Collecting dust

For a while now I got by with using a small cyclonic separator in the form of a DustDeputy clone. This is built to sit between the vacuum cleaner and the nozzle hose separating dust from the airflow and collecting into a container. A plastic bucket in this case. It is simple yet very efficient. Even collecting fine plaster and fibreglass sanding dust without clogging the filter on the shopvac. Meaning I can sand in the house without making a mess or messing up the shopvac.

It has some limitations though. Shopvacs are not intended to run continuously. The extra bucket fitted with the cyclonic separator makes for a bit of a clumsy setup and is a little tippy until it has enough in it to weigh it down. I like the general portability and I will keep it for doing small jobs elsewhere. However I am considering stepping up the design and making it more permanent.

Most basic/smaller commercial cyclonic dust collectors are separate units having to be plumbed into an existing dust collector. Other actually come as separate units. They are also often 2hp and upwards meaning that they put a decent load on the home workshop power supply before even running another tool. The really basic units are just a blower and a dust filter bag with a motor in the 1hp range displacing around 500-750cfm which is more than adequate. The 100mm ports are also easily suited to ducting for the home workshop. This forms the basic unit for a home setup than can run continuously. Steel drums are readily available for ~$5 and will make a great bin for collecting into. Which leaves the cyclone… a basic sheetmetal construction and a few lids to make it all fit together in a modular fashion so it is easy to service or clean. The blowers can be a little noisy so one consideration is to build it into a soundproof enclosure, outside the workshop. This will free up space and make it easy to get to in order to empty it making plumbing a 100mm tube through the wall the only remaining obstacle.