Replies

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Dec 29, 2007 08:18am | #1

   I don't know you, but at my house the central vac usually sees bread crumbs, dirt, dust, sand, and small chips of wood tracked upstairs from the shop.  My dust collector, however, collects everything from sawdust to wood chips and smaller shavings (big shavings, such as those off a lathe or handplane, tend to clog up the hose).  Basically, the central vac receives smaller stuff and the dust collector gets bigger stuff.  By the way my dust collector fills up a standard sized garbage can every week - and as many as three or four should I be surfacing stock.  When was the last time you emptied your central vac?

   Chris @ flairwoodworks

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

2. 
   hammer1 | Dec 29, 2007 04:44pm | #2

   Dust collectors are designed to move a large volume of air. A small orifice, like a vacuum hose will starve the machine, like sucking a McD's shake through a cocktail straw.

   I found a pool cleaning hose at the dump and hooked it up to a 30hp cyclone. Thought it would be handy cleaning up. It didn't work.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

3. 
   JohnWW | Dec 29, 2007 05:29pm | #3

   Use a large shop vac for a house central vac, way less expensive and they work well because they're designed to work with small diameter piping.

   John W.

1. 
   tuolumne7 | Dec 29, 2007 06:42pm | #4

   After reading the operators manual, they indicate that the dust collector will often perform better with several ports open.  I imagine this would be necessary for orbital sanders and such.  I think I'll give it a try and see what happens.  It is easy enough to hand a central vac on the wall later.

4. 
   Dave45 | Dec 30, 2007 07:27am | #5

   I doubt if it would work as well as a shop (or central) vac.  A DC uses 4" or bigger duct and is designed to move a large volume of air at a relatively low velocity.  A shop (central) vac uses a smaller duct but at a higher velocity.

   I have a couple of DC ports rigged to accept a 2" shop vac hose or a 1.25" hose with a 2" adaptor on one end.  The DC system works fine as a vac with the 2" hose and attachments, but not very well with the 1.25" stuff.

5. 
   Flyer34 | Sep 17, 2019 05:21pm | #6

   I think it should be noted that dust collectors and shop vacs are quite different. Even though they both clean dust particles, a dust collector system is much more efficient than a shop vac. I've seen a lot of woodworkers start out with a shop vac and then upgrade it to a cartridge filter. You might try looking on YouTube for tutorials. Good luck!