Shopsmith Forums

Is there a problem with frequent start/stops on the vacuum or is it ok to have it tied in via a current tap switch with the Mark V?

hudsonmiller wrote:Is there a problem with frequent start/stops on the vacuum or is it ok to have it tied in via a current tap switch with the Mark V?

I don't have mine tied it like you do but I turn mine on and off nearly every time the Shopsmith gets turned on/off so I don't believe the frequency of use will be a problem.

Constantly switching will eat into the number of life cycles that the machines are good for but I believe that is the only issue. I don't believe you can do anything to change that except not use it.

My DC3300 was purchased in 1985. I couldn't begin to guess the number of cycles on/off. I'm still on the original switch, which hasn't gotten as much use this past year because I now have the remote control with the remote button in my shop apron. This is the best way to go.

Hey, has your shop (as pictured in your avatar) always been surrounded by that white stuff?

Second on the remote button for the DC3300! I was convinced when Rick Davis was using one in a TA session. Too many times I was so focused on what I was doing, ready to start a cut and only to realize the DC was not turned on.

Dusty:

There's even more of the "white stuff" now. I understand that the level has now crept up to 27 to 30 inches.

Thanks to everyone. I'm going to keep it rigged up like I've got it to auto start with the mark v. Using a craftsman "current tap" with a pneumatic actuated foot switch.

hudsonmiller wrote:Thanks to everyone. I'm going to keep it rigged up like I've got it to auto start with the mark v. Using a craftsman "current tap" with a pneumatic actuated foot switch.

hudsonmiller,
As long as that is a big enough circuit (e.g., 20 amp) and the motors are knot starved for electricity, I see no problem with your set-up. If the foot switch is turning them both on and off, you must have the switches for both always in the on position. At least you are knot cycling the SS switches. The other switch may have a shorter life, but hey, that is what they are for, right?

I use a remote switch glued via velcro to the 520 Headstock right above the power switch for my 520. The difference being that I generally leave the DC3300 on for several minutes after I finish using the 520. I do open another port and allow it to pick up airborn dust. Thye shop in fact the whole house smell better and the air is fresher to breathe. Both my wife and I suffer from lung/breathing disorders so clean air is vital. fjimp

Hi F. Jim! Do you have the largest hood for your DC3300?

Sorry about your lung issues. Me too -a little bit, but wood doesn't seem to bother much.