hello fellas,
any of you have experience with a “commercial” type of vc?
those are not so powerful like industrial ones but not so lame like home ones
after near 25 years of dust may be I ll test some to put in the planer
its no so freely in my opinion, but I want to try it
so, Im here asking about these com vacs less power more power
will suck ok or not?
etc
thanks
Hey reverb,
Do you mean something like this:
?
I held back on going to a vac system for a long time. I was afraid it would pull on the tool and affect
the accuracy of my cuts. To make a long story short, I’m kicking myself now for not converting sooner.
The key is getting the good ‘‘slinky’’ hose and having the drop from straight overhead. The Clark system
supplied that, you may have to plumb your own. But I couldn’t shape without it now, it makes the planer
work the cleanest part of the job. The Clark system uses an off-the-shelf shop vac that’s not really a
heavy-duty unit. The trap-door table over the 55 gal can and current-sensor switch complete the package.
It took me about half a board to get totally used to using it.
It’s nice to not be covered in dust after every rough-out. It’s cool when you’re a kid, but after the first 15,000
or so it gets old, doesn’t it?
I created a vac system almost immediately.
I got one of the home style ShopVacs because it was all I could afford.
It works, but could be better.
Here’s some things that I learned…
The more Amp’s the better…good rule for planers…good rule for Vac’s as well
Don’t go small…it just ends up being a pain in the a$$.
Get one that will take internal bags. It’s better to toss a bag than to try and dump all that foam dust.
Dumping it will get almost as much foam dust on you as if you just mowed foam with no vac! LOL
A “dust collector” is handy as well, but the more powerful the shop vac, the less need you have for a dust collector.
I have both. I can use the shop vac for planing, but not the dust collector. The dust collector comes in handy when I am sanding etc.
I have a “dust hood” that I set up near where I am sanding and it significantly cuts down the amount of dust I have to clean up after.
I also connect the vac to power sanders etc. it helps a great deal.
Hope this helps
Aloha
…Etmo,
might be that
I plan to use an Italian one called Bidone Aspiratutto
…Mike,
I know what you mean
I know the Clark unit too
but Im trying to see opinions about amps, etc of those “mid range” units (…but you say that the Clark s is not a heavy duty one,…)
…S Todd,
what exactly do you mean with a dust collector?
thanks
I don’t know about no fancy eye-talian vacs ;>)
But I’ve had my shop vac for 11 years and it’s never even blinked.
It takes internal dust filter bags and a HEPA filter – when I’m mowing foam, the ehxaust from my vac is cleaner than fresh air
It’s the stainless steel 10 gallon model, I can fill up a bag and a half if I’m doing an eps longboard, so you might want something bigger – here’s the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Shop-Vac-10-Gallon-Industrial-Stainless-464-47-10/dp/B00004RHL2
Like Mike said, get the Clark slinky hose and you’ll wonder why you ever lived without it.
I also hook it up to the dust muzzle for my Milwaukee sander – I can sand a board and my floor doesn’t even have dust on it.
Things like that might not matter if you’re a pro with a dedicated shop, but they’re huge when it’s your garage and the wife might walk by…
I think S Todd is referring to this kind of a dust collection system:
They’re more powerful than a little portable vac, intended to be hooked up to many tools in a shop via a network of tubes (Habitrail, anyone?), have way more capacity, etc.
A few additions, if I may -
1a) The more amps, definitely the better. Like with routers, planers and compressors, ‘horsepower ratings’ lie.
2a) Teeney weeney shop vacs are good for getting the sand iout of your truck cab and not much more.
3a) you don’t have to buy factory bags. A trash bag plus a rock or piece of 2x scrap in the bottom will do.
3b) I use a 2 stage rig ( http://www.grizzly.com/products/30-Gallon-Dust-Collection-2-Stage-Cyclone-Separator/G3376 )with my dust collector ( http://www.grizzly.com/products/1-HP-Dust-Collector/G8027 ) but the damn 30 gallon steel trash can is heavy and bulky. Made a canvas liner for the trash can which is a lot easier to handle. But I wouldn’t bother with one of the 5 gallon bucket cyclones for a shop vac.
4a) Dust collectors are nice for heavy woodworking stuff, or if you have a really, really big operation, or dust booths/hoods. Shop vacs just won’t move that much air until you get into the really highest end stuff, and the low end dust collector is cheaper. My low end dust collector handles the output from a 15" thickness planer.
