I really like your shares. About Ridgit vacuum cleaner, the outer cover plastic is a magnet for dust. How do you manage to get rid of all the dust out of this? Paper towel or vacuuming itself does not solve its dirt. Thanks.
I have that exact setup. My DustStopper keeps falling over when I move it too. I put a 2.5 lb. weight in it to keep it from tipping over. Eventually I will build a “cart” for them. I saw another idea where they used pvc pipes, in the tool holders on the vac, to build a vac “tower”.
THANK YOU for summarizing the video in the description, with full descriptions of the cyclones to choose. You are more than fair with showing the ones you did NOT choose instead of just glorifying your "best choice" (too common with youtube videos). After getting frustrated with clickbait titles and descriptions, it is refreshing to see your integrity and honesty.
If you do build a custom cart, I’d suggest making it so that you could use regular plumbing PVC pipe as the connector between the Rigid vacuum and the cyclonic separator, because those flexible hoses really do greatly reduce the quality and quantity of airflow in the system. All the good fixed dust collection systems use large diameter hard plastic tubing to connect everything, and they do so for really good reasons.
Excellent point! The ribbed construction of flexible hoses do seem to reduce airflow by quite a lot. Can't remember the video title but I think Matthais Wandel made an excellent video showing this effect in effect 😉
@@vikassm I have two vacs, a Makita 36V cordless/corded and a bigger Fein vac. Both have ripped hose's, they always end up catching on something. Especially when using my Makita 36V track saw. I think Festool make a smooth sleeve for vac hoses. If so I have to get one. Nether of my two vacs have Bluetooth, that is annoying, 🙄 The Fein vac stays in my w/s and the Makita more or less lives in my van. I need to get one of those separators and make up a rolling cart for it. Down the line I'll be squeezing the trigger on a dedicated dust collector. I also need an air cleaner with a remote. That wish list never gets any smaller! 🙄😁 Great presentation Sir, some excellent advice there.
I use similar. I also use "Pool Skimmer Socks" over the vacuum filter. You get 30 of them for next to nothing and they help prolong the life of the vacuum filter. I use the same "socks" over the filters in my hot tub to keep the bigger stuff out of it and prolong it's life too. Handy little buggers!!
This is great! I'm a beginning DIY woodworker and have recently seen the need to deal with all the sawdust in my limited work space. I'm looking forward to adding a unit to my Rigid vacuum. I appreciate your considering size of the space to hold both units and I'm looking forward to seeing the solution you build to make both units portable without the tangled hoses. Thanks for posting. As a beginner, I have learned more from you than from anyone else on the Internet and your channel was the first woodworking site that I subscribed to.
I totally love my Dustopper. I added a couple more things to enhance it. I put metal tape around the top edge around the intake nozzle and then down the side and added a grounding chain to eliminate all the static I was getting on the tubing and the unit. I'm not sure if it was important for any spark issues but I didn't want to chance it.
I’m an elderly woman who has only a few tools and very limited woodworking skills. For many years I have attached-using screws-an inexpensive wheeled flower-pot caddy (preferably round, but square will also work) to the bottom of each 5-gallon bucket I use for storage in my garage. I can easily move them around without difficulty. For buckets that are used for liquids I just add a few shims to the caddy on the outside of the bucket so I can easily move it. I know experienced carpenters will laugh at my system, but it has worked very well for me. My late father was a skilled carpenter and woodworker, so I enjoy watching these videos.
After using the Dustopper for several years, I have to applaud your vid on it. About the only time I need to clean my vac filter immediately is after using it while cleaning my woodstove pipe. The rest of the time it collects at least 99% of what it vacuums up to include cottonwood cotton that makes it's way into the shop. For the price Dustopper can't be beat. I made a cart/holder for mine, added larger diameter casters to the setup and it's perfect!
