Thread: Which shop vacuum ?

This is just something to think about.

About 15 or 20 years ago, I bought two shop vacs. Then I added HEPA filters to each shop vac. (All together with filters about $250 Us.) About every second or third time that the shop vac is emptied, I clean the filters. I use an adapter 2¼ inch to about ¾ inch to suck up all the wood flour in the filter. It takes about 15 minutes to clean both filters and empty the shop vacs. IIRC the filters are 'Clearstream' brand and were $40 each.

In this case two are really better than one.

Originally Posted by Lappa

Its hooked up to a line running down the workshop which can connect to my sander, track saw etc.

Hi Lappa,
Any chance of a pic of your setup? I've been meaning to do the same for ages. I've got some pipe and fittings left over from when I installed my home's ducted vacuuming system. Does your setup have blast gates?
Cheers,
Chris

I have a screamer of a vac and got sick of it, and bought a Pullman PC4.0, which is considerably quieter. Also known as AS4.
Then I found how to build a noise suppressor for the screamer, which now makes it tolerable.
I think shop vacs are all made loud to make you think they are powerful. They ought to have health warnings on them.

Chris, this is a video I posted earlier that follows the piping. In the video, it's hooked up to my table saw guard. Its 50mm flexy with DN40 pressure pipe fittings. I have 32 mm fittings that go from the end of the 50mm pipe to the power tools. I don't use blast gates on it, I just use end caps to block off the branches not being used.
I do have individual photos of each section and fitting if you need them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBmdyd7sJiw


Peter

Thanks Peter.

I am part-way through making the same TS blade guard as you have. I made a router template, but my first attempt at routing the pieces for the guard was a fail because the ply I used for the guard split very badly. I'm thinking of using HDPE next time.

I was unable to source a suitable shop vac crevice tool to fit to guard, but I see you overcame that by shaping a piece of PVC pipe to fit. Good thinking. Now I'm inspired to have another go.

Chris

I made it to suit a larger saw blade than I currently have. I used a cheap Aldi bandsaw to cut the profiles. Vac hose nozzles are 32-35mm, I wanted 50mm hence the "make my own". Just put a piece of timber down the middle, heat, and squeeze with clamps was the method I used to get the basic shape then reheated and placed in my wooden vice to get the angle and reasonably smooth sides.

Great, thanks for the tips.

I have a Nilfisk Multi 20, which doesn't seem to be massively noisy. I normally run it through a cyclone thingy, which does a great job of separating out most of the chips and dust before it gets to the vac itself.

I also run mine through a cyclone, and the amount of dust that makes it through to the vac bag is negligible. One warning though, I didn't use to produce shavings, and when I did (from a plane) I found them light enough to go straight through the cyclone, and jammed the intake of the vac. result one new motor (self-installed). Now I'm careful with shavings.

Originally Posted by Lappa

Chris, this is a video I posted earlier that follows the piping. In the video, it's hooked up to my table saw guard. Its 50mm flexy with DN40 pressure pipe fittings. I have 32 mm fittings that go from the end of the 50mm pipe to the power tools. I don't use blast gates on it, I just use end caps to block off the branches not being used.
I do have individual photos of each section and fitting if you need them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBmdyd7sJiw


Peter

Viewing the YouTubevideo I think you have the ducting on the cyclone is reversed. The ducting to the Shop Vac should go into the top port and the ducting from the machines should go into the side port.


Trevor

Originally Posted by tgbrooks

Viewing the YouTubevideo I think you have the ducting on the cyclone is reversed. The ducting to the Shop Vac should go into the top port and the ducting from the machines should go into the side port.


Trevor

you are 100% correct. Too much haste in finishing the new system. Video removed, new one posted and you got kudos in the comments

https://youtu.be/dkPOqmROs8Q