Shop vac recommendations

[Chucketn]

My recycled house type upright vacuum bit the dust today. The armature is burnt and the brushes are about gone. I need some recommendations for a replacement for the shop. Mostly metal work so needs to be powerful enough to suck up swarf,but not get it into the workings.
I intend to build a cyclone type separator to put inline with the vac to help prevent metal dust getting into the motor. What is the minimum power required? Will 3HP be enough?
On a budget of course! I have a collection of tools and hoses saved from various other vacuums so I can adapt down to 1 1/2” accessories. I'm looking at 3 hp Shop Vac model from Wally World. Around $60.
What are your favorites? Anyone build a simple cyclone separator?


Chuck

edited to correct spacing from cut/past from OpenOffice

 

[tripletap3]

This was a thread I posted some time ago. I liked the "bucket vac" so much that I bought one just to suck up swarf and oil from the machines. It only cost $20 so you can pitch it when it dies. The bucket is much easier to clean the oily swarf out of than my regular shop vac.

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/show...net-HEPA-dust-collection-system-For-under-100

 

[DMS]

I have a larger Rigid vac (6 gallon, 5.8amp version, the website says "2.5hp peak"), and a small "Craftsman" branded one (hand carry). The small one only has about a 2 inch hose, but it gets used most mainly out of convenience. It is pretty good at picking up mill chips and dust. I don't bother trying to vac lathe swarf, and it's usually just a big tangled mass. For the lathe, I just grab some gloves, or a dust pan and brush. The Rigid unit is better built, and works very well. I would definitely recommend it. If you want more capacity/power, they have larger models too.

 

[Old Iron]

I have 2 of the craftsman vac's that hang on the wall or you can carry it around. I have enough hose to reach where I need it.

I also have a cyclone separator on a 5 gallon bucket it all works well. the vac sells for 100.00 and is well worth the money. I've been using mine for 3 or 4 years and know problems.

Paul

 

[notqwik]

This vac is from the depot, but I added the Oneida cyclone, I bought the hepa filter also for the vac. Works very well 90% of the dust ends up in the bucket. Lots of power, but does need the hepa filter cleaned once in a while.

 

[road]

Rigid ! they seem to suck better than the rest .. I have burnt out the last 3 Craftsman, shop-vac, wally world special.

 

[Philco]

Rigid ! they seem to suck better than the rest .. I have burnt out the last 3 Craftsman, shop-vac, wally world special.

I burnt up two shop vac brands. The first one they warrantied, the second burnt out the switch. I suspect that the little filter inside the vac got clogged & sent the amperage up on the motor. Called the company & they don't sell parts for the vacs. I went to Lowes & found a switch with a resettable circuit breaker & rigged it onto the motor. I bought the dust deputy set up & I've not had any problems since. The picture where my finger is pointing is where the original switch was located. The dust deputy does a great job of catching most of the debris before it gets to the main vacum. I hope this information helps someone.
Phil.

 

[squelch]

I burnt up two shop vac brands. The first one they warrantied, the second burnt out the switch.
Phil.

The toggle switch on our Shop Vac also went out. Sounds like it's a common problem for them. When I was unable to find a replacement switch locally I called them. They sent a replacement motor (the switch is top mounted) at no cost. I didn't realize it but their "Pro" versions have (maybe had) a much longer warranty. At the time it was 5 yr. vs. 1 yr.

We also have a Craftsman model but have had problems finding bags. I think I'll dedicate this one to cleaning up the machine and add a cyclone separator.

Love the carts, thanks for the ideas!

 

[Wheels17]

Don't know about today's quality, but I have a Sears Craftsman that I bought in 1978 and it's still going strong. I've used it for everything. Plaster renovation, drywall dust, wood shop cleanup, post hole digging, metal cleanup, flood cleanup, and inflatable toy inflation. Haven't even needed to replace the brushes. Broke the filter last weekend, rolled out to Sears, and they had a new one in stock.

 

[Coralhound]

I have a larger Rigid vac (6 gallon, 5.8amp version, the website says "2.5hp peak"), and a small "Craftsman" branded one (hand carry). The small one only has about a 2 inch hose, but it gets used most mainly out of convenience. It is pretty good at picking up mill chips and dust. I don't bother trying to vac lathe swarf, and it's usually just a big tangled mass. For the lathe, I just grab some gloves, or a dust pan and brush. The Rigid unit is better built, and works very well. I would definitely recommend it. If you want more capacity/power, they have larger models too.

I have to agree on the rigid, i have a fein that is super quiet for hooking Up to my portable sander, but these are very pricey new. I have found them used occasionally on CL. My workhorse which replaced a screaming craftsman 5 gallon is a rigid, they have a silent model that is a huge improvement over the other brands and doesn't break the bank. Close to the quietness of the fein but at 25% the cost. Been using mine for 4 years without any issues, I upgraded the filter to a Clearstream, definitely worth the $30 to keep your lungs clear!