I use the size 1 and 1/0 Mustad hooks to freeline for snook ruclips.net/user/postUgkxzXmlErSqVAEGWFEKO530BvTqFDw53QW3 and they have been fantastic. The points are super sharp, and the hook is small enough to blend with my baitfish, yet large enough to land fish 30" or more. I also use these hooks when I'm pier or surf fishing with my kids. They tend to catch tons of smaller snapper, whiting, and catfish, and we get far fewer gut hooks with these Mustad in-lines, which means more of them survive after release. I was actually using these hooks when I caught my friend too, but I think that had more to do with the bait I was using ;-)
I have this exact same set-up and built a stand with pvc, abs, and a scrap of plywood. Dust extraction on my table saw works amazing. But I need to build some sort of dust hood for my miter saw because it only vacuums up about 1/2 or 3/4 of the dust. The suction when vacuuming the floor is very slow. I tried attaching a small Rockler vacuum fitting to the end of the hose for vacuuming in tight spaces, and the bucket did implode. So next time, I'll try the double bucket idea posted by other viewers here.
I used this type of separator for a long time, but I finally tried the dust deputy and the difference was night and day. It did require a taller cart, but it honestly made a huge difference in the amount of debris collected as well as an increase in suction. I can’t recommend enough that people try the dust deputy instead of this bucket attachment style.
Most of the Ridgid vacs have little round slots on top of the wheel mounts, as a place to store the accessories. Conveniently, PVC pipe also fits into the round slots, making it fairly simple to build a holder for the bucket right above the vacuum. It can be a little top-heavy, so I put a couple of bricks in the bottom of my shop vac.
@@FowlerAskew pretty much what I made. If you get the ShopVac that looks like a steel drum, you don't have to mess around with reducers to get the pipes to clear the vacuum's rim. Other than that it's practically identical to what this guy made.
I considered building one and Home Depot put the Dust Collector on sale for 39.95 so I bought it. I am amazed at how well it works. I trimmed the lip of the 5 gallon bucket where it clips on to one side so now all I have to do is line up the trimmed part with the clip on the Dust Collector on one side, slip it on the bucket and give it a twist to lock it in place. A lot easier to get on and off. I wasn't sure how long the clips would last snapping them on and off so I modified the bucket.
Bro, I'm not sure how I ever stumbled across your channel. I don't do much woodworking or shop work, but I've learned so much from all of your videos. Thank you, keep it up.
Great tips. I've been using the Dust Deputy for a while. You're right about the size, but I planned on it. I have the wheeled dust bucket too, which as you note, is a very nice addition when it comes to moving the rig around, especially when you want to use it to vacuum the shop. I also have the Onieda rig for my Festool CT 26. I can't remember when I last changed the main fine dust bag since installing it. Something I found out the hard way. I had been using Rockler's Dustright Dust Separator and it worked great, with one exception. I have a DW735 planer which everyone knows has it's own powerful chip blower in the housing. After the first emptying or two, the blower overpowers the Dustright's lip seal and the chips end up leaking onto the floor in a big way. That's how I ended up switching to the Dust Deputy. The Dustright otherwise works very well. I'm giving mine to someone that doesn't have the DW735 planer.
Thanks for the review. Mentioning the microns was a great detail that you included. The only thing I am yet to understand about cyclone separators is whether an air handler would work. I have a squirrel cage fan in a box from a home A/C system which moves a LOT of air, but does not produce high vacuum. I will experiment.
Having used both the Duststopper and the Dust Deputy almost daily for several years, I see little difference in their efficiency...both work very well. The Duststopper gets my thumbs up for it's ability to easily slide under my work table and not fall over as easily.
I didn't have good results with the Dust Stppper. Switched to a knock off Dust Deputy from Amazon and it is WAY better. The DS did collect some dust but many times more went right into the vac and clogged the filter. The other one collected nearly all the dust. Maybe I had a bad unit or didn't have something connected properly, but I'm definitely not going back to the $50 DS.
