# An EXCELLENT dust collection solution for a small shop



## JoeinGa

Neat. Thanks for the review. 
How much do the system cost? Or is it all menu style ordered?


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## DIYaholic

No denim shirt & an apron. It's either laundry day or….
Rockler is not only keeping your shop clean, but they are cleaning up your act!!!

BTW: Nice review.


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## toeachhisown (Eddie)

great reviews stumpy on the third one it blackes out around 1:51 got to check em out


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## StumpyNubs

It ends there. I forgot to trip off the excess.


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## Dogboy

nice review. I started using these a while back. I had a little craftsman dust collector that I only used once in a while because of the hassles you outlined. so I mounted it on a cart (so I can wheel it to each machine) with a harbor freight separator (the kind that fit on a 5 gallon bucket). and put the quick change fittings on …pretty much everything. Its amazing how much better the dust collector works now that I actually use it.


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## DocSavage45

Spiffin up for Rockler! Nice work! haven't got to the installation of my dust collection. Going to keep these in mind!


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## AnttiN

Great work, Stumpy. I haven't enjoyed commercials so much since the Budweiser Clydesdale team!


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## _Steve

New step for you, congrats on the commercials.


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## superdav721

Stumpy you should have been a salesman. Nice review.


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## StumpyNubs

While it's not entirely inaccurate to call them "commercials" there is a difference. I don't get paid to do them. Rockler does sponsor our website, and they do send me tools they think I may like. But there's no promise of any good reviews. If I like something, I tell people about it. If I don't, I don't. I also pay from my own pocket for a lot of the tools I review.

I wouldn't say I like a tool if it weren't true. I make the videos to help my viewers spend their woodworking dollars wisely. Rockler benefits for obvious reasons. And I also benefit because Rockler uses the videos on their site which introduces more people to Blue Collar Woodworking. So everybody wins even though nobody gets paid.


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## nomercadies

Speaking of duct tape … I have this sticky goo on the seat of my shorts from the duct tape curling on the edges of the repair on my torn car seat. I'm pretty sure that's what its from anyway. The idea of not having to use the duct tape on fittings, then dealing with the left behind adhesive, that then impairs the seal the next time, might make these fittings some of my favorite things.


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## NiteWalker

Nice review. My shop is a one car garage so I'll look into this once I add another circuit and get a dust collector.


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## rogerw

new wardrobe? mustache mike must be making you feel a little intimidated. lol. sounds like a nice setup. like always, love the videos. cheers!


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## ssnvet

Doesn't the fine (and most dangerous) dust blow right through that little bag?

I'd like to see read out from one of those slick little particulate detectors with that Rockler wall unit puffing away.


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## StumpyNubs

I am a big believer that you need lots of airflow for fine dust collection at the source, as our dust collection series laid out. So no, that little Rockler collector would not eliminate the need for dust masks, etc. But this is an option for those who don't have the room or budget for a big cyclone and duct work, which includes 75% of the small shop, I bet. This system is for keeping things clean.

Personally I would go with the Harbor Freight collector if you have room. And if you have the budget, go with the Clear Vue cyclone. But the hoses and fittings in the review will work with any 4" system.


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## MoshupTrail

Sounds like a good solution for the small shop. But I have some questions…

What about the "sucker"? Looks like it's mounted on the wall, stationary. Could you mount it on a small cart? Or would that make sense with all the flexible hose? Is it 120v? Any comments on it?

Bill Pentz says corrugated flex hose really slows down the flow. Is this new hose better?

So 'm thinking to use this on a small cart in combination with a separator, like the one Rockler sells for $80. Would the connections all work?


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## StumpyNubs

I haven't tried out their small collector, so I can't say much about it. I do know the dust right hose and fittings are compatible with any 4" system, be it the Rockler one, or the larger Harbor Freight or Jet or Grizzly, whatever. Maybe I'll see if I can get my hands on one of the Rockler ones and see what it's like. I do know that it is pretty compact so mounting it on a cart would work just fine. In fact it would be a good idea because you could get the blower close to the machine, reducing the hose length and increasing airflow that way.

Bill Pentz is right, corrugated flex hose does slow down airflow. Normally you want to use as little of it as possible, but that's when you have a permanent duct system. The trade off with this stuff is you can go straight to the machine without any bends, which also kill airflow. They do make flex hose that is smooth inside. But it's not collapsible. Everything is a trade-off.

There is no 4" system on the market that will do the same fine dust collection job as a powerful 6" system. But if I had a small shop that required me to move machines around a lot, I would definitely go with the Dust Right stuff. I would also wear a dust mask while running sanders, etc- not just with the Dust Right system, but with most any 4" system too.

I have a big cyclone and duct work, but I still use this stuff in certain places. I love the collapsible hose and quick release fittings for hooking bench top tools up.


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## QuangFromCalgary

This is great review for the hose and connection system. I wish rockler can come up with some better bag for the wall mount sucker. Right now, it does not seem to stop the fine dust. It does not matter how good the hose and connector are, the dust comes right back anyway.


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## StumpyNubs

*Quang*- I checked into it and it looks like it comes with a 30 micron bag, which explains your problem. But they do sell a 5 micron bag upgrade for $32. That would make a pretty big difference.

Another thing I am checking into is a filter option from Wynn industrial. They make those realy nice filters people add to their Harbor Freight and other dust collectors. They are more like a fine hepa filter. They have one I think could be adapted to the Rockler collector. I'm going to email Wynn and ask about it.


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## lj61673

Unfortunately even a 5 micron bag is woefully inadequate. This is more of a chip collector and could be used for shop clean ups. Careful not to describe this as a small shop dust collection otion. It simply isn't.

There are a lot of inexpensive 4" systems that can be fitted with a 1micron or .5micron cartridge that represent a much greater value than this system.


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## StumpyNubs

If you read my comments above you will see that is just what I said. Of course I do call it a "dust collection" setup. But I see no need to parse words.

The inespensive 4" systems you refer to are much larger than this one. That's nice, but not everybody has the room. You can, however fit a MERV10 Wynn filter to this system which will be much better than the 5 micron bag.

This is designed to keep your shop clean. It's not designed for fine dust filtration. We've discussed fine dust filtration in great detail on Blue Collar Woodworking. I am a believer in Bill Pentz' philosophy and I have had numerous discussions with him. He advised us on the show.

But the fact is you have to spend a a lot of money to get true fine dust collection. It's not always possible for a small garage shop. That's why I think this is a great solution for those who don't mind wearing a dust mask when they have to.


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## Kentuk55

When I call Rockler, I'm gonna say, Stumpy sent me


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## NormG

Thanks


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## Stephenw

I have the Harbor Freight dust collector that is similar to this one. Grizzly and Penn State Industries also have a similar version. I purchased the 5 micron bag from Rockler and it works well for me.

Penn State Industries claims 1 micron with their bag, but I don't see where it can be purchased separately.


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## StumpyNubs

Mustache Mike has the little HF collector too. The only problem I see with the Penn State 1 Micron bag is it would likely restrict airflow quite a bit. For really fine filtration you need lots of filter surface area. I would go with a Wynn cartridge filter.


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## Nordraw

How is the vacuum system itself? I can see that the fittings and the hose is cool but is the vacuum part of it worth buying too?


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## StumpyNubs

I'll have to see if I can get my hands on one. I haven't tried it yet.


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## Momcanfixit

Nice review Stumpy. I have some of the Rockler fittings and they're great.


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## StumpyNubs

Here's a good review on the blower itself.


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## Nordraw

Thanks Stumpy, great job.


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