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I’m not certain what to look for in electrical terms to confirm it can work w my current wiring in the workshop area.
The machine in question is a shop fox w1666 2hp 1550cfm dust collector.

Motor draws — 220v to 12amp

What do I need to look at? Amp labor on the breakers?


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You need to see if you have a 220 circuit in your shop. The US has 120V for standard circuits. If you do not have a 220v circuit in your work shop you will need a new circuit installed. More than likely a line will need to run from your circuit box to your shop.

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According to the manual you need a dedicated 15amp, 220v circuit.

Page 10

https://cdn1.grizzly.com/manuals/w1666_m.pdf

Thanks guys. Fortunately I have some pro electricians and the breaker box is in the same room:)


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My 2pesos;
A dedicated circuit is required, AND, for any run less than 50’ you are good with a 12 awg Conductor.
You will need space in your panel for a new breaker.
Locate the switch for the unit nearer your tools than the DC, if you are in a larger space.
Personally I would consider the models with a filter over a bag, having owned 2 units with bags.
The filters do such a better job.
This thing will make a ton of noise, so if you can enclose it and insulate for sound you will be much happier.
Also, consider where you exhaust the unit as it will suck the heat(or cool) out of a room in the matter of minutes.


B

B

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My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

With the unit you are looking at, as long as you keep it in the same room there won't be any heat loss or gain. The filter bags work O.K. as long as you don't beat too much of the dust out of them. The dust on the inside surface of the filter bag acts to trap the finer dust particles that would normally escape through the weave of the material.
A dedicated circuit is ideal, but as long as you are not running other machinery on the same circuit at the same time you should be O.K. Most woodworking machines require dust collection, but a few do not.

Honestly what got me concerned was the plug ... it has one of those plugs w the sideways terminals :/


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Just be aware that that level of filtration is not enough for health protection. The bag only filters 2.5 micron. It’s the submicron stuff you need to worry about...

Some 220v outlets accept both types of plugs (the type with two sideways terminals and the type with one sideways and one normal)
If you don't have any other 220v machinery then you could either default to a dedicated circuit or you could run the dust collector off two 110v circuits ,but it would tie up two circuits instead of one and the breakers have to be on opposite legs in the breaker box which he doesn't make clear in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64L4Pz4vuYc

I do all the wiring in my shop, but the OP says he has “some pro electricians”, so I recommend getting electrical questions answered there.
Definitely get a unit with a canister filter — I’m surprised they continue to sell them with bags.
If it has a cloth lower bag, throw it away and install a disposable clear plastic bag. Your machinery supplier will have them. Cloth bags just leak fine dust into your shop (and lungs).
Consider a remote control. Running back and forth from your machine to switch a dust collector is annoying and can be dangerous.


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I agree with the others about the cloth bag being useless. Once you decide on a unit, upgrade the filter. https://wynnenv.com/single-stage-collector/

Brad


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Some people find the pleated canister filters to be a nuisance to clean. The cloth bag may not work as well, but it is better than no dust collection. Allowing some "dust cake" to remain on the bag improves it's efficiency for trapping smaller particles. When combined with a filter box designed to trap smaller dust particles it may suffice for a small shop. ( https://www.amazon.com/WEN-3410-3-Speed ... 199HJ248XB )
One thing I would suggest is a chip separator lid. Although not a full blown cyclone, they do remove a lot of the bigger stuff and reduce the need to empty the dust bags - always a dirty job. ( https://www.amazon.com/WOODRIVER-Trash- ... D4S0K1GZ4R )
Dust collection is a relatively new phenomenon, and isn't as "sexy" as other new tools. Some of us who worked in shops without it are paying the price in our old age.

That is true. Before I added a cyclone I would have to hit the filter with air from the compressor and let the dust settle into the bag and empty it. I did this once a week to keep the filter / collector working well. After adding a cyclone only the smallest amount ends up on the filter / bag side. Adding a cyclone though pushes the cost up.


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My own opinion: If you are going to the trouble of wiring for a 220v machine, make it worth the effort. I don’t see that particular dust collector as being worth the effort, because of the shortcomings that others have pointed out. If you want a great dust collector, you should go larger and get a cyclone with a larger motor and canister filters. If you want to get “better than nothing” dust collection, you can do it with a dust collector that only needs 110v. Then you can save up enough money over time to get something better.

I used a “better than nothing” dust collector with a trash can cyclone for a number of years, then I stepped up to a Clear Vue. The Clear Vue was worth the cost of wiring the circuit.

"The Clear Vue was worth the cost of wiring the circuit."


