# DC Floor sweep question?



## Dan3103 (Mar 24, 2015)

After retiring Jan 1 (firefighter, 30 years), I have decided to do some serious upgrading to my dust removal in my garage/wood shop. I want to play more in there now that I have the time, and I know the hazards of the dust. I have been using a Dust Deputy on my shop vac for more than a year, and it's great for the size that it is, but it's limited. So I started doing reading to get into a true dust collector. After reading a bunch of threads, (a lot on this forum, THANKS!!) I purchased a Harbor Freight 2 hp unit and have built a Thein separator on a 31 gallon metal garbage can for collection. I have a Wynn 35 NANO filter coming. 

My resources for any kind of accessories are very limited locally (as in, NONE.) I want to pick up some kind of a floor sweep, but the several that I have seen online at Rockler or Amazon do not have good reviews. 

Does anyone have some suggestions? 

Thanks in advance!


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

A floor sweep is fairly easy to build yourself, but one thing I'd make sure I included was some wire mesh to keep large screws, bolts, stones, ect from being swept up.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Something like this.


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

ryan50hrl said:


> A floor sweep is fairly easy to build yourself, but one thing I'd make sure I included was some wire mesh to keep large screws, bolts, stones, ect from being swept up.


The good thing is, his separator will be upstream of the fan, so everything will drop out into the can. That is the same as my setup. Not long after buying the DC, I ordered the NANO filter from Wynn.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Good point...missed the separator part.


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## peridigm (Dec 29, 2014)

I've had the Rockler sweep for years and don't have any complaints.


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## Dan3103 (Mar 24, 2015)

MT Stringer is right, my separator looks a lot like his. The box idea to sweep things into is not a bad option, though. Thanks for the idea!

Because my wood cutting space has to share space (eventually!) with the wif's van, I have to be fairly portable. With a two-car garage, things have to be on wheels. And I just used the DC to do a bit of cleanup on the floor and DEFINITELY need something on the hose to assist in clean up.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

I can't imagine how a floor sweep could get bad reviews, its a box with a hose attached. Heck, you could just leave the hose on the floor and sweep the dust in front of it and you'd still get good results


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## Dan3103 (Mar 24, 2015)

Epic, I have been looking at the sweep handle in the Rockler Dust Right 4" Master System. Of the latest reviews, there are many with one star, several with two, and a few with more.

Peridigm, it very well could be that yours was well made. Most of the problems reported involve the handle breaking off in the first minute or so of usage. My luck, if I bought it, it would last 30 seconds. The older reviews seem to be more positive, leading me to believe the part has been outsourced to a different vendor with less on the ball when it comes to materials and quality control. 

I'm trying not to use a broom to sweep toward a box, brooms are notorious for stirring up the dust. Hence my inquiry. 


Thanks.


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## Marv (Nov 30, 2008)

ryan50hrl said:


> A floor sweep is fairly easy to build yourself, but one thing I'd make sure I included was some wire mesh to keep large screws, bolts, stones, ect from being swept up.


The etc...

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f32/dust-collection-tip-day-40249/


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## Dan3103 (Mar 24, 2015)

Thanks, Marv, your link truly made me laugh out loud!

Dan


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## PhilBa (Jun 30, 2014)

Dan3103 said:


> Epic, I have been looking at the sweep handle in the Rockler Dust Right 4" Master System. Of the latest reviews, there are many with one star, several with two, and a few with more.
> 
> Peridigm, it very well could be that yours was well made. Most of the problems reported involve the handle breaking off in the first minute or so of usage. My luck, if I bought it, it would last 30 seconds. The older reviews seem to be more positive, leading me to believe the part has been outsourced to a different vendor with less on the ball when it comes to materials and quality control.
> 
> ...


I think you are referring to this. I have that one and it works pretty well. Very solid. Bought it about 6 months ago. I plug and unplug it every day, multiple times. The sweep itself is kind of bulky but works well. Did make one mod - I had to break out the guard screen in the floor nozzle because anything flat like paper or shavings would clog it up rather quickly. I use a separator so am not worried about damage to my impeller. 

By the way, with that 4" pipe, the DC won't suck up metal screws and nuts though it pulls in small offcut pieces of wood pretty aggressively.

Also, if it breaks immediately, just take it back - rockler is pretty good about returns.

edit: went and looked at the reviews. Not sure about the handle complaints - mine is very solid. A lot of complaints about the expanding hose though (which isn't part of the kit and I don't have). Overall, I would get it again.

If you are ever in the Seattle area, I'll be glad to show it to you.


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## Dan3103 (Mar 24, 2015)

Phil, that's what I was looking at. Thanks for the offer, I don't get up that way too often, although my niece and her hubby live there. And they have a 1 y/o daughter that I don't get to spoil very often.. hmm...

