Hey guys, the day has come where my rigid shop vac (connected to my shapeoko) tapped out and is no longer running.
Looking to get a new unit (designated dust collector, without being too loud due to not wanting to disturb the neighbors).
Will has suggested the Festool CT Midi in several posts, I’ve been looking into this one for quite some time. The only thing not appealing is the price - $590 on amazon. The thing looks awesome though.
I’ve also seen the Fein turbo 1 brought up in several reviews- at a price of $290.
Anyone have experience with the fein, or other similar models that they could recommend? Need to pull the trigger in the next 24 hrs.
Also I will note I keep my vacuum in an enclosure below my shapeoko enclosure to keep noise down, it has a baffled intake… Hope this won’t affect the performance or longevity of either machine. I’m also using the dust deputy with a 5gal container for separation inline with the system.
If budget is a strong consideration, you can still purchase a Rigid (if your are happy with their performance) and get a speed control for $18 at Harbor Freight. You can modulate the power of the vacuum for the job at hand thus reducing the sound and probably extending the life. I use a similar one on my Rigid Vacuum and it works well.
Size and noise considerations are important but your health is more important. If you get a HEPA type filter with the smaller vacs like the Festool then ok but I think you should look at the Onieda Mini Gorilla. You will get more performance, cyclonic separation and a more robust cleaning of your debris and air. The mini gorilla has specs for the noise but you get real dust extraction. The Festool, Fein, Makita and the Flex are designed for single tool applications. A router makes a lot more dust than a sander or similar tool.
Just think about widening your search for excellent dust extraction and performance. Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) is what counts when collecting dust and then after it is collected the filter.
I completely agree with you, Guy! In my limited experience, there is no substitute for high cfm air flow when trying to collect the finest dust. But isn’t the mini gorilla like $1,500? and runs off 220v? I would love to have one (hopefully soon), but at the time I was putting together my shop I could not afford one. I settled for this: https://www.harborfreight.com/2-hp-industrial-5-micron-dust-collector-97869.html
The only drawback I have found in my cobbled together system is that it is every bit as loud as a shopvac, if not more. And if you are dumb like me, you will mount the dust collector motor onto your shop wall and inadvertently turn the whole wall into one big vibrating “speaker”
not trying to ignore the physical blocking of dust. Simply saying, with the exact same dust boot, one with a 2" opening with a shopvac pulling 150 cfm and the other with a 4" opening with a dust collector pulling 1000 cfm, (both fully surrounded by brushes) I imagine the larger air volume being pulled by the dc would do a better job at containing and extracting chips and dust?
and i think the 1000 cfm setup would give you better protection from the little bit of small dust that does get past the brushes with the fact it is pulling around 16 cubic feet of air per second (or whatever it is limited to by the 4" ducting) in through the boot. Maybe that is too simplified and i should revisit educating myself on the topic
But the shop VAC probably has more than 10 times the static pressure (suction) than the dust collector at the flow (CFM) rates possible thru a properly designed and employed dust shoe (like a Suckit).
Not trying to say the shop vac and its high pressure suction wont do the job, but any fine dust that makes it past the brushes is more likely to float away freely than if you had a DC setup sucking massive amounts of air though your enclosure and dust boot.
My logic may be highly flawed as i am not an educated man.
I understand that. Thats why I would use the appropriate dust boot with 4" opening so you could actually benefit from the extra air flow. I see how a shop vac connected to an appropriate sized dust shoe would work better than a dc with 4" tubing being choked down to a 2" opening on a dust shoe designed for a shop vac…
I may have tricked myself into thinking it is better because I have one for my table saw and bench planer, which a shop vac couldn’t hope to keep up with.
uh, yeah… it does. I guess I am missing the point your making. Im not sure of the size of the opening taking into account obstruction by the brush and changing z height.
If there is no gap under the dust shoe’s brushes, no gap between its upper opening and the shank of the endmill, and no leakage through its brushes, there will be no airflow (i.e. 0 CFM). Just like if you block the hose with your hand. If the dust shoe’s gaps add to 12.6 square inches you should either adjust it or get another one.
