[OP]
Contributor
I'm setting up my new shop and want to hook my shop vac to my miter saw. I want one of those devices that I can plug both the miter saw and the shop vac into and it will turn the shop vac on when I switch the miter saw on.
I know I've seen those things before but now I can't find them. I also don't know what they're called. Can anyone give me a pointer to one, or the name of those things?
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Contributor
Member
Woodcraft has this one on sale....
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200...Automator.aspx
...but be sure to try it within the warranty period -- I bought this one and it didn't work.
Contributor
Craftsman on sale at the moment for $16.99. You can order on line for in store pickup. I normally see them in stock. I have one and it does its job well for my miter saw and large chrome shop vac from Ridgid.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...1&blockType=G1
Contributor
I have one of these.
http://www.amazon.com/i-socket-110m-...6025646&sr=8-1
Does what it is supposed to do.
Member
I have been using the Sears unit for several years on my orbital sander/shop vac, works great!! I have 1 inch hose between them , this makes the sander very easy to maneuver.
Dan
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks for the pointers, everyone. I appreciate it.
I have to go to Woodcraft tomorrow so I'll probably get theirs.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Member
Mike - I do not recommend the i-Socket at Woodcraft. I had one and used it for a while before it failed, and failed by reducing the voltage to the motor in my shopvac. Some motors can be damaged by low voltage. Whether that caused my shopvac to fail a couple of months later I do not know.
I switched to the i-Vacuum (shown by John above) because it supposedly uses a relay to control voltage to the shopvac instead of semiconductors like the i-Socket. Also, it has 3 modes for controlling the shopvac: vac on, vac off, and vac on/off with tool power I find that to be very convenient.
Forrest
Member
Funny you should ask. In a post in the blast gate thread I mentioned the Sears Auto Switch . I have two of them mounted to the shop vacs. Sounds like a good idea but in practice I don't use them much. The Sears takes a tool with several amps load to turn on My Dremel etc will not turn the vac on.. When the tool is laid down on the bench it is still hot. I knocked one of the tools of the bench once and when it hit the floor it turned on. Murphy. So now I use plug strips with on/off . I plug the tool and the vac into the same strip and use the strip's switch to turn the vac off along with the tool. There are never enough plugs on a bench and the strips solved the problem. One bench has 3 of them side by side. Love them and they are cheap.
The Sears units has never given me any trouble and they are only $20 or so. Buy one to try , you may like it.
Speaking of Shop Vacs get the Oneida plastic Dust Deputy to add to your vac. Amazon has them for about $39.00. Unreal for keeping the vac's filter clean. Best thing ever.
Member
Mike- before you plunk down money for an auto-switch, think about how you use your mitersaw.
If you use your mitersaw like I use mine, you really don't need or want an auto-switch, a remote switch maybe. Typically I put a board on the mitersaw bench and align it for the cut. Then I pull the trigger and make a quick cut before quickly releasing the trigger. Then I start the process all over again with the next board. Unlike all of my other machines, the mitersaw is turned on and off rapidly since most cuts only take a few seconds. Every time you pull and release the trigger the auto-switch will attempt to start and stop the vac. That is a lot of rapid cycling of the shop vac and the auto-switch- neither are really designed for that.
Also, with an auto-switch you will need to remember to start the saw and pause briefly to let the vac get up to speed before making the cut, and then remember to hold the trigger so the saw AND vac continue to run and dust is purged from the hose or vac duct (and cyclone if you have a mini).
You probably know I have and automated DC with autogates on most of my equipment- for the reasons above, my mitersaw blastgate is not automated. I open the gate (which also turns on the DC) by manual control. I have a shopvac connected to the blade port, but turn it on manually as well (eventually the vac will be turned with the same switch I use to open the blast gate- a round tuit)
[OP]
Contributor
Alan - I have the vac hooked to the miter saw now. The problem I have is that I forget to turn the vac on before using the miter saw. The switch units recommended above all seem to hold the vac on for some seconds after you release the switch on the miter saw. I'm open to any reasonable solution but this one still seems to make sense to me.
The motors in those shop vacs are regular universal motors so they should stand up to frequent starts without much problem (induction motors have more problems with frequent starts). But even it the motor fails, shop vacs go on sale on a regular basis so if this one fails in a year or so, I can buy another pretty cheaply.
I'll probably do the same setup for my sander, with a smaller shop vac.
But if anyone has a better idea, I'd like to hear it.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
[OP]
Contributor
Forrest - in reading the specs for the i-vac, it specifies a turn on delay to avoid two power surges at the same time. Which unit gets turned on first - the vac or the tool? And if it's the vac, does the delay in operation of the tool bother you?Originally Posted by Forrest Bonner
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Member
Mike - no, the tool comes on first and a short delay before the vac is powered. When the tool is turned off, the vac stays on for about 8 seconds to clear any residue from the ducts. That is a good thing since I recently moved my shopvac about 20 ft from where I roll my tools for work. My 'shop' is half the garage that has to be cleared at night for my wife's car. The i-socket acts the same way.
Forrest
PS I am in Huntington Beach - not too far from Villa Park.
Member
I forgot, some of those switches have a fixed or adjustable delay-on-off.
Cycling the vac motor probably won't be an issue, but I would read the specs on the auto-switch carefully. It probably has a cycle limit to keep the relay (if it has one) from overheating or prevent premature wear on the contacts.
Two other related issues to think about. First, check to see what effect the auto-switch has on the blade brake- it may not work. You can test this by starting the saw and while it is running pull the plug. Some brakes rely on power to the brake circuit, some use reverse EMF from the motor to generate the power for braking. Maybe someone else with a little more knowledge can weigh in on this issue.
The other issue is the auto-switch sensing circuit may not be able to handle braking reverse EMF.
Last edited by Alan Schaffter; 05-22-2011 at 11:08 AM.
Contributor
My vacuum spools up just as fast as my miter saw. It also keeps the vacuum going for a few seconds after the tool is turned off. This servers to clear the line and continues to collect airborne dust around the saw. There is no effect on the braking of the saw. This is one purchase that I am very happy with. I always would forget to turn the vacuum on.
James
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