If there is space in the panel box, then adding a 220v circuit is neither particularly expensive nor difficult to do. The cost of the materials (wire, breaker, and receptacle) will probably be less than $50, and if you hire an electrician the job should still be under $150. If you decide later to spring for the Clear Vue you will still need the circuit.
I don't agree the filter bags are useless, and I think combined with the fine filtering overhead unit are a reasonable compromise of cost
Vs. effectiveness. The low cost trash can separator adds to the convenience and efficiency of the system.
If you do decide to upgrade in the future, you will still want to keep the overhead unit, and could probably recoup about half the cost of the shop fox collector. So if you use it for a couple of years and then decide you need something better you haven't lost much.
My own dust collection is fairly rudimentary. I do extremely dusty jobs (planing and drum sanding) out of doors. I have a small dust collector for the table saw and jointer which is located in another room (noise) and use a shop vac for the bandsaw. Eventually I may cobble together a filter box for airborne dust, but the Wen unit is attractively priced, so I may go that route.
Getting the dust into the collector is the other half of the battle, and often the more challenging part.

I’m sure the CV is a great machine but I simply don’t have 2k to put into a dust collector at the moment.
Right now the only machine I really use is a thickness sander, and a spindle sander.

All that said I do understand the importance of being. Able to grow and not constantly upgrading.

I also understand my health is important and it can’t be justified against money. However I’m a hobby builder. I make 1-2 instruments a year (been slower than when I first got going).

I realize it’s not a REAL machine but right now I use a dust deputy on a shop vac and wear a mask. I can’t “see” anything in the air, but I know it’s there.
I figured the unit I had posted would be an order of magnitude better than what I am currently rly using.

I’m just at a point where I want to expand my capacity. I’m moving into a much larger room and thought dust collection would be something I could build around:)

Again thanks for all the input


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You don't have to spend money on something like a Clear Vue to do better than what you are currently doing, and do better (for the money) than the dust collector you are eyeing. You can get a 1hp blower that runs on 110v, and hook it up to a few different options for a separator, then hook that blower up directly to each machine, as needed. You can run the output to a decent filter that can be used later if you upgrade. If you keep the hoses short, it can work pretty well.

Or, you can buy what you are looking at. If you really don't need to worry about the money and hassle of running a 220v circuit, that's a big plus. I had to deal with a bit of nonsense to get my electrician to come to my house for something short of an emergency. And what you are looking at is definitely better than what you currently have. I just think you can put something together that works better, for comparable money.

This is a good point. How big is the space? One eye opening thing for me when researching dust collection was Bill Pentz saying that a hobby woodworker with poor dust collection takes in more harmful dust than a full time woodworker in an industrial shop. Part of that equation is we’re often working in tight spaces.

My understanding is drum sander is basically the worst tool with regards to dust. If it were me I would put the better filter on there and just deal with occasionally cleaning it out. It takes 15 minutes at most and would only add a couple hundred to your cost.

Or, something to think about - you could do this:

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-hp-indu ... 97869.html

https://wynnenv.com/products-page/woodw ... ridge-kit/

Oneida Air Systems Super Dust Deputy (4” Cyclone Kit) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y37FF9D/re ... vFb6MWH3GE

This setup would cost you:

$160 for the collector (20% off coupons available everywhere)

$165.00 for the Wynn filter

$230.00 for the dust deputy

That’s ~550.00 for an actual cyclone and a decent filter both of which can be used when you upgrade to a better motor in the future. You get the chip separation and the filtering and the throw away HF motor. No wiring upgrade required.

If you like to tinker, put the Rikon impeller in there: https://www.lumberjocks.com/clagwell/blog/series/22957

This is my current setup except I have the Dust Deputy XL and 6” pipe on everything. Works pretty well for a budget setup on 110:



Brad


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No matter what solution you go with, buy one of these
https://www.amazon.com/Dylos-DC1100-Pro ... pldnSite=1
so that you can tell when the air is dirty enough that you need a mask.

I went the cheap route years ago and bought an inexpensive 1.5 hp 110v collector. I gradually upgraded it over the years first adding a canister filter, then a cyclone. You would have to see to believe the number of flaws in the cheaper collector. For a while, it wasn’t a collector but rather a distributor. There were leaks in many places. It required a lot of silver tape and caulk until it finally actually contained the dust. If I had to do it again, I would have sprung for the Oneida in the beginning. When the blower in this one wears out, and I’m sure it will, I’m going to replace it with one of the Oneida collectors.

Brad outlined with details what I was saying.

I already have a dust deputy ... but I don’t think it’s the “pro model”


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That’s a sweet setup for 550...

The swapping and adding intimidates me a little


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As it would me, yet, here on the forum is the brains you need to make it go....

Other than the impeller change, there really is nothing to sweat over. You are just hooking up dust collection hoses and plugging the contraption into the wall. Yes, if you are going to switch out an impeller blade, do some research and make sure it will work. Everything else is easy peasy for someone who has built a guitar. I agree that Brad has recommended a pretty nice setup for a great price.