Your thoughts on Cyclone Dust Collectors

[kahlid74]

So I held off on buying a 1.5/2HP dust collector and now in preparation for my CNC machine I'm looking into dust collectors again.  With some basic upgrades (Seperator/Wynn Filters), a regular machine can be pretty rocking but everything I read says their sucking power just pale's in comparison to the 3-5HP cyclones.  I was thinking either a ClearVue Cyclone or a Penn State Industries Cyclone.  I've got the 220v 30 AMP line so no issues there.  Both sound in the 70-75db which basically means you want ear protection when they are running.

Essentially it's ~$700-800 for a fully loaded 1.5-2.0HP system that has ~1400CFM and max length of 10 feet that you have to constantly move around or ~$1500-2000 for a fully loaded 3.5-5.0 HP Cyclone with oodles more CFM and SP and a max length of 50-75 feet that will require lots of tubing up front but will result in no issues with dust collection.

[TopJimmyCooks]

How many machines are you hooking up to?  just the cnc router?  thats a lot of CFM for one router.  I have a $300 jet dust collector 550cfm I think, and it was always enough for one machine in my system.  30' plus run but hard piped.  There are calculators and things as well from Oneida and the other DC companies. 

[kahlid74]

Great question.  Everything I've read says that you need roughly 600-800 CFM to really "pull" all of the dust you could have.  I'd like to hook up a system where I don't have to move it often.  The jet you have would work well except I would want to use a Wynn filter, which significantly ups the surface area of the unit.  The problem is after I invest in a Wynn filter and a separator system, I'd be up to half the price of a fully loaded Penn State or other true cyclone.  Additionally any separator not cyclone in nature is inefficient, and puts more dust into the filter than is needed.  So the price at that point would be ~50% of a fully loaded Penn state/Clear-Vue system.  So then it's do I just bite the bullet and get a system I'll be good with forever or do I get something smaller and then upgrade in a year or two when I grow a larger shop?  I can see myself doing more and more wood working so I'd hate to have to upgrade again and lose money.

[TopJimmyCooks]

If you ever see yourself hard piping to multiple machines go bigger.  if you only have one machine at a time keep it mobile.  I used the bag type hooked up to 5 machines via 4" lock seam ductwork- with blast gates and only one open at a time.  I used a 12V power supply and relay to run low voltage switches at each machine.  It suited my needs.  Some machines are inherently easier to collect from.  If you use a jointer it will fill up your bag so fast that a cyclone + 55 gallons storage would be nice. 

[kahlid74]

If you ever see yourself hard piping to multiple machines go bigger.  if you only have one machine at a time keep it mobile.  I used the bag type hooked up to 5 machines via 4" lock seam ductwork- with blast gates and only one open at a time.  I used a 12V power supply and relay to run low voltage switches at each machine.  It suited my needs.  Some machines are inherently easier to collect from.  If you use a jointer it will fill up your bag so fast that a cyclone + 55 gallons storage would be nice.

This is pretty much where my thought process was.  Why spend 600-700 now and then in two years be in a place where I need to spend considerably more.

Now the question is what to get.  Clear-Vue is quite expensive and their 5 HP motor really under performs at only 1450 CFM.  Penn state's 3.5 HP looks great and has a great price point but I've now read reviews that their Cyclone isn't as efficient as others.  Oneida are way more expensive and grizzly too.  Not really sure where to go at this point.  Most reviews I've found are from 2007-2009.  Nothing really up to date.

[TopJimmyCooks]

It's mature technology.  Nothing much changes except for occasional new whizz-bang filtration media, hence the few current reviews.  For a home shop you can't go wrong with 1450 cfm.  Thats enough for downdraft sanding tables, etc.

[kahlid74]

It's mature technology.  Nothing much changes except for occasional new whizz-bang filtration media, hence the few current reviews.  For a home shop you can't go wrong with 1450 cfm.  Thats enough for downdraft sanding tables, etc.

Yeah.  the only issue I have is People reading say Oneida is superior to Penn State but Penn State has a much better price point.  Hmm.  I also found a guy who can get me Spiral tubing for Cost, which is insane, since more people who rig this type of stuff up pay almost as much for piping as they do for the dust collector itself.  Something like 10' of Spiral 8" tubing for 10 bucks.  Insane.

[kahlid74]

I'm going to go with the ClearVue.  At the end of the day I like their product and their warranty is good as well.  Now to finish this CNC machine and Battletech POD.

[EvilNuff]

Wait what...battletech pod?  I think I need to know more!  With pictures!

[kahlid74]

Wait what...battletech pod?  I think I need to know more!  With pictures!

Started a new thread in the projects announcement forums about it!

[kahlid74]

Purchased the Clearvue.  Should arrive in the next week.  I'll post pictures and installation stuffs and videos once it's in and rocking.  My friend can get me spiral piping at cost, which is insanely awesome since that stuff can cost as much as a collector itself.

[mountain]

Late to the party but here is my setup on my CNC. I use a Delta 50-760 and integrated the trash can underneath. Also using a Wynn 35A series cartridge.  I found the Thien DIY separator that is very popular and built one. It really works well. I also added a window to know when to dump the can.


This is dedicated to the CNC and catches virtually everything.

[kahlid74]

I was wondering when you were going to reply mountain!  Most of the clear use collector has arrived, but I won't know for sure until I get home.  Yay for work travel!

[mountain]

Yeah, I hear ya! Traveling for work sucks when you have kids and exciting projects waiting at home. I used to travel 100-120 days a year at my old job.   


One important note that took me a while to understand. High air flow (CFM) and suction are not the same. For a CNC application, high airflow is king. Have you looked into one of these?
 

[kahlid74]

Yeah, I hear ya! Traveling for work sucks when you have kids and exciting projects waiting at home. I used to travel 100-120 days a year at my old job.   


One important note that took me a while to understand. High air flow (CFM) and suction are not the same. For a CNC application, high airflow is king. Have you looked into one of these?
 

I'm building Dhokfeilds Mobile CNC machine so I have all the metal, 8020 and just need to do some welding to get going properly.  So I'm not quite there yet but yeah, I see those on alot of CNC machines and I'll definitely be investing in one.