Replies

1. 
   hammer1 | Sep 11, 2006 03:56pm | #1

   I don't own a Dust Deputy. It seems as though it would steal a lot of power from the vac. Cyclones are nice for separating large chips and shavings but for ordinary sanding dust, I just hook the vac directly to my small tools. I think I would consider a downdraft table if machine sanding is something that you can't avoid.

   The cyclones I've had don't like leaks in the system. This can often be a cause for those lid type separators not working well. The ambient (ceiling) dust collectors are for cleaning the air of particles that escape other dust collection efforts. It's always best to collect as much as possible at the source.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

2. 
   forestgirl | Sep 11, 2006 05:14pm | #2

   "I do alot of sanding and want to have better control on dust collection."  You have a couple options with sanding.  First, if you're using a random orbit sander, hook your shop vac up to it.  It works great!  Other methods of sanding, you can build a small down-draft table and hook that up to your vacuum; or take a box-fan, mount a filter to it, an set that up next to your work (great for smaller items).

   Delta makes a "sanding mat", but shop-built would be dead-simple.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   

3. 
   billl6 | Sep 12, 2006 12:48am | #3

   John,

   I have had an Oneida system for two years and it does a good job. The company will design a system for you if you send then a plan of your shop. Very pleasant to work with and responsive to my questions.

   I built a down draft table which I hook up to the collector and do as much sanding on it as possible. it collects virtually all the dust if I stay over the grid while sanding.

   Bill

   Bill
4. 
   billl6 | Sep 12, 2006 12:50am | #4

   John,
   I think I mis read your post. You must be talking about their new small cyclone to be hooked up to a shop Vac. I have no experience with that or whether it would work with a down draft table.

   Bill

   Bill
5. 
   Beckfella | Sep 12, 2006 08:36pm | #5

   My son recently purchased a Dust Deputy. He works in a small cabinet shop and has used it hooked up to a Fein vacuum (I don't know which model.) and to a random orbit sander. He says that it works unbelievably well. Dust is separated by the cyclone so well that the vacuum filter remains clean. There is no power loss that is typical with filters clogged with sanding dust.

1. 
   johnl | Sep 13, 2006 06:02pm | #6

   Thanks for getting back to me.  His set up sounds like it mirrors my shop and it is good news to hear that it is working.  Could you ask him one more question? Does it stop alot of the dust from getting air borne and all over everything including his lungs.  I am hoping to cut down on this problem with the system also.  Thanks again and happy wood working.  John Leahy

1. 
   gloway | Sep 13, 2006 10:23pm | #7

   John

   The best system for your lungs will always be a ceiling suspended dust filtration system simply made from a box with two good filters and a 1/4 - 1/2 hp. furnace blower usually available free from a furnace shop off old discarded furnaces. Lots of plans on internet.I built my own and it works awesome to keep the dust from the air.Remember to locate system along a long wall about two feet from the wall and about 1/3 from the corner as air circulates around the outside walls and not in the center of the room.

   Good Luck

   Wayne

2. 
   Beckfella | Sep 14, 2006 08:19pm | #9

   A correction on the vacuum - he has been using the Dust deputy with a Rigid shop vac. He has a Fein vacuum, which he has yet to try. As for the dust around the sander, there is still the same amount as without the Dust Deputy, but since the vacuum's filter gets clogged much more slowly, I suspect that the efficiency of dust capture decreases much more slowly. He said that the amount of dust in the air at the sander isn't "too bad" not exactly a scientific measure but, as we all know, sanding dust can be terrible. As annoying as they can be, a respirator is still a good idea.

1. 
   johnl | Sep 15, 2006 12:02am | #10

   Thanks for all info.

6. 
   JohnWW | Sep 13, 2006 11:00pm | #8

   I wrote the review of the Dust Deputy and it won't solve your basic problem.  The unit removes most of the dust from the air stream going to the vac, greatly reducing how frequently you have to clean your shop vac's filter, but it doesn't improve the dust pick up at the tool, in fact it reduces the efficiency of the dust catching slightly.  The Dust Deputy's only advantage is that it greatly cuts down on filter cleaning and therefore saves some time.

   To improve dust capture you need to to increase the air flow, either by going to a larger vac or improving your piping, and/or you need to improve the dust shrouding on your machines, so less dust escapes into the air.

   I don't agree with the previous suggestion that you should install a whole shop air filter as the primary solution, since it can only capture dust that is already in the air and that dust is an immediate health hazard that should have been caught before it went airborne.

   John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine

1. 
   mapleman | Sep 15, 2006 06:22am | #12

   John,

   I've been wanting to ask you the same question about the dust deputy since that issue came out and I saw you did the review. It sounds like I would be better off hooking the sander up to a shop vac and using a downdraft table at the same time. Thanks for great tool reviews - keep up the good work!

   Lee

1. 
   JohnWW | Sep 15, 2006 04:40pm | #13

   Lee,

   I recently did some experimenting in the shop and found that hooking up a random orbit sander to a shop vac caught 99% of the dust and that a down draft table really wasn't needed at that point.  I used a cheap Ryobi sander for the testing, using a better quality machine such as a Festool, which is noted for its excellent dust pick up, would probably catch the last 1%.  Overall I have found that downdraft tables aren't especially good at catching dust unless they have a very large airflow.

   John White 

1. 
   mapleman | Sep 15, 2006 05:45pm | #14

   Hi John,

   Thanks for the reply. Speaking of Festool sanders, would you mind looking at my post in the general discussion "problem? with bosch ro sander" You might be able to answer my question better than anyone since you are directly involved in the tool tests at fine woodworking.

   Thanks,

   Lee

2. 
   Rennie | Sep 15, 2006 06:39pm | #15

   John,

   As I respect your opinions a great deal (you are no doubt one of - if not 'the' - most level headed poster here) I'm feeling quite good about my own sanding habits right now. I use a DeWalt 5" ROS with my ShopVac and sand virtually dust free. I share my shop area with the laundry and I never get "dust complaints" on sanding days. Sawing and routing, that's another story.Rennie

   A man is a fool if he drinks before he reaches the age of 50, and a fool if he doesn't afterward. Frank Lloyd Wright

1. 
   JohnWW | Sep 15, 2006 09:02pm | #16

   Good to have my experience confirmed, Thanks.

   John W.

7. 
   WillGeorge | Sep 15, 2006 04:53am | #11

   Just me.. My first thought when I saw this post..

   Do you have a sanding table with a vaccuum 'pull down'? It will eliminate MOST of the dust before it gets airborn.? Makes a BIG difference!