Dust collection upgrade complete. Cyclone separator makes a huge difference.
Finally installed the Oneida Dust Deputy I’ve had sitting in the box for three months. Should have done this the day it arrived – the improvement is immediate and dramatic.
The Old Setup
My previous system was a basic 1.5 HP shop vac connected directly to the planer. It worked, sort of, but the filter clogged constantly. I was stopping every 15 minutes to clean it out, and fine dust still escaped into the shop air. My air quality monitor was regularly hitting “unhealthy” levels during heavy milling sessions.
Installation Process
Mounted the cyclone separator to a 5-gallon bucket lid using the provided hardware. Connected the shop vac to the top outlet and ran 4″ flex hose from the inlet to my main tools. Total setup time was about two hours, including building a simple plywood stand to keep everything at working height.
The cyclone uses centrifugal force to spin debris into the bucket before it ever reaches the filter. Claims are 99% of material gets captured in the bucket. Based on my first day of use, that’s probably accurate.
Real-World Testing
Ran the planer for a solid hour surfacing rough cherry. Bucket collected about 4 gallons of chips and dust. The shop vac filter? Barely dirty. The air quality monitor stayed in the green zone the entire time.
Also noticed the suction power stays consistent now. No more gradual loss of airflow as the filter loads up. Should have made this upgrade years ago.
Next Steps
Planning to add blast gates to the main lines so I can switch between tools without disconnecting hoses. Small investment for a much better workflow.