I'm in Southeast Oregon so anything I purchase will be likely online. I have to drive at least 100 miles to go to a Harbor Freight, let alone Rockler. So it's pretty necessary to do a lot of reading before purchase so I don't buy things I think I need to find out I don't.


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## PhilBa (Jun 30, 2014)

That's pretty cool country - definitely off the beat track. I love the Steens, Frenchglen. This is probably about the best time of year for you guys.

Even though the Rockler store is about 5 miles from my house and Harbor Freight is even closer, I also read everything I can before buying. It does help to lay hands on, though.

By the way, I built a cart with a shop vac and separator that I can wheel around. I use that just as much for cleaning as the big hose. The rockler dust right set up is good for volume but not so much for detail. The shop vac with 2.5" (ish) hose is good for detail. I put a hepa filter on the shop vac and use it for sander dust extraction. I think the sanders are the worst creators of small particles.


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## peridigm (Dec 29, 2014)

Dan3103 said:


> Epic, I have been looking at the sweep handle in the Rockler Dust Right 4" Master System. Of the latest reviews, there are many with one star, several with two, and a few with more.
> 
> Peridigm, it very well could be that yours was well made. Most of the problems reported involve the handle breaking off in the first minute or so of usage. My luck, if I bought it, it would last 30 seconds. The older reviews seem to be more positive, leading me to believe the part has been outsourced to a different vendor with less on the ball when it comes to materials and quality control.
> 
> ...


Handle? I don't have a handle.
http://www.rockler.com/dust-collection-floor-sweep


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## Dan3103 (Mar 24, 2015)

I need to do a cart for my shop vac and Dust Deputy, too. I have the DD bolted to the shop vac, which means there are 7 casters that are trying to fight each other. Pulling that thing around is a bit of a challenge from time to time. 

I just did a HEPA filter on my vac, it's a 30 year old Craftsman shop vac and still going strong. I keep expecting it to burn out, but it keeps ticking. I'm amazed at that. I'm on my third 2 1/2" hose on that bad boy! I'm also amazed that parts are still available, usually the manufacturers have planned obsolescence so you have to buy a whole new all the time. The vac gets used a lot on my sander and fits my track saw and Kreg tool as well. I did get a smaller hose to hook those tools up, and will continue to use the vac to collect dust from them. 

I'm in south-central Oregon (Kfalls). That high desert country east (Steens, Frenchglen, Denio) has a rugged beauty and can really make you feel pretty miniscule from time to time!


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## Dan3103 (Mar 24, 2015)

Peridigm, looks like we're not talking the same thing. I'm looking to find something that I can use similar to the long straight tool in the Rockler "Dust Right" system. Only with better reviews!

You and Epicfail have both shown a sweep and I will consider one of those as well. I had not thought of that, so thanks to both of you for the idea!


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## Marv (Nov 30, 2008)

Dan3103 said:


> Thanks, Marv, your link truly made me laugh out loud!
> 
> Dan


Your welcome Dan and watch for my thread later today as I start building a "different than typically seen" kind of cart for my Dust Deputy and Fein vacuum. :smile:


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## PhilBa (Jun 30, 2014)

Ah, KFalls, know it well. Have a relative that went to OIT and Sister in Law that lives in Jacksonville. Is it midge season yet? 

If you build the cart, you might want to get an automatic switch that will turn on the vac when you start a tool. That makes it a sort of a poor-mans fein extractor.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Marv said:


> The etc...
> 
> http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f32/dust-collection-tip-day-40249/


Oh... Oh my god, that's horrible and I can't stop laughing


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## UnisawGuy (Jul 20, 2014)

I don't use the automatic switch in my Fein vac. It is too easy to get a startup amperage overload. I always run the vacuum and the tool on different circuits.


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## Marv (Nov 30, 2008)

UnisawGuy said:


> I don't use the automatic switch in my Fein vac. It is too easy to get a startup amperage overload. I always run the vacuum and the tool on different circuits.


Are you referring to the vac itself or the circuit overloading? (I use my Fein and Porter Cable auto trigger vacs with everything from low amp sanders to 12 amp routers and have never had any overload issues)


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## Dan3103 (Mar 24, 2015)

PhilBa said:


> Ah, KFalls, know it well. Have a relative that went to OIT and Sister in Law that lives in Jacksonville. Is it midge season yet?
> 
> If you build the cart, you might want to get an automatic switch that will turn on the vac when you start a tool. That makes it a sort of a poor-mans fein extractor.


Both sons are going to OIT, one's got one more term, the other two more years. Smart kidlets, they must take after their mom...

No midges yet, we are having snow right now. For about the first time all winter. Of course it snows, it's track/baseball season.


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