Delta Dust Collector for $152 at Lowes

[jgscott987]

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...400&lpage=none

Lowes has this dust collector on sale. Enter your zip code to see the lower price. I put in 27408 and it came back with $152.15. You can pick up in store or have it shipped for $4.99.

How does this machine compare to the Harbor Freight DC?

The specs look a lot better for the HF model

HF has twice the horsepower, more than twice the CFM, and the same 30 micron bags...

[iceman61]

That's around 29% off. It would be even sweeter if you could also incorporate the 15% off tool sale with this.

Anyone know of a good user friendly cfm calculator, or where I can find cfm requirements for woodworking machinery?

[LCHIEN]

well several comments here.
The actual usable CFMs advertised for the HF "2 HP DC" are way below the avertised which i think is something like 1600. The tests I have seen run somwhere in the 500-800 range. While the HF is known to be well exaggerated because its impellor is smaller than other competing units and the unit takes closer to 1.5 HP, other units advertised as 1.5 HP approx 1200 CFMs typically pull around 600-800 in actual use. The number goes down fast as the pressure head increases, this is the resistannce of the bags with the dust caked on them and the resistance of the piping and hoses. rougher pipes, flexible pipes, elbows and choke points drastically increase resistance and reduce flow quickly below 600.
1 HP units such as this Delta will typically pull more like 400-500 in actual use.

Now the airflow velocity and pipe size are all interrelated.
You need airflow to pick up particles, air speed to keep them from clogging up your lines, and too big a pipe and the air speed falls; too small a pipe and the resistance causes the CFMs to fall. CFMs in the range of 500 to 800 are quoted as being needed to capture all the fine dust at the source. pipes in the range of 4" to 5" dia are needed to keep the air speed up but not have too much resistance.

So a 1 HP machine is all but useless unless you hook it directly to the machine with a short (< 10 foot) flex hose of 4"; then it will be barely adequate.

The HF is probably going to be better by about 25-30% (more airflow increases the pick up of dust and can push it down longer pipes) but not as good as the other 1.5 HP machines from Jet, delta, etc that have a bit bigger impellors.

There's a lot of suggestion that the stock 30 micron bags of both the HF unit and the cheap deltas and other brands are as bad as no bags. Thye may keep your shop cleaner from big chips but actually pumps the very small particles that are real bad for your lungs into the air thru the bags. Best advice is to get one with (or retrofit your bags with) filtration down to 0.5 to 2 microns.

[iceman61]

Thanks for the heads up Loring.

For some reason I have forgotten all of the formulas for figuring air flow, static pressure, etc. but I can still remember stupid quotes from freaking Julius Ceasar.

[footprintsinconc]

So a 1 HP machine is all but useless unless you hook it directly to the machine with a short (< 10 foot) flex hose of 4"; then it will be barely adequate.

i was going to say the same. loring has given you a lot more detailed information. i would not get anything less than 2HP

[poolhound]

I have been doing a lot of research on DCs and given everything I have found its amazing that 1HP units even exist. Likewize units that are sold with 30 micron filters - why bother. A recent test in WOOD Mag (I think you can still view it online) rated the Delta 50-760 very highly. I know its more like $350 than $150 but why buy a DC that doesnt actually collect the dust. It is our health we are talking about here more than mere mess. A couple of visits to the doctor for chest infections etc. (or worse) would easily nullify the extra cost. I was also looking at the new (rather swish looking 50-720) but its still only 1hp and rated at 650CFM.

Following an interesting and very informative email conversation with one of the editors at "WOOD" who was invloved in the testing. He actually took one of their 11/2 HP units they had tested home to compare directly to his older 1hp setup. see his quote here.

"After talking with you I took home one of the 1 1/2-hp units that we tested and tried it out in my shop. Using 6 feet of 4-inch flex hose, I was able to completely suck the dust out of my tablesaw and bandsaw—something my 1-hp unit would not do."


Bottom line I am now going to buy the 50-760 and FWIW its currently only $329 at Amazon.......

Thats it for now go to go and do a glue-up

Oh yes and if you are looking for calcs try

www.woodmagazine.com/spcalc

[footprintsinconc]

i too bought the 50-760 and am happy with it.

[TKsDust]

FWIW and not directly related:
I bought the "2HP" HF (10.1" impeller, approx 1.5hp)when they first hit the barely over $100 mark and upgraded to Penn State 2.5 micron bags on sale. For that price it was probably better than the 1HP units.
I then found a Jet 1200 canister slightly used for $260. This is a 12" impeller, 2HP unit. When I first hooked it up using 14' of 4" hose, it sucked all the extra dust out of my contr. TS and even some of the foam insulation I had stuffed between the table/cabinet gap that the HF didn't. Consider it did this despite the entire rear of the cabinet being open for air flow! It is really a beast, not much louder than the HF, and seems to like having more than one 4" hose worth of air flow open at one time to get the strongest pull.
I would highly suggest a better DC like the Delta mentioned. I don't think the HF is that great of a value at current discounted price plus upgrade costs. You will most likely wish you had the next step up. I think the Delta 760 is that great mix of $330 for the next step up without wasting time and money on the lesser units. Then you can really decide if you need anything better like a Jet 1200 equivalent or cyclone.
IMHO, don't obsess that a canister setup is better than bags, a 1 micron bag is arguably as good or better than even a canister setup with more flow area. Focus on affording the DC with the larger impeller and low micron filtration rather than worrying about bags vs. canisters.

[poolhound]

i too bought the 50-760 and am happy with it.

Omar,

I may have to come over and see your setup. Do you also have a Shark guard?

[footprintsinconc]

no i dont. it is on the list of things to get.

as for the setup, i just hook up the dc directly to the ts or jointer as needed. i only have a one car garage to setup in. it also houses my 3ft x 9ft work table on one side. so all the tools need to be rolled around to work with. but i too would like to get pipping up on the walls one day as soon as i can get my area organized.

you are most welcome to come by when ever you are in the area.

[HarmsWay]

I use a Delta 1HP unit with a 1 micron bag and a plastic collector bag. Works well connected to a single machine - better with the saw including Shark than with a planer or jointer though. I would have considered something bigger except for two important points:
1. space - I don't have room for anything bigger.
2. power requirements - I only have one 220 outlet.

Bob

[Alex Franke]

How loud is the Delta 50-760? Or any of that style of DC for that matter?

[LCHIEN]

How loud is the Delta 50-760? Or any of that style of DC for that matter?

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...dust+collector

[poolhound]

How loud is the Delta 50-760? Or any of that style of DC for that matter?

My 760 arrived today. Even though I knew the dimensions beforehand it seems much bigger than I thought.

As to the noise it seems much quieter than my shop vac. I think it has more to do with the pitch. The DC has a lower hummmm rather than the more high pitched squeel of the shopvac.

Now I just need to decide wether to "plumb" it in or wheel it around. fun fun fun................