Shop Vac/ Cyclone pre cleaner

[Syd Sellers]

How many of us have purchased a cyclone pre cleaner for our shop vacs? What a pain in the butt right. The cyclone keeps falling over......

I have a very simple solution:
1) Take the wheels off of both the shop vac and the cyclone.
2) Cut a piece of 1/2" plywood large enough to hold the shop vac and cyclone.
3) Find a nice 5 gal. pail, one that the cyclone will drop into.
4) Screw both the shop Vac and pail to the plywood.
5) Put at least 3 wheels from the cyclone on the bottom of the plywood.
6) Drop the cyclone in the bucket, hook up the hoses.

Now you have a very mobile unit that will not tip over and the cyclone is very easy to clean out.

Enjoy....

I've add some pics, you can see the working model as well as the parts that are involved. The caster came off the Tornado bucket. With the hoses on the Tornado bucket it barely could stand up on it's own.

 

[Odie]

If you can, Syd.......how about some photos of your conversion?

thanks

ooc

 

[Tom Hamilton]

Pics Needed

If you can, Syd.......how about some photos of your conversion?

thanks

ooc

DITTO, I'd like to see pictures of your setup too.

Thanks
Tom

 

[Ken Kimbrell]

Great idea Syd! :cool2:
And, it works very well in actual practice... mine is very much like yours except that it has a full sized trash can added to the mix so that you can go longer before emptying it.

 

[Syd Sellers]

Great idea Syd! :cool2:
And, it works very well in actual practice... mine is very much like yours except that it has a full sized trash can added to the mix so that you can go longer before emptying it.

Ken, mine is a wimpy version of yours. Now that I know how well these things work, I'm wishing I had gotten the larger version too.

 

[Ken Kimbrell]

Syd, yours looks good... plus, if it works then it's not wimpy!

Here's a pic of mine.

 

[Syd Sellers]

Nice Job.

Ken, Nice job on the cart. There maybe a chance I could adapt your idea and make mine a bit larger as well.

 

[Glen Perye]

Here is my version of stacking the dust deputy cyclone on the top of the rigid shop vac. Some hose and fittings from home despot and WC Lowes didn't have the correct sizes for the vac. I used 4 bungee cords to hold the DD in place. just choose were you drill in the vac carefully.

It works well and in the basement shop when I need to move it I just use the DD to steer it around. I did have to use some duct tape around the DD fitting to get a nice tight fit as the Chinese hose connectors are loose tolerances.

 

[Odie]

You guys are showing me (us?) something that I'm completely unaware of.

Ok, please explain what the purpose of the "cyclone" is.

Is the idea to trap dust, or chips? ......and prior to entering the Shop-Vac?

Is this a method of increasing the capacity of the main vacuum unit?

Got some links to where to purchase a cyclone unit, with further information?

thanks

ooc

 

[Glen Perye]

Easiest way to describe it is a pre filter for the shop vac all the most of the larger saw dust, shavings and stuff drops out of the cyclone before it gets to the hepa filters on the shop vac. I know it works on a lot of stuff other than saw dust. Leaves and stuff outside in the fall, cement dust and bits from putting the glass block windows in the basement ect.
I will say that due to family members health issues since July I haven't used it much more. It does do the job as the filter bag cover on the vac is as clean as the day I put it on.
Dust Deputy web site They sell them at WC and they have other types that go on plastic garbage cans and even some that use 4" hoses etc.The web site has lots of info on it it is a resource even if you use another style.
I got mine from the web site when it was on sale as the build it yourself version.
I can say that I am a well satisfied customer.

 

[Odie]

Thanks, Glen......

So, if I get things right, the whole point of adding the Oneida Cyclone is to keep from cleaning the filter on the shop vacuum?

Are you using the vacuum and Oneida unit while operating machinery, or is it strictly for clean-up?

ooc

 

[Glen Perye]

Also it is easier to empty the bucket trap that the vac, you almost never have to either empty the vac or change filters form all the reviews/reports from people that use them. Since the dust is dropped out in the cyclone trap, the vac will retain it sucking efficiency longer. I have had it hooked up to suck in stuff from turning, the band saw,chop saws, intake mounted on the drill press table, and for general clean up.
I also have a import 4" dust collector that so far will hook to the trap on the bottom of the 10"table saw.

