Hello, I recently got a Shapeoko Pro XL and want to add dust collection to my shop. This would be the only tool that uses this system so I don’t need a whole shop system. I am debating what system to go with and for a while I was just going to do a shop vac with a cyclone separator attached but I am leaning towards a larger dust collector right now. Currently, I am thinking of getting the Dust Right 650 and the Dust Right Cyclone I would love to get the canister filter but I think I will save that for a down the road upgrade. My real question here is, is this an appropriate system or would I be better served by a higher pressure lower airflow shop vac? I am willing to spend up to $700 on this system but I want to make sure I am getting the best bang for my buck and not wasting my time and money.
The current value option which seems to be working well for folks is:
possibly paired w/
In a noise-induced, migraine-fueled rage I bought a Festool CT Midi and Oneida Ultimate Dust Deputy (back before either of those options were available) and it has worked well.
The wall-mounted things seem a good option for a suitable shop setup, so long as they have a HEPA filter.
A Shop Vac would be more than sufficient. The Dewalt Stealth shop vac works well and is very slient! Add that with a cyclone seperator and you are more than set.
I switches to the Dewalt and I think it works better than my 5hp cyclone for the CNC.
I already have a 4in dust boot would that cause any issues with running a 2in shop vac?
I would assume it is ok with the right adapter. BTW, with my setup I can barely hear the vac when using the deep sweepy. When o use the regular it is a different story. The hard angle on the shorter one creates a really loud airflow situation. Maybe I could glue a curve in there. I really prefer the deeper one anyway as I don’t have to reposition it as much.
Are you referring to the 9-gallon vs the 12-gallon?
I bought the larger one. It has a 2 or 2.5 inch hose. The smaller one has a
Smaller hose.
Or we’re asking about the sweepy?
Regular:
Deep:
Looks like you have to get the regular for the mount but then can add the deep.
The Stealthsonic vac is great and Lowes has the best price.
Dust collection is very important. The type is also important. A shop vac is likely adequate for just the Shapeoko but if you are going to use any other machines in your shop like a bandsaw, tablesaw, dill press or router table then a dedicated dust collection would be best.
For a shop vac type system that is a single stage system. The filter quickly becomes clogged with fine dust and the efficient and cfm quickly go down and reduces the effectiveness of the dust collection. By adding the cyclonic makes your dust collection a 2 stage and the filter in the shop vac will stay clean longer and increase the effectiveness of the dust collection.
A true dust collection system will out perform a shop vac due to its increased cfm. Both a shop and dust collection system can produce vacuum but it is the cfm that makes the difference in dust collection. The same thing is true for a dust collection system as a shop vac in that a 2 stage is better because the dc filter stays cleaner and keeps the performance up longer. So you can buy a single stage dc system but they are making a lot of 2 stage dc systems integrated together. You can buy a single stage and add the cyclone like an Onieda Super Dust Deputy but I would just buy an integrated dc system if buying my first dc. The overall foot print of the dc will be less with an integrated 2 stage system over a cobbled together system.
So if only the Shapeoko is going to be used a good shop vac and cyclone will work fine. If you are going to do other woodworking a larger system would be a better value. You had mentioned the Rockler system and you should really check the specs for cfm compared to a shop vac. Those little systems are not much better than a good shop vac.
what are some integrated 2-stage dc systems you have seen, I wasn’t finding any when I was looking around or I wasn’t realising the difference.
I also just switched from a Ridged Shop Vac to the Dewalt Stealthsonic Shop Vac.
I tried 3 different normal shop vacs. Then one day the Dewalt was on sale. I could not help myself 
I was amazed at how quite it is compared to my old one.
It used to be my vacuum that was the nosiest thing and now it is the router.
I am sure there are quieter options but for the price and that it is now not the nosiest item, it is worth it to me.
My setup does not have a cyclone attachment. Maybe some day
There are a bunch of 2 stage dust collectors out there. Oneida, Grizzly, Jet, Powermatic, and a bunch more. Search for 2 stage dust collector.
To be clear 2 stage means you have a primary dust collection system that is the motor, impeller, and a filter. the second stage is usually a cyclonic mechanism that is between the primary dust collector and the machine making the dust. The cyclonic action spins the saw dust around and it slows down and drops to the bottom of a container. The air then exits the top of the cyclone much cleaner than when it entered the cyclone and that much cleaner air is moved over to the primary dust collector. Because the air is much cleaner the filter is not nearly as dirty as it would be if the 2nd stage was not in place.
