Shop vac as makeshift dust collector? - Woodworking Talk

dbhost · 05-08-2008, 12:53 AM

I know I have posted about this before, but for some reason I cannot find the posts...

I have a Shop Vac hangup that I really don't want to replace due to...

A. Cost.
and more importantly.
B. SPACE issues.

What I want to know is. How do I go about connecting various woodworking machines to my shop vac's 1.25" (too stinking small) hose, or convert the shop vac to a 2.5" hose and adapt to that size?

Woodchuck1957 · 05-08-2008, 01:27 AM

If you go with a 2.5" hose and then have to reduce it down to 1.25" at the vacuum, I think your going to find that if you use it for any type of chip collection, such as a tablesaw, bandsaw, thickness planer, jointer, router, etc. that the chips are going to bottle neck at the 1.25" reducer and you will find yourself constantly cleaning it out. It may work ok for sanding operations, but I suspect it's still not going to be much airflow. You really need to keep your eye out for a used dust collector if your on a tight budget, they are out there, and usually at a more than reasonable price. Even the smallest dust collectors will be a vast improvement over a vacuum.

dbhost · 05-08-2008, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woodchuck1957

If you go with a 2.5" hose and then have to reduce it down to 1.25" at the vacuum, I think your going to find that if you use it for any type of chip collection, such as a tablesaw, bandsaw, thickness planer, jointer, router, etc. that the chips are going to bottle neck at the 1.25" reducer and you will find yourself constantly cleaning it out. It may work ok for sanding operations, but I suspect it's still not going to be much airflow. You really need to keep your eye out for a used dust collector if your on a tight budget, they are out there, and usually at a more than reasonable price. Even the smallest dust collectors will be a vast improvement over a vacuum.

Agreed. I was actually hoping to replace the 1.25" inlet on the tank for a 2.5" one. While I must admit to some budget concern, I am more concerned with the amount of floor space a true DC will take up. Which was the reason I bought the hangup model shop vac in the first place (not thinking about the small hose).

Unlike a LOT of shop vac models, the hangup has the inlet hose mounted to the tank instead of the motor, I was thinking that maybe there was a way to swap the 1.25" inlet for a 2.5" one from a different model maybe?

Dvoigt · 05-08-2008, 01:15 PM

or just do what i do... let the chips fly everywhere and then sweep them up when i'm done...

dbhost · 05-08-2008, 10:18 PM

Kind of what I am doing now...

For MOST things I can cope, but I want to pull the wood shavings away from the planer, as well as the fine dust the sanders produce is seriously annoying...

I have a funky feeling I am going to end up doing something nuts like mounting a DC in the attic or something and hoping it has enough suction to pull up one flight of stairs...

How big are dust collectors? Say for example the HF 2hp collector?
Is it something I can mount between the garage doors and plumb along the ceiling?

LarrySch · 05-08-2008, 10:29 PM

I use most the clear plastic 2.5" - never had it plug and works great - attached to a 3 hp vacuum. You can see it running around the wall.
Its attached to my drill press, sander, scroll saw, cross cut saw, band saw and my router.

dbhost · 05-08-2008, 11:03 PM

Larry,

That's kind of what I was talking about. The Shop Vac Hangup has a 4.5hp motor, I just need to figure out how to swap over to the 2.5" hose / tube...

Is the thread for these hoses NPT perchance? I CAN epoxy in a 2.5" NPT PVC fitting in place of the 1.25". I don't mind modding the thing if the end result will work...

OR, does anyone make a good suction shop vac with a 2.5" hose that will hang on a wall / fit between garage doors?

Davet · 05-09-2008, 05:15 AM

Is this the 3.5 gallon unit?, if so you probably would be constantly
dumping it. I wonder if you could rig it to a metal skinny 20 or 30
gallon drum, the drum may also act as a separator. The drum could
set below the wall unit.
The thing though... would it have enough cfm to be affective.

dbhost · 05-09-2008, 09:39 AM

Not sure about the CFM, and no, it's not the 3 gallon unit. It's a 6 gallon, and yeah, I know I would be emptying it a lot...

I have a feeling I am going to end up taking up the floor space with a dedicated DC unit eventually....

If I had the size garages that were in the houses I recall from out west, then space would not be such an issue. I swear this stupid garage was designed to hold 2 1980 Toyota Corollas and that's it.

Gerry KIERNAN · 05-09-2008, 10:37 AM

Hey db

Most of the portable dust collectors have wheels, as do most of the shop vacs. This might not appeal to you, but have you thought of putting a 2-1/2 inch hole through the wall to the outside, and running it outside when you need it? You could roll the unit back inside for storage and security when not needed for woodworking. This might not be the most convenient way to go, but it does free up floor space when needed. You could keep the hangup unit for light cleanup duties.

Gerry

arthur dent · 05-09-2008, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbhost

Kind of what I am doing now...

For MOST things I can cope, but I want to pull the wood shavings away from the planer, as well as the fine dust the sanders produce is seriously annoying...

I have a funky feeling I am going to end up doing something nuts like mounting a DC in the attic or something and hoping it has enough suction to pull up one flight of stairs...

How big are dust collectors? Say for example the HF 2hp collector?
Is it something I can mount between the garage doors and plumb along the ceiling?

I have a 1.5 hp Jet with a top cannister filter, and I estimate it's footprint to be 36" x 24" or so. It is very effective. Jet (and others) make a 1 hp version which is considerably smaller, look in the various catalogs to get exact dimensions. I haven't used the smaller units, so I can't really say whether they work well, but the reviews I read all indicated 1.5 hp was the minimum required to be really efficient. If you do decide to go with a smaller unit you might look at the Shopsmith DC 2000. I see them for sale on e-bay on a fairly regular basis and that unit has a small footprint. Again, I don't know how effective it would be, probably ok if you keep the hose short. I've seen some even smaller units in Jet's catalog and at Harbor Freight, they are basically small bag collectors attached to a blower. I haven't used one, but I have grave doubts they would be very effective. It is important to have good dust collection, there is quite a catalog of ailments associated with exposure to fine wood dust and you should take every measure to minimize your exposure, even if it means skipping the purchase of some other tool for awhile. In that regard,you might want to look at a powered respirator and a shop air filter as well.

Regards,
AD

dbhost · 05-09-2008, 08:14 PM

So much for a simple solution. I have cobbled together some "adapters" to work with my sanders from misc automotive hose reducers... But in the long run, it is going to have to end up with a dedicated DC of some sort...

I have been reading MFG specs on most of the ones I know of, and the footprint is somewhat tolerable, IF I can squeeze storage above, or below it. I might just have to build a little table to stow stuff under...

For all the trouble this is. I really want to dump this house and buy one with LAND and a decent size barn / garage to play in...

Gerry KIERNAN · 05-10-2008, 11:35 AM

That's what I did. My wife and I bought 1-1/2 acres with a 3600 square foot house, a 4200 square foot warehouse/shop, and an 800 square foot garage. It is slowly filling up.

Gerry

daryl in nanoose · 05-10-2008, 11:47 AM

Have you ever thought about building Wood Magizines Cyclone, might meet your needs

dbhost · 05-10-2008, 05:21 PM

I don't subscribe. But I am about to. I keep finding good plans / articles in that one, and I think the other one was Home Woodworker or something like that... I REALLY liked their workshop organization book...

daryl in nanoose · 05-10-2008, 07:36 PM

this is it here http://woodstore.net/cycduscol.html
I have these plans and found them not hard to understand, it also is in one of there issues.