Anyone any recommendations for an entry level dust extractor/collector?

Fed up of sawdust and shavings everywhere!
Happy to run ducting around, or move to suit.

But should cope with table saw/sanding and grinding dust.

DIY with an old Dyson?

But should cope with table saw/sanding and grinding dust.

Depending on the size and type of table saw you might not really get one machine that does both. Bigger saws will have a 100mm outlet for extraction – you can’t really plug a workshop vac into that effectively but stepping 100mm chip collector down to handheld power tools doesn’t really work well either. One kind off machine is about suction the other is about airflow.

If its a smaller saw then theres plenty of competition in the hoover with PTO market. If you are buying new Nilfisk probably give the best bang for buck at lower prices ranges – they are the Wellgo of dust collectors I believe – manufacture for a lot of other brands and sell their own model for a bit less.

If you are happy to spend a bit more the Fein dust collectors are the suckiest you can buy and are still reasonably affordable.

Using regular vacuum cleaners like a Henry can work ok – but they lack capacity compared to dedicated machines and the nozzle doesn’t always fit tools well as they are usually cut at a bevel preventing a neat connection to some dust ports, domestic vacuum cleaner nozzles tend to be be pretty bukly – as they are designed to be held and therefore heavy and tend to fall off easily if you try and fix them to a tool

As general tips – with a table saw you’ll often have a port in the body of the saw and a connection at the top of the blade guard – 95% of the debris will get sucked out through the lower port, but the finest dust would get collected through the top one so its worth trying to find a way to extract from both – either with some sort of splitter or a second extractor – its pretty low volumes though so just any cheap hoover would work for that secondary suck.

Not all sanders have a good extraction port that you can readily connect to – if its round then there always a way to get something bodged on but many machines have weird propetory shaped connections for daft little dust bags and that prevents you from connecting an extractor

Don’t try and collect the dust as you’re grinding – thats you’ll start a fire inside your hoover bag that won’t make itself evident til a few hours later when you’ve gone to bed. You can buy dedicated extractors for welding and grinding with spark arrestors (which you still wouldn’t let wood dust into) but they tend to cost around a grand. I just take anything I plan to grind outside.

Grind outside

Don’t waste money trying to use a domestic vac they don’t take it well…I ruined 3 Hoover’s before Jayne said no more.

I bought a titan workshop vac and it works brilliantly Hooke up to the table saw /chopsaw and Sanders as well as being great at cleaning the van interior 🙂

Actually – my Nilfisk and Fein suggestions are both a bit on the spendy side! Cheaper machines can be useful but tend to be very shrill and noisy (not that any are quiet) so depends on how friendly you are with your neighbours

If you want thrifty – watch ebay auctions for Numatic stuff (i.e. the people who make Henry hoovers) – loads of their stuff about and their bigger machines come up pretty cheap (mind out for 110v ones if you don’t already have a transformer)

Tough as old boots and loads of spares available, easy to fix. You can easily buy and replace the motors if you ever need to as well. The bigger machines have a more powerful motor than a household machine – look out for ones which have a double switch they’ve got two motors. I’ve managed to pick them up for £50 in the past. Even got one for their mega-mental 3 motor leviathans for £50 too.

If youre near wirral i have a record dust extractor, large capacity for sale, 40 quids, bit dented but works well,and some heavy duty hose no workshop so need the space in garage

As general tips – with a table saw you’ll often have a port in the body of the saw and a connection at the top of the blade guard – 95% of the debris will get sucked out through the lower port, but the finest dust would get collected through the top one so its worth trying to find a way to extract from both – either with some sort of splitter or a second extractor – its pretty low volumes though so just any cheap hoover would work for that secondary suck.

I mainly use the table saw outside and use a Festool Cleantech on the top port and let the bottom port spew out onto the grass which I then vacuum up.

Nilfisk vac I have is the best tool I ever bought, great capacity, pto, sucks up liquid as well. About £150, it’s sucked up everything from sawdust to bricks to pond drainage as well as car cleaning duties, 3m long hose as well. Special rubber nozzle for attachment to power tools.

DIY with an old Dyson?

I have to admit I wasn’t too serious about that suggestion, just wanted a bookmark to see what others said!

Good stuff so far..

I use a Wickes wet & dry £50 vac for my circular saw and sander duties. It works well – I no longer get sawdust all over my bikes. Only downside is during the winter when I have the fan heater on in the workshop I no longer get the lovely smell from the chipboard dust getting blown through the heater elements.

Current table saw is an old lump without a wee extractor port up top. Router/sanders/planer all have small ports (round which makes it slightly easier!).

As more work is with small port tools I’ll look towards the likes of a workshop vac.

I do have a small old Hoover in there, does the job of tidying up but clogs too quick, and not great when used on a tool!

I do have a small old Hoover in there, does the job of tidying up but clogs too quick, and not great when used on a tool!

If you like a ‘project’ you could look at making a cyclone to separate off dust/chips before they reach the hoover. (lots of instructions on line either making your own cyclone or using a ‘Dust Deputy’ Needs to be a pretty powerful hoover to make it worth while though. Even a fairly basic tubes going in and out of a bucket take out the heavier stuff and stop the hoover filling up so quick.

Current table saw is an old lump without a wee extractor port up top.

Worth getting extraction from overhead if you can – the dust that comes out from underneath will just drop to the floor under the saw if its not extracted – its the stuff that off the top of the blade thats much finer fugs the whole room up.

karcher outlet for one of the larger wet and dry vacs. Better than a Henry IMO.

This is useful

http://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/a-guide-to-dust-extraction-by-member-siggy-7-t102025.html

project – Member
If youre near wirral i have a record dust extractor, large capacity for sale, 40 quids, bit dented but works well,and some heavy duty hose no workshop so need the space in garage

Project thanks,

But in the Scottish Borders. So not too close!

Maccruiskeen – yea most big lumps drop into a tray. So thought perhaps a cone on the 4″ inlet above the saw would work.

I’ve got a Nilfisk with a power take off that is sitting gathering dust (ha ha) here. Down south so it’d be a courier job. Email in profile if interested.