By having a cleaner filter the cfm and volume of air stays high and moves more saw dust. A shop vac can have good cfm but is not moving nearly as much air as a larger dust collection system.
Here are some add on cyclonic systems for a single stage dust collector/shop vac.
This one is is for larger systems
This one is for shop vacs
This one is for larger systems.
I find there is less left on the table while using the Dewalt than using my larger system. That may be due to the way the 8” ductwork for the larger one runs all over the garage. I felt like in some cases I was starving that machine when only the 2.25” hose to the CNC was open and would sometimes crack open another blast gate. I am not an engineer in air flow dynamics so just a gut feeling.
In the end I decided to stick strictly with the Dewalt for a handful of reasons:
- quieter than my large system
- I can still use the larger main system for other tools while the CNC is running without impacting suction on the CNC
- I often run multi hour jobs on the CNC and I didn’t want to run my main system for those longer jobs as it eats more power and puts more wear on it.
- If I burn up the Dewalt after a year of usage who cares. I can pick up another cheaply.
- And like I said, I think it does a better job at this tool. I don’t think I would say the same thing on a planer or tablesaw where there is a larger input area to deal with.
EDIT: should have mentioned that I do use a cyclone separator into a 5 gallon bucket inline with the vac. Almost nothing ends up in the vac canister.
I bought a cheap one from Harbor Freight. The top it comes with is useless though. I added a new top from Lowes and cut the appropriate holes.
I just purchased one of the Dewalt Stealthsonic Shop Vac’s for use with my vacuum table. It is just as quiet as my Miele. Definitely recommending it from now on.
If you have a shop where you will use a number of handtools in addition to a CNC - and would like consistent dust collection for those as well (through a 2.5" hose) - Then a larger collector that can share duty with the CNC might be a good choice.
Personally, I have the Dust Cobra from Oneida
and two hoses: One permanently affixed to the CNC’s Sweepy. The other is a 30’ 2.5" hose that I use to exhaust my hand tools. Each tool has been fitted with an adapter to get it to the 2.5" hose. This unit is very durable, reasonably quiet, and does a lot for me. It also costs more than your budget (approx. 1100 USD). But for me, since I had the need for dust collection on quite a few hand tools, it was worth it…and I recommend to folks in the same situation.
Oneida is a pretty good company. There stuff tends to be a bit expensive, but it’s truly professional-level collection. I have their 2HP Industrial cyclone permanently plumbed to my stationary tools and it’s been a workhorse for 20 years.
- Gary
I would love to get something like the Dust Cobra or Supercell but those are outside of my budget so I will have to add those to a wish list.
From the discussion above I thinking of going with a Dewalt Stealthsonic attached to some cyclone separator.
Separators in consideration:
- Mullet its a nice looking system and I can get the third hand to act as my tube extension and relief but its pricey for what it is
- Oneida Dust Deputy Seems to be a solid well reviewed system and a bit more reasonable.
- Bauer Cyclone its cheap and seem to have all the functionality of the other systems. getting it for $40 a bucket for $5, and a dolly for $15 and I am setup for only $60 and I don’t think it is really making any compromises
Is there a reason to chose any one of these cyclones over another they all seem to work in the same way, so I am considering just going with the cheapest option.
Another product to consider is the Dustopper:
which has worked well for some folks.
Tons of great info in this thread already but I’ll add my experience if you’re interested. I’ve used the Rockler Dust Right 650 mounted about my Shapeoko and the system worked great. It’s just a little pricey. The only reason I used this is because I already had it in the shop as a secondary dust collector.
I’ve switched to a Fein Turbo 1 dust extractor attached with the stock sweep. The Fein runs about $350 and I love it. It works better than the Dust Right and is very quiet. I don’t run a separator, I’m fine with changing the bags in the Fein once every couple of months. The bags are like $3/bag on amazon for the off brand and they work well. If you have the room a separator would be helpful I guess but I always found them clumsy and cumbersome.
I have the Bauer. Cyclone is fine but as I mentioned above the lid is crap. Or at least does not fit a standard 5 gallon bucket including the ones they sell at Harbor Freight right next to the cyclone separator.
I thought about the Oneida because it has a translucent bucket but ended up with the HF bucket and cyclone and the lid from Lowe’s.