Avoid clogged Dust Collector filters with a Cyclone.

Up until recently, I’ve just been using a regular old Shop Vac for dust collection and I used to constantly have to replace my filter because it would bet so clogged with fine dust that the vac would lose suction.  Last year, I added an Oneida Dust Deputy cyclone to improve my shop vac dust collection and it made a world of difference.

I didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a big dust collection system so I did some research and decided to try a cyclone attachment for my regular shop vac.

What is a cyclone?  It’s the funnel shaped thingamabob on top of that plastic bucket.  The shop vac is connected to the top of the cyclone and the suction hose comes off the side so when the air sucks the “crap” into the cyclone, most of the really small particles drop down into the bucket and the large chunks go into the shop vac.

It’s like a little tornado that separates the fine dust from the large pieces of debris so your filter doesn’t get all clogged up with sawdust or drywall dust making your shop vac lose it’s suction power.  (It is SOO annoying when you’re trying to clean up and your vacuum won’t suck!  Right?)

 So the cyclone keeps most of the fine filter clogging dust out of the shop vac.  I’ve emptied the cyclone tub a couple times already and this is all the debris that has made it into the shop vac…and the filter still looks pretty clean.  Nice!

 The idea of attaching it to the shop vac with bungie cords was actually in the manual that came with the cyclone.   They also had plans for platforms with casters but I didn’t want to waste any time on that.  This looks ridiculous but it works.

 I also bought a couple extension tubes for the vacuum so I don’t have to bend over and hurt my back while cleaning up.

I bought my cyclone from Amazon.  Rockler has a cyclone too but the Dust Deputy was cheaper on Amazon when I purchased it so that’s what I bought.

It has been a great help in keeping my shop and project areas cleaner.