Order DELTA 50-760 1.5HP 1,200 CFM Vertical Bag Dust Collector

Wood chips are a nuisance, wood dust can be deadly. Whether you buy this unit or another quality dust collector, don't scrimp on your health. As an amateur woodworker with a small basement shop, I wanted to find the balance between an effective one-tool-at-a-time dust/chip collection system with a minimum of setup hassle, and breaking the bank and clogging my shop with industrial cyclone systems and 8" metal ductwork. I did hours of research before deciding on the Delta 50-760 dust collector over the similar JET, Grizzly, Powermatic, etc. units. Overall design, good CFM over a wide band of static pressures, and price were the deciding factors. Best purchase I ever made related to my woodworking shop. While there is much conflicting info out there on dust collection and the best way to set up a system, for a small shop, the Delta 50-760 can be the heart of a very effective dust collection system, especially with a couple of tweaks.
Here's my experience:

1. SHIPPING/SETUP: The unit came UPS in a large heavy box that had obviously been tossed around. I took pictures in case of hidden damage, but there was just one tiny dent in the blower housing. All parts were present, printed directions were sufficient, and setup was quick and easy. I did it alone, but it would have been much easier at one or two points to have had some assistance as it is fairly heavy. The motor/impeller housing design is unique to Delta-- most manufacturers separate the two and use a flexible hose with a 90 degree elbow to connect to the impeller. Delta's design is more efficient and allows for easily connecting a separator (see below).

2. NOISE: The sound of all the air moving is really the bulk of the noise, not the motor. It certainly is way less annoying than the whine of a wet/dry vac. That said, having learned my lesson as a musician, I always use ear protection, so it is a non-issue with me. I can say, that my workshop is in an unfinished basement directly below my wife's home office. She says it sounds something like a vacuum running off in the distance, but has no trouble with it.

3. ELECTRICAL HOOKUP: This is a 110v unit, but really needs its own 20amp circuit. At best, trying to run big draw units like dust collectors, table saws, etc. on the same circuit at the same time will just mean constant runs to the service panel to reset the breaker.

4. STOCK, SINGLE TOOL COLLECTION: I first tried the unit "stock" with the supplied felt filter and plastic collection bags. Both bags install fairly easily, the length of the supplied 4" hose is a bit short for realworld application, but sufficient for trials. Hooked to the port on my 10" contractor-type table saw, there was a noticeable improvement in the quantity of material collected compared to the 6hp Rigid wet/dry vac with 2- 1/2" hose I had been using. Some material will still escape from the top of the saw, but this a function of not having an over the saw port, not a problem with the Delta collector. Actually, with the DC left running, I could see dust from the top of the saw that was in the air pulled in through the various openings in the front/side of the saw! Attached to the "big gulp" hood I have on the back of my miter saw, the Delta got 99% of the chips/dust. The biggest dust maker in my shop is my router table (I don't have a jointer/planer), and connected to just the top 2- 1/2" port with an adapter, the Delta was getting most of the dust once again.


5. DUST COLLECTOR PARTNERS: No dust collector will get every chip and spec of dust, nor should it be used for every application, so:
--I always run a HEPA filter equipped air filter continuously when I'm in the shop, and set it to run for a few hours after I leave. This takes care of the finest, most unhealthy particles put into the air by tools and by just walking around. I use a Honeywell unit, but there are several good options out there.
--I still use the Rigid shop vac for general clean up and for attaching to small power tools with dust ports. Reducing to these 1- 1/4" tool ports from the large DC ports just is not effective. Dust collectors work by moving large volumns of air: something that just isn't going to happen with small diameter hose. Wet/dry vacs work by moving a much smaller volume of air but at much higher static pressures-- that's why their effectiveness is not lowered as appreciably by attaching them to the smaller ports.

6. TWEAKS FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE & SAFETY: I haven't measured with fancy equipment, but observation and use tells me the following tweaks have made for a better dust collection system:
--If you don't use it, it doesn't matter how powerful it is. I located the collector as close as possible to my main tools: table saw, miter saw, router table, downfeed sanding table. The longest hose run I have is about 8'. Each tool is enclosed/hooded to direct dust to the dust port, gated, with 4" diameter hose runs to each tool, with a "T" at the router table to run a 4" port to the enclosed router under the table, and a 2-1/2 port at the router fence above. Each gate is easily reachable from all tool stations, so turning on the DC unit and the opening the appropriate gate is a snap. I have an "open" gate and 4" hose for running to the drill press or big gulp for "situational" dust collection as needed as well. Total additional cost, about $75.
--Built a Phil Thien style separator from a 30 gallon metal trash can to keep large objects and stray metal (sparks) away from the collector's impeller. If you haven't already seen his simple modification, there's lots of samples/info on line. I bought a 5" to 4" adapter from a big box store for a few bucks, built the baffle from scrap lumber with a 4" outlet on top and used a 4" elbow epoxied into the side of can for the inlet. Fits right on the Delta's cart, slips right on the 5" port on the impeller housing, with just a couple of turns of tape to seal it. Maybe $25.
--Replaced the stock Delta cloth filter bag with a Wynn cartridge filter. Better filtration of fine particles, more efficient air flow (more dust collected),easier to clean (just give it a few whacks with your hand, and the dust falls into the collection bag). At around $130 delivered, it was easy to install and cheaper than the Delta cartridge filter.Get more detail about DELTA 50-760 1.5HP 1,200 CFM Vertical Bag Dust Collector.