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New Shopsmith DC-6000 Dust Collector

ssuel

Well disappointing news for me. Fired up my Upgraded DC-6000 for a small task to find it discharging a fair amount of dust out the back of the motor housing. Let it run few minutes and constantly emitting interior dust to outside. The darn thing was working great from July until now. Can’t tear into it today but I am guessing one of the new seals installed inJuly has failed. The pic shows the dust accumulated on the upper fold of the collection bag. Anyone else that upgraded experienced a similar problem?

ssuel

It was kicking the dust out where the power cords inter the housing and falling down to the bag

DLB

ssuel wrote Well disappointing news for me. Fired up my Upgraded DC-6000 for a small task to find it discharging a fair amount of dust out the back of the motor housing. Let it run few minutes and constantly emitting interior dust to outside. The darn thing was working great from July until now. Can’t tear into it today but I am guessing one of the new seals installed inJuly has failed. The pic shows the dust accumulated on the upper fold of the collection bag. Anyone else that upgraded experienced a similar problem?

Mine leaked dust out the back of the motor housing like that when it was new. There are two areas with leak potential where the dust would be likely to come out of the motor housing, IMO. I am positive that most, probably all, of my leak was due to poor fit between the motor housing and the fan housing. See https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?p=287093#p287093 earlier in this thread. But I see this getting better with operating time, not worse. The other is the foam gaskets between the motor housing and main housing, especially the top one. That upper gap sealed by the thick seal (I think SS calls it the short seal) was pretty big on a DC-3300 and as Dusty noted it is bigger on the DC-6000. The reason for that is the whole motor, fan, housings, etc. assembly sits at a slightly more nose-down attitude compared to the 3300, and nothing in the new design was changed to account for the larger gap. Those seals degrade with time, but this doesn't seem like enough time.

Also possible something got loose.(?) The motor housing is held to the fan housing (sheet metal) with four large sheet metal screws. I considered changing those to through bolts but didn't.

Shopsmith RMA'd my upgrade and made changes to the interface between motor and fan housings. Jim specifically mentioned a silicone seal. I didn't take it apart when I got it back but suspect that was sealant as opposed to a gasket. That's what I would have done if I hadn't returned it. He also said they flattened the surface, see the pics in that earlier link. Mine has worked fine since I got it back, they sent new seals like you put in when you did the upgrade.

- David

Majones1

Last month I took my DC-3300 apart to check it out and clean it when someone on this forum suggested that the suction appeared to be weak (due to the amount of chips left after an operation). I found the gap that you all talked about, and the foam had disintegrated into a nasty tar that was difficult to clean off. I had some felt sheets that I cut up to make filler gaskets, and in some areas I had to put double layers. When I put the DC back together my suction was much better. I don’t think the felt will disintegrate like that crappy foam did.

dusty

Majones1 wrote
Last month I took my DC-3300 apart to check it out and clean it when someone on this forum suggested that the suction appeared to be weak (due to the amount of chips left after an operation). I found the gap that you all talked about, and the foam had disintegrated into a nasty tar that was difficult to clean off. I had some felt sheets that I cut up to make filler gaskets, and in some areas I had to put double layers. When I put the DC back together my suction was much better. I don’t think the felt will disintegrate like that crappy foam did.

You have resolved, at least for the moment, the same issue that Dave and I had with the DC-6000. The primary difference is that the gap with your DC-3300 is.was a lot smaller than what occurs after the upgrade kit is installed. This is the gap that I had with my DC-6000:

DC-6000 in Main Housing.jpg

Excessive Gap.jpg

I purchased some gasket material at Ace that worked well. It is thicker and wider than what Shopsmith provided. Even then, I doubled up on the layers to further improve the seal. What it looks like now.

Air Gap Sealed.jpg

I have yet to do a lot of heavy work with the new DC but what I have done has indicated to me that I have the problem licked.

The dust that collects in the motor housing is through this gap and with it now closed - I have none in the motor housing.

It has been reported that Shopsmith (Jim) sealed the gap with silicone. Not my idea of a proper solution. The gasket that I have used is better but I believe is still a POOR solution. That huge gap IMO should not be there at all and would not be had the redesign had been completed.

If there is a leak between the motor housing and fan housing I do not consider it an issue. Whatever dust that does move through that leak remains within the DC with all the rest.

Majones1

dusty wrote

You have resolved, at least for the moment, the same issue that Dave and I had with the DC-6000. The primary difference is that the gap with your DC-3300 is.was a lot smaller than what occurs after the upgrade kit is installed. This is the gap that I had with my DC-6000:

Oh my God that’s a huge gap!!!

claimdude

I am really glad I bought the DC6000 new rather than the upgrade! Mine is performing very well and has lived up to my expectations.

