I am thinking of using a shop vac as a dust collector. It is time to get a new one anyway. What should the minimum power be? I will run it through a 5 gallon bucket collector first.

Thanks
Ted

Ted wrote:
I am thinking of using a shop vac as a dust collector. ...

For what?

--

On Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:48:14 -0400, "Ted"
wrote:

I am thinking of using a shop vac as a dust collector. It is time to get a new one anyway. What should the minimum power be? I will run it through a 5 gallon bucket collector first.

I intended to use a shop vac for my table saw until I got a real DC.
It was a waste of $5 for the adapter. It's easier to just use a broom
and shop vac to clean up after. A DC is really the opposite of a shop
vac. A DC is a high volume low(er) pressure device. Shop vacs just
don't move enough volume for anything more than a small tool.

"Ted" wrote in
:

I am thinking of using a shop vac as a dust collector. It is time to
get a new one anyway. What should the minimum power be? I will run it
through a 5 gallon bucket collector first.

Thanks
Ted
Attachment decoded: untitled-1.txt


I'd go for the biggest and quietest one you can afford. If the vacuum
can't handle a 2 1/2" hose, it's probably not going to work very well for
dust collection.

I'm planning a purchase of a Fein or similar model in the future. I want
something that really sucks but doesn't sound like it does. I'd like the
hear the music of the cut rather than the loud humming of the vacuum.

Puckdropper
--
"The potential difference between the top and bottom of a tree is the
reason why all trees have to be grounded..." -- Bored Borg on
rec.woodworking

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

"Ted" wrote in message
.. .
I am thinking of using a shop vac as a dust collector. It is time to get a
new one anyway. What should the minimum power be? I will run it through a 5
gallon bucket collector first.

Thanks
Ted


You will be disappointed if you plan on using it with a table saw, jointer,
large planer, band saw, etc. Basically any tool considered large or
stationary is going to need a "Dust Collector". 1100 CFM would be a good
capacity to start looking for these type tools.

I personally use a DC and a Festool vac. The Festool is great with hand
held power tools. It is also very quiet by comparison to most of it's
competition. Typically my drills, sanders, and Domino hide its noise.

I am thinking of using a shop vac as a dust collector. It is time to get a new one anyway. What should the minimum power be? I will run it through a 5 gallon bucket collector first.

This topic has been kicked around many times here in the last few
years. Google is your friend.

One of the most important things to consider is that shop vac's don't
remove the fine airborne dust, which is what gets into your lungs.
Some a quiter tjan others, but they're all loud. If you're going to
use it strictly for keeping sawdust off the floor and tools, maybe a
shop vac will work. But if you're looking at it from an industrial
hygene point of view, get a real DC.

-Zz

On Apr 14, 9:24 pm, Zz Yzx wrote:
I am thinking of using a shop vac as a dust collector. It is time to get a new one anyway. What should the minimum power be? I will run it through a 5 gallon bucket collector first.

This topic has been kicked around many times here in the last few
years. Google is your friend.

One of the most important things to consider is that shop vac's don't
remove the fine airborne dust, which is what gets into your lungs.
Some a quiter tjan others, but they're all loud. If you're going to
use it strictly for keeping sawdust off the floor and tools, maybe a
shop vac will work. But if you're looking at it from an industrial
hygene point of view, get a real DC.

I have a third party HEPA filter in my fein vac, which is a lot better
than what you get with the bags on a low end DC. But it doesn't
capture all the dust that a DC would at the source. I figured a good
shop vac setup now and a good cyclone DC later was better than a cheap
DC now, because some tools you need a vac, like sanders and routers.


-Kevin

On Apr 14, 7:48*pm, "Ted" wrote:
I am thinking of using a shop vac as a dust collector. It is time to get a new one anyway. What should the minimum power be? I will run it through a 5 gallon bucket collector first.

Thanks
Ted

Over the years, I've found that shop vacs are great for what they're
designed to do, which is pick up the mess on the floors and benches.

As a dust collector, shop vacs work well on power miter saws, a tribe
of tools noted for its perfectly lousy dust removal into fairly
standard small bags. Fix a shop vac hose on an SCMS, and zing! You've
got decent--not perfect--dust collection. But, as someone else
mentioned, they're not easy on the ears, even the quieter ones (though
my Festool is considerably quieter than my Ridgids and Craftsman).

Ted wrote:
I am thinking of using a shop vac as a dust collector. It is time to
get a new one anyway. What should the minimum power be? I will run it
through a 5 gallon bucket collector first.

As big as possible but as most everyone else says they are a waste of time
for collecting dust from a tool. My story...

1. Years ago I had an inexpensive Shop Vac (brand name) I used on a radial
saw. It worked OK, used a pleated paper filter, died after 3-4 years.

2. I got a Ridgid vac, 12 gallon, used it mostly on a Performax drum sander.
It sucked decently, used a pleated paper filter, but was a pain because the
sander spits out so much sanding dust that the vac needed frequent emptying.
It too died in 3-4 years.

3. I bought another Shop Vac (brand name), 16 gallon, also mainly for the
drum sander. I *hated* it. It worked just fine if I used the paper bags
that fit inside the canister but - as expected - those fill up in a hurry
and aren't designed to be reusable. And those pieces of paper are not
cheap. There are two other filter choices...the pleated paper drum and a
foam one. The pleated drum was useless...it had so many pleats that it just
filled up with dust almost immediately and it was nigh on to impossible to
clean. The foam filter worked better but is held in place by a plastic
ring; the plastic ring always slipped allowing dust into the exhaust. The
vac still lives but in a corner and is only used to sweep up stuff from the
floor. Not much good for that either.

