Thread: Dust/chip extraction for occasional work

Hey all, ive been getting back into woodworking recently, and have just been using my ageing shop vac for dust collection. But it is really pretty pathetic (was great for actually vacuum cleaning up metal chips and abrasive discs when i was working more with metal).

Last week i picked up the $79 Aldi vac, just to keep on standby, but im considering something more. Up until yesterday i didnt have any large tools, and my table saw is a contractor saw that i have boxed up and has a 2" outlet on the bottom of the box. I have a cheap cyclone on order to play with, and was originally planning on powering it with the shop vac.

Yesterday i was down at H&F and picked up a thicknesser, but while i was there i noticed these HPLV vacs: W885 | HA-1000 Dust Collector | For Sale Sydney Brisbane Melbourne Perth | Buy Workshop Equipment & Machinery online at machineryhouse.com.au

Now it seems to be basically a shop vac with a larger inlet, but probably the same sized motor (1150w on the Aldi vac). Does the 100mm hose make much of a difference, or could i just put a 100mm inlet on my shop vac or after the cyclone for the same effect?

I would struggle to fit the large systems that you guys tend to use into my little garage, and with the automotive and bike gear there isn't enough room for one anyway. Most of my work is done outside, and i have good airflow through the garage (critical when welding anyway), for the occasions i do stuff inside when raining. This is mostly for cleaning rather than particle extraction (im in the habit of using a 3M 7500 mask with either P100 or 6001PB1/P95 filters anyway).

So in short, is it worth spending the extra on the Scheppach from Hafco, or will the Aldi vac with a cyclone do me for now?