It’s 1hp, 7amps, 77 decibels, 1 micron canister filter, 537CFM, and a cast aluminum impeller for $459.
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I have the much cheaper Harbor Freight version and had to add the pleated filter. You’ll like it much better than a vacuum. With a good boot it’ll suck all but the largest chips in. I mounted mine up high right next to the machine with a short section of hose between the filter and the vac so the filter is easy to get to and a little further out of the way. I think you’ll be happy with your choice.
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You go from a 4” to a 2” hose or did you get boot with 4”?
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Getting either the 4” PWNCNC or the slinkee.
Where did you get the pleated filter?
That looks like it. Mine is black though. I got the filter from Rockler because I had a 20% off coupon and I was at the store. They come in two styles. One with the 4" hose mounts to the center of the top and one where it mounts on the edge of the top. They also sell one for a larger collector that will work but costs more.
I don’t have a picture of it with the pleated filter (but it does help reduce dust vs the flimsy cloth bag) but here’s and older picture to give you an idea. The DC has plastic grate on both input and output that just plugged up immediately. But they are easily removed.
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I too went with the Harbor Freight 1 horsepower cheapo collector ($150), but didn’t cheap out on the dust separator which cost more than the dust collector (Oneida Super Dust Deputy $160) but is more than worth it as this works amazingly well. I empty that size trash can once every 4-6 weeks and so far, the white collector bag only once in the past 8 weeks.
I then ran the 4" slinky hose into a 4" PVC pipe, about 15 feet away to where I drop down to a 2 1/2" slinky into my enclosure. This is so much quieter and more powerful than any shopvac and I needed the smaller hose as my enclosure is not that big.
Also, the copper wire you see is my grounding wire for static buildup and which attaches to one of the screws of the dust collector housing and wraps around the entire path all the way back to the 2 1/2" hose. I also place a screw right through the PVC pipe to make sure I am making contact with the air flow inside the pipe.
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Thank you. I’ve been wondering in which direction to go because, at the moment, I’m basically just letting the machine soil itself then wiping its proverbial back side after each job with a shop vac.
It’s the noise that gets me. The shop vac is so obnoxious, I can’t run it with the cnc. It’s miracle enough I’m allowed to operate the cnc where I have it (alongside my workstation on a 4x8 desk in the living room). The line is drawn at shop vac.
I like your setup because I could get away with running it in the utility room adjacent the area of the living room I’m operating out of, running the hose through the ceiling and down from above. Best of both worlds: relative quiet + dust extraction.
One of the advantages of going with a pleated filter is that you don’t need a separator. The bottom of the filter has a clear plastic bag to collect everything. Even the dust the built in filter brush knocks off falls into the bag. While they are nice a separator eats up room and they reduce how much air the DC can pull. Plus the clear bag makes it real easy to see how close it is to being full.
https://www.rockler.com/media/catalog/product/cache/3434eb5edc1f5c9809271cab5a58bac7/5/3/53522-09-1000.jpg
Hey Dr-Al,
How do you feel about the Fein dust extractor?
I’m not a fan of anything that uses a universal motor vs induction. I’m sure it works fine but I’ve never tried one or a Festool either. Woodworking is noisy to begin with and universal motors are usually louder. One of the best features of an induction motor is it’s ability to run for long periods of time. Where I work we have pumps that run for years nonstop without issue.
But beyond all else is capacity. Dust and shavings add up quickly. The first time you forget to empty your dust collector and make a mess you will realize why having a large bin or bag to collect them is important. I’m in the process of getting rid of or converting the dust collectors I have from cloth bags to clear plastic.
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The Fein dust extractor is only 67db so I think it will actually be quieter than a Shop Fox which is rated at 77. Coupled with a cyclone separator I think it would be quite effective. The fiber bin that I just purchased measures 24x36”.
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Hey @Auntjemimma how did this DC work out?
Buying a pleated filter + Harbor Freight dust collector is about the same cost. Nice to have this all in one unit. Considering the same thing.
I love the Fein! Definitely a solid choice.
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Me too! Got the same one