Shopsmith Forums

Do you have outside access from the basement ? Optimally the best option is to build a small 4'X4' compartment on the outside of the house and use a standard dust collection unit which will pull the dust from the shop and not recirculate the fine dust back into the shop. I have mine parked outside in that manner and it works well. I use a remote control for the on off function that works very well. The one drawback to my system is that it also pulls 2000 cfm of heat or cooling to the outside which can be an issue.
Paul

Thanks Paul. Our house is built on grade - the area where the shop sits is about 3/4 underground. I have thought about either venting directly outside or adding and external building, but the extended driveway runs up that side so not really room for an external building. Also, I live in Canada - while where I live does't get the extreme winters, it's cold enough that drawing warm air out is a concern for 6 months of the year. There is a shared wall with the garage - I have thought about carving out some space in the garage and building a separate room to house a DC and air compressor, but there isn't a lot of spare room, and it would have to be insulated well and include a filtered make-up air "return" between the shop and new room.

So, I'm back to what I can do in the existing space.

I found putting a dust deputy by Oneida on my shop vac went a long way in increasing the efficiency of my vacuum, since installing it, I've not had to purchase a new filter, going on 4 years now. I've not noticed any decrease in performance of the shop vac with the separator on or off. My biggest frustration still is with collection hose, seems like I'm always tripping over that damn vacuum.

Based on your restrictions, I believe the Shopsmith DC3000 will solve all your problems. Get rid of both your shop vacs and replace them with the DC3000 with the 42" hood. That solves your space, air flow, heat and dust collection needs all at once. No construction, remodeling, or other modifications are required. You will have increased air flow and room air cleaning done as well. You can also get rid of any other air cleaning device you have. Your life will be simpler and you will not regret the decision despite the higher cost. I am 65 now and appreciate these types of solutions. Besides, Shopsmith makes and sells quality items that really do last. I have never regretted a single Shopsmith purchase I have ever made over the last 30 years.

I also have a central vacuum system for my home but I would never think of using that expensive system for my shop. Their design and function is different. They are designed for high suction but low air volume. You need high air volume for a shop.

I remember when I bought the Shopsmith Shopmate dust collection system before the DC3000 came out. I thought at the time that $250 was a lot of money for a vacuum at the time. I still have and use it today after 30 years. You still cannot buy one like it today. The DC3000 is also portable unlike a dedicated central system. Just spend the money and you will be happy with the result.

If space is a concern, consider the Rockler Wall mount dust collector with the canister filter.

http://www.rockler.com/rockler-dust-rig ... ws-content

I have this unit piped to my Shopsmith, Tablesaw, and router table, and while it is loud ~85db, it is a low pitched hum rather than the whine of a shop vac. The canister filters dust down to 1 micron so ne issue with blowing dust back into the shop or having to vent it to the outside.

By the time it is fully usable with hoses and fittings, you will be about the same price as a new DC3300 though.

I'm looking hard at the dust collection problem. I am rebuilding a DC-3300 (price was FREE!!) and presently use a 6 gal ShopVac with a Dust Deputy on the front end. The ShopVac & DD combo works GREAT, by the way, but the ShopVac is a bit(!) noisy. I do use a HEPA bag on the ShopVac so overall the combo seems to do a good job at capturing what dust the system picks up. Don't ignore the fact that getting the dust from the tool into the dust collection is a big part of the overall problem and needs to be carefully looked at. I would definitely recommend you plow through all the material on dust collection on Bill Pentz's web site:
http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/

For those of us with a small shop, a move-around dust collection system is probably the best (and maybe only) solution. We can minimize the length of the hose and connect to only one machine at a time (i.e. a good fit for a small DC). We may also be limited on AC power so we can't throw a lot of HP at the problem. We may also be limited on money so can't throw a lot of that at the problem. As noted, some shop vacs seem quieter than others - e.g. my son's Craftsman seems much quieter than my ShopVac. And do wear a dust mask and a ear protection!

ShopVacs are incredibly loud! I picked up a used one and thought I'd gotten a bargain until I turned it on. I think almost any other brand of canister vacuum would be quieter.