Is this Dust Collector any good

JTknives

JTknives

Blade Heat Treating www.jarodtodd.com
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jun 11, 2006
Messages
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I was surffing the local adds and came across this dust collector and wondered if it was any good and if it would work for what i need. I would use it connected to my belt grinder to suck up everything i grind. thy want 75 bucks for it and it seams like a good price for somthing that retales for $550. it is the Shop Smith DC3300. I know it has a plasic bag but i would imagian i could atatch a can or bucket to it.

SAWDUS2.jpg
 
It should work, but empty it regularly. Handle material and buffing dirt is extremely flammable, and those things go up like the forth of july just from one spark with the fan blowing all that wind into the sparks and dirt-read fuels. Always keep a good fire extinguisher (or 2) in your shop.
 
I've got it set up to only use my collector for the grinder I do my handle work on. Just micarta and wood dust. And I also keep the collector right by the door to the shop to push out at a moments notice if I have to and the fire extinguisher handy. Metal dust as well as fine wood dust is almost explosive. I have a spark arrestor and large debris catch can in line as well. For my grinder, I just use a bucket with water and dish soap directly under the grinder to catch most of it. And I wear a respirator while grinding.

--nathan
 
I'd check the specs. The small diameter hose and little motor probably put it in so so shop vac territory.

Good luck with it, Craig
 
here is what the thy say about it

Shopsmith's DC3300 Dust Collector was engineered specifically as a compact, efficient way to suck the wood dust and shavings out of your running Shopsmith machines...before they mess up your shop, equipment, clothes and home.

Then, when you've finished working, you can turn it into an air-cleaning whiz by simply disconnecting the hoses, opening all three of its inlets and turning it on. The DC3300 will remove any lingering airborne particles (as small as 7 microns - only 1 micron with optional 42" Hood) from a 12' x 12' shops in about 10 minutes - while you're straightening up.

Shop Vacuum vs. Dust Collector
Heavy-duty shop vacuums are great for sweeping floors, sucking-up water and all those other general clean-up jobs round the house and garage. But they can't hold a candle to a dedicated Dust Collector when it comes to capturing large volumes of shaving sand superfine dust from woodworking machinery. No Contest!

Most shop vacuums are wet/dry units. They need a lot of static pressure to suck up nuts, bolts, water and other heavy stuff. Dust Collectors, on the other hand, could care less about heavy stuff. Their job is to snatch 90+% of the dust and debris from your machinery...before it ever has a chance to get loose and become a problem.

To do that job, you need CFM (cubic-feet-per-minute)...not static pressure...and that's exactly what Dust Collectors deliver - in HUGE quantities. In fact, three times - or more CFM - than a conventional shop vacuum. When it comes to sucking-up sawdust and wood chips, Dust Collectors reign supreme over shop vacuums!

Loaded with Hard-Working Features:
As with all Shopsmith Special Purpose Tools, your DC3300 Dust Collector offers a number of great benefits and accessories.

Powerful, 1/2 hp motor - Sealed, fan-cooled motor develops up to 3/4 hp -more than enough to provide simultaneous dust-collection for multiple machines with up to 98% efficiency.

Exceptional Hook-Up Versatility - with three Inlet Ports, your DC3300 can serve up to three machines at once. Or, replace the 3-way Inlet with our optional 4" Inlet Assembly and connect it to a permanent, hard-piped system to serve the whole shop.

Large, 4-Vane, Low-Noise Fan - You get maximum airflow with minimum noise. What more could you ask?

Huge 30-Gallon Waste Capacity - Heavy-duty, 30-gallon, see through Dust Bags attach and remove with quick-release-style Retaining Strap.

Oversize Wheels & Casters - Move your DC3300 around the shop with practically zero effort!

Generous 12-foot Power Cord - No need to look for an extension!

Compact Size Saves Shop Real Estate - Requires only 21" x 26" of floor space - just 48" high (with standard Filter Hood)

15 Standard Accessories:

Two 2-1/2" x 8' hoses
Two 20" x 2-1/2" wands
Wide, floor pickup attachment
Elbow brush attachment
Clamp-on utility pick up
Two inlet plug assemblies with caps
Six see-through disposable dust bags
 
IMO Shopsmith's equipment is a bit overpriced and overhyped. Just IMO.

It's probably worth $75 for the fan and motor, and 300 CFM is probably enough to collect from a small hood at the grinder.

That said:

Obviously the plastic bag is a problem.

There's no real cyclonic separation. That means a fair amount of grit is going to go through the fan, and wear it fast, especially if it's made of plastic. A lot of stuff will end up loading your filter, meaning frequent cleaning to keep airflow up

It's the particles below 7 microns that do the most damage in your lungs. When you open the ports and run it to "clean the air", you are really just stirring all that dust up so you can breathe it. Does it come with the optional 1 micron filter? Even if it does, I would call Wynn Environmental and see if they had a "Nano" cartridge filter that could be adapted to fit the frame

Here is the best resource on dust collection I have ever found:

www.billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm

It's a lot of reading, but it's worth it. There are a lot of myths and half-truths out there about dust collection, you only get one set of lungs. I have bought a lot of equipment over the last 20 years that left a lot of fine dust in the air, despite being told it was "the best", "99% efficient down to 3 micron", etc... I think perhaps I may have finally found a good solution with cyclonic separation and Wynn Environmental "Nano" filters. Time will tell.
 
Just to give you an idea, I am in the middle of installing a system in my shop. I made a dog house with hinged roof for my collector motor, and put it outside the back of the shop. Will wire an outlet to it with a switch inside.
Threw away the bags, and will blow it out back in the woods, and will shovel up dust pile when necessary (which is far from sparks).
Will hard plumb the shop for all equipment, and have an extra port here and there for expansion and a flex hose to use as a central vacuum system.
Just thought I would mention this if you don't want to fool with bags.
Dan
 
Mahoney said:
Here is the best resource on dust collection I have ever found:

www.billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm

It's a lot of reading, but it's worth it. There are a lot of myths and half-truths out there about dust collection, you only get one set of lungs. I have bought a lot of equipment over the last 20 years that left a lot of fine dust in the air, despite being told it was "the best", "99% efficient down to 3 micron", etc... I think perhaps I may have finally found a good solution with cyclonic separation and Wynn Environmental "Nano" filters. Time will tell.
Click to expand...

Wow - that is fantastic! Thanks a million, you probably saved my lungs and untold frustration & money. You're right that's a lot of reading so I carefully walked through all the pages and saved everything as web archives. I'll use this resource when I start building my dust collection in earnest. You're a life-saver. Literally. :thumbup: I can't thank you enough.
 
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