Shop Vac vs Dust Collector ?

[Marc Jeske]

I realize a properly designed and installed DC system is wonderful.

But w my budget, usage level, etc don't have one.

Just been using a good large Shop Vac, sometimes hook it up to a machine if gonna use that alot, works just fine for me but I hate having to drag that big can all around shop.

So I'm willing to buy a $300 DC, but want to attach a 40' ? 2 1/2" ? hose to it.

I sure don't want to drag around a 4" or whatever bigggg hose.

I won't be vacuuming any large chunks, just saw and sanding dust, and a little planer chips.

Will also be quieter, cause DC will be on other side of wall, w remote from shop turn on.

40' total hose is what I would need.

I fully realize it will not work as well as a real DC ducted system, but I am NOT willing to run any permanent ducting to individual machines.

Mostly concerned about restricting vacuum and overheating blower motor.

Thoughts ? Marc

[Carl Kona]

Marc,

You will be disappointed. A DC should never be restricted to that small of a hose. You are better off sticking with your vac or buy a good high cfm vac for your 300. I assume you would buy a used 2-3HP DC for your 300? The longer the run the more you reduce flow. 40' is a very long run for either a DC or a vac.

FYI Vacs have good suction and not much flow. DCs have a lot more flow but less suction so they are not interchangeable. Vacs are good for handheld tools with small ports. Stationary tools with larger ports do better with a DC and more flow.

Hope that helps,

Carl

[Larry Frank]

40 feet of flex hose is a real problem and will result in significant losses.

A $300 DC will not get you much in the way of flex o w or suction and if you connect 40 feet of 2.5" hose will not be a good result.

I know this is not what you want to hear but....

[Marc Jeske]

So it sounds like a strong shop vac may be better for me than a DC.

And I've been doing other reading that totally agrees w you guys.


So the question then is - Anyone use an extra long hose on their vac?

How did it work out ?

Again, mine would be 40' of 2.5" hose, on a not yet chosen $250 range Vac.

The circuit would include one of the sub $100 mini cyclones or DIY Thiel separators ...
I'm hoping OK ?

Thank you, Marc

[glenn bradley]

So the question then is - Anyone use an extra long hose on their vac?

How did it work out ?

I have run a 2-1/2" x 35' hose (cut from a 60' section bought at a show) since around 2007. I used it with a straight Shop Vac and now use it with a Dust Deputy and a modified filter box. My shop is 20 x 30 and the vac sets about mid way on one long wall. the hose can reach just about anywhere I need it to.

Dust-Deputy- (4).jpg

The picture import started ignoring rotation settings awhile back. I process the pics the same on my end. Maybe the mods can fix them.

At any rate I can reach all the way behind the tablesaw.

Dust-Deputy- (5).jpg

And it stores here.

Vac-DD-Mod.jpg

This is for Shop Vac type use though. If I were going to go back to using a shop vac as a chip collector (I started out this way too) I would use a shorter stiffer hose and roll the vac to the tool requiring collection.

(thanks Bruce ;-)

[Jim Becker]

Dust collection and vacuum cleaning are two things that work exactly the opposite way. Dust collectors move large volumes of air at low pressure (cubic feet per minute at low static pressure)...the air moves the chips and dust. Vacuum cleaners (including shop-vacs) move small amounts of air at very high static pressure. That's great for general cleanup with a short hose and even for extracting dust from small tools, but results in poor performance with larger tools.

I agree with the advise that if you absolutely must use a shop vac of some sort for now, keep it mobile, use as short a hose as possible with a dust hood as close to the cutter as possible...and wear hearing protection 100% of the time it's running.

[Marc Jeske]

Glen - Now that's the kind of info I'm looking for.

Please give an idea what kind of size of the vac motor.. Or at least a photo a guy could get some idea from.. I don't see it in the photos.

And is that a clear enough hose to see plugged area ? ?

And it looks very nicely flexy.

Do you recall a brand name ?