4. I got a Delta dust collector at Lowes for about $170 (discontinued model
now, not then though).

Conclusion: save your money...skip the vac and get a dust collector. Use a
broom for the floor.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

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....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

"Zz Yzx" wrote in message
...
I am thinking of using a shop vac as a dust collector. It is time to get
a new one anyway. What should the minimum power be? I will run it through
a 5 gallon bucket collector first.

This topic has been kicked around many times here in the last few
years. Google is your friend.

But asking again brings more up to date answers.



One of the most important things to consider is that shop vac's don't
remove the fine airborne dust, which is what gets into your lungs.

That is incorrect. Modern shop Vacs like the two larger Festool models have
HEPA filters.


Some a quiter tjan others, but they're all loud.

That is incorrect. The Festool and Fein are probably the quietest power
tools in the shop. My corded drill will drown the out the noise of my
Festool shop vac.


If you're going to
use it strictly for keeping sawdust off the floor and tools, maybe a
shop vac will work. But if you're looking at it from an industrial
hygene point of view, get a real DC.

Incorrect again, many dust collectors do not filter the air good enough. If
you want clean air an "air cleaner" should be used in combination of a DC
and or shop vac.

I am thinking of using a shop vac as a dust collector. It is time to get a new one anyway. What should the minimum power be? I will run it through a 5 gallon bucket collector first.

Thanks
Ted

I use a small shop vac for my lathe and scroll saw. Since I have very
limited space, a separate dust system isn't an option for me but this
works very well enough.

If I can ever clear out my storage shed, I hope to convert it into a
micro-shop and add an outside dust system. But that's just in the
dream state still for now.

`Casper

I first bought a Fein Turbo III vacuum many moons ago. They are much
quieter than shop vacs at least initially. As insulation wears out over the
years it starts getting louder. It has the added convenience of plugging
the tool cord right into it and when turn tool on and off vac does the same
automatically. Of course you don't do that with large stationary tools
since amp rating is limited.. As far as vacuuming, it worked ok for my 6"
jointer, marginal for tablesaw, not good for planer and so so for bandsaw.
I would forget the idea of using 5 gallon bucket. You will no doubt lose
precious vacuuming power. Eventually I bought a dust collector which works
great for all the tools and actually I use it for vacuuming too by reducing
down to a ~2 inch vac hose. Much more suction than Fein. It will vacuum up
nails. I do use the Fein for portable tools (sanders/routers), and my miter
saw. Having it go on and off with the tool is convenient.

"Ted" wrote in message
.. .
I am thinking of using a shop vac as a dust collector. It is time to get a
new one anyway. What should the minimum power be? I will run it through a 5
gallon bucket collector first.

Thanks
Ted

Hmmm... I guess I'm one of the few. My Shop Vac DC setup is working pretty
nice as far as I'm concerned. Granted, I don't expect it to do the same as
a large dedicated dust collector... and I don't really expect it to filter
the air but it keeps me from having to vacuum around all my tools. I even
made a small downdraft table (24x18 inches) for small parts it does a pretty
good job with. I'll continue to wear a dust mask when sanding... but I
think I would even with a dedicated machine.

To some extent, it's all in the expectations.

Ed

Ted wrote:

I am thinking of using a shop vac as a dust collector. It is time to get a
new one anyway. What should the minimum power be? I will run it through a
5 gallon bucket collector first.

Thanks
Ted


Ted, the whole purpose of using a dust collector is getting the fine dust
out of your breathing space. It is only a added bonus that the course dust
also gets removed.

Now one question:
Which is cheaper, spending several hundered dollars on a good dust
collecting system or making several visits a year to the doctor to
deal with any of several major breathing problems brought on by extended
exposure to dust too fine to be filtered by your nasal hair, which has
lodged in your lungs and is shutting off your air supply?

Deb

"Joe Brophy" wrote in message
...




Someone (maybe you) made the statement referring to dust
collectors as "high volume" vs vacuums being comparatively
"low volume" devices (yes, I know pressure adds to the
differences as well...).

Nope not me, in this particular thread.

Given this fact, it should Be
apparent that health risks are magnified in vacuum cleaners,
not because of how well or not so well they filter BUT how
they will leave residual dust in the air simply because of
the difference in volume being much lower on average than a
true dust collector.

WRONG! The fact that a shop vac is not designed to filter residual dust
floating in the ambient air is not its fault nor does it magnify the
problem. The problem already exists.


You can find both types of systems,
DC's and shopvacs, with filtering capabilities that span the
spectrum from good to bad, but it is a non factor if the
unit is incapable of extracting enough volume, in a short
enough timeframe to insure that the air you are breathing is
not constantly left laden with microfiine particles of wood
dust.

Wrong again. "Neither" type machine is intended to clean the ambient air
to a "safe level" and believing that either will do so is an indicator that
you may not know what their intended purposes are.

What both of these type "vacuum cleaners" are designed to do, "with varying
degrees", is to prevent the type dust you are talking about from escaping
back into the room air after being contained FROM A SURFACE OR WHEN
CONNECTED DIRRECTLY TO A MACHINE.

Neither type machine is intended to clean the ambient air, some are designed
to varying degrees to not redistribute collected dust back into the air. If
you are using either machine to clean up fine dust that has settled on a
surface it should not redistribute the dust back into the air providing
either type has adequate filtration to prevent this from happening.

If you want to clean up the ambient air you need to use an "Air Cleaner"
NOT a dust collector or shop vac.