I've been using the dustopper for about a year and a half. Pros: it captures almost all the dust and wood shavings, it's compact, doesn't topple over, and snaps easily onto any 5 gallon bucket. Cons: the few fine dust particles that make it through the dustopper all end up clogging the vac filter. None settle to the bottom of the Shop-Vac bucket. So I still end up having to clean my shop vac filter occasionally. I have no way to tell if I have to clean the filter more often with or without the dustopper.
I had the same very disappointing experience with the DS as Matt Biallas. I found that it doesn't come even remotely close to removing 99% of sawdust. I'd say at best it was 80% of sawdust generated from pine wood - not even MDF dust which is much finer. Maybe 80% sounds good to those who haven't used a cyclone separator before, but that's next to useless, as the vac's filter still gets entirely covered. Plus I found that the hose the DS supplies to connect to the vac to be far too short in building a mobile cart for the DS and vac together. I've abandoned use of the DS and have turned to a DIY cyclone separator I built from the instruction I found on the 'Chris Notap' RUclips channel. It actually works significantly better.
Any air leakage (even if small) through the large stiff plastic-to-plastic joint between the bucket's rim and the Dustopper will degrade 1) fine dust separation (very important) and 2) static suction (less important). Leakage at this large joint is intolerable if the best possible performance using this device is to be achieved. A flexible, compressible, conformable, elastic gasket must be added at this joint and tested from time to time, because the rim of a bucket might become oblong rather than round. Wrap a continuous length of kitchen cling film around the outer circumference of the rim joint. Any vacuum leakage through the joint will visibly suck the thin plastic cling film inward.
Hey Ethan, Glad you put this vid out for other folks. I use a 5 gallon/5 HP Ridgid rectangular vac and built an enclosed system using it and a Dustopper couple years ago. Because my vac is enclosed and the bucket assembly is mounted on top of the wheeled enclosure its portable and very quiet. Also I just took delivery of a Lasko brand box fan with a built-in replaceable filter off Amazon. These are just as good or better than commercial units. Combined both of these machines truly filter out 99% of chips, dust and particulate matter from my small shop. Just sharin'
thanks for this. I was trying to figure out what horsepower to get. Seems some people are saying that their 6 hp vacs are too strong and are squeezing their buckets and often breaking the seal. I found a deal on a 4.5 hpm 9 gallon rigdgid that I'm about to pull the trigger on.
Timely video. I’ve picked up the Dust Deputy, a 12 gallon steel drum and a Dewalt shop vac to assemble on a cart for mobile dust control. Sounds like I’m going down a good path based on your video and the comments in here from your viewers. Great to know! A pleasure to watch your productions.
Hello everyone. I've had this for a few years and it seemed to work good in my garage. Now the story! My front yard is all river rock with some shrubs and a large Chinese Fan Palm. The palm tree grows these large stems that have a ton of seeds on them. I used to cut them down, but the tree is too high now even with my pole saw. Anyway, these seeds (the size of olives) now fall onto and into the rocks. After a recent storm, so many fell the ground was green with seeds. You couldn't see the river rock there were so many. And they got mixed in with the rocks. This looked like a big back breaking job to get the seeds out. Then I thought that I would try my shop vac with the cyclone top. It worked super great. I used a tapered nozzle. I emptied the bucket when it was full the first time and checked to see if it sucked up any rocks. I raked my hand through the seeds and dirt it sucked up on top of the weed block for the few light rocks. The second time I emptied the bucket when it was half full. I filled 2 mulch bags half full before it got too hot outside. I dragged the vac back into the garage and decided to check the vac bag. IT WAS EMPTY! No dirt or seeds. When it gets cooler I will rake the rocks back away for the tree and mulch it so the seed can fall and stay in place. I had made a cart for the Ridgit 14 Gal vac with the cyclone bucket on the top when I first bought it.
