Oneida Mini Dust Gorilla and Hammer A3/41

Max Fracas

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Jan 28, 2013
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I’m looking to upgrade my old 1 HP Jet DC650 dust collector because it can’t keep up with my Hammer A3/41 jointer-planer.  I also want to avoid the start-up puff of dust I always get from the DC650’s 1 micron bag.

Right now I’m considering either the Oneida Mini Dust Gorilla or Oneida V-3000.  I’d like to go with the smaller (and cheaper) unit and avoid installing the ducting I think the V-3000 would lead to.  I’m willing to accept the inconvenience of moving a hose from machine to machine.  My concern is whether the MDG would be adequate when connected to the A3/41.  Anyone have any experience with the Mini Dust Gorilla attached to an A3?
 
My memory is that Fine Woodworking hooked the MDG to a 16” jointer and it kept up fine.

I own the Mini Dust Gorilla and appreciate it for its size, toughness, and is relatively quiet. Bags are relatively inexpensive (I think ~$0.80/bag). I have mine hooked up to an iVac remove and am happy with the setup, will eventually set up a dust sentry to alert me when the bin is full (I’ve filled up into the cyclone once or twice).
 
I have the Mini Gorilla and am somewhat satisfied with it.  The somewhat isn't a fault of the collector, more of a result of my expectations.
I picked it over the other mobile dc's due to the high quality motor, filtration and cyclone design.  I think the Oneida comes out on top in that range.
That being said, it still has a good sized foot print with the wheels.  It's not as easily tucked away between tools as one might expect.
I also realized that doing a shuffle when I need to use it means I don't always use it.  I have it stuck in the front corner of my garage shop because it is too bulky to be along the wall with other tools.  Means a lot of shuffling if I want to use it with my bandsaw or planer.

Going from a Jet 1HP to the MDG you might see an increase in performance.  However, you might be happier making the bigger jump to the v-3000.
In hindsight, I wish I'd spent the extra money and got the V-3000.  I'm pretty sure they can be mounted to the wall to save space.  And ducting can be simplified depending on tool location.

p.s. like Tom mentioned, it's easy to overfill the bin.  The window is pretty much useless because of static.  And it's kind of a pain to drop the bin and reconnect it to check.
 
Thanks for the feedback, [member=65755]jarbroen[/member] and Tom.  I’m going with the V-3000.  More power and I like the larger drum and the “dust sentry” feature. 
 
Does anyone know what the story is with Oneida's pricing?  I thought I recall last year the V3000 was around $1900, now I see it's $2500.  Were they somehow affected by the tariffs or was this just a [huge] price increase?
 
I had seen in the Woodcraft flyer that the Oneida Mini-Gorilla™ Dust Collector was rated at 16 amps which I thought was an odd since that would require a 20 amp plug. When I was at my local Woodcraft store the other day, I checked and saw that the plug was indeed a 20 amp plug (one vertical and one horizontal blade).

This seems to be an odd choice in that an extra amp of power which requires a different plug/circuit breaker than the standard 15 amps (US) might deter more buyers than the extra amp of power (suction/airflow) would attract.

I currently have 12 gauge wiring to my shop which will allow for the higher amp breaker and outlet, but I am concerned if resale down the road would be harder. I wonder if Oneida might do eventually do like Festool and say "only kidding" and supply an 20/15 adaptor cord.

Any thoughts?
 
I wouldn't worry about resale.  This is marketed towards people with floor standing machinery.  In that space, 1.75hp or 3hp motors are commonplace, so you need 12 ga wiring anyway.  The group of people with 14 ga. wiring will probably need to entertain wiring upgrades anyway if they wish to accommodate floor standing machines.
 
[member=18240]Max Fracas[/member] - I just saw this thread for the first time today. I am curious if you have pulled the trigger yet and if it has arrived? I upgraded my single stage DC to an Oneida cyclone many years ago. I griped for the first year or two because I spent as much money on duct work and fittings then I had on the cyclone. In the end I could not be happier. I have five drops and twelve blast gates. I have a remote on a laniard that goes around my neck and all I have to “move around” are the blast gates. Every machine gets collected, every time, no hoses to move, no hassles. At the time it seemed like the least sexy tool that I had ever purchased and now looking back I absolutely love it and it is one of my favorite features of my shop. The only stationary tool in my shop that is not connected to the dc is the scroll saw.
 
[member=66185]Alanbach[/member]
After initially deciding on Oneida’s V-3000, I ultimately went with their Mini Dust Gorilla.  To be honest, avoiding the ducting was a big influence on my decision.  Another influence was how well the combo of my old Jet DC-650 and CT26 worked on my SawStop.  I have a CT48 hooked to my Kapex, and with the Jet on my tablesaw and the Mini Dust Gorilla connected to my A3/41, I’ve covered my most-used tools.  I will have to move the hose on the Mini Dust Gorilla from the A3 to my bandsaw and belt sander.  I’m hopeful that won’t become too much of a pain.  As far as performance on collecting chips on the A3, the MDG is a significant improvement over the Jet DC. 
 
Cool! Congratulations on the new gear! Try spring clamps for the flex hoses where you need to move them back and forth. No tools needed.
 
I use the Rockler Dust Right fittings on my 4” flex hose off of my Harbor Freight/Oneida “Frankencollector” and move the hose between my SawStop, router table, A3/31, bandsaw, and Supermax belt sander.  I was originally going to duct a few of those tools, but this has worked pretty well for me so far.  It only takes a couple of seconds to move things around.
https://www.rockler.com/rockler-dus...MIrbuospeN4QIVCp-fCh0idgAJEAQYAiABEgLGv_D_BwE

I have the older version where the “handle” piece is actually straight.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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