The time for dust collection really comes when you get item #1, the thickness planer. It is difficult to run any shop without dust collection. Let’s break it down into sections. 

The lighter, smaller, and mobile tool is the shop vac. This cleans up scattered wood dust and particles, including from hand woodworking. It also attaches directly from many types of machine work such as some routing and most hand held power sanding. 

Long ago I made do with a cheap vac from the home center – very noisy and not efficient. Much better is the Fein Turbo II (see photo) which has held up well for many years. This combines a filter and a non-woven fleece bag making it efficient and easy to empty. Less expensive options include DeWalt and Shop-Vac models.  

I like a wireless remote control to save the hassle of reaching around when working with things like cordless sanding or Domino. (The one in the photo is a recent replacement of an older model.) 

Also available are attached dust separator-collectors that collect more volume than fits in the vac itself. This seems like a good idea but it would take up too much space in my shop.  

For the big volume wood dust and debris – the thickness planer is the best example – you need a big dust collector. Let’s go through options.  

To save the most money, a portable dust collector is an option. It uses the usual 4” hose and takes up generally less space. I have not used one of these but at least one is said to manage a thickness planer.

In the next lowest price range are the machines with the loose absorption bag at the top and the collection bag below, with the motor on the side. Having used one of these long ago, the drawing capacity is good but the filtering efficiency is not good. 

Moving up in price is with a significantly better filter at the top, again with the bag below. Some look quite good. 

Going up more in price, I like the machine that I use – the Oneida. The HEPA filter really helps keep the shop clear of fine dust. Overall collection is excellent. (From their site, the Mini Gorilla that I have had for a long time has been replaced with a more convenient design.) They also have attachments to other dust collectors and shop vacs. 

In this post, I am just outlining for general guidance. If you are looking to buy dust collection machine(s) to build your shop, check models online, in a store, and with friends who use them. 

To make choices for dust collection in your advancing shop, I suggest understand: 1. collection strength and volume, 2. dust exposure, 3. space, 4. convenience, 5. cost. 

Next: for the final post (#7) in this series, we’ll go through most of the rest of machinery to develop a shop.