# Dust Collection for Garage



## MikeMcNerney (Feb 12, 2020)

Hi All. Long time lurker but 1st time poster. I've spent hours reading about dust collection on this forum and others (other woodworking forums, Bill Pentz site, etc) and find myself almost as confused as ever. Up to this point, I've done most of my stuff outside (weather permitting of course) so atmosphere and cleanup was never a huge issue. I've recently cleaned up our garage with an eye on being able to do primarily work in there regardless of the weather. Outside is obviously still an option when the weather is fine.

Currently, I have a Table Saw, Miter Saw, 2 Routers (Finishing and Fixed Corded), and 2 sanders (Random Orbital and Palm). I have an eye on picking up a benchtop planer sometime in the near future if I can find a good deal. Before I expand my tool selection, I feel like I'm at the point where a dust collector makes sense and is really a necessity if I'm working in the garage (whether the door is open or closed). We don't have cars in there but I'm primarily focused on limiting what I'm breathing in. In all my forum reading, it seems like most folks say a shop vac/dust deputy combo does as well or better than a dust collector for the fine dust from an orbital sander (which I used a lot) vs. a dust collector working better for the saws and such. Am I reading that right or is there a dust collector that could do a decent job for my current setup? I've seen folks recommend ClearVue/Onieda/etc which I'm sure are amazing but those are really not in the budget right now. If I had say $500-$700 to spend right now, is there a setup someone can recommend that will put me in a better position than I am now with nothing?

Thanks in advance for any help you all can provide. This forum in an excellent resource!


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

I'll offer this: of the tools you have the DC is going to work really well with just the table saw. Miter saws are notoriously hard to corral the dust, and routers are probably worse. The sanders are best managed with vacs. The addition of a planer will also be best managed by a DC. You can have a huge box around the miter saw, and the DC will catch a majority of the dust….maybe. As for which DC, you can get the HF unit and then some after market changes to improve some things. I think you'd be better off starting with one of the "true" 1.5 HP units with an 11" impeller and for tight now just use a flex hose to connect it to the TS. Once you add a planer, you can roll it back and forth or switch the hose back and forth…or even set up some rigid ducting.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

You can go completely blind studying the dust collector issue. Sooooo much info, and some of which is actual.
I use the HF dust collector with felted bags for the planer, table saw, and band saw. The other collection is done with a quality vac with good filters for sanding, plate joiner, Ridgid orbital sander and drill press.
Stupid simple for my 400 sq. ft, shop.
Just my way.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

My system is very much like this one with a very long hose except the cyclone is mounted on the wall which gives me another horizontal surface that my drill press, mortiser and scroll saw sit on. 









I have a 6hp 12-gal shop vac. in it lined with baffles and carpet padding. Very quiet. Everything mates up to the same size fitting that is on the end of a very long hose so I just plug it into whatever tool I'm using or what tip I'm using to suck up excess dust which is very convenient. I use a homemade adapter to hook up to the 4" ports on my bandsaw, jointer and planer. I use a HF remote that I wear around my neck under my shirt so I just press the button to start it. My family calls it my "Life Alert" button. The homemade cyclone collects the dust into a 5 gal bucket and the shop vac has a HEPA bag that collects fine powder that I only need to change once a year as long as I dump the cyclone when it starts to fill up. It s strong enough to collapse a cheap Home Depot bucket so I use a thicker 5 gal paint bucket. It will even pull jointer and planer chips as long as I don t take aggressive cuts. It has one "Y" in it with 2 blast gates and very short lengths of 4" hose so I can use a short hose for the tools on the wall. Every so often I will blow the whole place out with a leaf blower.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Regardless of the DC system you choose, I strongly suggest also building at least one "Air Filtration" system. I now have two that I made using old squirrel cage blowers:
https://www.lumberjocks.com/topics/241361
These work really well and catch the tiny stuff that nearly all DC's miss. Your nose will definitely tell the difference!










I use multiple filters; FPR #2, #5, #7, and a 4in #10:


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## MikeMcNerney (Feb 12, 2020)

Thanks so much for all the info and advice…very helpful! For the shop vac piece, are we talking more "high end" shop vacs like a Fein Turbo or just a quality/powerful shop vac? I recently got a Craftsman h HP/16-gallon shop vac that has amazing suction that I've been happy with. That shop vac silencer/cyclone is an interesting option and I could definitely use the extra horizontal surface in the future.

