Shpsmith Dust Collector Tip

cincinnati · Post by **cincinnati** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 11:57 pm

I never thought it was a problem. I hook the bag on the metal clips and hook the strap around the bag. Done!

iclark · Post by **iclark** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 1:54 am

2manband wrote:I'm picking up a shopsmith dust collector this evening and the previous owner mentioned something about the three metal clips being less than ideal. If I'm picturing this arrangement correctly in my head - wouldn't a garden variety ratchet strap do the trick?

there is an exploded view at
http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/part ... pview1.htm

the clips are part 28 and the strap is part 29. from this thread, it sounds like there was an early version of the strap that probably broke and didn't convey when used DC's were sold. the clips are to hold the bag in place long enough to get the strap on. I have only installed one bag on mine so far and it took me several tries to get it right. there seems to be an art to get the clips to hold the whole bag top in place while the strap is tightened. after the discussions here, I think I'll try using some tape to augment the clips when I do the bag replacement. if you don't get a good seal on the bag, you might as well just use a shopvac because the dust will just blow back out into the shop.

also, there was a thread here discussing the problem of having the ends of the bolts in the legs poking holes in the bag. someone suggested doing the original assembly with the bolts reversed (compared to the assembly instructions). other people suggested putting something over the end of the bolt to protect the bag. you might want to take a look at those bolts before you put on a new bag.

when I got mine (used), there was no plastic bag on it and lots of cake fell out into my car on the ride home. the cake build up inside the cloth bag is actually part of the filter system. I believe that more cake means smaller particles filtered out but less air flow for suction.

I hope that you are at least as happy with your DC as I am with mine.

Ivan

2manband · Post by **2manband** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 8:01 am

iclark wrote:there is an exploded view at
http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/part ... pview1.htm

the clips are part 28 and the strap is part 29. from this thread, it sounds like there was an early version of the strap that probably broke and didn't convey when used DC's were sold. the clips are to hold the bag in place long enough to get the strap on. I have only installed one bag on mine so far and it took me several tries to get it right. there seems to be an art to get the clips to hold the whole bag top in place while the strap is tightened. after the discussions here, I think I'll try using some tape to augment the clips when I do the bag replacement. if you don't get a good seal on the bag, you might as well just use a shopvac because the dust will just blow back out into the place.

also, there was a thread here discussing the problem of having the ends of the bolts in the legs poking holes in the bag. someone suggested doing the original assembly with the bolts reversed (compared to the assembly instructions). other people suggested putting something over the end of the bolt to protect the bag. you might want to take a look at those bolts before you put on a new bag.

when I got mine (used), there was no plastic bag on it and lots of cake fell out into my car on the ride home. the cake build up inside the cloth bag is actually part of the filter system. I believe that more cake means smaller particles filtered out but less air flow for suction.

I hope that you are at least as happy with your DC as I am with mine.

Ivan

I picked up the DC last night. Turns out that one of the three metal clips is broken off - that's what the seller was referring to. I'm guessing that this will make it a bit tougher to change bags, but the original strap was intact, so it does make a nice seal once everything's in place.

I turned it on and used it to do a little dusting around the shop. The performance was somewhat less than I expected. I'm guessing that the cake on the (original 12") filter bag is fairly thick - to the point that the airflow is being restricted. I'm going to take it off and shake it out, and possibly wash it (Shopsmith says that they're machine washable). I'm also considering picking up a 24" bag which is on sale right now. I'm really looking forward to getting this thing into action. Until now my "dust collection system" was a shopvac and a broom - which is just damage control after the dust gets all over the shop.

Aside from those couple of minor issues, it seems to be a very high quality machine. Fairly quiet, and everything seems well built.

On a related note - I found a great new way of removing sawdust from Shopsmith equipment: Strap it into the bed of a pickup truck and drive it down the PA turnpike for an hour. I guarantee that it will be a lot cleaner than when you started.

2manband · Post by **2manband** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 8:09 am

D'oh! I just realized that the DC has three inlets (one on each side and one on the bottom). I was using a side inlet, and didn't have the bottom one plugged. Bet I'll get better results if I do that.

Where's that "I'm an Idiot" smiley?

Len · Post by **Len** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 8:22 am

2manband wrote:D'oh! I just realized that the DC has three inlets (one on each side and one on the bottom). I was using a side inlet, and didn't have the bottom one plugged. Bet I'll get better results if I do that. Where's that "I'm an Idiot" smiley?

You were not alone in that endeavor!
I had to get gates to stop the other two inlets from drawing down on the suction.
And here I thought an idiot could do, but I was wrong!

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 8:52 am

Remember that this is a dust collector and not a shop vacuum that we are discussing.

I would think that many users run their Dust Collector with open ports so as to draw the dust particles from the ambient air in the shop.

I'll be waiting to see what others have to say on this. I am not really well informed because I work in an open air environment and don't concern myself much with the ambient air conditions (nature does that for me).

I use my dust collector attached directly to the Mark V and selected SPT (most likely the Jointer and Pro Planer).

fjimp · Post by **fjimp** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 8:55 pm

Dusty is a wise fellow. I always keep at least one port open a minimum of 1/2 way. I want dust collected from my work area as well as from the air. fjimp

cincinnati · Post by **cincinnati** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:17 pm

The Shopsmith has a low CFM compared to other units on the market. That said I have my Shopsmith unit hooked to a 20 foot run of 3" PVC pipe. I get better airflow (dust pick-up) if I keep one extra gate open on the run of pipe.

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:24 pm

toolcollector wrote:I just changed the collection bag on my Shopsmith Dust Collector. In the past, I've had trouble getting the bags to stay on, reverting to a little Duct Tape strip around the top of the bag to help hold it on.

This time, I took a piece of plastic strapping (the kind used for supporting pipes with holes drilled every few inches) cut it to about one inch short of going around the dust collector, widened the end holes with a box cutter, then secured it around the top of the bag with a zip tie inserted thru the end holes to draw it tight.

Cheap,. works great, is quick and reusable.

Hi toolcollector,
Check this thread out, especially post 17:
https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=1131&page=2&highlight=dust+collector

navycop · Post by **navycop** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 2:17 pm

2manband wrote: I'm guessing that the cake on the (original 12") filter bag is fairly thick - to the point that the airflow is being restricted. I'm going to take it off and shake it out, and possibly wash it (Shopsmith says that they're machine washable). I'm also considering picking up a 24" bag which is on sale right now.

I seen these posted in other forums: The bigger hood would do better. Also you are not suppose to wash them. The "cake" on dust is what makes it draw in the dust.