Dust Collection with Fein Shop Vac?
I currently use my TS (Rigid TS3500) at 110v plugged into a Fein Shop vac (I really like the automatic start), and don’t particularly want to loose this functionality if I switch to 220v unless there would be good benefit, I mention this as I was considering doing this.
I have just started really setting up my 1/2 (of a 2 car) garage shop. (I didn’t used to have anything but hand tools a circular saw and biscuit joiner and used a spare bedroom as my “shop”) To date (only a few months) I’ve had a Fein Turbo II (with the little 1-1/2″ hose connected via an adapter to my tablesaw). I bought it for use with my biscuit joiner and circular saw, but it immediately saw more use as my dust collector (replacing the loud as heck Craftsman 5hp 2-1/2″ hose Shop Vac, because it is so quiet by comparison!). I’ve been considering purchasing the Fein Turbo III (10 or so greater CFM and larger 2-1/2″ dia. hose) and using it as my primary dust collection system for the Table saw.
I’m mostly a hand tool guy (Neanderthal-esqe), and only have a 12″ bandsaw, this TS and a Drill press (mostly for drilling metal).
I have to say the Fein II even with it’s dinky dia. and long hose, has eliminated the sawdust I used to get piled up under the TS. In fact, I don’t see any. Granted I’m using a Woodworker II (or is it III) blade which only seems to produce fine powdery dust.
There is a question here 🙂 I have resisted purchasing a true dust collector (such as the Delta 50-760) as I
1) Am making every effort to choose tools which operate as quietly as possible. (This is a personal thing, I know, but it is a top priority for me)
2) Don’t have the floorspace for it.
Replies
As long as you have adequately sized wiring serving the saw and the shop vac combination, there is no advantage to converting the saw to 220 volts. If the circuit serving the combination is inadequate, you could upgrade the shop's 110 volt wiring, but this would be more expensive and time consuming than changing over the motor wiring.
Also, before you spend a lot of money on a new Fein vac, you might want to check the loudness of the less expensive current models of the Ridgid vacs and some others, they are considerably quieter than the older models.
Sears, and others, also sell small modules that you can plug a power tool and a vac into to get the vac to turn on automatically when the tool is switched on. Other brands of shop vacs also have the automatic start function.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
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