I believe I might have the opportunity to pick up a DC that has been modded into a cyclone and works very well used for only $250. Maybe the best option might be to pick that up and use in conjunction with a shop vac solution. Then I have everything I need (factoring in future tool expansion) and can set everything up now the way I want it. I want to avoid putting some solution in place now and realizing in the near future I need (ok…maybe want) more and I'd have to move everything around. At the end of the day, woodworking is not my main job but I do have a booth at a local antique mall I build stuff for so my tools get some use. It seems like the fine dust from the sander (which I use a ton) is my primary enemy so it's probably vital that I attack that first.


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## ChefHDAN (Aug 7, 2010)

Biggest thing about the DC is the CFM, all good advice above, after getting my DC I rarely use the shop vac for much of anything in the shop, too damn loud and not enough CFM. I have 1 fixed line along the wall for my MS and stationary sanders, and have 2 10' flex hoses that can connect for the TS BS planer & jointer, (all on mobile bases). For handheld sanders I have a 1.5" hose that can connect but frankly, if it's a nice day, the garage door is open, I have the fan at my back and wear a 3M half mask respirator. If you're using paper ones with rubber bands right now look for the 3M quick-latch respirator, it is MUCH more comfortable that the paper ones and I will wear it even for the "quick" jobs. After you get a planer and if you start doing your own milling you'll be amazed how fast the DC can get full. For not nice days, or when I'm running the heat, I have an air cleaner also hanging for the fine stuff.


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## d38 (Sep 6, 2017)

Yep, its difficult trying to decide which machine, how to hook it all together, etc. 
Buying used is always great - can sell to upgrade and take less of a hit. 
Switching from saw to planer isn't too bad with a flex hose. 
Routers are a mess unless in a table and good fence collection, plus a box around the router. 
Sanding dust - you need an air filter like mentioned above. Build if you have time, buy if you don't. Make sure it moves enough air for the size of your shop. The real small ones won't have the CFM for a 2-stall garage.


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## cmacnaughton (May 17, 2019)

I work in my little 1-car garage (11×22' with a 6'7" overhead height) so I am familiar with limitations in a small space. As has already been mentioned, a dust collector will work best on the table saw and planer and a shop vac or equivalent will work best on sanders.

I use a 1HP 750CFM wall-mount collector, but I use a separator (the Wood River trashcan separator available from Woodcraft). If you use a planer without a separator/cyclone of some kind, you're going to be emptying bags frequently. The Wood River separator is adequate. For $30 plus the price of a 32-gallon trashcan it's very cost-effective.

I would also use a separator on the shopvac. Once again, I went the less expensive route and use the DustStopper instead of the Oneida Dust Deputy and have been extremely pleased with its performance.

If you don't get a DC unit before you get your planer, I can guarantee you you'll be sorry. The sheer volume of chips a planer produces is astounding.

Finally, HorizontalMike is 100% right on filtration. Get one or make one, but use something.


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## MikeMcNerney (Feb 12, 2020)

You all have me wondering if my best immediate solution would be to start with a shop vac/cyclone/separator and a quality air filter (Jet 1000B?) along with a respirator. I don't use my table saw much and don't have a planer yet so maybe the DC doesn't make sense right now. Or perhaps I can get by with a smaller/cheaper wall-mounted one if I can catch a deal.


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## cmacnaughton (May 17, 2019)

> You all have me wondering if my best immediate solution would be to start with a shop vac/cyclone/separator and a quality air filter (Jet 1000B?) along with a respirator. I don t use my table saw much and don t have a planer yet so maybe the DC doesn t make sense right now. Or perhaps I can get by with a smaller/cheaper wall-mounted one if I can catch a deal.
> 
> - MikeMcNerney


I bought my wall-mounted collector before I learned anything about dust collection and without consulting experts here or elsewhere. I got lucky in that my setup works for me, but adding the separator certainly made my little wall-mounted collector viable for more than table saw use. I'm frankly glad I bought what I did rather than the considerably larger HF unit or one of the considerably more expensive name-brand units. Mine does what I need it to do. Whether it lasts is of course is another matter.

Knowing what I know now, I'd do what you are doing, i.e. asking more experienced people for advice. As I said, I got lucky. You WILL need a DC for a planer, so if you hold off until then, add a minimum of $250 to your planer budget.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

The vac you have should serve you quite well. The high end vacs are better made, have some bells and whistles, and more importantly, quieter….but the suction isn't hugely better than what you have. You might be better off moving to the ambient air cleaner first since most of your work is generating dust that the DC won't get anyway, your call. But remember, but the time the ambient filter gets the dust some of it has already made it to your lungs. I'm not saying they aren't important, but they aren't a first line defense if health is your main driver. Lastly, looking for a used DC is a great way to get one if it's a fairly good unit.


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