Harbor Freight 2HP Dust Collector Modification Overview 

Matt - Thanks for sharing your insight on this! At first, I thought I'd just buy a new cyclone system but am now convinced to just go ahead and improve upon my existing 2 hp bag system!

Hi Matt, same here ran across your channel researching dust collection ideas. Has anyone ever said that you sound like one of those guys that do the product reviews for tools. Your pretty precise with your speech which makes it easy to listen to you. Great video Thanks !!!!!!!!

The Harderwoods.com pipe joint template is awesome. Note that in their tool they say it won't print correctly using the Chrome browser. As of today 03/22/2021 the template I printed for a 20" barrel and 4" branch (with wall thickness .01") was dead on when I measured it using the scales that print on the template pages. I've been designing my own HFT DC mods, and your video helps me validate that my own design is viable. Considering that you put this out almost 6 years ago, I imagine you've probably helped thousands of hobbyists like myself improve conditions in their shops. Thank you for the work you've done.

I found your site today (2-18-20). Very well done. I have viewed many videos on dust collectors & always had a few questions after. You provided those answers. Thanks!

Matt, I just now found this most informative video. I'm currently struggling to hook up my dust collection system and fighting the vagueness of air hose and tubing connectors. This video demonstrated beyond all doubt the effectiveness of this version of a fein dust extractor. I live the elegance of this system. You did a great job joining the duct to the drum. I looked at the pipe joint template site you provided and find it very interesting and useful. One suggestion for what it's worth, if I might: For this application, to cut the duct going into the drum, if you were to use PVC drain pipe, you could screw a short section of the drain pipe to the plywood you cut the fein device from; place the plywood with pipe connected on a circle cutting jig attached to your band saw and cut the circle. As your band saw cuts the plywood circle that will fit inside the drum, it will also cut the radius end on the PVC pipe. The useful piece will be outside the circle and the waste is inside. A circle cutting jig is simply a section of plywood with a nail or screw located a radius distance from the bandsaw blade and the workpiece has a small hole at the intended center of the circle to be cut. The future circle piece is placed on the nail or screw to be rotated. Turning it around against the blade cuts both pieces at once. The PVC radius end then also becomes a template to trace the outline to be cut from the drum. I never tried to cut metal tubing but PVC cuts easily as long as the piece of wood you use for a jig is stationary and does not flex to cause the blade to bind. A little ingenuity in crafting fixtures for slanted tubing allows this technique to be used in joining small PVC to large PVC. Your video inspired me to go your route instead of the super dust deputy.

Love your comment on looking at a container of saw dust. Its as if a voice inside us is saying, “Behold what i have created!”. Nice video

I just picked up a 2hp Grizzly Dust Collector for $50. Definitely a steal. Your setup is something I'm going to copy in my shop. Thanks for providing the link to the templates for cutting the inlet pipe and drum. I have a 55 gallon thick walled plastic barrel that I'm going to use and I should be able to have more room in it for the thien baffle.

I've seen what seems like a hundred or so cyclone/Thien separator videos and your has the two absolute best recommendations I've seen: the fiber barrel with lid (those things are perfect!), and the web calculator for the intersection shape. The rest of the information and the clear presentation are icing on the cake. Well done!

Hi Matt - Just ran across your channel while looking for info on this dust collector. Thanks for sharing this. Looks like you have lots of great videos that I can binge watch. Will share your channel with my friends. Nice work!

Outstanding! Best setup I've seen yet. I purchased the same unit and am in the process of a build.

AWESOME!!! I was given the 2 most important parts on a Grizzly 2HP unit, and just today ordered the missing pieces, and wanted to add a separator in the most compact way possible, and this is it!!! I have 15' ceilings so I think I'm going to mount the motor and impeller and filter unit as high up as I can get away with to save floor space. We shall see what happens. Thanks!

Being Australian I had to watch this standing on my head. Awesome video, great content...love your style. Subscribed.

Thanks for sharing. I and my brother were just talking about hanging the very same unit in my shop. Your timing was great.

Mister Heere, I really appreciate your videos. Plus, you are an outstanding communicator.

Re: templates... I love you! (The whole video was terrific, but the templates are a life-changing epiphany)

A nice explanation of the system and how it fits your needs. Thanks for putting it out there.

Nice review, thanks for the vid. Always wondered about that dust colector, it’s awfully tempting.

I don’t know where you live but the background through the windows is stunningly beautiful

Subscribed! That was a very well presented idea; clear, complete, unhurried. Plenty to replicate it. Thanks awfully.

