Vacuum Dust Separator

[zendriver]

Anybody use one? If so, how well do they work?

Just looking at the concept, chunks would likely drop, but dust like drywall and concrete, would seem light enough to just go the distance to a filtered vacuum.

Something like this

Amazon.com

 

[RegeSullivan]

I use a small one (shop vac size) and it seperate better than 99% of drywall dust. For concrete dust I'll add a hepa bag and filter to the vac and it stays pretty clean. I also use a home built cyclone (2hp 5" duct) in my wood shop. I'll empty the 30 gallon 3 maybe 4 times before there is any noticeable dust collected past the separator.

 

[gahrajmahal]

Here’s mine

Cyclone Separator for Shop Vac, Compact Setup

This thread has been edited due to all of the original photos being lost from Photo Bucket. Some of the comments are out of sequence, but the photos are now on the GJ server. Hey all, I never was a fan of the typical round shop vac due to the unwieldy hose and wand that comes crashing down any...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[lardy1]

I have the Dust Deputy attached to a big Ridgid shop vac and it works very well for my woodworking. It's not like having a nice dust collection system but it keeps the air a bit cleaner and keeps the chips and sawdust out of the shop vac if I don't overfill it. I was pretty amazed the first time I opened up the vac canister and it still looked brand new.

It really depends on your use and your personal expectations but they do seperate the particles.

 

[Ray-CA]

Here’s mine. I added some weights to the bottom just in case it gets top heavy.

 

[dscheidt]

Anybody use one? If so, how well do they work?

Just looking at the concept, chunks would likely drop, but dust like drywall and concrete, would seem light enough to just go the distance to a filtered vacuum.

Something like this

Amazon.com

I have two, using the same model of shop vac. I built carts to keep the vacuum, separator, and bin together. One is built around the dust deputy, the other around the dust topper. The dust deputy is marginally better, especially for fine dust, but the dustopper works very well (especially after I added a gasket to seal it properly, the newer "pro" version includes that, and has a better release system), is a little cheaper (when I bought mine, it was much cheaper), and is more compact. Add a good filter bag, and they would do very well on drywall dust. bit cumbersome on a job site, but probably workable. (especailly the dustopper, which fits on a five gallon bucket, no mounting thing required, it's a lid itself.)

 

[RegeSullivan]

Anybody use one? If so, how well do they work?

Just looking at the concept, chunks would likely drop, but dust like drywall and concrete, would seem light enough to just go the distance to a filtered vacuum.

Something like this

Amazon.com

Here is one I forgot about. I attach it to the planner behind it. No vacuum involved since the chip ejector works so well it overwhelms a vacuum anyway. I do run it into a filter but no sign of any chips/dust getting through.

 

[lbhsbz]

I recently installed a dust deputy on one of my smaller automatic glass bead cabinets because I got tired of cleaning the lousy OEM filter every 2 cycles...

I had my reservations, but it works awesome. After at least 20 cycles, the bucket has about 5 inches of fine dust and the original filter is still clean enough such that it pulls a vacuum on the cabinet. I'm buying more

 

[Jgaz]

I use a dustopper on top of a 5 gallon bucket under my miter saw enclosure.
This is then hooked to a shop vac.

Dustopper - Tools - The Home Depot

Get free shipping on qualified Dustopper products or Buy Online Pick Up in Store today in the Tools Department.

www.homedepot.com

There is not enough height to use the dust deputy.
I’m quite impressed by the fine dust it collects and love how it extends the shop vac’s filter life between cleaning

 

[signcrafter]

I use a Laguna separator, https://www.woodshopnews.com/tools-machines/laguna-dust-separator-is-an-extra-large

Looks like they may not sell them anymore but there looks to be similar ones out there. It works good. Used it in a small garage when we moved and rented a duplex for a while until we bought a house. It really helps with table saw and other power tools.

 

[dogdog]

Anybody use one? If so, how well do they work?

Just looking at the concept, chunks would likely drop, but dust like drywall and concrete, would seem light enough to just go the distance to a filtered vacuum.

Something like this

Amazon.com

They work well up to a point of 5 microns which is fine powder dust like your cake flours... that would mostly go to the vacuum filter.
Price is Ok at $40... about the same they sell in HF/dust deputy / dust cyclone or generic from Ebay/amazon.

great if you are vacuuming your outdoor drains. or wet vac something. or dry wall dust, demo dust. basically it just prolong the useage period before filter wash / change. Some dust will still go through...

 

[dogdog]

These are the newer designs ... if you wanted fancy.

https://www.harveywoodworking.com/products/gyro-air-g700-dust-processor

https://www.amazon.com/Jet-717600-Cyclonic-Dust-Separator/dp/B08X6Z8HM2?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[DGersic]

I’m about to start skim coating the living room here, so lots of drywall dust will be produced. Planning to use a wet collection bucket backed by a filter bag in my shop vac.

https://www.instructables.com/Drywall-Sanding-Dust-CollectorSeperator/

 

[RegeSullivan]

I used an expensive professional wet collection and sanding system 25 or so years ago when I did our kitchen/dining room at our previous house. It was not very successful in my experience. I ended up using a number of cheap filters (they clog pretty often) in an old Craftsman vac with an exhaust hose (blowing side of the vac) ran thru a window that far more successful. My recent experience in an upstairs hallway using cyclone and one of the better fine filters was even better.

 

[signcrafter]

I’m about to start skim coating the living room here, so lots of drywall dust will be produced. Planning to use a wet collection bucket backed by a filter bag in my shop vac.

https://www.instructables.com/Drywall-Sanding-Dust-CollectorSeperator/

You shouldn't have a ton of dust finishing drywall. Do a coat and then scrape it with a 6" knife to get bumps and ridges. After final coat hit it with this sander https://www.amazon.com/Full-Circle-...changeable/dp/B000WQL5CO?tag=atomicindus08-20.

Also do yourself a favor if skim coating and get one or two of these, https://www.level5tools.com/32-comp...837q1yEQLkNqBAwSyfxvYJmfg8iWjmuhoC7eIQAvD_BwE. They come in different sizes depending on your room. Use a roller to paint the mud on and one of these blades to skim. You will thank me. Have used mine a bunch and doing 4 rooms right now. Saves so much time.

 

[Southernbuild]

I've got the Festool dust separator, it probably catches 80+ % of saw / sander dust. It makes the vacuum a bit gangly with the dust separator on top of it, but keep the package compact.

If the cost of the separator is justifiable in saved money on dust bags, is a different question entirely, and one that I haven't personally resolved.

 

[johnre]

My next dust collector will probably be a two stage with a built-in separator.

My current one, a single stage 1.5 HP / 1200 CFM Delta 50-760, might well handle an add-on separator, but there's a lot of variables involved to getting things right. For now, I just empty the sawdust bag more often.