Ethan, as always, excellent. Don't think I've seen a vid of yours yet that didn't help get me thinking. I was an aero engineer in college, but I don't know anything about simple, practical stuff that's available. My current thinking . . . ? For my planned 16x24 shop, do the cyclone, 5 gal pail as mobile front end, patched into fixed station 5 to 10 horsepower suction in roof are at gable end, likely with simple diy sound enclosure. Simply vent anything that makes it past cyclone outside. No filter or secondary catchment. Just thinking, as an idea. Need to work through connection points, if I need some controllable blast gates, etc.
I have a 6hp Ridgid vac and it squeezes in the sides of the bucket. It goes back to normal once I turn it off. The Ridgid HEPA filter/bags combo is now $63 so it really helps saves money, especially when using the planer. Good video 👍
I have the same setup. I put an old kettlebell in the bottom of my bucket. The weight helps prevent tipping and it can be easily lifted out for emptying.
The problem with those short squat ones is they force the cyclone down into the collection bin. That means that it needs to be emptied of chips more often. More importantly it also means that the efficiency of both the suction and separation are nerfed as the thing fills up. The taller ones like the Dust Deputy and the Chinese knock off versions keep all of the cyclone out of the collection bin. I paired the more expensive $200.00 10 gallon Dust Deputy Deluxe version with a $99.00 Harbor Freight 16 Gallon 6.5 HP shop vac. $300.00 all in and this system works better in my tiny shop than the single stage dust collector I paid almost $800.00 for. Even my luchbox planer and my jointer which used to clog the single stage dust collector don't clog this setup. I admit that originally I bought into the hype that you NEEDED a big dust collector but having had one and "stepped down" to this setup I can't imagine ever going back.
I just got the new Dustopper with the clear top and longer sweep 90s. This is replacing my homemade bucket with a Thein baffel. Fun to watch to dust swirl in the top. Have not evaluated the effectiveness of the system yet but seems better. I also have a washable bag over my filter.
I use this same setup, except my workshop shop vac is 6.5HP/16 gallon. I placed a 10# steel barbell weight in the bottom of the cyclone bucket to give it stability. At $30 each to replace the HEPA filter, this setup has paid for itself several times. When I check the shop vac tank, I see zero wood chips and sawdust. Regularly use it in a mounted system for table saw, compound miter saw, and router table, and occasionally to clean up the shop floor mess from other handheld power tools. Good value for the investment, IMHO. Not a professional workshop by any means, but the system gets a pretty good workout. I'm generally out there a couple of days a week. Have not built a shop vac/cyclone cart primarily because I have a smaller 5HP/10 gallon shop vac that is more portable for outside the workshop cleanups. The 6.5/16 is a beast, and is really too big for inside the house applications.
It is a smart and rational idea. Similarly I use double filter for furnace; the top one is with tough material for larger particles, and under that I put the delicate one for micro-dust. Both are washable. When I wash them separately, the top one is almost clean because the micro-dust do not stay there and pass through it but the one for micro-dust make the water dark and cloudy.
Love the dustopper! Built a simple caddy for it based on another RUclips video. It uses some PVC pipe & fittings, set on the vacuum’s casters, and the bucket rides above.
I added the Dust Stopper to my Ridgid vac a few years ago…works great as you’ve noted. Simple cart keeps the system portable. I was plagued by the collapsing bucket issue but found an easy fix. I bought a metal bucket at HD, fits inside the HD orange bucket and haven’t had a collapse since. Thanks for making these videos!
Good idea, Jan! I’ve heard you can drill a little relief hole in your hose connector near the inlet to introduce some make-up air as well. Gauging suction to hose diameter to hardware limits is always a tricky, trial and error thing!
These things are a must have. I recently bought one from Harbor Freight which runs about $40. It is a top-heavy cone shaped one and its biggest flaw is that the lid is very flimsy so the separator rolls around and can tip the bucket. I mitigated this by carving out a wooden doughnut shaped based that attaches between the lid and separator to help make it more ridged.