Marc

[Marc Jeske]

Quickly found this hose - 2.5 x 50 Clear - $ 70 - a possible option... Marc

https://www.amazon.com/CLEAR-COLLECT.../dp/B001JBANYM

[glenn bradley]

It is a 15 year old Ridgid "6.5 HP", 16 gallon vac. You may have noticed in the second pic I have the new version of this vac. If you can wait till Christmas, Home Depot has good sales on their vacs for the holidays. The feature that is important to me is that the motor comes off with the marketed intention of being a yard blower. This just makes it easier for me to mount the motor to a filter box that I put "behind" the Dust Deputy. I should probably mention that Clean Stream filters are worth every penny. I still have the original one I bought despite hosing it off who-knows-how-many-times. I have three of them so I always have a clean one ready to go for either vac.

Ridgid Vac Mad v1 (12).jpg

I have two vac station in my shop. The long-hose cleanup beast shown and a regular vac that switches on with the smaller bandsaw and drill press. I plan to replace this rather wimpy vac with the new "6.5 HP" and a Dust Deputy combo. I just keep vacillating between a tall configuration with a small footprint or short configuration with a larger footprint . . . decisions, decisions.

The hose is from Peachtree but, was bought so long ago I cannot tell you that the same source is now used for it. It is similar to item # 369 here but, I see they now sell it as 50'. As mentioned, when I first got it I put all 60' on and the performance was miserable. I needed a couple of shorter pieces for other stations in the shop and ended up with about 35'. This seems to do fine for vacuuming; I doubt you would like the performance for chip collection from anything that throws chips with any decent velocity. It just loses too much power over the long run. It is not clear, more translucent. You can easily spot clogs though (pieces of paper towel, curlies from a hand plane and so forth).

[Marc Jeske]

Glenn - Just to make sure I understand - You are NOT using the original container that the vac head came with, but just the top.

Correct ?

I'm gonna study your posts more, and continue here tomorrow.

Thank you, Marc

[glenn bradley]

Correct. I ditched the bin, built a box for the filter and situated in between the cyclone and the blower. The one shown was my proof of concept version made of scrap particle board so it is really crude. I keep meaning to make version 2 but, it just can't seem to get to the top of the list. Here's the original thread. I literally clean the filter twice a year and only get about a teaspoon of spoil that doesn't get stopped by the Dust Deputy.

[John K Jordan]

...
So the question then is - Anyone use an extra long hose on their vac?
...

Marc,

For cleaning up around the shop I went a different route. Instead of dragging around a 40' hose I use a commercial backpack vacuum cleaner and drag a 40' power cord. This method, of course, doesn't have the canister capacity for mounds of sawdust and chips but I just use it for fine dust and things I miss with the broom and dustpan.

JKJ

[Marc Jeske]

John - That does sound like a great idea for low volume cleanup. Thank you

Glenn - Ok, understand everything, plan on using your method.

One question - You are using the Clean Stream filter that is shaped and attaches to underside of vac lid like the stock filter... Yes ?

At first I thought you may be using like a flat "Furnace filter", reason for a big square box, but now understand you don't

So why did you build the box for vac rather than use the bin it came with ?

I'd rather do that unless good reason not to.

Edit - So after looking at the 3 yr old thread, I see the filter is not directly on the vac.. But still asking why build the box rather than use ridgid supplied bin ?

Thank you very much, Marc

[Marc Jeske]

After re- reading, it sounds like the only reason for box vs bin is be able to configure "to reduce footprint" ?

Or any other benefit ?

And in the "from this" photo, why is there a blue ? power cord ? ty rapped to the hose ?

Then looks like on the "To this" photo, that idea was abandoned.

Marc

[Marc Jeske]

My current thinking - Do a system basically like Glenns.... Buy a Ridgid or Shop-Vac brand large "6hp" like 12 amp vac, put the vac and Dust Dep can on other side of wall for quietness, run up to ceiling from there, through wall, and to center of shop ceiling ( about 22' total pipe run) with DWV PVC light wall pipe, using two smooth large radius 90's from that ceiling hang a drop above head bang height, then attach diff length see through hoses ( short as possible for need) for any particular use.

The only reason of going up to ceiling and back down is same as any ceiling drop vs laying on floor.

Will do mockup for dynamic test before nailing everything down.

Again, I don't plan to use this for like large planing curls, or chunks.

I live in a humid environment, so don't think static will be a problem.

Critiques ? Improvements ?

Marc