# Disappointment with JET DC-650A 1 Horsepower Dust Collector



## DanYo

never used that design before. I have a old Jet 1hp and the blower is completely different. Mine worked fine, but I soon upgraded to a 2hp Delta and now have two. Both several years old,,,
...
I have the same planer …Dewalt …


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## northwoodsman

Looking at your setup, you have 3 - 180º bends in 10' of hose. I would try to form an "arch" with the hose, and perhaps even shorten it. 90º bends should be avoided if at all possible, 180º turns should be avoided at all costs. I have a larger Jet, and it works great! Good luck. Keep us posted! You will be extremely happy that you added dust collection and air filtration.


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## dbhost

To be blunt, it did what it was supposed to do… That cross piece is supposed to allegedly keep you from sucking nuts, bolts, and other misc junk into the impeller…

Most folks cut the cross piece out, or use a pre separator. In your case since space is so critical, I would suggest cutting out the cross piece. It serves no other purpose… So yeah, you are good with removing that…

I agree on switch and wheels. Honestly, My HF DC switch is in a worse place than your Jet, and the wheels are roughly similar… I move my hose instead of the DC and it isn't a problem…


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## Cato

Another thought considering the size of the shavings from a planer or jointer would be to add a separator.
Wife got me one from woodcraft for Xmas that mounts on top of a metal trashcan. I think the top that she got from woodcraft ran about 25-30 dollars and I got the can from HD for 22. I hooked it up for the first time this weekend and it works great. Your shavings would then be in the 30 gal can and leave your intake unclogged.


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## Julian

I have that same problem when I joint pine or fir with my jointer. Hardwood won't do that. As was already stated, just cut the screen off and it won't happen again, just don't suck up any metal bits!


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## araldite

I had the same problem with my Delta DC, which has a similar design. On another forum I discovered a thread where a number of people were having the problem. The big discussion was whether to cut the grill out or not. If you likely to suck in bolts or nails and such, you're going to damage the impeller and trash the unit if you cut it out. If you think you're going to keep it to just shavings and dust, removing the grill will solve the problem. I cut mine out a long time ago and never had a clog again. I use a shop vac for cleaning floors and places where metal debris might be.

The Delta also has wheels so small they get stuck on everything. I'm thinking of getting some larger casters and replacing them.


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## teenagewoodworker

i would suggest the little cyclonic pre separator as Cato said. I'm getting a cyclone so i don't have to deal with the bag style dust collectors. but adding a cyclonic pre separator is a great idea and you could even go towards the next step and get a super dust deputy but then you have that space issue again and they are not cheap. So easiest option… cut it off… better option is the separator. Also remember if you cut that off most likely you will lose whatever warranty is on the motor or the impeller. which is really what you're paying for.


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## HokieMojo

the seperator will help in many ways. It will save you from having to empty the bag with all the fine dust too (which can be messy). It also wil lhelp your impeller last a lot longer. I definietly think that even a simple seperator is well worth the investment.

If you are concerned about space, you could try building a separate stand. That could incorporate the separator right onto the stand and you could potentially fit a shop vac on there too. I think a very recent shopnotes had something like this, but I'm not sure. Its on my list of to-dos. Good luck.


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## DocK16

I have a Jet model 650 which I believe is 1 or 1-1/2 hp. These units are good for 1-2 machines at a time which you are doing I agreee with northwoodsman you have too many tight turns in your hose. Use one 3or 4 ft piece piece of hose connected directly to your planer. It looks like your planing maple which yields large shavings whch are clogging your impeller. Cato Hokie and teen ww are on the mark with advice to use a separater. I use the black plastic separater on a garbage can, cheap but very effective. It can be emptied in a jiffy (not like the cloth bag on the the dust collector, separates 90% of the dust before it gets to the DC and can be had for around $30, plus the cost of the garbage can.