5a) if at all possible, use with sanders, etc. Dust gets everywhere, and you’ll find a few particles waft down from the overhead into the finish coat.
and…
6- get some extra hose or tubing so you can run the thing outside instead of right next to you. Inexpensive shop vacs are loud and peculiarly annoying.
7- expensive one, like the feins, are quieter. But they are quite expensive. I use a fein for my house vac. On the other hand, the good ones are hard to kill and can be found used or chucked out. If the motor runs, they’re okay. The pro-grade stainless ones, used, are worth a look.
hope that’s of use
doc…
There is a company called Festool that makes high end woodworking tools. They have a tool actuated dust extractor that is probably one of the best on the market. It is relatively compact and the higher end models have HEPA filters. I just don’t know if they are compatible with other brand tools. They probably make the best tools on the market.
Agreed…HP ratings are a total farce.
10hp no load on a 1amp machine turns into 1hp loaded.(totally made that up for dramatic effect)LOL
Here is a shot of my workspace
You can see the ShopVac in the corner with the tube coming down from the ceiling.
I wish now that I had gotten a bigger one with more amps.(and yes…the tube is running up one of my old studio mic stands)
In this shot it is hooked up to a sander, but I have my Hitachi’s ready for it as well.
Next to that is the Delta dust collector that i got for $150 on sale at Rockler. Couldn’t beat it for the price.
It’s connected to the dust hood. Which is great for hand sanding and finish sanding.
Etmo was dead on with the Clark slinky hose. I just got mine.
How did I ever live without that thing?
…so how do you cut the power of the vac when turn off the planer
do you have a device that cut the power with a delay? that is very important for sure
in which way you connect that to those mid range vc s? (seems that your vac is kind of a home duty one)
by the way I sand the boards the old industry way (I think that is the best way)
with an angular sander
so no way to connect a dust collector…
Shutting off the power to the vac is an easy one…If you notice…the space is small
so after I release the trigger from the planer I simply reach over and turn off the vac…or I just leave the vac running if I will be doing more work.
I have had the vac running for 6hrs straight with no problems.
If you look really closely at the picture, you can see my cordless angle grinder(the orange thing), to the left of that is my Makita angle grinder
Directly below those, in the cubes are my variable speed “angular sanders” or sander/polishers as I call them.
Those things are the reason for the dust collector and the hood(the big funnel lookin thing)
I fire that thing up and it’s like watching stars get sucked into a black hole.
Cuts flying dust particles in the room easily by 50% if not more.
The other cool thing about having both is, if I fill the shop vac up and don’t want to stop to empty it,
I just remove the hose and fire up the dust collector.
I can evacuate the entire vac in about 3 minutes, re-connect the hose, and back to work.
It may not be perfect…but it works pretty well for me
"Shutting off the power to the vac is an easy one…If you notice…the space is small
so after I release the trigger from the planer I simply reach over and turn off the vac…or I just leave the vac running if I will be doing more work.
I have had the vac running for 6hrs straight with no problems."
Todd, you should buy one of these:
Plug your planer in the upper plug and the vacuum cleaner in the other. When you start the planer, the vacuum cleaner will start within 2 or 3 seconds later. When you switch it off, so does the vacuum cleaner (also 2 or 3 seconds later, that ensures that all foam is blown out of the hose)
Where the heck do you get one of those fancy shmancy do-majiggys?
That’s cool…certainly saves a step.
Oh! By the way…I just used my “router speed control” tonight with my Hitachi angle grinder on the laps…
OMFG! I just put it on slow speed and went to town! WAY more control and very little risk of damaging the foam.
I AM SOOOOO HOOKED!
Sorry…I digress…
hi reverb ive had lots of experience im an industrial concrete grinder
there is only one that works well and is industry standard
nilfisk alto
it self purges
“Where the heck do you get one of those fancy shmancy do-majiggys?”