 

[Glen Perye]

Some may want to consider this attachment for your rigid shop vac's I haven't tried to see if it fits any others. Picked it up @ Home Despot. It is called a muffler, it reduces the exhaust sound of the shop vac, and it has a filter to keep anything that makes it thru the cyclone, filter in the tank etc
It does make enough of a difference that the wife who's computer desk is on the first floor above the lathe area. Noticed the difference in the sound levels. As I can next to it with out the ear muffs. It is a slip mount into the exhaust/blower port of the shop vac.

 

[Richard Jones]

Some may want to consider this attachment for your rigid shop vac's I haven't tried to see if it fits any others. Picked it up @ Home Despot. It is called a muffler, it reduces the exhaust sound of the shop vac, and it has a filter to keep anything that makes it thru the cyclone, filter in the tank etc
It does make enough of a difference that the wife who's computer desk is on the first floor above the lathe area. Noticed the difference in the sound levels. As I can next to it with out the ear muffs. It is a slip mount into the exhaust/blower port of the shop vac.

Glen,

Have seen mixed reviews on the sound reduction issue. It sounds as if yours was quite a reduction?

Thanks.

Richard

 

[Glen Perye]

I was able to tell when it was on and when it was off. Don't know if it was a major reduction or just a mind game thing with the wife, by showing her the gizmo before I took it out of the package and put it on. It might have to do with how good the person hearing is to the frequency of the sounds made by the vac when running.

 

[Dean Center]

Syd, yours looks good... plus, if it works then it's not wimpy!
Here's a pic of mine.

Ken, your device appears to have started with one of the inexpensive cyclone lids and morphed from there. Do you have a diagram or further explanation of how you modified the lid and what the role of the 5 gallon bucket is? Thanks

 

[Ken Kimbrell]

Dean you are correct about it being an inexpensive cyclone lid.

It is designed to fit on a 5 gallon paint bucket and it works OK that way, but it must be emptied quite often and is very easy to tip over and is generally more trouble than it's worth, at least to me. Didn't make any diagrams or plans on the current setup, I just cut the bottom out of the 5 gallon bucket and dropped it into a plywood lid for the trash can because that seemed to be the easiest way to fit the pieces together. The plywood lid has a groove routed into the trash can side with foam in the groove for an air seal.
One unseen component is the addition of a set of wooden braces inside the trash can to keep it from collapsing when the vacuum hose is closed off or blocked in some way... my old clunker of a vac can suck the sides of the can down pretty drastically without those braces.

 

[Bill Weaver]

Some may want to consider this attachment for your rigid shop vac's I haven't tried to see if it fits any others. Picked it up @ Home Despot. It is called a muffler, it reduces the exhaust sound of the shop vac, and it has a filter to keep anything that makes it thru the cyclone, filter in the tank etc
It does make enough of a difference that the wife who's computer desk is on the first floor above the lathe area. Noticed the difference in the sound levels. As I can next to it with out the ear muffs. It is a slip mount into the exhaust/blower port of the shop vac.

I have a similar situation. I like the idea going to try this.

 

[MichaelMouse]

Ok, please explain what the purpose of the "cyclone" is.
Is the idea to trap dust, or chips? ......and prior to entering the Shop-Vac?
Is this a method of increasing the capacity of the main vacuum unit?
Got some links to where to purchase a cyclone unit, with further information?

The "cyclone" settles the larger particles prior to the canister, where more settles prior to the filter. Makes for fewer filter cleanings, and if you use a large enough cyclone, you can put the standard 30-gallon GI can and carry out whatever fills the cyclone with the convenient handles. http://www.amazon.com/WoodRiver-Trash-Can-Cyclone-Lid/dp/B0035YD23K For turners it's not really that much of an upgrade. Still have problems with clogging while trying to pull interlocked messes of shavings through the hose, and even with good seals, you'll have extra air bleeding in with the increased number of connections. For flatwork types with planers shapers, routers and tablesaws, cyclones are great.

I'm fortunate to have purchased my collector long ago, when the can was on casters, and the motor/impeller mounted to the top of the can. The unit is well-balanced, small in footprint, and easily emptied. Compact for a shop with little room.

 

[robo hippy]

I am not sure about the shop vac set ups, but with the bigger 1 hp dust collectors, anything that goes up the hose goes through the fan/impeller blades before it goes into the canister. Any chunk of wood can bend or brake the impeller blades. Shavings, rags, and other items (I even got a light bulb once) just clog up the fan blades. Newer models have a cross hair at the entrance to the fan blades. This can clog up instantly. With the cyclone, the only thing that goes through the blades is fine dust.

robo hippy