Recommendation? Professional Dust Collection and Air Filtration Systems

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honingblades

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Oct 4, 2018
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Hello,

I came across this C-Flux-1 Cyclone Dust Collection system for around $1,299 - https://lagunatools.com/classic/dust-collectors/c-flux-1 and I like the professional look/"feel."

I'm not well versed in dust collections but it's something i'm willing to throw money at to solve my problem.

I know I can make some simple cyclone dust systems using 5-gallon buckets and a shop vac; or modified harbor freight designs, but I am busy and would prefer to buy something pre-made so I was curious if anyone knows of any really good "professional" dust collection systems in the range of $500 - $1,500.

Youtube seems to only have homemade ones and most of those are woodshop ones.

I was also going to get two of the WEN 3415T 3-Speed Remote-Controlled Industrial-Strength Air Filtration Systems (one for each side of my garage) to help collect some airborne dust.
 
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That looks really nice... Would that work for metal (steel, ti, zirc) and scale material (wood, g10, etc)? Does it have a way to arrest the sparks in water?
 
I have the HEPA version of that dust collector which is the P-Flux-1 and so far I really like it. It is not rated for use with sparks so I am in the process of building a spark bong to put under my grinder that I will connect to for grinding. I have been using it with handle material shaping and it really cuts down on the dust significantly. I also have a WEN air filter that helps, but have reasonable expectations about the capabilities as it will not capture all of the airborne dust we create making knives. The P-Flux was definitely more expensive than the C-Flux but it had a few key advantages that swayed my decision. The HEPA filter was the biggest deciding factor, the drum and filter sensors are nice to have, and the unit is definitely quieter which is a bonus.

If you decide to pick either one up make sure you watch the assembly videos on YouTube a couple of times, or keep a tablet out in the shop with you while you are assembling the machine. The manual is not great and I had to disassemble a couple of things and reassemble correctly after consulting the videos for clarification. Also ask a buddy to come over and help with the assembly. At one point you will have to set the machine upright and at 250ish lbs. that was not a fun time doing it solo.
 
Whatever system you buy, you MUST add a spark trap to the end at the grinder if you are going to use it for metal grinding dust control. You really don't want to know what happens when you suck some sparks down the piping and it gets to the catch container.
 
I did a deep dive into woodshop dust collection but know pretty much nothing about grinding dust, so can't say how much any of this applies.

1.5hp is pretty underpowered for a cyclone. I ran a 1.5hp motor and impeller of a Delta 50-850 on a cyclone I built for a local shop and it worked, but was pretty sad. We ended up putting a 5hp motor and 16" impeller on it and it made a vast improvement. The duct design also has a really big impact and it's worth reading up on how to do it right... the short version is A) pick the right diameter ducts for the amount of airflow your cyclone can move (too narrow and it will greatly restrict airflow, too wide and the air will move easily but SLOWLY, and the crap you are trying to collect will end up falling out of the airflow and sitting in your ducts), B) use wide curves, never right angles, C) use as little corrugated flex hose as possible and D) enclose the source of the dust as much as humanly possible (think about trying to suck stuff up through a straw, straw has to be right on top of the stuff, while blowing through a straw you can blow away a pile of stuff across a table.)

The proportions of the cones of most cyclones on the market for woodshops were taken from old designs intended to separate agricultural material (grain kernels from chaff) and not well suited to finer stuff, so they're pretty inefficient for the light, fine wood particles. Might just mean they are good for grinder dust by accident, I don't know. Laguna uses that squat, broad agricultural style. (I had a friend with an older Laguna on a large CNC router, was never happy with it. I can't say how much was the design had to do with it, but apparently it matters).

The airflow listed for dust collectors is almost always artificially high, measured with no ducts attached, new filters, etc. Don't believe the marketing.

The one I built cost about $1200 all up, including $500 for the impeller and housing, sheet metal, 5hp motor, wood for the frame, etc. It took a month of weekends. It wasn't hard, would have been much faster if I had a second set of hands or any sheet metal experience, but it worked out really well. Plans are free (just don't get lost on the website... technical design is very well thought out, the information is not well presented): https://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/cyclone_plan.cfm . Same exact design can be purchased for $3400: https://www.clearvuecyclones.com/pe...-metal-cyclone-with-filters-single-phase.html. It works well enough you can use it without a filter and vent it outside (again, with wood dust). We tried it with a 1.5 hp motor impeller off a delta 50-850 dust collector for a while and it worked, but not great. 5hp and it gets pretty much everything.

Others will have a much better idea how applicable this is to grinder dust. I do think the underlying physics and, critically, the need for lots of airflow would still apply. It's also a matter of how much you hope to collect and like most things, there are laws of diminishing returns involved.
 
Sorry, somehow I missed or misread the bit where to said you did NOT want to make something, so my suggestion is really not helpful. The other points are worth considering for any setup since good duct design can help, and bad duct design can hinder even really good systems.
 
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