Ramblin' Dan's Workshop

I have wanted to install a chip/dust collector in my shop for what seems like forever. I just learned to live without it getting by with a noisy shop vac and occasionally wearing a dust mask. These 66 year old set of lungs don't need to be doing overtime in staying clean, SO I admit this machine was long overdue.

One of the big drawbacks for me was strictly pecuniary. (Fancy word for money.) I just didn't want to spend the big bucks for something that didn't help me make things. I was lying to my self because using one of these helps me make things safely.

This is a Shop Fox Model W1727, 1HP Dust collector. I purchased it from Amazon for a measly or is it miserly $265.00. It's going to be money well spent.

The filter bag is rated at 2.5 micron particle size. You can get filtration down to 1 micron these days. A far cry better than the 30 micron and larger that used to be the standard. But it is the small size particle that is the worst, so none of these filters systems can be called safe. The shop needs to be well ventilated and when in use it is still good practice to wear a respirator. The benefit will be a much cleaner shop and less fire hazard.

This machine is fairly small at just 54.5 inches tall. It is intended to be used on one machine tool at a time. The hose and unit is moved to whatever major chip and dust maker is going to be used. For a small garage shop it is a better system than a bunch of permanent pipes running all over the place. Nothing in my garage shop is permanent.

For a minimalist looking machine the dust collector is actually well built and very rigid. There is nothing loose or sloppy about the assembly and the motor and fan when running are vibration free.

The noise is far less than I expected and is quite tolerable even for long runs. It is not whisper quite and I didn't expect it to be. It does move 800 CFM of air and most of the sound is that air noise. The motor and fan noise are at reasonably minimal level to my determination. Conversations when its running are not difficult.

1HP TEFC motor, split capacitor 2 Pole 3450 RPM	Detail of handle mounting
Rear tube is round. The other two are square tube. Note the tab of tape used for holding the bag until clamped.	A look at the bag clips. both are the same. Spring loaded, I use the third notch.
A look at the intake. The 90 deg. elbow is restrictive. The 4" hose and clamp do not come with the dust collector.	Note how the rushing air sound goes way down when blocking the hose. It's the natural result of reducing the air velocity and flow through a 4" hose.