Dust Collector Product Guide

Overview

Dust collectors eliminate dust at the point it is produced. The collector is the first line of defense against airborn dust. It will collect well over 90% of the dust right at its origin.

Features

Portable vs stationary

Protable collectors are a good choice for the hobbyist. They do not require ridgid piping to be installed, and can be moved where they are needed.

In production shops, however, a portable unit will quickly become cumbersome. Dedicated stationary units are the better choice.

Cyclonic vs filter bags

Cyclonic collectors are far superior machines compared to bag-type collectors. The cyclonic action pulls most dust out of the air before it reaches the filters. The time between filter cleanings is reduced, and much finer filters can be installed.

Bag type units are not without use. They operate well enough in most cases.

Shopping Guide

1) Portable vs Stationary

Portable collectors move from one tool to the next. They provide good performance due to the short distance from the tool to the collector. The drawback of portable collectors is having to manage the hose.

Stationary dust collectors are the centerpiece of a dust management system. A central collector is connected to several tools with ridgid piping. Blast gates control the air flow.

2) Choose a CFM level

It takes a surprisingly large amount of air to do a good job of collecting dust efficiently. As a general rule, it takes all the power you can draw from a single 115V outlet to power a collector strong enough to service a tablesaw with little piping installed between the collector and the machine.

Portable dust collectors should be sized at 115V max (~1.5HP). Anything less and the machine is making comprises on peformance.

If you plan on having any amount of piping, a larger stationary machine is the better choice.

3) Choose a filter level

Collectors with cloth bags for filters do not filter the air as thoroughly as collectors with paper filters do. Every woodworker has to decide for themselves what level of filtering is good enough for their shop.

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Dust Collectors by Air flow

Products:	226
Average:	1,814 cfm
No Data:	2

0 cfm

5,000 cfm