Thread: Suggestions on a Shop Vacuum?

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Festool vac | Tools & DIY | Gumtree Australia Whittlesea Area - Mernda

Simon

With the interest this morning about vacuuming etc I took a few photos of what I use.
Over the years most of the Vacs I use in the workshop have been ones Ive picked up at the Rubbish Tip when you were allowed to do this. These days, good ones are available on Council cleanup days in our area.
I never cease to be amazed at what good stuff people throw out.
Probably the best shop vac was one I picked up at a recent council cleanup where so called "junk" is placed outside peoples homes.
This one is the green one shown in the photo. Its a "Vac brand" & all it needed was a new dust bag & elec connection where the previous owner had been a bit heavy handed.
Its excellent as Bob has noted for getting metal chips out of Tee slots in the Mill, & cleanup around the lathe & workshop in general.
Because I am also a "Woodie" there are various dust extractors set up around the Jointer, Thicknesser, Belt Sander, & Bandsaw. The green Vac is also used on an air orbital for dust free wood sanding.
I do the house vacuuming. Its not a big deal & use a BV 1000 Nilfisk back pac as shown. I did buy it new 16 yrs ago & its a winner making short work of the house job., allowing more time to get on with worthwile things.
Thats my cleanup story
regards
Bruce

My experience with domestic type vac cleaners in the shed, is the suction hose diameter roughly 38 mm is too small to pass or blocks up swallowing the dregs from lathe and mill. I have ended up with a relatively cheap Bunnings unit with a 75mm hose. Only problem is the internal pleated paper filter when soaked with shop crud just falls apart and after market ones at a reasonable price are not to be found, so wrapping a piece of open cell foam around it helps delay the inevitable demise. I had one of the stainless steel tank type from H&F and in 2 years the bottom rusted out in a number of places. The ribbed vac hoses are also a trap for oil laden material. Alan.

Originally Posted by Abratool

With the interest this morning about vacuuming etc I took a few photos of what I use.
Over the years most of the Vacs I use in the workshop have been ones Ive picked up at the Rubbish Tip when you were allowed to do this. These days, good ones are available on Council cleanup days in our area.
I never cease to be amazed at what good stuff people throw out.
Probably the best shop vac was one I picked up at a recent council cleanup where so called "junk" is placed outside peoples homes.
This one is the green one shown in the photo. Its a "Vac brand" & all it needed was a new dust bag & elec connection where the previous owner had been a bit heavy handed.
Its excellent as Bob has noted for getting metal chips out of Tee slots in the Mill, & cleanup around the lathe & workshop in general.
Because I am also a "Woodie" there are various dust extractors set up around the Jointer, Thicknesser, Belt Sander, & Bandsaw. The green Vac is also used on an air orbital for dust free wood sanding.
I do the house vacuuming. Its not a big deal & use a BV 1000 Nilfisk back pac as shown. I did buy it new 16 yrs ago & its a winner making short work of the house job., allowing more time to get on with worthwile things.
Thats my cleanup story
regards
Bruce

Nice one Bruce!

Perhaps Michael should be looking for one like this. That way if his shed gets huanted he can also do some ghost busting!.....

Hi,
I have a hitachi, i think there may have been one the same at the scrapefest.....although i could be mis-remembering the pics. I think its actually a re branded rupes, it is made in italy, quiet and powerful. I have had it for about 7 years after my cheapie sucked up to many metal shavings and had one go through the motor......I has a plug on it like the fein, it has done work from timber, concrete cutting, metal and even clearing leaves off concrete slab plastic underlay. From memory $400 ish.
O.k not that cheap anymore.....Hitachi RP30Y Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaner 24 litre

Here's my setup. Originally purchased for dust collection on the router and orbital sander. Works OK on small metal chips, but the small diameter hose tends to clog with long coils of swarf. A 50mm hose would eat swarf.

The Dust Deputy cost $69 at carbatec. It's unbelievably effective at removing all but the finest dust particles. Given the price of Festool vac bags the DD will pay for itself in no time. The Festool is as quiet as a mouse, but that comes at a price.

Edit: The box is a 16mm MDF cube about 350mm on each side. Cut the lid off about 50mm from the top. The green masking tape was temporary. It has since been replaced with 4 metal briefcase locking clips.

Originally Posted by Ueee

I have a hitachi, i think there may have been one the same at the scrapefest.....although i could be mis-remembering the pics.

That would have been the one I bought for the first class. Its no where near as noble as the Hitachi.

Its a VacMaster. I’ve been noticing them at some of the industrial suppliers, Repco even do them.

VacMaster 1500W 30ltr Wet/Dry Vacuum #VMVQ1530SWDC

This would be the closest to the one I have. Mine has a part number VMVK 1520 SIWC.
Vacmaster 20ltr Wet & Dry S/steel 1500w Vacuum Cleaner VMVK1520S, VillageMowers WebStore

I think I only paid around the $160 - $170 mark. Greg or RC might remember, we bought it the day before. I haven’t used it a huge amount. It did give it a flogging on the wet setting for Christmas clean up. I changed all the coolants in the machines. I probably did 120 – 140 litres. Some of it was pretty rank, and cheesy.

For what I paid for it, I’m happy. I go cheap on Vacs. I use them on concrete dust when I’m drilling floors, putting anchor bolts in for machines. Concrete is brutal on any of them.

Regards Phil

Originally Posted by jack620

Here's my setup. Originally purchased for dust collection on the router and orbital sander. Works OK on small metal chips, but the small diameter hose tends to clog with long coils of swarf. A 50mm hose would eat swarf.

The Dust Deputy cost $69 at carbatec.

I have a similar setup. A Festool CT-11 (discontinued) connected to a Clear Vue Cyclones CV06 (that was the only type available when I set this up).

If I did it again, I'd get a cheap bunnings vacuum, connected to the cyclonic separator.

The only problem I have is wet (WD40) aluminium chips clogging the hose.

Originally Posted by ftkalcevic

The only problem I have is wet (WD40) aluminium chips clogging the hose.

Is that a case for having a smooth wall hose (internally at least), which could be flushed out every now and then? Even perhaps with high pressure water?

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Is that a case for having a smooth wall hose (internally at least), which could be flushed out every now and then? Even perhaps with high pressure water?

Do you know where I can get them? I'm assuming I'd loose the flex the corrugated hose gives?

And here's a tip... If you wash out your festool hose with soap and hot water, be careful not to introduce a kink in it when you hang it to dry, otherwise it stays there

Sounds like there is a case for it then. No I don't know where to get such hose, but I'm sure that it could be jimmied up with a couple of connections once some hose was sourced - others may know where to get such hose.

How about this -

Plicord® Vacuum | Goodyear® Engineered Products

Nev

Aldi last week had shop vacs , worth a look before you buy elsewear IMHO

Hi
We got a Henry.

Never had a problem in 18 years apart from me dropping something heavy on the hose.Made in Uk and was pricey then -$500.

Its a wet and dry vac.
Check out the repair guys ,they will tell you what is good or not, reliability ,cost of spares -heaps of things .

Grahame