Shop Vac for Table Saw Dust Collection

[Michael Schuch]

I was shocked at how much dust my dust collector connected to my sliding table saw was able to capture... it doesn't get everything though! Even with an overhead blade guard connected to the dust collector it doesn't get everything. I don't think you will ever find a table saw dust collection solution that gets ALL THE DUST... so it is just a matter of what percentage of the fine dust your solution will capture and how far you want to go down the "diminishing returns" path to make it better.

A small cheap dust collector with a cheap collection bag very possibly could end up putting MORE fine dust into the air than your shop vac with a drywall shop vac bag in it. You are using a bag inside your shop vac aren't you?

[Michael Schuch]

I have had a few different shop vacs and am down to only a couple of them now. My old 18 gal Craftsman is more upright so it takes less floor space and it is easier to change the bag on. My new Rigid 18 gal 6hp shop vac is more squat (bigger around). It takes more floor space, is hell to get a full bag out of, almost as difficult to get a new shop vac bag mounted but is quieter than the old Craftsman.

I always use the more expensive yellow dry wall shop vac bags. Running a shop vac with out bags plugs the filter in a matter of minutes. With the bag doing the majority of the filtering I use fine dust rated filters that only have to catch the fine dust instead of handling all of the filtering responsibilities.

I also have a very expensive Husqvarna DC 1900 HEPA dust collector which has a solenoid that is supposed to shake the fine dust out of the HEPA filter automatically. The flow through it is so lousy after 10 minutes of sanding (with a Husqvarna vacuum bag) that I gave up on it a long time ago.

[Alan Lightstone]

You need to be wearing a good respirator (I use 3M, but several good P100 ones out there), not just a dust mask. Especially as you describe the fine layer of dust everywhere.

[William Hodge]

Do you use a cyclone separator with it also?

I have a little Dust Deputy cyclone on a 55 gallon drum, all outdoors. The 55 gallon drum really seals tight.The exhaust has some fine dust in it, I aim it at the sawdust trailer.
I have been using the Ultra Clean vac for two or threes years, with no problems. I would like to take the cloth filter out, so I don't need to blow it out with an air hose.

This use must void the warranty, but it is a good stress test for the vacs.