How to connect a ShopVac to SS?
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a1gutterman
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chrispitude
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Hi Tim,
Not really! The cyclone needs to be attached to a collection bucket with an adapter plate that must be fabricated. Since that starts to become a project, I'd like to finish up my current shelving project before taking on a new one.
After seeing how clogged up with sawdust the Shopvac filter became, I am convinced that this cyclonic separator will allow the Shopvac to simply become a big blower motor without worrying about its filter clogging. (Check out the example video on their site - impressive!) In fact, if you look on the Clearvue forum picture gallery, you'll see lots of people who have performed surgery on shop vacuums of varying brands, and simply used the blower assembly without the rest of the vacuum canister. There are some very clever setups!
- Chris
Not really! The cyclone needs to be attached to a collection bucket with an adapter plate that must be fabricated. Since that starts to become a project, I'd like to finish up my current shelving project before taking on a new one.
After seeing how clogged up with sawdust the Shopvac filter became, I am convinced that this cyclonic separator will allow the Shopvac to simply become a big blower motor without worrying about its filter clogging. (Check out the example video on their site - impressive!) In fact, if you look on the Clearvue forum picture gallery, you'll see lots of people who have performed surgery on shop vacuums of varying brands, and simply used the blower assembly without the rest of the vacuum canister. There are some very clever setups!
- Chris
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wgander
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I found what I needed in Sears today: one package with a length (7'?) of 2 1/2" hose and four different size fittings for one end: the box instructions say to use the one you need and throw the others away. (I put the unused ones in a drawerm just in case.)
One end of the hose fits snugly into my 5 gallon ShopVac and one of the adapters fits my SS: I used it on the lower saw guard and with the utility attachment on my Router System. I made several cuts, used the disc sander and then did about 30 minutes of palm sanding, and had very little saw dust anywhere.
(The Router System table is a comfortable height for using my palm sander while standing.)
One end of the hose fits snugly into my 5 gallon ShopVac and one of the adapters fits my SS: I used it on the lower saw guard and with the utility attachment on my Router System. I made several cuts, used the disc sander and then did about 30 minutes of palm sanding, and had very little saw dust anywhere.
(The Router System table is a comfortable height for using my palm sander while standing.)
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a1gutterman
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chrispitude
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Hi all,
ClearVue now has a ready-to-go solution for a $99 Ridgid shop vacuum:
[ATTACH]1698[/ATTACH]
I've placed an order and the adapter should be here on Tuesday. I've got to put my Shopsmith back together and realign everything, but I'll let you all know how it works!
- Chris
ClearVue now has a ready-to-go solution for a $99 Ridgid shop vacuum:
[ATTACH]1698[/ATTACH]
I've placed an order and the adapter should be here on Tuesday. I've got to put my Shopsmith back together and realign everything, but I'll let you all know how it works!
- Chris
- Attachments
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- ridgid_cyclone1.jpg (51.26 KiB) Viewed 22998 times
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Ed in Tampa
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chrispitude
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- Location: Saylorsburg, PA
Hi Ed,
Here is ClearVue's site:
Clear Vue Cyclones Home
Here is a link specifically to the Ridgid conversion lid:
RIDGID Conversion Lid
There is a long and interesting story to this company. It began with a fellow named Bill Pentz, whose story is told on Bill's site:
Bill Pentz Cyclonic Home Page
Due to Bill's own personal respiratory troubles, he began studying dust collection efficiency. You can read all the details in the Introduction section of his site, but the short story is that he came up with a very efficient cyclonic separator design, then made the plans freely available on the Internet in the interests of improving dust collection and hobby safety for everyone. Then along came Clear Vue Cyclones, which simply started as a small operation by Ed Morgano who began building clear plastic cyclones to Bill's specifications. They were a hit beyond their expectations, and Clear Vue Cyclones has been growing ever since.
There is a fantastic amount of reading to be done at Bill Pentz' page and on the various sections of the Clear Vue page. I have not yet read all of it, but I have read a fair amount of it. I would love to get a full size Clear Vue collector but I am simply far too space-constrained in my current garage to even consider it. (This is why I got a Shopsmith over separates, after all!) I like the shop vacuum approach because I already need a shop vacuum in the garage, and having a cyclonic dust collector allows the vacuum to do double duty.
Ed, the mini CV06 cyclone can be adapted to pretty much any shop vacuum, but you are responsible for rigging up the adapter. Check out the photo gallery and forum links under the Clear Vue Community section of their page. I had originally planned to build an adapter for my Shopvac-brand vacuum, but once I saw their ready-to-roll solution for Ridgid vacs, I'll simply craigslist off my Shopvac (bought for $109) and buy the Ridgid ($99). The beauty of their adapter is that it is very easy to switch the vacuum between cyclonic wood dust separation and conventional rough item pickup modes.
It is also impressive to watch their shop vacuum demo video under the Product Info/Videos link. There is hardly any dust at all on the filter pleats after sucking up a huge pile of sawdust! The cyclonic separation keeps the filter free-flowing and keeps the shop vacuum CFMs high.
