# DC with Shop Vac?



## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Read VIFMike's thread on dust collection. I have a DeWalt 734 planer and I have a 10 gallon Shop Vac. Need to plane several boards for a project this winter. Run will be just the length of the SV hose of 8 feet. Shorter run maybe for hose or piping? Can this do a decent job? Run the wood dust directly into a covered bucket? Budget or space doesn't allow for a DC system at any price. Thanks.


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## Jim Frye (Aug 24, 2016)

I have a ShopVac that I use for all chip/dust collection in my small shop. It's rated at 95 cfm with the 2 1/2 inch 6 ft hose. This works fine with my Ryobi 13 inch planer. I have fitted the vac with a CleanStream pleated filter. The only draw back is that the 12 gal. tank will fill rather quicky if you are taking heavy cuts and planning a lot of stock. I considered building a cyclone separator, but decided to just empty the tank often and save the space.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Itll work, if you dont mind stopping every board and a half to empty the vac, or every 15 seconds to clear a clog from the hose. Honestly, ive tried it and i dont think its worth it connecting a shopvac to a planer, more hassle than its worth. Its really a lot faster to just sweep up the shavings from the floor.

An actual dust collector is a different story, but most of that is because of the large hose diameter (4in vs 1-2in for a shopvac) and capacity (30+gallons of working space, vs 8-9ish for a shopvac). Larger hose means no clogs, extra capacity means less time emptying the collector. I know you said it was out of your budget, i just wanted to mention that for anybody else reading


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## ducbsa (Jul 6, 2014)

epicfail48 said:


> Its really a lot faster to just sweep up the shavings from the floor.


Along those lines, an elbow on the end of the dust hood, pointing down, might minimize the extent of the pile to sweep.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

PK - see my starting experience here:
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f32/dust-collection-strategies-home-shop-130233/#post1446377

the CuTech is a spiral vs 3 blade type; it probably generates more super fine dust aka flour - a choking cloud of dust....I did not get far exhausting into a open box.... it works, but you need to be outside and upwind . . .

10 linear feet of red oak 8 inches wide, dressed from 4/4 to 3/4 produces 15+ gallons of chips!

you will need something with more volume to contain the chips - my first run with a five gallon vac lasted about 4 four minutes before it was plugged up to the hilt. 

do you have enough space to set up a temporary corrugated box - hose from planer vertically into to box top, hose out vertically to vac? that would likely help enormously - and you can chuck it or knock down the box afterward.

there's a thread with an excellent comparison of collectors, which I can't find at the moment, but here's another pix:


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## sbrader (Aug 27, 2015)

I have the Rockler Dust Right Dust Separator. It's certainly not a true DC, but it works okay for me. I hook it up to a 12 gallon Shop Vac and it does an okay job. I was jointing and planing a bunch of maple for a project this weekend. I had to empty the container three times, but it captured most of the dust/chips. I have asthma, so I wear a respirator whenever I'm working, but I really didn't even need it for planing (my jointer is a benchtop version that doesn't have DC capabilities). I don't have the space or budget for much beyond this right now, so I make the best of it.

http://www.rockler.com/dust-collection/dust-cyclones-and-separators


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Forgot to mention that my Shop Vac is attached to an Oneida Dust Deputy. It does a good job with the bandsaw and lather plus picking up stuff off the floor. The hose on the SC is 2 inches on the end. I'm retired so emptying the bucket often is no problem.
Thanks to all. Now..........all I have to do is build a table for the planer and get started.


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