On Tue, 30 Aug 2005 17:58:52 GMT, Ignoramus8644
wrote:

Just got myself a used 1/2 HP baldor grinder. It has openings in the
back of the wheel guards, for dust collector or some such. I am
thinking about attaching a shop vac to these openings. Is this plan
fatally flawed, or is it workable?


How about a cyclone device between the vac and the grinder?

Make or scrounge a can, perhaps about the size of a 3 lb coffee can.
Make the inlet (from the grinder) enter tangentially, and the outlet
from the center of one end. The idea is to have the incoming air
make the air inside the can spin. Centrifugal force (centripetal
acceleration for the purists) moves particles outward so they flow
(and fly) around the inside wall of the can. This might have two
beneficial effects: the particles would be cooled by contact
(collisions) with the inside wall, and they would have a much longer
path between inlet and outlet which further promotes cooling before
they enter the shopvac hose. Heavier particles (that cool more
slowly) may just stay in the can if the inlet is at the top pointing
a bit downward and the outlet is also at the top.