# Best method of dust collection with shop vac



## ponch37300 (Feb 27, 2008)

I don't have the funds for a real dust collector right now. I do have a ridgid proffesional 16 gallon 6.5HP shop vac that I would like to make the best of for now until I can get a decent dust collector. Also I don't have a real wood shop, I have to drag my machines out to use when I want since they share a 2 car garage with all my auto repair tools, welding machines, home repair tools, a project vehicle, and a daily driver to park in there at night. So if I did get a real dust collector right now It too would have to be on wheels and I would have to drag it out along with the machines to use it. 

So, what is the best way to use a shop vac for dust collection? Is using a simple garabage can as a seperator the best way to go? Think that's called a thien? Or is there another way that is better? I've searched a few different threads on here and found a few different options but wondering what is my best option to use what I have now? I have a bosch portable table saw, ridgid 6" jointer, craftsman 15" planer, bosch miter saw, and router table taht this will be used for if that matters.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

The challenge with a shop vac is that the cannister are small.

If you do not want to clean out the shop vac often, you need to use a large garbage can as a pre-separator.

Get the largest garbage can which can fit. It will need to be emptied less often.

A chap called Phil Thien developed a baffle which is installed in the garbage can to keep the dust in the garbage can and minimize the dust which goes into the shop vac. Phil's design is simple but very effective.

Several threads on the site.
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f32/forget-dust-deputy-27235/

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f32/shop-vac-advise-needed-42964/

Phil Thien's site.
http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/cy.htm


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## chsdiyer (Dec 12, 2011)

I'm in the same situation as you and I bought the Oneida Dust Deputy. I have no shop either and was using what is now my living room. You wont catch all the dust with it, but your shop vac filter will never get dirty (unless you suck up a lot of drywall dust) so you'll always have the full power of your shop vac available. For me it worked well enough and then I put two box fans in the windows. I'd get a little saw dust under the table saw but since the filter was always clean, i could just suck it up after and have a pretty clean floor. I've gotten to the point that I always just carry the shop vac and the dust deputy around when ever i'm going to use the shop vac. The $89 dollar set up comes with bolts that you can use to bolt it to your shop vac but I think it's easy enough to carry them separate. 

Long story short, if you're going to use a shop vac as a dust collector, you definitely need something like this. Either the Oneida or what Dave referenced or build your own. But it definitely makes a difference.


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## ponch37300 (Feb 27, 2008)

Dave Paine said:


> The challenge with a shop vac is that the cannister are small.
> 
> If you do not want to clean out the shop vac often, you need to use a large garbage can as a pre-separator.
> 
> ...


A post in the "show me your shop" thread got me looking at the Thien setups. I see there are a few different versions of it in my searching. I'll have to look into getting a garbage can and seeing what I can come up with. I saw this one which looks pretty nice, http://www.cgallery.com/smf/index.php?topic=429.0


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

Some folks have had great results making those Thine separators for 5 gallon pails. I never managed to make one that actually worked plus the shop vac tended to create too much vacuum and always collapsed the bucket.

Not to mention that I found myself constantly emptying the bucket.

My solution was to get an Oneida Dust Deputy (the one designed to use with a shop vac and a 5 gallon pail which I then mounted to a metal 30 gallon garbage can for which I made a plywood lid with the cyclone mounted on top. I lined the can with a large outdoor garbage bag ( the kind used to bag up leaves). I get extremely small amounts of very fine dust in the shop vac now and have yet to need to empty the garbage can or clean the shop vac's filter after a year of my own limited use. 

The cyclone cost me $45.00 from Woodcraft on sale. The garbage can cost another $20 at Lowes. I had the plywood and the garbage bags.

The best part is when and/or if I ever get a proper dust collector my system will still work perfectly.


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## mveach (Jul 3, 2010)

a grease drum from a speedy lube place works very well with the separator.


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## Gilgaron (Mar 16, 2012)

I would also recommend a HEPA filter and a drywall bag in the vac.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

ponch37300 said:


> Also I don't have a real wood shop, I have to drag my machines out to use


Friend, you have a REAL shop, as real as most shops. i use dust deputy's, and the option over a larger can is certainly a very good workable solution. you can also build a thien. put nice new filters in you shop vac and enjoy your new shop set-up!


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## Duane Bledsoe (Oct 18, 2012)

I might be assuming too much but what would building any of this cost? The Harbor Freight dust collector is only $150 with the coupon. I've read many times its one of their better items they sell. 2 HP motor, runs on 120 volt, regular wall juice.


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

Duane Bledsoe said:


> I might be assuming too much but what would building any of this cost? The Harbor Freight dust collector is only $150 with the coupon. I've read many times its one of their better items they sell. 2 HP motor, runs on 120 volt, regular wall juice.


The downside I see to the Harbor Freight is it will only filter down to 5 microns as is. Need to add about another $100 or so worth of filtering to get less than 1 micron. And, that doesn't resolve the space issue. The Shop vac with a dust deputy, high efficiency bag and HEPA cartridge filter gets down to 0.3 micron and resolves space issues and, in many cases, power issues.:smile:


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