On 19 Jan 2005 07:46:15 -0800, "tc" wrote:

I have a VERY small shop, with little space for me, let alone a dust
collection unit. I've been using a shop vac, but it's really loud.
Hi,

I use a Penn State Heavy Duty, 1 HP portable dust collector in my
shop. It works well and I'm pretty pleased with it. To be honest,
I probably would not have bought a Penn State model but it was given
to me as a gift in 1992 and I've used it since and have found it quite
versatile.

It works fine on one tool at a time. Sometimes I roll it from
machine to machine but I've also set up a semi- permanent installation
for the tools I use most, such as my band saw, power carving tool
station, and a "Sand Rite" pneumatic sander that generates quiet a lot
of dust. Each tool or station has a blast gate that can be opened if
in use or closed if not.

I don't use it so much on the lathe to catch shavings. I let them fly
where they want especially with green turning. But I do use it
for lathe sanding dust and it will suck up the shavings on the floor
in a hurry also. It's not much of a chore to hang a shower curtain
that deflects the shavings to one general area and then to vacuum them
up with the collector.

It has a 4 inch intake and I've made customized pickups and
collection points for most of my tools. The hose that came with it
was junk though. It was thin plastic with wiring inside but it was so
flimsy that the collector would suck it tightly together. I threw it
out and used an aluminum clothes dryer hose for a while but a couple
years ago I found some semi-rigid dust collector hose made by Delta
that I use now and it works much better. The dryer hose was Ok but it
would get bent and punctured pretty easy and I was always having to
duct tape it to prevent leaks.

It's much better than the irritating whine of a shop vac for sure and
as far as the sound I don't even notice it. The tool I'm using
usually is making more noise than the collector.