Matt Great video I hope to catch the rest of your stuff.

Subscribed. Glad I happened upon your channel. Lots of helpful advice. Nicely presented...Thanks!

Great video-lots of info and very good explanation of the components you used. Thanks for posting!

great video-- glad I saw this first...no I can seek out the other videos that will show me the physics of your modifications. But even now without them I can do trial and error to get that cyclone lid to work. thanks again.

Nice vid! I think I just found the design I'm going to copy. Just bought the HF dust collector, got a barrel and now realize I don't need the super dust deputy using your design so saved some $! Thx

Subscribed. Have zero clue on how I haven't come across your channel yet. Good stuff.

Really good information there mate. Nice one. I’ve had a kity separator thing like yours for ages now as I’ve not known what to do with it. I got it super cheap from a yard sale. As of now I actually have a clue what to do. Yippee !! Thanks for the vid mukka. 😀🇬🇧👍🏻

Good vid. Simple and to the point. Think I might have to get the HF 2hp dust collector. Thanks for the info

Great overview of your system. I have 2 thien seperators on the go and planning a 3rd to go on a similar collector as yours. Something to consider when you want to replace the bag, instead of paying the premium for a "woodworking" dust collector filter, look into an air filter for large trucks/heavy equipment. They will be a whole lot cheaper, and have similar specs to the ones marketed to woodworkers. You just have to make your own adapter ring for it to fit the collector, but I am sure you are more than capable of doing that.

Excellent presentation.

2:49 when that piece finally fell from the collector lid. I almost backed out of this video because of that piece hanging on. Ha ha! Very well done by the way!

Another great video. Thoroughly explained.

Hey Matt good info Thanks about all the good and bad from Harbor Freight.

Nice review and good points! Definitely like your thine collector and barrel. Would like to have heard it running and seen it working. Just to complete the review.

Nice job, Tex! and Hello from Pittsburgh

Hey matt. you have a great channel.. subscribed! I'm working on a thien baffle and got stuck on cutting out the hole for the intersecting pipe.. i might change my design to mimic yours.. hopefully ill have a build video up soon..its a great design!im glad i came across you channel.. thanks for the video..

I put an Oneida pleated filter on mine. Also noticed your Dust Deputy cyclon with what I assume is a shop vac in the box. After ex[erimenting a while I ended up with two Sears wall hanging vacumns in series to power mine. To keep down the noise I have a long about one square foot box on the exhauset with a lining and baffle system made from duct board used to fold insulated air ducts. That really cut down the noise.

Great modification. video is easy to follow.

Nice video. I went down a rabbit hole reading overcomplicating articles and designs. I ended up buying a super dust deputy. Your design is simple and obviously works really well. Be. Ice if you replaced the cloth with a wynn filter.

thanks,matt. ive been wondering what type of bearings they put in there. if theyre thrust bearings, and even some styles of ball bearings, they should be ok.

You explained everything perfectly and never turned it on to show us how it ran. But thanks for the video.

Great video. Subbed. I once used an old car radiator fan (powered by a battry charger), blocked into a window, to suck the air (and small particles) out of a room. Seemed to work well. No sign of dust out side and kept dust out of the rest of the house. =D I did have dust extraction on my table saw.... you can't chuck eveything out the window =D

Hey! Great video. I’m curious. I have a regular sized Dust Deputy set up with a Craftsman Shop Vac at the tail head and I’m trying to use a 50’ (2.5”) hose on a FastCap Super Reel. Obviously, the Craftsman cannot provide enough suction for the 50’ hose. If I got this Dust Collector and used a 4’ to 2.5” reducer would it work and provide adequate suction?

Nicely done video Matt! New subscriber.

One good idea to add to your system i think. On the side of the collection barrell install a 1" site glass ( plexi glass ) strip from top to bottom so you can see when your barrell is full.

Speaking as an old guy whose lungs are shot in part from breathing fine wood flour for 40 years I can tell you that the damage you inflict upon yourself never gets better only worse even after you use a HEPA filter.

Most of the commercial systems put the pleated filter on the bottom and the bag or dump chute below it. The top of course would be blocked off. As for the cyclone system it too was a separate drum and under it was a barrel on a drum dollie like the ones you get on the 55 gallon vacuum kits.

Hi, nice setup!! What size is your barrel? I have one that is about 17.5" diameter that I'm wondering if it's big enough. I already have the HF Dust Collector, but haven't assembled it yet because I want to do a Thein separator and I like this design, simple and compact.