Agree, the portability and finicky functionality is an issue but worth the effort to use. I just recently picked up this model from Home Depot for job site use while I use my DustRight large cyclone barrel from Rockler Woodworking in my garage shop. As I have them connected to the Rigid contractor vac; i.e., rectangular stationary vs cylindrical on wheels. To ameliorate this lack of portability I have a separate utility. art with the vac on to and dust cylinder below. Because the vac itself can easily be disconnected and is very portable itself, getting a DustStopper than can be fitted on to a standard 5gal bucket made a lotmof sense. The hoses with which it comes are short so adding a longer hose may be helpful. Do NOT use a stretch hose as the 5 gal bucket will just constantly fall over. The fix, as James alludes to, is to make a 2 tier (many RUclipsr videos on this) platform with the rolling vac on bottom and piping from the wheel legs supporting a platform in which the dust separator sits. Unfortunately having long prior purchased the Rigid vac model with no wheels will require a different set up. Still, for ease of cleaning to longevity of vac filters, any of these systems is a great asset.
I have the exact vacuum and the Dustopper. I used the cart design from John Builds It. I've been very happy with it. I bought an anemometer and measured the airflow at the different points in the system. At the inlet on the vacuum, I get about 180 cfm. That pretty much matches Ridgid's specs. At the end of the first hose, that goes in to the top of the Dustopper, I measured 133 cfm. At the inlet of the Dustopper, I measured 96 cfm. At the end of the hose, I measured 77 cfm. Even at 77 cfm, I still get plenty of suction that works well for my random orbital sander, Ridgid circular saw and the fence on my router table. I've even used the whole setup to vacuum our cars and it works just fine. It is woefully inefficient however, for my table saw (Ridgid R4512). For that, I got the Dust Right 750 from Rockler. Now I have the best of both worlds.
A solution to the suction crushing the bucket is to put the dust collector bucket inside of another bucket. Also, the additional space at the bottom of the additional bucket can be filled with stones to make it less tipsy.
My [Dyson designed] Fantom Thunder vacuum, which I purchased in 1999, used cyclonic design to remove the dust from vacuumed material. The hepa filter remained completely clear for the next 15 years, no matter how much I used it. Everything was collected in the dust bin. Best vacuum I ever had, including later Dyson models, which needed their hepa filters cleaned or changed every few weeks. Sadly, I loaned that Fantom vacuum to someone for the summer, and they killed it. I haven't been able to find another; the few people I've met who own them, won't part with them no matter how much I've offered them. That design was THAT good.
Thanks for this video! I was just looking at this very item today at Home Depot when I picked up my new 6hp Rigid 10gal vacuum, and wondered if would really help with shop debris from my saw etc. I,m sold! Cheers!
These work great! I bought an Onieda unit that works very well and made a second out of wood and pvc. Use a second bucket outside of the particle catcher to keep it from collapsing... problem solved on that one. I won't vacuum again without using these.
Great unit! I've been using it for the past 18 months or so. As others have stated, ultra fine particles (sanding dust or from cutting MDF) do make it to the main vacuum unit. That being said, I have only had to blow out the shop vac filter twice since I had it. Overall it made a great addition to my garage shop.