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## drfixit

My harbor freight DC had (note - had) that cross peice in it, until I took a cut off wheel to it


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## Dusty56

As already mentioned , your hose layout is restricting the natural flow of the air and chips….every curve that you have in the hose is slowing the debris down which adds to the clogging issue that you are having. The whole reason for the metal cross on the intake is to keep people from reaching into the impeller.It's not a super magnet and will not stop bolts from being ingested providing you have enough suction to inhale them in the first place. It will stop large chunks / cut-offs from being eaten though . Your best bet would be to get a metal trashcan and separator , keeping the hose between the dust collector and cyclonic lid relatively short and then keep the rest of the hose from the intake to your planer as short and straight as possible. It is so easy to empty the trashcan as opposed to the dustbag : ) Regarding the wheels and switch …..your issues seem to be universal and easily remedied : )


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## Johnny_Yuma

Cut that junk out of there!!!!
It will be NIGHT-AND-DAY!


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## DerekL

No offense, but if the switch is on the 'wrong' side - why do you blame the manufacturer rather than just turning the dust collector around? Then the switch is in plain sight with easy access. I have practically the same dust collector, and I keep the switch turned towards wherever I'm working.

Your hose routing is, as others have pointed out, a problem. I have the same planer, and sometimes have the same problem. The solution I'll be trying the next time I'm in the shop will be a shorter length of hose so that it drops almost directly from the planer to the dust collector.

Another thing is to reduce the depth of your cut, I've found that the finer the material the less likely it is to clog. Even though this is a Jet, it's still fairly low end DC system and I find my planer and jointer can easily overload it if I don't take that into consideration.


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## reggiek

I have the older jet DC with the cannister and it works like a charm…I haven't looked at this one so I am surprised to see the problems. You might also consider putting a cyclone (trashcan with the inlet outlet lid) on it to prevent the bigger pieces from getting that far?


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## Brad_Nailor

I wouldn't cut it at all. The solution to your problem is get an aftermarket device that allows you to use a garbage can as a preliminary stage to your dust collector. All the larger chips will fall in the garbage can first stage and only the fine dust will end up in the DC bag. This will help keep the CFMs at a usable level as well. Woodcraft, Amazon, Rockler all sell these items. It looks like a trash can lid with in and out fittings for hoses…and they fit on to standard metal garbage cans. Don't destroy your DC or risk ruining it by accidentally sucking up a screw or bolt.


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## HokieMojo

David,
Why not remove it anyway? I'd think anything that impedes the airflow would be bad.


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## tunkvalleycustomwood

i like the idea of the mini tornado every one is sugesting i tried one with my three horse dust collector and i dont recomend it lets just say it sucked a brand new metal trash can almost flat i wish i would have taken pics of it before i threw the can away


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## PBthecat

Based on my experience I think you should cut out 2 of the four bars that block the inlet and if that doesn't work, take out the other 2.


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## pintodeluxe

Interesting to hear that you had a problem at all. I run the Jet DC650 with the Dewalt 735 and it has stellar dust collection. The 735 has an internal blower motor to clear chips. Does the 734 have an internal blower as well? Overall I have been pretty happy with my dust collector. I chose it over the DC1100 because the switch is higher up off the floor.


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## 8iowa

I suspect that the velocity of the air in your 4" hose is too low, not allowing the chips to stay suspended in the tuburlent airstream. I know that my following recommendation seems counter to natural beliefs, but if you use 2 1/2" hoses, the velocity will increase according to the square of the difference in radius. Doing this will most likely increase the velocity above the 3500 ft./min. threshold necessary to suspend the chips. This will be an inexpensive and easy fix. Doubtless I will have many naysayers here, as I said, this goes counter to the belief that "the bigger the pipe" the "better the flow".

Going to a dust collector with higher HP and more capacity (cu. ft./min.) will of course also increase the velocity in a 4" pipe to above 3500 ft./min. but in a small shop basement shop with hoses only 10 ft. length, your 1 HP unit has plenty of capacity to handle one machine at a time.


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## Billh52

I also have the Jet DC650. Very disappointed. My Shop Vac works better. I would like to trade the DC650 for a disk/belt sander combination.


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