motor, corvered with a protective shield, that blows a LOT of air back over the outside of the motor housing. Nice feature, there.

I did pull the side panel off and discovered that the fan is actually 10, not 9, inches in diameter. Still, the housing itself could easily handle a 12 incher. As I noted, the drag might increase the amperage load and the company decided to not take chances. One person on another site measured the thing and said it was something like 14 to 16 continuous amps. That seems about right.

One internet site had a video of a review and the reviewer noted that on his unit the impeller not only had a screw on the end shaft holding the impeller in place, but also had a side-located set screw. In his case, the set screw was not there - just the threaded hole for it. I checked mine and there was no set screw or hole for one at all, so this tells me that the outfit has used at last two different steel impellers, and I also read another review that said that a still earlier version of the unit (with a different stock number) had a plastic or maybe aluminum impeller.

One final mod I did on the unit was to cut away the protective grid on the input hole. Yes, this grid does block the input from oversized wood chunks hitting the impeller, but I use zero-clearance throat plates with my tools, so big chunks like that just do not get into the air stream. Cutting away the grid certainly will increase the air flow a bit.

Provided the bearings hold up, I expect this unit to last a long time at the rate I use it.

Howard


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## Craftsman70

Thanks for posting this. I've wanted one of those for a long time, but put it off because I don't have room for it. I never thought of stripping it down the way you did and just using it to send the air outside. Thanks for the idea.


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## ferstler

Here is a shot of my unit in operation out on my back work deck. I am shooting the dust at 90 degrees, and am not using the additional 45-degree tube, because when I tried it out it blew away all the leaves adjacent to the deck where the thing was aimed. Better to either use the 90 or the 45, but not both.

Note that I am not using it with my Ridgid jointer at the far right at all. I just let the dust fall down the chute with that thing, onto a sheet of newspaper. The pile is then taken to another part of the yard and "flung" into the wind. The tarp on the ground catches a bit of dust, but most just shoots well past it, out into the area, and I simply swing the 90-degree tube to different angles to spread out the stuff.

Howard


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## GJK

Since I have modified a 22' x 22' English-style conservatory over past six months to serve not only as my gym, as it has since 1997 but also my workshop. *See the full video sagawith music on the Vimeo site if interested in the conversion, including heroic saga of fighting off tens of thousands of carpenter ants and rebuilding after they ravaged the wood in not only fascia boards but structural timbers!! [ _*]http://vimeo.com/103100319)]_*

It is imperative to my health that while exercising I *not _*suck in lot of fine wood dust that cannot be reasonably swept up or even sucked up in small shop vac. 
SO I researched the dust collection market and settled on a Harbor Freight 97969 imported from China, knowing I'd spend a fair amount of time and money on modifications and accessories before I had my problem solved to my satisfaction.

Wheels suck as did stand to which wheels were attached with little pull-piece which allegedly would enable LJ to move the whole thin g about the shop. Forget about it! The stand is 22" x 33" and I ordered from HF their 24" x 36" platform truck (Haul-Master - item#68894, photo below) with GOOD wheels to secure the whole dust collector (minus the crap wheels) on top of it to create true stability and mobility.










I expect that will take a chunk of time with drilling through both the black sheet metal platform of the Chinese Dust Collector import as well as the much higher quality HF platform, as shown, and then securing them well. I plan to secure the two platforms AND a square framework of dimensional lumber (probably 2×4s) with a strong bolt/nut/washer assembly, which may be too costly as shown below and need to be down-graded:

• 3/4-10×4" Hex Bolt, ASTM A307 Hot Dipped Galvanized Steel (


Code:


$1.33)<br />•    3/4-10 Heavy Hex Nut, Grade A, Hot Dipped Galvanized Steel (

 $0.46)
• 3/4" Split Lock Washer, Hot Dipped Galvanized Steel (@ $0.23)

The power cord and switch, as others have mentioned, are also good candidates for upgrades. I expect to run this week-end a 12/3 line with a 20A breaker and reserve it as a dedicated line for this big Dust Collector and possibly other large equipment.

I also have a replacement power cord (14 AWG 15 A) and have ordered a replacement power switch.

Finally, but by far the most expensive modification, since my lungs are at risk, is my move from 5 microns to 0.5 microns - so the promises suggest - s I bought and installed the Wynn Environmental to go from 35 s.f. to 274 sf. with an alleged 99.990% efficiency at 0.5 microns.


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## Woodworking4dummies

I know many people have had issues assembling this unit, the instructions are from China and are horrible.
I took some notes and photo to help out others - check out my notes; http://www.woodworkingfourdummies.com/tips--tricks/harbor-freight-2hp-dust-collector-assembly

Ian


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