# Home made Dust Collector



## MrRon

Way to go. I'll bet the satisfaction that you did it yourself is immense.


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## Kentuk55

The SDD does make a difference. I added it to my HF 2hp, and, it's unbelievable how much better it is.


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## NormG

I am doing one of these as soon as I have room for it


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## deparrott

Thank you for posting your project. This is very close to what I'm planning for my shop. I am curious about the bracket supporting the blower. Was it included as part of the HF system or was it purchased elsewhere?
Thanks


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## gotnonickname

follow this link to Harbor Freight for the dust collector power head:

http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-shop/stationary-dust-collectors/13-gallon-industrial-portable-dust-collector-31810.html

Make sure you remove inlet and outlet plastic screens to increase flow. Also added a elbow to outlet to clear up restriction the hanging bag made. Follow this link for that:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_433297-131-433297_0__?productId=4566302&Ntt=dryer+duct+elbow&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Ddryer%2Bduct%2Belbow&facetInfo=


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## Crickett

What is the CFM rating of the motor? I'm concerned that the bag may be a bit on the small side and better suited for a smaller wall-hung unit with a lower CFM. What's the micron rating of the bag? Typically with felt and cotton it's a trade-off (better breathability means less captured dust). If the custion is really strong, that bag could produce back-pressure in the system and cause it to drop efficiency quickly. Having said that, the layout and execution looks good.


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## deparrott

Thanks for the link about the blower bracket. The reason I didn't recognize it is because I thought that was the larger 2 HP rated blower. I've got the coupon for the larger unit for $149. I can probably figure out a way to mount the bigger blower because really like your tower/cart setup.


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## gotnonickname

To answer the questions asked, first off the blower, not the motor has the cfm rating. The HF blower is rated at 660cfm. I am going to asume that is no load, meaning no bag, just calculated based on impeller area and motor rpm. The bag is plan old cotton. So the best your going to get for filtration is 30 micron. As for reduction of flow, ya the bag will reduce the flow. Same goes for a filter. When you upgrade to the filter you need to understand how flow through a filter is rated. As you see in my pics, flow is straight up through system with no bends. As I said before in an earlier post, the outlet of the blower now has a 90 elbow and that allows bag to hang which increased flow through the system. The pinch in the bag in the picture did cause a loss of flow through system. You can feel a draft from the bag now when running. 
Next question from myself is a link for the HF 2hp blower. Would like to see it to find out if it has more cfm of flow.

If it does and the inlet is larger than 4", I might go for it when I get another super coupon and the unit is on sale.


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## ducky911

I am worried that that bag is spreading the fine dust all over your shop(the stuff you can not see) , not sure what that bag is rated but you might be better to vent it outside. Otherwise cool system.


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## Dal300

A long time ago I was worried about dust so I bought the 1HP HF unit. It runs about 4 tools but never at the same time because everything is within 10' and I am the only person in my shop.

I was concerned about the 30 micron bag so I dumped it and replaced it with a .5 micron pleated collector filter from a major mfg.
Then I built a box that is located against the wall with a 3/4 HP squirrel cage and motor in it from a Roof Air for an RV. I made it so it would hold 2-25"x25" furnace filter rated at MERV 14.

This sucks the airborne dust and works well enough that I have to change the filters about once a month when the shop is up and running.

Just my way, your mileage may vary. Objects under Tee-shirt are larger than they appear!


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## gotnonickname

ducky911
No fine dust all over the shop. Even with the 30 micron bag. I have an overhead Delta room dust collector running whenever the new system is on and that filter is doing it`s job and filter is staying clean. Currently I am in the process of making my filter holder and will install in the next few days. Filter rack will replace bag. When they say 99%+ of dust separated, that is no BS. The key is your design and there *must be no leaks anywhere*. I washed the bag prior to install and since it was cotton let it air dry. If I was going to stick with a bag then I would purchase the 5 micron Dust Right bag from Rockler. I always wear a resperator so the fine dust in the lungs is not an issue. I also blow my shop out about every month while I have the Delta room unit on and the garage door open. When the weather is nice I roll the new unit outside anyway to reduce the noise. I get more cotton from the nasty neightbors cottonwood tree than dust in my shop from the new system.


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## NormG

Great build


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## gotnonickname

Update 2/8/2019
since I made my initial system, I have upgraded the system to use the HF 2hp unit. I have also upgraded the impeller to the Rikon 60-200 unit impeller. I also changed my outlet filter to one I got from Wynn Environmental. This filter includes an easy to remove bucket on the bottom of the filter for collecting fine dust when filter get blown down with air. When done, remove bucket and dispose of wood fines. I made this change almost a year and a half ago and the results have been superb. My dust collections has increased by more than double and I could not be more happier. Only thing to be aware of is that the HF power unit has a cross metal debris screen and plastic bags will get stuck there are greatly reduce your suction. I recently cut this out and I hope I do not regret this. What I am looking at now is to increase the HF power unit inlet and outlet to 5" from 6". Anyone tried this and does it give you more performance. Saw a U-Tube video where that was done.


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