[DesertRatTom]

Getting a handle on dust collection eventually leads to a cyclone dust separator.

Woodcraft has a 4 inch Super Dust Deputy on sale this weekend (Nov 13-16) for $143. Shipping is extra. Has a nice flat flange on the bottom which will make it easier to mount on a drum or trash barrel. Mine cost a lot more than that.

Oneida Air Systems - 4" DIY Super Dust Deputy Cyclone Separator

Upgrade your dust collector to a two-stage dust control system with the Oneida DIY 4" Super Dust Deputy Cyclone Separator. Removes over 99% of dust and debris from the airstream, containing it before it ever reaches the dust collector and virtually eliminating filter clogging and suction loss!

www.woodcraft.com

 

[OCEdesigns]

I have the smaller version and love it!!

 

[JFPNCM]

I invested in the 4" version about a year ago and am very pleased with the results.

 

[Marco]

Getting a handle on dust collection eventually leads to a cyclone dust separator. View attachment 396317
Woodcraft has a 4 inch Super Dust Deputy on sale this weekend (Nov 13-16) for $143. Shipping is extra. Has a nice flat flange on the bottom which will make it easier to mount on a drum or trash barrel. Mine cost a lot more than that.

Oneida Air Systems - 4" DIY Super Dust Deputy Cyclone Separator

Upgrade your dust collector to a two-stage dust control system with the Oneida DIY 4" Super Dust Deputy Cyclone Separator. Removes over 99% of dust and debris from the airstream, containing it before it ever reaches the dust collector and virtually eliminating filter clogging and suction loss!

www.woodcraft.com

Tom and other Super Dust Deputy users how does it compare to the separator I use it's just Rockler's fittings to make your own separator. Dust Right® 4'' Dust Separator Components. IT catches most of it but some will blow out.

 

[JFPNCM]

No experience with the Rockler approach so I have nothing to add there. I can say that adding the Super Dust Deputy has virtually eliminated the need for constant bag changes on the DC when running the planer.

 

[DesertRatTom]

Tom and other Super Dust Deputy users how does it compare to the separator I use it's just Rockler's fittings to make your own separator. Dust Right® 4'' Dust Separator Components. IT catches most of it but some will blow out.

I replaced my Rockler setup with the Super Dust Deputy about a year ago when I moved my DC setup into a separate "chamber". Pix shows the setup. The Rockler setup worked pretty well, but it was not quite as efficient as the SDD. Sawdust still made it into the bag and filter with the Rockler setup, but hardly any sawdust gets to the bag with the SDD. I am thinking of popping for this one this weekend to go into the DC in my garage, which is where I keep my wood prep tools, jointer, planer and big band saw, two of which produce huge volumes of chips. Second pix is of the Rockler setup, which I will replace with the SDD this weekend. The Rockler setup just doesn't do the trick for the garage tools.

One thing that really helps is shortening and straightening all the hoses. If you look in the SDD picture, you can see the drum filter. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably get one that had some sort of crank operated beater bar to clean out the filter from time to time. If you don't have a chip separator, your filter will clog very fast! I'm a fan of the Harbor Freight 2hp DC unit, which on sale cost just $162 each with the cloth bag. With a drum filter, each unit cost me about $400.

The HF unit with a 5 micron bag filter works OK, but only if you can place it outside when running, otherwise you will have a shop full of the most dangerous ultra fine dust, which will ruin you lungs. I know some folks will find the cost is high and they're rather spend the cash on tools, but OSHA found that home shops not only fail clean shop air standards, but are far above acceptable levels. Even with all this DC gear, including a hanging filter in each tool area, I still routinely wear a mask.

My chamber unit is housed in a space between my shop shed and office shed out back. I enclosed and sealed it and added a filtered opening so it returns air back into the shop. After almost 2 years, the 20x20 filter you see on the green wall still shows no sawdust, so I know the system is working very well.

 

[DesertRatTom]

Took the 90 mile drive down to the beach town where the Woodcraft store is. Drive down was fast and easy, but it took almost five hours in traffic to get back. But the price on the SDD was just too good to pass up, and I have been in Covid lockup for so long that I just needed to run away. The SDD in my outside shop is the 5 inch model, which is a bit of overkill, the new one is much smaller. for 4 inch hoses. Have to convert my Rockler setup over to the SDD. Let's see, where did I put that band saw circle cutting jig?

 

[JFPNCM]

Tom:

I noted your comment about possibly choosing one of the alternative filters with the internal beater to clean the filter. I thought about that as well but read a number of comments about how the brushes collapsed the filter. I use my leaf blower on a low setting to clean the filter. In my opinion that works very well.

 

[DesertRatTom]

Tom:

I noted your comment about possibly choosing one of the alternative filters with the internal beater to clean the filter. I thought about that as well but read a number of comments about how the brushes collapsed the filter. I use my leaf blower on a low setting to clean the filter. In my opinion that works very well.

I hadn't considered that. Thanks. I'll stick to compressed air.

 

[JFPNCM]

I started with compressed ir but my compressor is too small to maintain decent free flow pressure. My leaf blower is battery powered and I run it on at a low speed. Based on a before and after look into the drum it definitely seems to work. I would not however run the blower on high as that might well damage the filter.