Dust collector or vac for chop saw?

**David Meiland** · 11-01-2009, 08:46 AM

I've been using a full-size shop vac as the dust collector for my chop saw in the shop, connected to a Sears tool switch. Works great most of the time, but after a while the paper filter gets clogged and it stops pulling, at which point I take the filter out and clean it. If I switch to a Fein or a Festool or some other vac, can I get away from this hassle? Not that I want to drop $300 or $500 on a vacuum to avoid occasional filter cleaning, but I'm curious.

**gburnet** · 11-01-2009, 08:52 AM

David, you might want to check out the Oneida Dust Deputy...http://www.dustdeputy.com/video.htm

It's essentially a cyclone separator for a vac & reduces the amount of dust the vac actually draws to itself, depositing it instead in the separator. It's keeps the filter in the vac dramatically cleaner & improves its efficiency.

My experience is that the DD is a bargain for what it does & will improve any vac it's attached to. I'd spend the money on it before committing to dropping upwards of $400 or more on a vac just for your miter saw. Now, if you have other uses for a vac such as those made by Fein or Festool, have at it... But you'll still be emptying bags & cleaning the occasional filter.

**David Meiland** · 11-01-2009, 09:05 AM

Greg, I've never seen that before. Might have to give it a try...

**MarkMc** · 11-01-2009, 09:37 AM

Before cyclonic sep's became readily avail in smaller sizes I made one using a 35 gal loose hd PE drum. Fared out the bottom with a bag of durabond 90 mixed a bit of cellulose insul and some leftover admix/primer to give it some ballast and smoother airflow and mounted on 2/12" casters. Works great w/ barely noticeable pressure diff from the store bought's. That said, the fines will still pass. This is used w/ a dust collector rather than shop vac which may be a better shop solution.

Depending on vac you may be able to find [and adapt] a longer filter cartridge or use some type of pre filter/filter bag if space is a concern.

**Dan Clark** · 11-01-2009, 09:38 AM

David,

+1 on Greg's recommendation.

Another option is the ClearVue cyclone: http://www.clearvuecyclones.com/Order_Page.htm. I bought the Mini CV06 but haven't had time to put it together. (You attach it to a suitable bucket or dust bin.) It's a bit more do-it-yourself and more expensive, but it is supposed to work better than the Oneida. That said...

When I bought my ClearVue, the Dust Deputy was more expensive and the kit was not available. If i had to do it again, I would probably buy the Dust Deputy Kit for the convenience.

Regards,

Dan.

**David Meiland** · 11-01-2009, 09:42 AM

Dan, it appears that you are in possession of contraband!

Originally Posted by Clearvue website

Mini CV06

Many of you have asked us why we aren't selling the Mini CV06 anymore. This is why:

We received a letter from Oneida's attorney on June 30, 2009 informing us that we were infringing on their Patent. Although we had our Mini CV06 for sale for about 5 months before Oneida came out with their Dust Deputy, they applied for and received a patent for the concept. In order to avoid a court case we have taken the Mini CV06 off the market until we can get this straightened out. Due to the fact that this idea was first made public in 2003 or before , we don't feel that anyone should have been issued a patent for the idea in 2007. Anyway, we'll have it back on the market as soon as we can get this situation resolved. We're sorry for the inconvenience this has cause our customers.

**colevalleytim** · 11-01-2009, 10:45 AM

David
I use both Shop Vac and a Festool when I set set-up on a job. To keep the dust to a minimum with the shop vac I use a fine dust bag, about $7 each, but I can use it with table saw or to pick-up drywall dust etc. and it keeps the paper filter from getting clogged.

One note of caution, the bags are a little temperamental, can't knock over the vacuum a lot and expect it to stay connected.

tim

**joseph** · 11-01-2009, 08:21 PM

i bought the dust deputy ,plastic one ,50$ ,mounted to a board that clamps to a 10 gal bucket .the plan is to put it on a garbage can . it does work perfect for the mitersaw . i use it on the thickness planer . it was a good purchase ,nice not to have to deal with plugged filters .oh yeah ,and a client gave me an old pull sweep hose ,20' probable ,now that really works well .vac stays in one place.

**Dan Clark** · 11-01-2009, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by David Meiland

Dan, it appears that you are in possession of contraband!

David,

Good catch. I just glanced at the page, grabbed the link, and pasted it here without reading it. My bad. I guess you'll have to buy Oneida whether you want to or not.

Frankly, it looks like Oneida is guilty of predatory practices. I.e. patenting something that is already public domain. Large companies do that knowing that smaller companies doesn't have the funds to protect themselves. It's the norm in some industries.

Regards,

Dan.

**IndyDog** · 11-02-2009, 07:20 AM

I'll go with the bag too. I use bags for my Shop Vac and a filter. Never a clogging problem and the filter acts as a back-up if the bag breaks.

**Brice Burrell** · 11-02-2009, 12:36 PM

I have the Clearvue mini, I've had problems with the grommet that the input vac hose attaches to. The glue that holds it is failed in short order and I've not found a suitable glue for it yet. Other than that it works well. In the shop is where these things are best suited, they'll a bit awkward to move around at the job. I much prefer my Festool mini to use with the miter saw while at the jobsite. Filter bags for the Festool mini are $19 for five bags.

**Tom Bainbridge** · 11-02-2009, 01:49 PM

and dont do what i did some 5 or more years ago with festool dust bags to try to save a couple of quid

dont split the bag, empty it then tape it back up.

i nearly ended up springing for a new set of festool filters

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