- Chris
Here is ClearVue's site:
Clear Vue Cyclones Home
Here is a link specifically to the Ridgid conversion lid:
RIDGID Conversion Lid
There is a long and interesting story to this company. It began with a fellow named Bill Pentz, whose story is told on Bill's site:
Bill Pentz Cyclonic Home Page
Due to Bill's own personal respiratory troubles, he began studying dust collection efficiency. You can read all the details in the Introduction section of his site, but the short story is that he came up with a very efficient cyclonic separator design, then made the plans freely available on the Internet in the interests of improving dust collection and hobby safety for everyone. Then along came Clear Vue Cyclones, which simply started as a small operation by Ed Morgano who began building clear plastic cyclones to Bill's specifications. They were a hit beyond their expectations, and Clear Vue Cyclones has been growing ever since.
There is a fantastic amount of reading to be done at Bill Pentz' page and on the various sections of the Clear Vue page. I have not yet read all of it, but I have read a fair amount of it. I would love to get a full size Clear Vue collector but I am simply far too space-constrained in my current garage to even consider it. (This is why I got a Shopsmith over separates, after all!) I like the shop vacuum approach because I already need a shop vacuum in the garage, and having a cyclonic dust collector allows the vacuum to do double duty.
Ed, the mini CV06 cyclone can be adapted to pretty much any shop vacuum, but you are responsible for rigging up the adapter. Check out the photo gallery and forum links under the Clear Vue Community section of their page. I had originally planned to build an adapter for my Shopvac-brand vacuum, but once I saw their ready-to-roll solution for Ridgid vacs, I'll simply craigslist off my Shopvac (bought for $109) and buy the Ridgid ($99). The beauty of their adapter is that it is very easy to switch the vacuum between cyclonic wood dust separation and conventional rough item pickup modes.
It is also impressive to watch their shop vacuum demo video under the Product Info/Videos link. There is hardly any dust at all on the filter pleats after sucking up a huge pile of sawdust! The cyclonic separation keeps the filter free-flowing and keeps the shop vacuum CFMs high.
- Chris
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Ed in Tampa
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- Location: North Tampa Bay area Florida
Wow! The price! It looks nice but I think I'll stick to my DC3000.
I thought if I could pick it up for around $50 or so I would probably consider it, but at $200 plus the cost of the vac, welll!!!!!!
I was just reading my financial mag and they were commenting on Ben Franklin's famous saying, "a penny saved is a penny earned." Well today figuring everything in like taxes, insurance etc they say, "a penny saved comes out closer to two pennies earned." They suggestted that if you were going to buy something you should double the cost and see if you still wanted it. I figure I saved $600 bucks today.
Ed
I thought if I could pick it up for around $50 or so I would probably consider it, but at $200 plus the cost of the vac, welll!!!!!!
I was just reading my financial mag and they were commenting on Ben Franklin's famous saying, "a penny saved is a penny earned." Well today figuring everything in like taxes, insurance etc they say, "a penny saved comes out closer to two pennies earned." They suggestted that if you were going to buy something you should double the cost and see if you still wanted it. I figure I saved $600 bucks today.
Ed
Very interesting, Chris! After a couple of projects, please let us know how it works. Nothing better than a review by a Shopsmith Forum Member!
I am pretty well set up right now, but you never know what the future brings. At this time, I'll agree with Ed's views.
I am pretty well set up right now, but you never know what the future brings. At this time, I'll agree with Ed's views.
Octogenarian's have an earned right to be a curmudgeon.
Chuck in Lancaster, CA
Chuck in Lancaster, CA
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chrispitude
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Hi guys,
Believe me, if I had space for a separate dust collector, I probably wouldn't go down this path either. However, I see this solution as somewhat akin to the Shopsmith itself - sometimes you're willing to spend a little more for good engineering and a space-efficient solution. (By space efficient, I mean that I already own a shop vaccum - the "space efficient" comes from not needing to purchase an additional standalone unit specifically for dust collection.) Cyclonic separation and a HEPA filter will provide filtration down to 1um. This is better than all but the best bag-based filters. Of course, some of that filtration benefit is offset by the fact that a shop vacuum dust collector won't pull as much out of the air as a full-sized unit with higher airflow.
I'll be sure to share my experiences. I've been intrigued by these clear cyclones for awhile now. If I had more space, I would go for a dedicated collector (probably cyclonic). If I already had a dust collection solution as you guys do, I definitely would stay put with what I have.
- Chris
Believe me, if I had space for a separate dust collector, I probably wouldn't go down this path either. However, I see this solution as somewhat akin to the Shopsmith itself - sometimes you're willing to spend a little more for good engineering and a space-efficient solution. (By space efficient, I mean that I already own a shop vaccum - the "space efficient" comes from not needing to purchase an additional standalone unit specifically for dust collection.) Cyclonic separation and a HEPA filter will provide filtration down to 1um. This is better than all but the best bag-based filters. Of course, some of that filtration benefit is offset by the fact that a shop vacuum dust collector won't pull as much out of the air as a full-sized unit with higher airflow.
I'll be sure to share my experiences. I've been intrigued by these clear cyclones for awhile now. If I had more space, I would go for a dedicated collector (probably cyclonic). If I already had a dust collection solution as you guys do, I definitely would stay put with what I have.
- Chris