Great video and subscribed to your channel. Probably getting a dust collector very soon and will in all likelihood get this one. One question though. Where did you purchase the cardboard barrel? It that also available at Harbor Freight?

Thank you for metic use!

Nice video....i just thought of something. Are those tiny particles positively or negatively charged? I wonder if a charged screen would grab those particles like a dyson air fan pulls in dust?

We have that unit at work..... has its goods and bads. Not quite strong enough for what we use it for but it works

Nice video. Can the motor be rewired to run on 220-240?

Where do you get those barrels? Also curious what epoxy you used! Great video!

Hey Matt I know it's been a while, but I was just looking at the Pipe Joint Software you linked here and I can't seem to figure out how you got the tear drop shape. What numbers did you use in the calculator and how did you figure out what to use?

Your point about the motor alone being worth the price is spot on. I've checked out many motors online and most, even 1/4 HP motors are over $100. Check out the many shop built tools people make and most require a motor. An example is the cheapo harbor freight belt sander/disc sander..It costs about $50, but the motor alone cost more than the entire sander. This leads me to the line of reasoning that if you need a new motor for various projects just go buy a harbor freight tool and strip out the motor and you'll probably be saving money over just buying a motor. Well anyway, I'm going to get the dust collector from HF because my shop is becoming entombed in dust and has become a spider web playground. I might as well take up smoking fiberglass cigarettes. Now it's just a matter of saving up the scratch and getting the right coupon for HF.

Your awesome and thanks for the information about templates

How would the cheaper HF unit work? 1.5 hp. 15 amp. Still have enuf flow..? I just bought the 2 hp model myself, but not set it up yet, wonder if it is overkill....

Nice video! :) Would you mind elaborating where you got the barrel?

I saw this very same collector at harbor freight, and thought about doing a conversion similar to yours but with the final output passing through a Hepa grade filter

Great video. As a thought....could you attach a large garbage bag to the bottom of the cyclone plywood (via tape, screws, clamps, etc) to catch dust/chips? Maybe it would make emptying the barrel easier by lifting the bag out? I'm sure some dust could get by and into the barrel but it would save dumping the barrel as often (if it works that is). I plan on getting a unit soon and will use your cyclone idea as well. Thanks for posting.

I heard of a guy who uses a 20x20x1 furnace filter on a box fan to filer his shop air and says it does a fair job. Thought you might try something along that line for a paper filter if you have not already solved that problem.

The calculator you were referring to at minute 4:47, where did you find it? I’m setting up a system now and this seems to be efficient.

Great idea. By the way I used to work for a company that makes fibre drums and we were corrected if we called the barrels instead of drums.

Thank you for your video. I must have watched it over ten times before I start my own plan to build one. Thank you for the template. It was a great resource! Austin: how heavy is the 30g when full? I'm doing this with a 55g and I'm trying to think about how to empty it. I'm thinking I'll bungee cord a trash bag over the opening and just tip it over so dust won't fly everywhere and won't have to pick it up to empty into a high trash can.

holy shit how have i not found your channel sooner... I must make this... I must

You think l will work ok if is around 20 feet 4" hose within the dust collector and a table saw?

Awesome video. I have been thinking about upgrading my 1 hp HF to this one. I have a cyclone and am wondering why you couldn't just take the bag off and plug the top with plywood. Would that cause the unit to have a hard time getting air flow?

One other bit, I'm getting a kick out of the shop vac set up.

Hi I know you made this video some time ago, but I will be construction something similar. I like to tap in to your experience, my question is. when you mounted the motor with the rotor section with the suction hole facing down motor shaft vertical... which is not what was designed for, " DID YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH THE MOTOR SHAFT AS THE LOAD IS BEING ON NORMAL ROLLER BEARINGS IN THE MOTOR , NORMALLY WILL BE TRUST BEARINGS TO SUPPORT THE MOTOR SHAFT AND THE IMPALA HANGING FROM IT ????? " THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE, kind regards from Oz Jack Marashlian

Great video, very helpful. Are you able to run the DC and your table saw on the same 15amp breaker? Or, does the draw from the DC alone exceed 15 amps??

Great review and nice adaptation. Need to get you nice cartridge filter for that unit.

Hi Matt. Great video. I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on the 2 HP HF dust collector. One thing I'm curious about is why not duct the discharge of the blower directly outside versus into the limited 5 micron bag? You'd save a bunch of space in the shop and you'd eliminate all the particulates (even better than replacing the bag with a pleated 0.5 micron filter). Again, just looking for your opinion on the idea. Keep up the good work!

