Shop vac for metal chips

[JackOfDiamonds]

I'm thinking about buying a small vacuum to keep by my lathe, just for the purpose of regular sweeping up of the chips. So 90% of what it will sweep up is steel and aluminum chips, with a fair bit of oil on them, as well as random screws, dirt, etc.

I'll probably wall mount it or put it on a shelf above the lathe so it needs to be small.

Has anyone tried those little ones that go on top of a 5gal bucket? It seems like something easy to dump chips out of. Or maybe you could even line in with a trash bag to make it even easier. Other ideas?

 

[kmacht]

Shopvacs don’t work well with lathe chips. They tend to catch in the ridges of the hose and clog it. Stick to the pan and broom.

 

[darkzero]

I've been using a plain ol shop vac for the same thing for the past 10 yrs or so, just a 12 gal Craftsman. I keep it between my lathe & mill. I use dust collection bags in mine. Makes disposal easier & keeps the tank & filter clean. My original filter still looks brand new.

I used to use Shop Vac branded bags cause they were readily available & cheap. But since the prices on the bags went up & now that Shop Vac is no more, I've been buying 3rd party bags on Amazon, much cheaper & I can't really tell any difference in quality, they may actually be better if anything.

I do vacuum up oily chips but I'm just a hobbyist. I've never had a problem with a bag tearing from being oil soaked & I do probably toss out a bag before it becomes full. Still the bags last me a long time. But again I don't make chips on a daily basis.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

I never even knew they made bags for shop vacs. That's a world-changer. Only problem is I don't think I could use them in my Rigid pancake unit or one of the bucket units.

Also I know that chips are a PITA but it's still worth using a vacuum on them.

 

[Ign]

Yeah I run from chips with my M18 vac - guaranteed to clog the hose in short order. However I have "good" success with my 16gal shop vacuum. Basically you want the largest hose possible.

Still, it's not foolproof. A smooth hose would help, BUT it also can't neckdown to a bottle neck at the connector like the stupid M18 design.

 

[BillK]

Funny that some guys have problems with the hoses clogging ???? I have been using the same 12 gallon ShopVac for at least 20 years for all sorts of metal chips etc and have never had that problem.

 

[JRC3]

Not a trash bag, that won't work in a vacuum. But when it comes to regular shop vacs, you're not doing it right if you're not use a bag in addition to the filter. It is a night and day difference and well worth the few dollars per bag.

Those pics were taken after removing an old dirty full bag. I just popped in a new bag and didn't touch that filter or the canister, that's how clean they stay from running a bag. And it **** long and hard til the bag gets full enough to replace.

 

[Ign]

Funny that some guys have problems with the hoses clogging ???? I have been using the same 12 gallon ShopVac for at least 20 years for all sorts of metal chips etc and have never had that problem.

You're just special

While it is true that proper feed, speed and insert style/chipbreaker should mitigate this, if I'm just doing a couple quick cuts I don't take the time to adjust - GET THE METAL ON THE FLOOR and MOVE ON to the next project

 

[darkzero]

I never even knew they made bags for shop vacs. That's a world-changer. Only problem is I don't think I could use them in my Rigid pancake unit or one of the bucket units.

Also I know that chips are a PITA but it's still worth using a vacuum on them.

They're made for drywall dust colletion & other fine debris. They even have hepa bags but no need for all that, too expensive. With my current shop vac, I used bags from day one, as I mentioned never need to change the filter. I will always use a bag now with my shop vacs no matter what. Inconvenient when you need to vacuum water but I never need to.

As the other guys mentioned, hose size is important. When I first started using a shop vac to vacuum chipsl, I had on of those cheap Shop Vac brand black friday models. It had a smaller dia hose, 1-1/4" I think it was. That hose always got clogged. I hated tbat Shop Vac & gave it away. Some guys convert to a smooth hose but you loose some flexibility & I never felt the need to.

My current shop vac is the normal 2-1/2" dia hose. I've never had the hose itself get clogged. Once in a blue moon it'll clog at the 90° tank inlet because of chips packing up in the bag at the inlet. Quick & easy to get going again where as that small hose I'd have to stick a long rod in it to unclog it.

 

[slowtwitch73]

I vac chips all the time. If its real stringy rats nest stuff, I grab that by hand first and pitch it, but all manner of chips, etc no problem at all. If you get a clog, just pull/squeeze the hose... no big thing. Can't imagine not having a shop vac for getting rid of that stuff.

 

[pepi]

Funny that some guys have problems with the hoses clogging ???? I have been using the same 12 gallon ShopVac for at least 20 years for all sorts of metal chips etc and have never had that problem.

Same here ... thinking they are using some low ball unit. Those car vacs that hang on the wall are useless I can tell you that.

@ the OP get a Sweeper-Magnetic, works wonders on the floor.

 

[txvwnut]

I’ve got a Snapon toolbox shaped shop vac that sits on a shelf between the mill and the lathe. Vacs up everything I point it at, I do get the occasional clog but that’s usually due to picking up a large chip mix with the small strings and the shop vac has a small diameter hose.

 

[BTL-A4]

At the machine shop at the adult school in the school district I work in, they have found the best way to clean up chips soaked with oil is to use a hand brush and pan to get most of it, then a rag for final clean up. They do have a shop vacuum of some kind and it works ok, but it gets soaked with oil and the hose gets really dirty. It's not clogged, but it is narrower from all the oily chips sticking to the insides of the hose, and it can leak out oil if the hose is situated the wrong way.

At home, I've found that letting the chips under the lathe in the chip pan sit for awhile allows the oil to settle out. They then vacuum up ok, but I still use the hand brush and a small dust pan, then a rag. I toss the rags when done, since they are full of metal and can't be used for anything else, except cleaning chips up.

For the long curls of metal the come off the machine, I carefully use my gloved hands.

I have a small (1 gal) Craftsman vac I got pretty much for free using points. It works just fine. I hose out the hose occasionally to clear the gunk.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Yup, stuff a paper towel in the end to keep oil from dripping out.

Replace hose once in a while.

 

[DocsMachine]

My setup is an antique Black & Decker stainless-body shop vac, from back in the days when, when the motor said "2HP", it was by-god two full HP.

Combined with a smooth-bore 2-1/2" hose, I can vacuum up virtually anything- chips, birds nests, swarf, flakes, cats, you name it- and it rarely clogs.

Best setup, generally speaking, is a good strong vac and a smooth-bore hose.

I have one of those bucket-lid vacs, and it's actually pretty decent. But the stock hose is relatively tiny, and of course corrugated. I generally try to use it only for small chips, like from sawing, but occasionally even those will clog. I want to try and find some smooth-bore hose for it.

Doc.

 

[nutjob]

Did not know about the bags for shop vac's. I setup the Dustopper High Efficiency Dust Separator and this works very well. The vacuum stays clean but it loses some suction power.

I ordered some bags to try. Thanks!

Kevin