Shopsmith Forums

dusty wrote:I don't get it.

If everything ends up in the same (Dust Deputy) bucket, what is the other bucket (ShopVac or DC3300) for?

What would end up in the DC3300 collection bag?

Something has to suck! It depends upon high particle velocity. Centrifical force does the 'extraction'. The other bucket captures the remaining 1%.

FWIW that video was touting DUST collection, not debris. Larger debris would get 'extracted' more gooder!

JPG40504 wrote:Something has to suck! It depends upon high particle velocity. Centrifical force does the 'extraction'. The other bucket captures the remaining 1%.

FWIW that video was touting DUST collection, not debris. Larger debris would get 'extracted' more gooder!

"More gooder" would result in the larger debris being deposited where?

dusty wrote:"More gooder" would result in the larger debris being deposited where?

In the bucket at the bottom of the 'funnel' with the small dust!

The second bucket allows one to attach it to something and then the collector bucket can be easily pulled out to empty.

There is a size limit created by the small size of the funnel end.

Maybe this will clarify things a bit. Sorry if I be too basic here! Think Kahn Academy!;)


The vacuum device(shopvac or DC) provides a lower air pressure than that at the open end of the collection hose. That difference in pressure causes air to flow into the collection hose carrying any dust/debris with it.

When all that reaches the inlet to the dust deputy, it is directed tangent to the top inside circumference and slightly downward.

The inertia of the debris stream causes it to flow around the inside of the cone shaped 'separator'. As it descends down the separator wall it increases velocity due to the decreasing radius of the cone. It is this vortex like flow with increasing velocity nearer the bottom that gives it the 'cyclone' label.

This increased velocity exerts a greater centrifugal force on items with higher mass. Gravity is still in effect, so the heavier dust/debris continues its motion towards the bottom(small end) of the funnel.

The air being the lighter substance in the input mix, will drift towards the center of rotation. The outlet hose(air) provides a path for that air to escape the separator.

The dust/debris will when it falls to the bottom of the separator will merely continue its downward path through the hole in the bottom of the cone and fall into the collection bucket. The whole thing from the collection bucket to the ends of both the collection hose and the vacuum hose are operating under reduced air pressure(vacuum relative to the atmosphere).)

Love the term "more good'er" by the way.

Anyhoo to try another answer to Dusty's question: pretty much everything winds up in the bucket that sits underneath the Dust Deputy's cyclone (that clear plastic cone thing you see on top of the bucket - which, by the way, is just an ordinary 5 gal plastic bucket). The air + dust + pencils + whatever all comes roaring into the side port on the cyclone, whirls (spelling??) around in a decreasing spiral and then drops into the bucket. The 'center' of this cone of moving air and crap is the clean air which flows out through the top port and off to the inlet on ShopVac (in my case). Quite a picture to see. You can see the streams of dust spiraling down and dumping into the bucket.

As mentioned, I even sucked a pencil in when I was cleaning up a pile of sawdust. Thought for sure it would get caught in the hose or in the cyclone but it just waltzed through and dropped into the bucket.

So the only thing that goes on to the ShopVac is a little tinsy bit of dust. And, hopefully, the filter bag and the air filter catch even that. Which means you only have to clean the ShopVac up once in a jillion years. And, yes, it is just that simple and it works that well.

Those cyclones have been in use on the farm and commercial wood shops (and shoe shops) since the mid 1800's or so (much bigger than a Dust Deputy of course). On the farm they were used, and still are, on such things as feed grinders etc. Most feed grinders had bagger attachments on the bottom of them. There was an upside-down Y at the bottom which had a swinging gate so you can direct which side gets the flow. There is also some form of bag holding device on each side. You put on an empty bag on one side then the other. when the first bag fills you flip the gate to the other bag and remove the first bag and tie it with twine (unless you are stitching the top shut) and put on another empty bag. By then the other bag is full and you do it the same... And on and on and on... for what usually seems like forever to a kid. Most of the old burlap feed bags we used held between 90 to 125 pounds of ground feed.
Go to this page and look at the 5th picture to see the bagger part at the bottom of the cyclone:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOHN-DEERE-HAMMERMILL-CASE-BAGGER-ATTACHMENT-/110764413950?_trksid=p4340.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC.NPJS%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUA%26otn%3D5%26pmod%3D110732088998%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D3894854355616128111


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Francis, I spent a lot of time under one of those. It was an old Macormick if I recall correctly. We used it to grind hay for the sheep. Dad was sure that they ate more and wasted less that way. The dust went out the top on the one we had. Some how the wind seemed to blow toward you, no matter what. I seem to recall a much bigger cone of some other piece of machinery, but I can't seem to recall what. I know there were some " settling tanks" in our first irrigation pipelines that worked in a similar manner to get out the bigger chunks. I got to clean them out more than I wanted to.

Francis, I spent a lot of time under one of those. It was an old Macormick if I recall correctly. We used it to grind hay for the sheep. Dad was sure that they ate more and wasted less that way. The dust went out the top on the one we had. Some how the wind seemed to blow toward you, no matter what. I seem to recall a much bigger cone of some other piece of machinery, but I can't seem to recall what. I know there were some " settling tanks" in our first irrigation pipelines that worked in a similar manner to get out the bigger chunks. I got to clean them out more than I wanted to.

This has been a FUN thread! Enlightening too. I unnerstand how these things work like I've never been able to before. And that includes seeing why I've never had much of an urge to replace my Shopsmith ShopMate. It does most of what the Deppity and 3300 do (if not more). The onliest thing not in the picture is an inverted cone.
The SHopMate is a 30 gallon (or so) steel drum, very well coated (25 years and not one speck of rust) inside and out, with a honkin big motor on the top lid, to the underside of which is suspended a cylindrical filter housing holding a simple foam filter element. Around that is a heavy wire cage extending out to 2 1/2" or so from the drum sides. The cage holds a (very) fine filter bag covering the entire motor input apparatus. The drum inputs (two) are "elbows" which direct all flow horizontally which creates the circular air flow pattern one sees in the Deppity's cone. There's the flow & gravity separation system. I can run the unit until it's full (and that is a LOT!) and when it's emptied (simply popping off the whole top then dumping the drum) I shake out the fine filter bag and note that the inner foam (secondary or protection) filter is virtually clean, needing no attention.
I've wondered at times why the DC3300 ever came along. From what I read here, the ShopMate is the equivalent of the DC3300 and the Deppity put together.
If this thing ever craps out I am going to be one seriously disappointed guy.

GREAT essplanations guys! Thanks.

Would it be possible for you to post some pictures of your ShopMate, I have never seen one and tried to research it on the net but could not find any.
Thanks.

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