so lowes has a sale this week for a 1 gallon shop vac for like 18 bucks. am i crazy to think that 1 gallon is going to work. i know that i will have to empty it a few times.
i guess what i really want to know is it going to be a matter of a few passes before its full. or can i skin the top and then empty before the bottom.
and if you guys have an pics of your vacumn system that would be great.
Howzit turbohog, Ask to see it work before buying, there was a 1 or 2 gallon vac on one of the remodel jobs we did and it barely sucked up anything and it ended up in the trash run pile. Get one that has at least a couple of HP to insure a good vac suck or you are just throwing money away.Aloha,kokua
yeah i hadnt really thought about that yet. this one is 1 gallon by one hourse power. and after reading your post i think your right.
i probably should just spen the extra cash and get a decent one.
so how many hourse power do i need
I have a 4 gallon wall mounted shop vac that I bought at Home Depot. It can’t handle a whole shape job without being emptied.
I’m not a production shaper so it works fine. I vacuum the floor as I go to keep the mess down and the wife happy.
Often the filter will clog before the vac fills up.
I have the 1 gallon vac that you are talking about ,It works great when I detail my truck…
Ray
Hi Turbohog,
As everybody else has said, that 1 gallon job probably won’t be much use for anything more than cleaning out your car. Even with a bucket and cyclone setup in line, it’s not going to have enough zip or capacity.
Some things about dust collectors and vac systems:
First, I have no idea where they get the horsepower ratings. Probably from the same practical jokers who put horsepower ratings on routers and small kitchen appliances.
Three things you want to look for in vacs:
Amps ( or watts) the motor uses. Most electric motors will be pretty much of the same efficiency, so the one that uses more power will have more power.
Cubic Feet per Minute air flow (CFM) - how much air does it pull.
Vaccum - how many inches ( water) will it pull. This is a measure of pressure, can it suck the chrome off a trailer hitch or barely pick up dust.
Now, the good news is that shop vacs are a great yard sale or dump find, people just get tired of 'em. I have two I got that way. Work fine, give or take a little duct tape.
Then there’s the Fein, that is in theory a shop vac but wound up as the house vaccum. Doesn’t need garbage bags, which is very nice if you have a dog that’s shedding 365 days a year.
My main dust collector is a Grizzly, 4" tubing, which works well with the big shop tools I have for woodworking. http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.aspx?itemnumber=G8027 - cute little gizmo, and it can keep up with a 15" planer.
hope that’s of use
doc
You need huge suction so max horsepower.
for volume you can get a instage cover for a 33 gallon metal trash can that you can stage inline between the vac and the tool to capture chips and dust. You’ll need a canvas collection bag for the can by 33 gallons will go far and keep your vaccum relative clean. Get the flexi hose as well…
Industry vacs 6.5 HP and above run $85-$199 depending on the brand while a woodworkers dust collections setup 1/2hp-1hp starts at $150 and goes up…
The hang up shop vac has to be emptied too often emptying vac half way during your planing experience can either be a nuisance or give you the break you need to see your mistakes…
Aloha! I’ve been using a vacuum system for around 20 years. The best that I’ve found has been a Sears brand 32 gal. model. These things are made to run continuously, and the carbon brushes are huge, lasting a long time. The problem that I’ve found with smaller machines, is that the things can catch on fire if they’re on for too long. I’ve had that happen at least twice. Probably better to get a pro model machine that will last, rather than replacing a lower grade machine more often. There’s a bunch of photos and other info. of my system here somewhere that you can check out. Aloha…RH