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Dave Campbell
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Clearing the Air: How to Buy a
Dust Collector No charts, no math, no bull.
A
dust collector has two simple jobs:
pulling debris away from your
machines and filtering out tiny,
unhealthy dust particles before sending
the air back into your shop. (See Dust
filtration: The little things matter, right.)
However, choosing a dust collector
has been anything but simple. Doing so
typically involves deciphering airflow
charts, calculating static pressure losses,
analyzing fan curves and graphs, find-
ing reliable performance data for a given
collector…no wonder even the experts
have trouble explaining it all.
Well forget that. We’ve stripped away
the mumbo-jumbo and the need for a
calculator. Here’s what you really need
to know about those two simple dust-
collector functions and how to find the
right unit for your shop.
34
MEGA $ALE!!!
Dust filtration: The little things matter
Dust particles smaller than 10 microns pose
a health hazard because they slip past
the natural defenses in your nose and
throat, and lodge in your lungs.
Because of their tiny size, the
slightest breeze stirs these particles
into the air, where they float for
extended periods, presenting
Human hair
even more chances for you to .0035 inch 10 microns
breathe them in. .0889 mm .00039 inch
To work effectively, a dust .01 mm
collector must generate enough
suction to pull away these particles
at the tool before they become
airborne. And if the unit’s filter 1 micron
.000039 inch
doesn’t contain them, the dust .001 mm
collector may help your shop look
cleaner, but not protect your lungs.
WOOD magazine October 2011
 WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE TWO TYPES OF DUST COLLECTORS
TWO-STAGE
Motor
Dust-laden air Blower housing

Filtered air Impeller

SINGLE-STAGE

Filter bag

Cyclone chamber

Impeller Chip
collection Filter
bag canister
Chip collection bin
Blower
housing

Take it in stages
The heart of a dust collector consists of a
circular, motor-driven impeller with
vanes, below, that spins inside the blower
housing creating suction that pulls air
through an inlet (removed in the photo
to show the impeller). Connect a duct or
hose between the inlet and a woodwork-
ing machine, and the suction draws the
sawdust into a collection bag or barrel.
Probably most familiar to woodwork-
ers is the two-bag, single-stage collector
[left in drawing], where sawdust and
chips pass through the impeller on their
way to the collection bag. The air
exhausts through the filter bags (or can-
ister, in some cases) as the heavier debris
settles into the lower bag. With this sys-
tem, all that debris takes a toll on the
impeller as it passes through the blower.
In a two-stage collector, chips and
heavier debris fall out of the airflow in
the first stage so only the finest dust
passes through the impeller and on to
the second stage, the filter. A two-stage
collector can be as simple as a garbage
can with a special snap-on lid, placed
in-line before a single-stage collector,
below, or as elaborate as a cyclone separa-
tor [right in drawing].

INSIDE THE BLOWER A SEPARATOR COLLECTS BIG CHIPS BEFORE THEY HIT THE IMPELLER
Impeller

Separator lid

Vanes

Housing

Removing a cover reveals the impeller. This As chips fill the garbage can, collector efficiency drops, so a separator like this one needs to
one spins clockwise, pulling air and chips in, be emptied frequently. However, dumping sawdust from a can like this one is often easier and
and pushing them out through the top. faster than wrestling with the collection bag of a single-stage collector.

woodmagazine.com 35
Assess your space
Before deciding which type of collector
works best for you, evaluate how much
room you have in your shop. A single-
stage model may take as little as 31⁄2
square feet of floor space. Adding a sepa-
rator in-line before the collector adds 4" flex hose
another few square feet. A large cyclone
may have a 4×4' footprint and exceed 8' 6" flex hose
in height. 6" metal duct
If you plan to move a portable dust
collector from machine to machine,
determine if you have room to man- Get your ducts in a row
uever it around the shop and park it and A large-diameter, straight, smooth path For a whole-shop system with fixed
its hose out of the way while you work. between the dust collector and a ducts, run smooth-wall PVC or metal
If you decide on a stationary collector, is woodworking machine provides duct, above, in the largest diameter
there room along the walls or ceiling to optimal airflow. Think of it as driving a your collector will accept, as far as
run ductwork to each machine and keep car: You can move faster on a smooth possible. Use flex hose only for making
four-lane freeway with wide, gentle final connections to machines, and
it from underfoot? (See Get your ducts in
curves; a bumpy, narrow road with consider enlarging machine collection
a row, right.) And take time to assess the tight turns forces you to slow down. ports to accept 6" fittings.
placement of each of your woodworking Narrow ductwork, changes in duct Mobile collectors hooked to only one
machines. For best results, place those direction, and rough surfaces (like the machine at a time can usually get by
that require the most airflow (thickness inside of a flex hose) increase the with just flex hose, but use the shortest
planer, jointer, stationary sander) closest resistance the impeller must overcome. length possible and the largest
to the collector. Duct length adds resistance too, so diameter that fits the collector. (See
Finally, evaluate your shop’s electrical keep runs as short as possible. photo, next page.)
system. A 11⁄2-hp dust collector may
require its own 15-amp/110V circuit; a
2-hp collector requires a minimum DOUBLED-UP COLLECTOR PROVIDES MORE SUCTION
20-amp/110V circuit; and some units
require a 220V circuit.

