Ecnerwal wrote in
:

In article ,
Doug White wrote:
bucks to get something like a Fein, which is supposed to be very
quiet. I have a hose setup with a nozzle that is all configured for
standard ShopVac 2.5" hose, and I don't know how much fussing would
be required to adapt that to the Fein.

Suggestions? Thoughts? Comments?

Doug White

Well, one alternative (cheap enough if you enjoy building it, more
expensive to buy, but possibly cheaper than the Fein, which has been
pricing itself on the 75% for the name, 25% for the product model for
quite some time, IMHO) would be a chip collector or dust collector -
as seen in woodworking, and some larger metal shops. Lose the
screaming high-speed impeller for a larger blower that can run off a
nice quiet induction motor rather than a brush-type universal.
Portable and fixed (you'll need to do some ductwork) versions
available. Put it on the other side of a wall or out in a shed with or
without air return depending on whether or not it's (heating/cooling)
season, or plumb the exhaust into a big air-to-air heat exchanger
coupled to a fresh-air feed.

I also use it to clear off my lathe, and the portability of the 8 gallon
size is a big plus. I'd really rather be making chips than turning chip
collection into a project that uses up all my shop time for a month. As
it is, one reason I'm thinking about buying new is that it will take a
half an hour to an hour to tear apart the old one & replace the motor.
The downside of new is that it will take at least that long to dispose of
the old one. I think I can recycle the plastic bits (I'm hoping they put
the triangle on the stuff in '96), but only if I disassemble & clean them
up a bit.

On a good week, I get to spend two or three hours actively making stuff
in my shop. ****ing it away on nonsense like this is extrmely annoying.
Once the motor cooled down, I can run it in brief spurts. It sounds like
the bearings are shot, which is what happend to the last one that died
years ago. I would happily pay $5 more for decent bearings, and then I
wouldn't be in this position.

Doug White