noob here, just built a separator and bought 2HP HF DC

[coaster]

i got it going last night after buying the DC from HF (on sale). the one i got is slightly different from the ones i have seen in others' shops; the base has threaded holes instead of using nuts, the hose clamps are not awful (they work great) and the bag is made of felt instead of the typical material i have seen. i don't know if the bag is better or not but it doesn't inflate to a solid bag, it stays soft when inflated.

i had just finished the trashcan lid before i got the DC so i was exited to turn it on and see how it worked. i used 4" fittings on the lid and sucked up a lot of dust and leaves into the can with only a tiny amount getting in the bag.

i had a mistunderstanding about the PVC types and originally built the lid with 4" DWV instead of S&D. this left me with a 5" hole for the angled inlet instead of the 4" hole i needed ( i caught my misunderstanding before drilling the center hole). i made a patch peice to hold the inlet fitting and put it over the 5" hole and i wonder if i should attempt to fill up the remainder of the hole underneath (inside) the lid or not?

i already have the bug and want to go 6" but money is a little tight after buying all this DC stuff. my main goal in all this is to tame the new delta contactor saw i bought and it comes with a 4" hole and no upper dust mechanism so i don't know what my final plan will be.

i am suprised that the HF DC is not very loud like i thought it would be, and that is the main reason i bought it after hearing the one at a friends' shop. the small ones seem a lot louder(?)

also - my trash can is plastic rubbermaid and does not show any signs of wanting to collapse - i had worried about that.

[bennybmn]

I manage to get really good DC with my Delta CS with this setup. Let me know if you need any ideas.

[coaster]

nice outfill table, what is the notch for behind the kerf splitter? i have some ideas for an outfill table on my saw but due to the motor being behind there are issues.

did you build that top collector/guard? i need that! i've seen plans for them and they seem doable. the lower dust port does work but i still get chips shot at me off the top.

i hooked the trash can up to the saw today (first time) and cut the heck out of a 2x4 to make some dust and it is all in the trash can except what shot  forwards out the guard.

[dbhost]

You got the "New" model HF 2HP DC...

I wasn't aware the older model used nuts on the base plate... I thought they were the same piece.

So from what I have been able to tell so far...

#1. The motor on the new model is a 20amp max motor, the old one 14.
#2. The filter bag is a 5 micron felt bag. (UPGRADE TO AT LEAST 1 MICRON!). Better than 30 microns, but still a false sense of security.
#3. The impeller on the new model is rumored to be 12.5". I have not measured to verify though.

If space is an issue for you, I would suggest going with a Thien baffle inside the inlet ring. There are a few posts here about that with pics that might help... That is what I am TRYING to work on...

For dust collection off of the top side of the saw, grab a Shark Guard... Do a Google Search for The Lee Way Workshop... There is a bit of lead time to get them done, but I can tell you, they are worth it!

[coaster]

the older ones might have the same base, i don't know. the instructions said to use a nut on the bottom and the diagrams show nuts there but as you said the base is threaded.

i do plan to get a better bag, what is the consensus on the shaker felt bags? they say they go down to 0.1 microns but that seems a little implausible. the wynn filters look great but i have gone over budget for a while according to SWMBO.

i've seen the shark guard but the 3 months wait is a little off-putting. there are plans for a near identical one here: http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/overarm_guard.shtml

i've read every post on this forum in the last two weeks (some 5 times) and have seen the baffle in the DC ring and i may do that at some point but emptying the trash can seems a lot easier for now. the bag is a PITA to remove.

[Greg McCallister]

A word of advise, tell the SWMBO that her health and the rest of your families (if you have children) are worth the expense much less the problems of fine dust getting all over the place  ;D. Pay now or pay later is the old saying...

[bennybmn]

nice outfill table, what is the notch for behind the kerf splitter? i have some ideas for an outfill table on my saw but due to the motor being behind there are issues.

did you build that top collector/guard? i need that! i've seen plans for them and they seem doable. the lower dust port does work but i still get chips shot at me off the top.

i hooked the trash can up to the saw today (first time) and cut the heck out of a 2x4 to make some dust and it is all in the trash can except what shot  forwards out the guard.

Thanks!! The motor on my saw is back there too, hence the short stationary section. The bigger part folds down, and it's on wheels now, so I can move it around (see below). The notch is there for the original guard/splitter which mounted out the back also like most saws. Now its just a place to sweep extra dust or scraps...