Determine the type

of collector you need Canister filters
Put simply, you need a dust collector
that pulls more air (expressed in cubic
feet per minute, or cfm) than your most
demanding tool—and its ductwork—
require. You can run calculations to fig-
ure out airflow. (Find information in
More Resources on page 37.) But a few
basic guidelines will get you close.
Any dust collector that meets the
needs of your most demanding machine
will easily handle the others. In a typical
home woodshop, the most air-hungry
machines (a 6" stationary belt sander
and an 8" jointer) require about 550 cfm.
Even if you don’t have these tools, pur-
chasing a dust collector that would work
for them allows for adding them (or
other tools) later.
For connection to only one machine
at a time with less than 8' of 6" flex hose,
a 11⁄2-hp, single-stage collector will han-
dle the job. Expect to pay between $200
and $450.
A whole-shop, fixed-ductwork system
requires, at minimum, a 2-hp motor
turning a 12–13" impeller connected to
6"-diameter smooth-wall duct. Prices This 3-hp, single-stage collector features two canisters that provide double the filter area of a
start around $280 for a two-bag model typical single-stage collector, while two lower bags increase chip-holding capacity.

36 WOOD magazine October 2011

 OPEN IT UP AND LET IT BREATHE
in this range. But if your shop layout
requires more than 20' of ductwork,
choose a 2-hp or larger single-stage dust
collector, previous page, or a cyclone.
Single-stage prices range from $475 to 6" port
$1,200. Portable cyclones begin at about
$650; stationary units at around $900,
and go north of $2,000 depending on
motor size, filtering, and other features.
In return for the higher price, cyclones
offer two major advantages: efficiency
and durability. A 2-hp motor and impel-
ler can pull 20 percent more air when
installed on a cyclone than on a two-bag
collector. And because a cyclone removes
chips and much of the fine dust before it
reaches the filter, a cyclone maintains
airflow, unlike a single-stage collector,
where suction drops as the filter clogs.
Without the constant shower of
debris, a cyclone’s impeller and motor
last longer than those of a single-stage
collector. This also allows impeller
designs that maximize airflow instead
of impact resistance.
If you have any doubts when choos-
ing the appropriate collector size, go
with the larger cfm model. The second- 6" wye with two 4" ports
biggest mistake you can make is buying
a too-small collector. The biggest mistake
is not using the best filtration you can
get—more on that in the next section. Instead of connecting a hose to each 4" port, increase the dust collector’s airflow by
connecting ductwork that matches the larger-diameter port hidden behind the wye.
Now choose the
specific collector
Consider the following as you shop: ■ Impeller size matters. Given a choice MORE RESOURCES
■ Our tests of dust collectors show that between same-size motors with differ-
true airflow typically runs about half of erent impellers, choose the larger one. FREE VIDEO
manufacturers’ claims. Using this more ■ Choose a collector with a 5" or larger ■ See how we test dust collectors at
conservative number gets you a machine port. Most portable models come with a woodmagazine.com/dctest.
that will truly serve your needs. wye with two or three 4" ports; remov-
■ Some collectors come with 30-micron ing the wye reveals a larger port that MORE ARTICLES
bags—far too porous to protect your allows air to flow more freely, above. ■ ”Dust Collection that Evolves with
lungs. Insist on 1-micron filters, whether ■ A collector that moves from machine Your Shop,” issue 198, July 2010
■ ”Figure Dust-Collection Needs,”
bags or canisters, with 98 percent or bet- to machine must move easily without
issue 119, Dec. 1999
ter efficiency. If the manufacturer tipping, with casters that roll over chips, ■ ”Guide to Workshop Dust Control,”
doesn’t offer them, aftermarket suppli- floor mats, and other obstacles. issue 143, Sept. 2002 $
ers do (Sources). But even then, the filter ■ On single-stage collectors, take a test- ■ ”Two Fast Fixes for Dust Collection”
must provide enough surface area for air run at removing and reinstalling the (capturing dust from tablesaws and
to flow out freely. Otherwise, pressure lower bag. Some snap in and out. On mitersaws), issue 133, June 2001 $
builds inside the collector, reducing its others, it can take three hands to hold ■ ”Dust-Defying Cyclone” (shop-made
suction. The high pressure that makes the bag, the band clamp that secures it, cyclone), issue 100 Nov. 1997 $
bags on some collectors puff up taut, like and cinch the band clamp. ■ Visit our forums to learn more about
balloons, also forces fine dust through reader modifications to the cyclone
in issue 100:
the filter.
Produced by Craig Ruegsegger
woodmagazine.com/cyclonemods
As a rule of thumb, divide the actual
Illustrations: Tim Cahill
airflow (measured in cubic feet per min- $ = Download these articles for a small fee
ute or cfm) of the collector by 10 to find at woodmagazine.com/plans. Type the
article title in the search box.
the recommended surface area in square Sources: Filter bags—American Fabric and Filter
feet of the filter medium (i.e. a 600-cfm 800-367-3591, americanfabricfilter.com; Oneida Air
unit needs 60 square feet of filter area). Systems, 800-732-4065, oneida-air.com.

woodmagazine.com 37
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