Jack

dusty

claimdude wrote
I am really glad I bought the DC6000 new rather than the upgrade! Mine is performing very well and has lived up to my expectations.

Jack

Please, the next time you have the hood off a picture that shows where the motor housing meets the main housing would be greatly appreciated. I am interested in the size of the gap at that location.

If there is no significant gap, I suspect that the collection intake (the 4" coupler") is offset (upward) in the intake opening. I'd bet that your unit is not sealed with the same gasket material that SS put in the upgrade kits.

DC Main Housing.jpg

DC-6000 Axis 3.jpg

JPG

Wonder what IT looks like inside also???

DLB

I'd bet on minimal, if any, differences between the production and upgrade versions. My thinking is that if the OEM was concerned about the big gap the most obvious place to change it is to change the shape of the motor housing so it fits. Raising the other end to close the gap results in the intake end not aligning so well with the hole in the main housing and perhaps interfering with the plenum. I hate to criticize when I don't know all the considerations that went into the design, but the motor housing is a new part which, presumably, allows for an engineering drawing, 3-D modeling, etc. They could have designed whatever was needed. Instead we have what appears to be a reworked DC-3300 motor housing. That approach constrains the design, as you are pretty much limited to removing the unwanted features. Which is exactly what the 'new' motor housing looks like. I hope there were non-obvious reasons for this choice.

- David

dusty

DLB wrote I'd bet on minimal, if any, differences between the production and upgrade versions. My thinking is that if the OEM was concerned about the big gap the most obvious place to change it is to change the shape of the motor housing so it fits. Raising the other end to close the gap results in the intake end not aligning so well with the hole in the main housing and perhaps interfering with the plenum. I hate to criticize when I don't know all the considerations that went into the design, but the motor housing is a new part which, presumably, allows for an engineering drawing, 3-D modeling, etc. They could have designed whatever was needed. Instead we have what appears to be a reworked DC-3300 motor housing. That approach constrains the design, as you are pretty much limited to removing the unwanted features. Which is exactly what the 'new' motor housing looks like. I hope there were non-obvious reasons for this choice.

- David

I suspect that it was a decision constrained by an objective to minimize tooling costs. I slight redesign of the molds for the motor housing and its done.

If the original intake and exhaust ports had been co-planar (motor axis of rotation and center of 4" connector) - there would be no issue.

JPG

$$$$$

DLB

I agree that it is an economic decision. An unsound one, IMO. I don't mind that the part is reworked. I object to the extent to which the design/functionality of the system is compromised to allow the use of a reworked part instead of a redesigned one. Feels like a copy of an early prototype.

- David

dusty

All of this said, mine is now working fine. It dust clear the dust from the table saw and shaving from the jointer much better and it may even be a bit quieter.

I even devised a method whereby I could manage the motor and fan housing assembly with out assistance.

DLB

dusty wrote All of this said, mine is now working fine. It dust clear the dust from the table saw and shaving from the jointer much better and it may even be a bit quieter.

Mine is currently working fine too, and airflow is significantly increased. When I got it back from Shopsmith I chose to use their new seals rather than improving because I wanted to see if they worked. They do, but I expect a much more limited life than in the DC-3300 due to the larger gap. I have plenty of time to decide which improvement to implement. I want to improve motor cooling so I'll probably do more than just seal it better. A word of advice. The other day I sucked up a couple of leaves while picking sawdust up off the floor, and they immediately clogged the system. In Dusty's earlier post: https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?p=287388#p287388 you see there is an inlet grate that was not present in the 3300. It is effective at stopping large objects from reaching the impeller, a good inspection point for loss of flow. :o Easiest access is removal of the plenum.

- David

dusty

DLB wrote
dusty wrote All of this said, mine is now working fine. It dust clear the dust from the table saw and shaving from the jointer much better and it may even be a bit quieter.
Mine is currently working fine too, and airflow is significantly increased. When I got it back from Shopsmith I chose to use their new seals rather than improving because I wanted to see if they worked. They do, but I expect a much more limited life than in the DC-3300 due to the larger gap. I have plenty of time to decide which improvement to implement. I want to improve motor cooling so I'll probably do more than just seal it better. A word of advice. The other day I sucked up a couple of leaves while picking sawdust up off the floor, and they immediately clogged the system. In Dusty's earlier post: https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?p=287388#p287388 you see there is an inlet grate that was not present in the 3300. It is effective at stopping large objects from reaching the impeller, a good inspection point for loss of flow. :o Easiest access is removal of the plenum.

- David

I gave serious thought to cutting that grate out but have not done so. Guess I better avoid big leaves and zip lock bags.

I use quit a few small zip locks for small parts. These would certainly clog it up.

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