Fluffy shavings and 3300

[JEFFinCLE]

I have a 3300 with the factory 4" inlet and the middle-sized (24") filter. I'm using it with an INCA 10" combination jointer/planer. The fluffy planer shavings end up packing up on top of the impeller body in the filter bag, instead of down in the plastic bag. This happens no matter how careful I am to try to knock them down into the bag from the outside. The result is a total disaster when I change the bag, as there as many shavings in the filter bag as there are in the plastic bag.

Has anyone experienced the same thing, and have you come up with a workable solution?

As a side note, if there's anyone here who has an older steel-framed 3300 with the motor that sticks out and wants to upgrade to the 6000, I would be willing to trade my 3300-2 for your older 3300 so you can upgrade more readily.

[DLB]

I have not experienced this issue to this degree, but have a couple of questions and comments for clarification and to spark discussion. When you say factory 4" inlet, do you mean the adapter SS used to sell that was used in lieu of the standard 3 X 2.5" inlet manifold? And are you using it with 4" hose when using the INCA? If yes, interesting because it has been discussed here that the adapter was discontinued by SS because the 3300 did not generate sufficient airflow (velocity) in a 4" line for effective dust collection. That would seem to be much different, even opposite in some ways, of the problem you are having.

IMO it is 'normal' on both the 3300 and 6000 that a fair sized pile ends up on top of the motor housing and other locations not in the bag. But I think you are talking about a much larger pile. As in creating some blockage? Perhaps around the 'horn' that is unique to the 3300? I can envision a pile building up there, but have switched to the 6000 (no horn) with large filter and have never really observed this to the extent you are. (My choice to go to the 6000 was largely driven by a 'need' for 4" hose for my DeWalt planer along with the discussion that the 3300 was seen as inadequate for 4" line. In hindsight I would have gone another direction.)

A chip separator would theoretically help. They are very good at keeping the large shavings out of the collector. But at a cost in terms of airflow, so the question would be whether you have sufficient flow for a net performance gain? I suspect not many users out there using the 3300 with 4" and not much tribal knowledge on this.

- David

[RFGuy]

Jeff, David,

I read this post initially and honestly didn't know what to say, but now that David has jumped in let me just say this: I think it would help to see a picture if you have one. I know on this other thread (viewtopic.php?p=287296#p287296) you mentioned that you have an older (original?) DC-3300 where the "motor is more than half-way out of the frame". I have never seen this and I am not sure what is different with the older version of the DC-3300. Perhaps someone who has one of these versions of the DC-3300 will respond with their experience here. It might be that there is something different about the design of this older DC-3300 that is causing the issue you report here.

[JEFFinCLE]

I actually have two DC-3300s, one of the early, steel housing units (3300) and one of the plastic housing units (3300-2). The 3300-2 has the optional 4" inlet. I'll add some pictures of them side-by-side tonight.

I like the 3300 for what it is, but we all have to accept what it isn't. It is not a dust collector that could be used with a long run of pipe with multiple hook-ups and blast gates. I'm using about 5 feet of 4" hose between the dust collector and the planer, and air flow is sufficient to suck up the chips. It's the turbulence inside the bags that is causing the problem, and David, yes, I think the "horn" is part of the problem.

Edited to Add:

I do not want to go to a cyclone separator, if I can avoid it. I want to tie a bag off and throw it away without handling the dust.

[RFGuy]

I actually have two DC-3300s, one of the early, steel housing units (3300) and one of the plastic housing units (3300-2). The 3300-2 has the optional 4" inlet. I'll add some pictures of them side-by-side tonight.

I like the 3300 for what it is, but we all have to accept what it isn't. It is not a dust collector that could be used with a long run of pipe with multiple hook-ups and blast gates. I'm using about 5 feet of 4" hose between the dust collector and the planer, and air flow is sufficient to suck up the chips. It's the turbulence inside the bags that is causing the problem, and David, yes, I think the "horn" is part of the problem.

Jeff,

Thanks. Yeah, I would like to see what one of the older ones looks like so if you can post pics that would be great. So, if I understand correctly, you are using the 4" inlet into the DC-3300 so you have max airflow correct? I mostly used my DC-3300 with the 3 port manifold that cuts down the 4" inlet to three 2-1/4" inlets, but I did some airflow testing (anemometer) of these and also tested with the 3 port manifold removed. What I noticed in the past is that the blower outlet inside of the DC-3300 (newer - 2nd gen one?) is shaped into kind of a flat blade nozzle presumably increasing the airflow on blower exit. I am not a fluid dynamics person, but it seems to me that there is a high airspeed particle flow coming out of the bottom of the blower on the side of the bag (due to this nozzle effect) - I would expect that with a high enough airspeed that some of these would flow in a "U" shaped pattern around the bottom of the bag, up the side and could easily land on top of the blower housing inside of the filter hood on top. Just a theory, but what you describe sounds plausible and is the result of the higher airspeed you are achieving by only using a 4" inlet, i.e. not the very restrictive 3 port manifold. In other words, I believe you might be getting even more accumulation on top of the blower housing due to the higher airflow with a 4" inlet. Most of us just see a pile of sawdust accumulation but you are actually seeing shavings due to high usage of a planer on this particular DC-3300. I have wondered about a way to deflect this airflow inside of the bag or at the top housing area to reduce this sawdust accumulation. I even contemplated some variation of a Thien baffle between the blower housing and the outer ring of the DC-3300, but my worry has been on cutting down too much on airflow resulting in a limp/ineffective filter hood and too much backpressure on the blower. A simpler method might be to somehow alter the nozzle exit to one side with a deflector and/or place a deflector of some kind on the other side of the bag, but kind of hard to affix anything because it would be in open space inside the plastic bag. As David points out a cyclone or lesser solution in front would help but both would cut down on your airflow, so a tradeoff. Anyway, hope this conjecture helps.

P.S. I have used the Shopsmith power planer with the DC-3300 (2-1/4" inlet) in the past with no issues, though I prefer my ShopVac™ with mini-cyclone now because it outperforms the DC-3300. Of course, you can't take a deep planer cut with it, so if your planer allows a deeper cut causing a MUCH larger shavings volume then the DC-3300 with 2-1/4" inlet could choke on it. Even the 4" inlet could choke on it, but I don't think that is your problem based on what you describe.

[bainin]

Similar issue on my Jet 600 when using planer or jointer. I added a cyclone separator ahead of the inlet and this solved the problem.
As well, it reduces the number of times I need to empty my dust collector bag..albeit now I empty my seperator cannister more

b

[JEFFinCLE]

As promised, some pics of my two DC-3300s



Older DC-3300 with motor only partially enclosed in the housing. Housing is steel. Switch is in the motor extension housing.



Newer DC-3300-2. I believe this is the one more of you are familiar with. The motor is completely enclosed in the housing and the housing is plastic.



Optional 4" port. I do have the 3 port manifold for this one, too. Previous owner kept it when he bought the 4".



Both units side by side running with no restriction.

[algale]

I've never seen a DC3300 with that vent/motor hanging out the back. Anyone else???

[JEFFinCLE]

I think I have the owner's manual. I'll see if I can track down a date. Having lived with both of them for a couple years, I don't consider the change an "upgrade". I'm a little surprised at the lack of recognition. First design must have only lasted a couple years.

[DLB]

Jeff - I had never seen the metal version either. Getting back to the shavings, is the problem that shavings block off some of the passages around the motor/impeller assembly that would normally allow collected dust and shavings back into the bag? Therefore acting like a much larger 'shelf' than we are accustomed to and significantly more shavings than normal staying in the upper portion?

- David