Yeah I built the guard myself. That's a PSI (Penn State Industries) plastic guard, which is only $25 bucks, and comes in a few days! the shark guard looks REAL nice, and someday I may get one, but this one was cheap, quick, and custom, the way I like it!! And I can completely move it out of the way (also below) for when I do dado cuts or blade changes.

[Greg McCallister]

bennybmn,
I have been looking into putting in a overhead guard - have not built it yet.
How much fabrication did you have to do to make the PSI one work?

[bennybmn]

I tinkered with a  couple different iterations, but all in all nothing you couldn't do with a hack saw and a drill. In fact I think that's what I used... maybe a cutoff wheel in my angle grinder. Nothing fancy! I chose AL square tubing for the vertical piece because it resisted twisting the best, and wasn't heavy like steel.  The engle iron attached to the guard itself is a little flimsy, it's that stuff used for garage doors or whatever. It's really just stamped sheet metal. REAL angle iron would be better.   The 4 diagonal arms are actually leftovers from a mobile base kit I had.  They are steel, almost like C channel, nice and stiff. Then it was just a matter of playing around with holes and bolts. If you do an online search for overhead blad guard, I bet you'll come up with some good ideas. I can take better pics too.

[coaster]

your outfill table is even more interesting now that i know your motor is in the rear. i think i can make one similar to that with a minimum of issues; at worst i think i may have to drill some holes in the rear rail to hold it to the table. thanks for the ideas!

i notice you did not cut the slots for the miter bars in your table, how does that work?

[bennybmn]

The table is slightly below the saw table... Some day, I want to re-do the outfeed table, and I'll cut slots. The slots don't have to be precise, they just have to clear the miter bar! Simple enough.  My saw doesn't have a rear rail, so I just used the holes that the bar WOULD have attached to. You could also hang some angle iron on the saw by sandwiching it between the rear rail and the saw table.

[dbhost]

I went with the Wynn filter exactly for the health benefits. A 1 micron shaker felt bag is better than the 5 micron OE bag... And with the Thien separator you won't be plugging it up all that soon. However that shaker felt bag WILL negatively impact air flow, as will the separator. Air flow is what gets the dust into the canister in the first place...

I would pitch SWMBO on the health benefits of the fine filtration, AND improved air flow of the canister.

Honestly, the HF 2HP DC, WITH the Wynn 35A spun bond, shipped is still cheaper than a comparable Grizzly canister DC. And I believe the Wynn filtration ratings are independently verified, where most DC vendors just throw out whatever data they want...

"But honey, it's for the health of the family..."

Honestly, if I wasn't able to get the Wynn right of the bat, I would have gone with a 1 micron bag, and started putting all my change into a "Wynn Filter Fund" jar... (How I funded various tools, pocket change goes into a goodie fund jar...). But you will have not effectively wasted $40.00 if you bite the bullet and get the Wynn right of the bat...

If you run with the 5 micron bag, make CERTAIN that the DC unit itself is outside, and the air it is pumping dust back into is NOT getting back into your shop... 5 microns will pass the most dangerous particles right back into the air you breathe...

[bennybmn]

I got my DC second hand, so the felt back was the best option. And it's MUCH larger than the stock bag, like a full foot taller, I literally clamp it to the cieling joist in my basement (well floor joist), because the pole is too short! So I think the larger area makes up for the tighter weave.  But yeah, no scientific comparison!

[Big Dawg]

dbhost:
I have (just purchased) the HF 2hp 20amp DC and plan to install the Thien baffle. Looking at the Wyn site, it says that you need to install their canister filter from the inside with hold down clamps. How do you do that AND install the baffle? It seems that if I install the baffle first then I can not get to the hold down clamps for the canister filter or if I install the canister first, I don't see how I can get to the baffle to install it???
What am I missing here?

[dbhost]

To get the canister, AND the baffle installed...

#1. Install your stand offs and baffle. I use 1/4 -20 all thread and nuts.  I have seen other guys here use dowels. Make sure your baffle can be unscrewed from your stand offs without removing the stand offs.
#2. Using a sharpie, make a reference mark on the inlet ring, and baffle. That way you know EXACTLY how to line the baffle back up.
#3. Unscrew the baffle and remove.
#4. Install the canister filter.
#5. Reinstall the baffle.
#6. install lower bag. Masking tape helps me keep it in place when attaching the strap.

One thing I would suggest to keep the dust IN the bag, add some 1/2" or 3/4" x 1/4" thick closed cell foam weather stripping to the indentation where the strap goes. fit the lower bag on, and attach the strap. These DCs along with most others using a strap / plastic lower bag, are known for spewing dust back out through the gap between the bag and the inlet ring.