Shopsmith Forums

Well disappointing news for me. Fired up my Upgraded DC-6000 for a small task to find it discharging a fair amount of dust out the back of the motor housing. Let it run few minutes and constantly emitting interior dust to outside. The darn thing was working great from July until now. Can’t tear into it today but I am guessing one of the new seals installed inJuly has failed. The pic shows the dust accumulated on the upper fold of the collection bag. Anyone else that upgraded experienced a similar problem?

It was kicking the dust out where the power cords inter the housing and falling down to the bag

ssuel wrote: Sat Nov 06, 2021 12:22 pm Well disappointing news for me. Fired up my Upgraded DC-6000 for a small task to find it discharging a fair amount of dust out the back of the motor housing. Let it run few minutes and constantly emitting interior dust to outside. The darn thing was working great from July until now. Can’t tear into it today but I am guessing one of the new seals installed inJuly has failed. The pic shows the dust accumulated on the upper fold of the collection bag. Anyone else that upgraded experienced a similar problem?

Mine leaked dust out the back of the motor housing like that when it was new. There are two areas with leak potential where the dust would be likely to come out of the motor housing, IMO. I am positive that most, probably all, of my leak was due to poor fit between the motor housing and the fan housing. See viewtopic.php?p=287093#p287093 earlier in this thread. But I see this getting better with operating time, not worse. The other is the foam gaskets between the motor housing and main housing, especially the top one. That upper gap sealed by the thick seal (I think SS calls it the short seal) was pretty big on a DC-3300 and as Dusty noted it is bigger on the DC-6000. The reason for that is the whole motor, fan, housings, etc. assembly sits at a slightly more nose-down attitude compared to the 3300, and nothing in the new design was changed to account for the larger gap. Those seals degrade with time, but this doesn't seem like enough time.

Also possible something got loose.(?) The motor housing is held to the fan housing (sheet metal) with four large sheet metal screws. I considered changing those to through bolts but didn't.

Shopsmith RMA'd my upgrade and made changes to the interface between motor and fan housings. Jim specifically mentioned a silicone seal. I didn't take it apart when I got it back but suspect that was sealant as opposed to a gasket. That's what I would have done if I hadn't returned it. He also said they flattened the surface, see the pics in that earlier link. Mine has worked fine since I got it back, they sent new seals like you put in when you did the upgrade.

- David

Last month I took my DC-3300 apart to check it out and clean it when someone on this forum suggested that the suction appeared to be weak (due to the amount of chips left after an operation). I found the gap that you all talked about, and the foam had disintegrated into a nasty tar that was difficult to clean off. I had some felt sheets that I cut up to make filler gaskets, and in some areas I had to put double layers. When I put the DC back together my suction was much better. I don’t think the felt will disintegrate like that crappy foam did.

Majones1 wrote: Sat Nov 06, 2021 6:40 pm Last month I took my DC-3300 apart to check it out and clean it when someone on this forum suggested that the suction appeared to be weak (due to the amount of chips left after an operation). I found the gap that you all talked about, and the foam had disintegrated into a nasty tar that was difficult to clean off. I had some felt sheets that I cut up to make filler gaskets, and in some areas I had to put double layers. When I put the DC back together my suction was much better. I don’t think the felt will disintegrate like that crappy foam did.

You have resolved, at least for the moment, the same issue that Dave and I had with the DC-6000. The primary difference is that the gap with your DC-3300 is.was a lot smaller than what occurs after the upgrade kit is installed. This is the gap that I had with my DC-6000:
I purchased some gasket material at Ace that worked well. It is thicker and wider than what Shopsmith provided. Even then, I doubled up on the layers to further improve the seal. What it looks like now.
I have yet to do a lot of heavy work with the new DC but what I have done has indicated to me that I have the problem licked.

The dust that collects in the motor housing is through this gap and with it now closed - I have none in the motor housing.

It has been reported that Shopsmith (Jim) sealed the gap with silicone. Not my idea of a proper solution. The gasket that I have used is better but I believe is still a POOR solution. That huge gap IMO should not be there at all and would not be had the redesign had been completed.

If there is a leak between the motor housing and fan housing I do not consider it an issue. Whatever dust that does move through that leak remains within the DC with all the rest.

dusty wrote: Sat Nov 06, 2021 9:15 pm
You have resolved, at least for the moment, the same issue that Dave and I had with the DC-6000. The primary difference is that the gap with your DC-3300 is.was a lot smaller than what occurs after the upgrade kit is installed. This is the gap that I had with my DC-6000:

Oh my God that’s a huge gap!!!

I am really glad I bought the DC6000 new rather than the upgrade! Mine is performing very well and has lived up to my expectations.

Jack

claimdude wrote: Sun Nov 07, 2021 10:27 am I am really glad I bought the DC6000 new rather than the upgrade! Mine is performing very well and has lived up to my expectations.

Jack

Please, the next time you have the hood off a picture that shows where the motor housing meets the main housing would be greatly appreciated. I am interested in the size of the gap at that location.

If there is no significant gap, I suspect that the collection intake (the 4" coupler") is offset (upward) in the intake opening. I'd bet that your unit is not sealed with the same gasket material that SS put in the upgrade kits.

Wonder what IT looks like inside also???

I'd bet on minimal, if any, differences between the production and upgrade versions. My thinking is that if the OEM was concerned about the big gap the most obvious place to change it is to change the shape of the motor housing so it fits. Raising the other end to close the gap results in the intake end not aligning so well with the hole in the main housing and perhaps interfering with the plenum. I hate to criticize when I don't know all the considerations that went into the design, but the motor housing is a new part which, presumably, allows for an engineering drawing, 3-D modeling, etc. They could have designed whatever was needed. Instead we have what appears to be a reworked DC-3300 motor housing. That approach constrains the design, as you are pretty much limited to removing the unwanted features. Which is exactly what the 'new' motor housing looks like. I hope there were non-obvious reasons for this choice.

- David