http://www.hmdiffusion.com/aoCCatalogue.jrun?Destination=pageFamille&numsousfamille=49
Unfortunately, this is a french tools retailer… Maybe you can find this in the States, instead…
I have a Festool CT vacuum and it is Superb - worlds away from a standard shop vacuum. Plug in a tool (router, sander, jigsaw, etc) to the power outlet on the vacuum and you can set it to start up when the tool does, then it runs an extra half second after you release the trigger on the tool, so as to suck dust out of the tool and the (anti-static) vacuum hose. It is also variable speed, is very quiet, has dual filters and easy to change bags, nice big wheels with locks for when you don’t want it to move, integrated locking tool boxes that attach on top, etc etc etc. Mine holds 22 liters but they come in larger sizes to (33, 44). Here’s a review:
http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/reviews/festoolCT22E.htm
Fein also makes a similar machine, with slightly different features (eg cone shaped so it doesn’t tip over but no way to attach tool boxes).
http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/toolguide/product-finder/fein-turbo-ii-shop-vacuum.aspx
In my opinion, the Clark slinky hose is also a “must have” upgrade. If there was only one left in the world I would bid on it… If you can’t get one in Europe let me know, but I’m pretty sure guys like Foam EZ can ship to you…
http://www.foamez.com/cf-slinky-hose-p-192.html
For sanding the old fashioned way, there is a device called a “Dust Muzzle” that will allow you to connect to a vacuum hose. I don’t care for it myself but they are fairly inexpensive so you might want to try one. Festool makes a vacuum-take off sander that is dual action (rotary/random orbit) but it is not really like a big heavy Milwaukee or whatever you probably use to do it “old school”.
I still have a couple standard shop vacs around as well, but they are like hamburger compared to filet mignon.
Fancy Shmancy do-majiggy:
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?Offerings_ID=17351&TabSelect=Details
<img src="http://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/20890-01-200.jpg" alt="" class="bb-image" /> <img src="http://www.rockler.com/images/bug-onsale08.gif" alt="" class="bb-image" />
i-socket 110m Tool and Vacuum SwitchAverage Rating: 
$28.99Each
(Regular Price: $38.99)
Control two tools at the same time! Now you don’t have to remember to power the vacuum on and off during every cut — the i-socket does it for you. Automatically turns on the wet/dry vacuum or dust collector when the tool is powered on, and continues running for an additional 7 seconds to clean out the inlet pipe after the tool is powered off.
I’d have to check what amperage the Clark-supplied vac motor runs, but I know it’s not a super-duty
unit. The limtation of most ‘‘shop vac’’ type systems is the size of the dust receptacle. Clark solved that
with the ingenious trap-door table emptying into the 55 gal can. Just pull the slide out after every board
and gravity-drop the dust into the bag in the can. When the bag fills, take it out of the can; no muss, no
fuss, no bother.
The current sensor switch with the time-delay is also invaluable. You don’t want the vac to be cutting off
every time you release the trigger on the planer. I have mine set at about 20 seconds, gives you time to
look at a rail band or whatever without cycling the vac. I’ve seen delay-equipped current sensors posted
on here, poke around and I’m sure you can find one in your area.
I also like doing a one-umbilical set-up with the power cord running up the vac hose, but I know other guys
who still have the planer power cord on the floor. I don’t miss having to keep the cord clear of my feet, etc.
Gordon Clark was in Florida for a few weeks in the fall of 2005, just before the closure. I’d been out at the
warehouse talking to him (he was encouraging me to do another plug for them). When I went to leave, he
said he been meaning to ask me how I liked the vac system. I told him I couldn’t imagine shaping without it.
His face just lit up. He really enjoyed helping us out. Gordon, if you’re out there, THANKS!
btw, a friend sent me a link to your website, saying there was some cool stuff on there. I opened it up and
went ‘‘hey! I know this guy!’’. Nice site, nice boards. small world!
…yeah, I know that bag under
seems my fault that I not purchased one in the past…and was cheap product
that electric device is gold to do the work…I ll try to find one cause have the possibility to delay to 20 secs is a very good thing
may be you checked another site… ha ha
by the way Im starting to think in have one of your boards in the future (someday when I m my way to Florida)
and test what is all about those Coils
but might be a “pricky” customer, ha ha
thanks
…PCannon,
you re the man of the thousand trades!
…KeithM,
man, Im not in Europe, the vac is the Italian one, but seems that I have a mistake in the name and the Italians pronounce “bidone aspirattuto” to the vc s…
hey reverb i do it at night on comercial properties . for various reason we need small vacuum that wont trip power. we use heavy grinders and power is always a problem. as is cleaning filters and running vacs for hours on heavy duty. The nilfisk is the indutry standard . due to the fact the filter is self purging, it is small and light and robust and can run all day everyday. we have tried many other name brands