Is a Fein vacuum my solution?

[Toller]

Most of the debris comes from my table saw and router table, but that stuff is pretty coarse and easy to clean up. The dust from the ROSs is fine and impossible to clean up.

I am thinking a Fein vacuum might be a better solution than a DC because the vacuum is more appropriate to the sanders, but I like the idea of cleaning the DC more than cleaning the vacuum.

Is it possible to put a drum before the vacuum like you might on the DC, or does that not work out well?

And about DCs, the most reasonably price small unit is the Delta AP400. I figure I can eventually upgrade the bag and still be cheaper than the comparable Jet or PennState. I am concerned about the noise though; the one I heard was not real quiet. How does the noise compare to it's more expensive rivals?

Thanks.

[Bay Area Dave]

while I separator sounds good in theory, I'd be reluctant to introduce anything that would cut the suction capability of the Fein. I have one and find that while the suction is "adequate", it is not adequate if you use a 1 micron filter or HEPA filter AND the cloth bag, nor is it going to impress anyone with it's suction without the additional filters. It's the quietness that I value, plus the 110V outlet for automatic operation that keeps me happy with the unit. When I put a separator on my DC, there was a noticeable drop in suction, but again, the overall usefulness of the DC is enhanced by no longer having the impeller guard clog up; nor do I need to frequently empty the lower bag. There are trade-offs for quietness, and I accept them.

Using a 1 micron filter and a clean disposable bag, the Fein is adequate without being impressive. If I had to do it all over again, would I buy the Fein? Yes! YMMV

dave

Toller wrote:

[Dave Balderstone]

I use a homemade drum separator with my shop vac and am quite happy with how it works. It holds about 4 vacs' worth of shavings which means less frequent trips to dump into the compost pile.

djb

[Mike S.]

What did you use for the drum and how did you hook it up. I have a 16 gal. shop vac hooked up to the router table. also need to figure a way to cut down on the noise.