suckin wind

so whats that thing do? you have to hook it up to a shop vac for it to work? i dont get it. thanks
 
You'll get several opinions on this type of setup. One side will tell you that will work just dandy, and the other will tell you not to use a dust collector with a bag setup unless you're only working with wood or similar materials.

The bottom line is that steel (and especially titanium if you use it in the future) in fine particulate form is extremely flammable. When you mix that with a swirling cloud of fine wood dust, it's a very combustible mixture. When you go and grind hard on that steel, there is a chance a spark could make its way to the collector, ignite it, and burn up your catch bag, collector, and maybe even your shop. If you want to run a dust control setup, the best bet is to exhaust to the outside without a collector bag. If you really want to run a collector, make sure you have some sort of spark arrestor.

The setup I have is a similar collector to what you're looking at. I just ordered an extra 10 feet of hose and a cyclonic separator lid that you place on top of a trash can. The cyclonic separator goes in line before the collector and has a baffle that knocks out any sparks and collects larger debris in the trash can, while your smaller dust continues to the collector bag. I keep some water in the bottom of the trash can to keep any sparks that somehow may survive the 10 feet of hose and the baffle from causing any trouble. The chances of any spark making it beyond the separator is very, very small. However, the collector is always by the open door of my shop just in case I have to push it outside quickly. I've heard of some guys using a water filtering system which pulls the air through several inches of water before continuing to a filter and that for sure will put out any sparks.

Dust collectors can be dangerous and I've read multiple stories of guys on here almost burning down the shop. Keep that in mind as you design your collector setup.

--nathan
 
I just got that very collector as a used item, along with some other equipment. I'm hoping to set it up to collect for a few workstations where high school students carve bone with flexible shaft machines. I'm not sure how to setup the collection openings at the workstations. Any advise would be appreciated.
 
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FARMER PHYL--they way i seen it done was --there was a 90 degree (LOWES DUCT WORK) vent right under the work rest of this fellows grinder--connected to a pvc pipe that ran under the table then up the wall , then follwed the ceiling for about 25ft and connected to the dust collector. i think his was/had a strongermotor. he could also disconnect the the vent and basically set it up in any angle he wanted whether from above,side, or below. my concern was the sparks. he told me thats why he had it 25ft away. i guess you can relly set it up anyway you wanted. the reason i started the post was my concern over the sparks. thanks mark
 
Oh, and with any type of plastic ducting with moving air/particles, you will have a good deal of static build-up. Take a uninsulated copper monofilament wire and run it the length of all you pipes grounding it to the collector frame and at any intake ports.

--nathan
 
HOw many horse power do you think is needed for a dust collector to work functionally under a grinder? thanks mark
 
I use the same collector, however I made a spark arrester out of a metal garbage can. The dust/sparks are collected and brought into the can with metal flex hose used on gas dryers. An elbow directs the flow down towards the bottom of the can. A suction hose has an elbow pointed towards the top of the can so the dust must travel the full length of the duct work and can. I also place magnets on the bottom in the flow and also on the top of the clan so it collects most of the magnetic particles. I have used it for a couple of years now and have had no problems. I do make sure if I have been doing a lot of heavy grinding I empty the cloth bag just to be on the safe side.
 
The HF models look the same except for the bag filter. the 5 micron may be a little small for what you are thinking of. The cfm is what I wanted. 1600cfm is pretty good. I can just turn mine on and it filters the shop in about 5 minutes. If you were doing a lot of wood, stone or the like then the 5 micron might be better. I do not like the 1hp model as the cfm's are much lower. Also from what I have seen/heard they are louder. Mine is livable. It does not sound like a jet engine getting ready to take off. Much nicer than a shop vac. Keep an eye on the HF sale fliers. I got mine for $169, even though it was an online price they honored it at the store.
 
what does the micron stand for.? im basically doing steel grinding and some woodwork,and small amount of micarta and g-10. mostly steel.. so what is micron and which is the more suitable--thanks
 
i use the smaller 1hp HF dust collector. between it and the collector beneath the grinder is a metal garbage can with a cyclone lid on the top. the trash can collects pretty much all the dust. barely any in the dust collector bag.
 
couldnt you set up a smaller unit like CWENDLING stated say a ihp 960 cfm, 35 micron unit as follows. connection at grinder goes to cyclone lid, however, the connection goes all the way down to about 2" above the trash can floor. then put in about 3-4" of water. then hook up a hose on the other end of the lid that sucks the air into the collector thats about say 10ft away. that part of the connection stays only on the veery top of the lid. no negative comments meant or suggested but it works kinda like a bong. unless ofcourse there is a very slim chance that some water molecules make it to the collector but i really doubt it.-and even if it did so what.. does that sound stupid? thanks mark
 
CWendling said:
i use the smaller 1hp HF dust collector. between it and the collector beneath the grinder is a metal garbage can with a cyclone lid on the top. the trash can collects pretty much all the dust. barely any in the dust collector bag.
Click to expand...

What is a cyclone lid and where do you get one?
 
what if I just want to vent it outside with out filtering it?
can you leave the filter off of the dust collectors?

one more thing, is titanium dust bad for you.
I dont grind wood plastic or bone just ti and stainless.
 
I believe the micron rating is for the dust collector bag, and how fine a particle it can stop. It's usually better for lungs to use a lower micron number. There are folks who think 5 micron is not near good enough. I have seen the typical 35 micron bags throw up a noticable cloud of dust every time they're flipped on.

Take care, Craig
 
For those who are thinking of bringing the drawn air into the tank under the surface of water ( the bong example).....this is called an atomizer. It will make the water bubble into a moist vapor, and suck it out through the vacuum system. The whole mess would clog up and rust out in no time flat.It would likely ruin the vacuum system. If you are going to use water to kill any hot sparks, you only want an inch or two in the bottom of the catch tank. The air inlet should be several inches above the water level....never below it.

A simple spark trap is a 5 gallon metal paint can. Put an IN and OUT piece of pipe in the lid for the vacuum hoses. Put a baffle down the center (just a piece of sheet metal ) that goes from the top to about 4 inches from the bottom.The in/out pipes are on opposite sides of the baffle.If you want to, you can put an inch of water in the bottom. The trap is put in the line near the grinder, and the vacuum is connected to it with about ten feet of hose. This system works well.You can vent the exhaust directly outside, since the worst of the metal pieces are left in the tank. When grinding wood REMEMBER TO CONNECT THE VACUUM SOURCE DIRECTLY TO THE GRINDER. Never use the same catch tank for wood and metal !
Stacy
 
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