I am setting up a one man shop with 3 main machines and am looking for DC advice. I plan to use the current set up in a double garage for 12 months before moving to a purpose built shop. The machines are Laguna TSS table saw, Laguna HD16 Bandsaw and Hammer A3 31 12″ J/P. All the machines seem to need at least 1000 CFM and are located close together. I am torn between getting an Oneida Dust Gorilla 2Hp with 20′ of 5″ hose or getting a mobile 1.5Hp Delta unit with 5′ of hose. The Gorilla is clearly better but will cost about $1500 CAD to install versus $500 for the stop gap Delta.
I like the idea that the mobile Delta will tide me over for 1yr and then I can set up a gorilla more permanently after moving, so my question is will the Delta do the job well enough as far as chip extraction in the J/P and dust on the BS or am I just cheaping out?
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If money and space allow it buy the machine you will be using in the permanent shop. The Delta will be marginal, in a years time your dollar will be worth less and the trend is not toward better manufactured tools over time. That nice 12" planer will fill the Delta's bag amazingly quickly.
You've put yourself into a problem. The Oneida is the better solution, but running 20' of flex hose will negate most of the advantages. Ideally, the DC is a permanent one, with as large a ridid duct out of it that it will take. Then only branch off with flex hose with as short a run as possible. You are also correct in that the 1.5 Delta won't pull much after 5' anyway.
Also, the planer will fill anything in no time at all. However, planers produced lots of shavings, but very little dust. Remember, a cyclone is supposed to gather the dust, something the bandsaw and tablesaw will excel at producing. I have a 2 HP Woodsucker cyclone, and it works great, but only when I have both the base cabinet and my guard collector both hooked up. Ripping produces huge amounts of dust. If you can, make all your connections 5" or even bigger. Makes a large difference. I would go with the Oneida, since you only have to buy it once; after the Delta doesn't work well, you will have to buy something else anyway.
I agree that you should buy the system you will use in your new shop. I use a 2 hp Oneida system with 60' of ducting (main runs and drops-well sealed) serving 8 ports and no problems unless I am planing wide boards. The 4" ports on most planers is a limiting factor and you really should have at least a 5" port into a 6" line as close to the cyclone as possible with a 2 hp system but I don't think the Delta will not come close to handling the output when working with wide boards.
Mr. Nine, from someone who's struggling with getting permanent ducting up for a 1.5 HP Jet cannister-style collector....the money you spend on the Delta will be wasted in the long run, IMHO. For that size DC especially, you need as little flexible hose as you can get by with, especially for the table saw.
For the year that you have to wait on the new shop, I'd suggest getting the Gorilla and putting your planer on a rolling cabinet or stand, so you can just roll it up to the Oneida and hook it up. My planer is actually on a Rigid miter saw stand (made a plywood base for it, bolts onto the folding stand). It lives up against the wall until I need it, then unfolds and sits about 6 feet from the DC. Don't know the Laguna J/P -- can you do some kind of mobile thing with it??
If you're not resawing with the bandsaw, you can do OK with less efficient DC. Do you have room to get the table saw and bandsaw pretty close to the Dust Gorilla??
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
FG,
I have the Oneida 1.5 with the internal filter (not their best attempt). My planer is located at the opposite corner of the shop and the run to the DC includes 12' of 6", 10' of 5", 8' of 4" and 8' of 4" flex. Not the best set up, but (so long as I remember to empty the drum) I've never had a problem with the planer not getting enough pull from the DC.
Admittedly, I would do it different if I had more flexibility in laying out my shop - we play with the hand we're dealt - but I think the 2HP Oneida should have no problem with a longer run so long as the ductwork is kept to a reasonable size (min 5") IMHO. That is not to say that the closer the better!Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral. Frank Lloyd Wright
Thank you for all your replies. I guess the cheap solution has been vetoed. I'll go with the Oneida and try and rethink the ducting. I bought all the machines with mobility kits so I can move them around a bit. Also I checked the TS and JP and they have European 120mm ports so I might get away with attaching them to 5" fittings.
If the "cheap solution" was, like, $100 there might be more Yea votes, but $500?? Yikes! Best of luck! Hope you bring us pics when your new shop gets up and running.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/Index.cfm
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