Great video and great information. I just bought my Rigid "shop vac" and when I searched for the separator they did not have this at the store. Thanks for the info, I'll definitely pick one up. Keep up the good work! Have a good one :D
The simplest approach to vacuuming is usually what ends up on shelves. You got a reverse fan device and micron netting, can't be simpler than that. So I got to experimenting. I found these 6" diameter galvanized disks that had 1/4" wire used for keeping rats out. Anyways, in a vent coupling section I stuffed 30 of these disks 1/8” apart to where it looked like you were looking through a window screen. And all this was sitting atop a 5 gallon Home Depot bucket lid that had a funnel like device on it. It all ended in a simple cubic foot plywood box that I made and sealed off any vacuum leaks. And before I closed the box, I installed the tip of my paint sprayer, at a 75° offset so the blast would be centered and just enough to keep the disks both wet and clean. Then I removed the vacuum’s filter and attached the input hose to the output of my contraption. I needed the vacuum pulling air though my device. Then I made adapters to fit the other end of the 3” flexible hose to my device and put the other end into a box filled with sawdust. This was all done on the patio encase I was an idiot. Next, I turned on the compressor and let it fill up with air. The compressor filled with air faster than the output of the paint sprayer. Next, using the clip that I made, I turned on the paint sprayer and vacuum and went to the box of saw dust and sucked in all the saw dust and shut everything down. Next, I looked down into the vacuum cleaner and saw thin layer of wet pulpy stuff on the bottom and nothing on the piece of card board I taped 4” outside the output of the vacuum. So I had set it perfectly and would not need more water. So that part worked great. Next, I looked in the 5 gallon bucket just under my contraption and it was filled halfway up with wet wood pulp, which I emptied in the bushes, but found hornets loving it a few days later. Next, I tried it with dry, drywall compound. Again, a thin layer on the bottom of the vacuum, but a few speckles on the cardboard outside the vac. And the bottom of the 5 gallon container was drywall mud but I would need to adjust for more water to keep the mesh clean. The only thing to remember when vacuuming up drywall compound is you have to rinse it off immediately or it will harden. In the end, I created a zero dust vacuum chamber that would never lose performance efficiencies. However, it was non mobile.
I want to appreciate your ingenuity and mastery of concepts … but it’s very difficult to visualize what youre describing. Maybe this is better as a reddit post? I would like to see what youre talking about.
Ethan, I really appreciate the way you scrupulously list the downsides as well. It’s way too easy to watch some promotional video and get all hyped and run out and spend money. You put the “honest” in “Honest Carpenter.” Thanks.
The Home Depot Dustopper really works. I built a platform on top of my Ridgid 6.5 hp shop vac. It takes up little room and is easy to get around my shop. I still wear a respirator to protect against the dust that the dust collector misses.
I have a Dustopper and built a cart (OSB & PVC) over my Bauer vac. It works great, but is very top-heavy (because the wheels on the vac aren't designed with the high center of gravity in mind), and isn't necessarily easy to move around the shop. If you come up with a solution to that, I look forward to seeing it. (If anybody can, it's you!) Great post as always!
OK, back to the Home Despot... love your vids, already followed your advice from the last vid on the 12 gal Ridgid, inner bag and Hepa filter (returned the 9 gal I just bought). You would have saved me a trip if you posted this vid with the other vid - argh! Keep the great vids comin', you give great advice and tips to the non-tradesman home crowd
Would be amazing if shop vac manufacturers incorporated a cyclonic separator within the actual vac. But then they wouldn't sell as many filters I guess :/
@@sparda169leon typical shop vac designs don't stand out to me as easily modifiable but there are certainly some amazing designs by some RUclipsrs who have taken the motors out of a shop vac and used it to make their own compact vacs with built in separators.
@@sparda169leon the real challenge is that to be effective I do think the filter has to be in a different compartment from the separator. Also look up Thien Baffles.
@@anik321 Theres no reason they couldnt make two smaller compartments in the vacuumes though, be it a figure 8 shape, or if the cyclone effect could still work with simply dividing the current circle shape in half with a wall/barrier with one side being the seperator section and the next side having the filter and providing the suction again its not really in their best interest due to filter sales.. but with all the competition between shopvac, ridgid, and other box store brands youd think atleast one of them would release a design that atleast attempts to separate out most of he heavier stuff prolonging filters i wonder how these setups act when liquids are introduced
@@AndrewBrowner I've actually wondered about that as well. I do have a more traditional cyclonic separator at home and will test it out with water and report back eventually. Perhaps that is the real reason.
I bought one of these a few years ago for my small basement shop. It works very well with no issues. I did build a custom cart with wheels for the bucket so it can move easily with the shop vac. It is an ideal low cost dust solution for a small shop, and definitely saves on bags, filters, and wear and tear on your shop vac.