Great video, Matt! I plan to build my dust collection system very similar to yours. I have a comment and a question to post to you. Comment: All your 110VAC outlets should be fed with #12 gauge wire and protected with 20 amp circuit breakers, with no exceptions. #14 gauge wire and 15 amp circuit breakers are for lighting only, (however using #12 gauge wire and 20 amp circuit breakers would be okay for your lighting circuits, it's just an overkill and a waste of good money. Question: Have you considered putting the latter half (fine dust collector/bag system) on the other side of the wall so that the particulates smaller than 5 microns would be exhausted outside, rather than in your shop? For that matter you could build a small addition on the outside, that would house the whole system, and quiet your shop down considerably! Sorry. Just thinking out loud...

this is 5 years old.... wondering what everyone's opinion of the Harbor Freight dust collector motor... how has it held up long term for others..... I bought mine back in dec. 19 here it is july 20 and the motor went out. checked power through the switch.. all good. it was working one moment then total dead. hoping this is just a issue with my particular motor and hoping HF will come through with replacement. (in communica with them now)

how much dust is getting into the top bag? Is it enough to restrict flow or make a mess if I vent it outside instead of going into the bags? thanks

"I will never understand what it is that makes us as woodworkers enjoy looking at sawdust in buckets and barrels, but here it is." Oh, that's easy. If it's in the barrel, it's not all over the floor!

Simple. Elegant. Good.

Matt, I made a similar re-work of the HF dust collector, BUT I have a problem with the impeller scrapping against the housing cover. I think I can fix it by raising the impeller housing a bit. Will you tell me the height from the floor to the bolts in your wooden structure?

I like your objective opinions of Harbor Freight equipment. I find some of there stuff to be very good for my applications and like most people, I consider some of their stuff to be junk. Thanks

"I will never understand what it is that makes us as woodworkers enjoy looking at sawdust in buckets and barrels, but here it is" < cue cheesy 70's porn music >

I love dust in bucket as well

Great video. 👍🏻

Nice JOB.

Your design seems very efficient and I am in the processs of building one. I am trying to use the Pipe joint template using a 5 inch 30 gauge metal duct pipe (0.125 in thick) with a 20 in diameter barrel. I'm just not sure what angle to set. You state the duct is 90 degrees or is it some other value? Should be a lateral offset (should it be 10-2.5 = 7.5?). Thanks.

Maybe I missed it, but where did you source your fiber barrels at?

Thank you very much for this video! I have watched video after video for the last week trying to figure out what kind of dust collection system I wanted for my new shop. I do not have much money and I was worried I was going to spend more than what I can afford on one, but I have confidence on your opinion about it being one of Harbor Freight's "Gems" I like very much how you did the barrel modification and that is absolutely awesome how minimal the dust is after that stage. Your video will be the reason I save so much money. Thank You! The only difference i'm thinking is I think i'm going to try that trash can cyclone lid from Woodcraft instead of the baffle. Do you think that that would work? Thanks again!

Do you know what website you used to printout your circle cutouts

Using the pipe joint template tool, what did you have set as your joint angle? 90* is straight out, 45* doesn't seem like quite enough. I was looking at about 25*-30*, just not sure what creates the smoothest airflow.

Nice video. I'd like to suggest that you incorporate some plaxi Glass to the side of the barrel to see when it needs to be emptied. Rob

So where can I get the impeller upgrade mentioned?

I thought I was watching stone cold steve Austin, great vid by the way!

Oh wow I've gotten lucky not popping the breaker then. I didn't even know it could use more than 15A. Might have to address that now before it becomes and issue later

Matt, I've got another question now that I'm starting to mimic your project. What spacing did you use between the container lid and the separator? Thanks!!!

Hey Matt. Would it be easier to have a bag in the barrel to make cleaning simpler? So all you would have to do is place the bag somehow below the tube outlet or put the whole bag from the top and cut a hole for the intake hose. So when it's full enough all you have to do is pull the bag out. Kind of like the old vacuums with bags.

Great work!!! What's the gallon size of the Fiber Drum???

Thanks , some good ideas..

What’s the difference between the green and dark grey one?

Hello,. Question, I have a Delta that's similar to yours. I want to exhaust it through the wall. To do this can I simply remove the cloth filter bag, cover that hole with plywood, adapt a 5 or 6 inch pipe to the ply and send that through the wall? Thanks,

Matt, Great video! I'm curious since there is so little dust that makes it out of the barrel and into the bag, why not just vent to the outside of your shop, think dryer vent.

Nice vid Matt, where can I find the calculation for the port that enters the drum, yours is so neat. Thx