There is a “bucket trolley “ or similar name , sold in Wallmart for 15$ (automotive section , car cleaning products section) attaches to standard buckets . It helps a lot with mobility and tipping issue .
I use a shop vacuum with a 2.5" hose, a bag and a filter. When I added a Home Depot dust collector the drop in suction was severe enough that I just went back to using bags. Would be great to have a %-loss of suction test video comparing a mix of HP, hose diameter and dust collector brands.
Any air leakage (even if small) through the large stiff plastic-to-plastic joint between the bucket's rim and the Dustopper will degrade 1) fine dust separation (very important) and 2) static suction (less important). Leakage at this large joint is intolerable if the best possible performance using this device is to be achieved. A flexible, compressible, conformable, elastic gasket must be added at this joint and tested from time to time, because the rim of a bucket might become oblong rather than round. Wrap a continuous length of kitchen cling film around the outermost circumference of the rim joint. Any vacuum leakage through the joint will visibly suck the thin plastic cling film inward.
Good call out on the HP. I wish I had seen this before I built my cart and separator. I have a Craftsman 2.0HP and it struggles mightily. Love these vids!!
Thank you, a lot of your tips helped. The reveal trick made me realize that the professional door installers screwed it up and why when I look at it, it looks like crap. One thing I will fix on my own.
Much easier than a cart is a mounting stand on top of the vac that cradles the 5-gal bucket. A design I came up with a few years ago is to rip 5 1.5" strips of 3/4" plywood (could also be MDF, furring strips, strips ripped from 2x4, etc.), about 24" each. The exact dimensions of the stand will vary based on your bucket and your vac top and motor height. Assuming a standard Home Depot type bucket, and a vac top with a flat space around the edge and a motor 6" taller than that, the stand will have these dimensions: Cut one of the 5 strips into 2 pieces whose length is the diameter of the bucket at just under the lip at the handle (about 11.75"). Cut matching dado notches in the center of each cross piece, 3/4"x3/4", so that the 2 pieces will fit these notches together to form a cross-lap-jointed X (don't glue this joint for easier disassembly later). The 4 uprights will be the length of the bucket from that 'handle lip' down to the bottom (about 13.25", plus 1.5" for the height of the cross piece on edge, plus 7" to clear the motor with 1" between it and the cross piece, down to the flat edge of the vac top, so in this illustration the length of the 4 uprights is 21.75". Attach each end of each cross piece to one of the four uprights as indicated in the above measurements, one with the notch up, one with it down, to make two H-shaped assemblies. The cross piece ends should butt into the flat face of the upright, with a screw from the outside face through the upright into the end of the cross piece (again no glue in case you want to disassemble for storage/shipping later). Now you have two H shapes, cross-lap-joined in the middle to form what looks like a 4-legged stool with an X for a 'seat' partway up the legs, with a 13.25" deep area at the top for the 5-gal bucket to sit in on the cross pieces, and the bottom part of the legs standing on the flat part of the vac's top, with the cross piece clearing the motor by an inch (adjust the length of the legs from the cross piece on down as needed for your vac's top). To fix your dust collector stand to the vac's top, I used 4 small L brackets epoxied on the vac top where each leg touches it, then a short screw through the upright part of the L and into each leg. Just 4 screws to remove it from the vac, and it breaks down into 2 H assemblies, or remove the 4 screws fixing the cross pieces to the uprights to break it all the way down into 6 sticks. You can even remove the epoxied L brackets from the vac with a scraper or knife for a permanent removal.
Great to hear, Hassan! Can’t wait to build my cart. I think a side-by-side approach is best for my space, but I bet other people could stack them effectively as well. 🙂
Wanted to share my tip for making the equivalent of a side-by-side mobile cart for my DIY Dust Stopper 'cyclone clone' and wet vac, but that required essentially no construction and took me less than 15 minutes to assemble. I picked up one of those mini-dollies at Harbor Freight for under $10. It's a near perfect fit for the HD bucket, and the height of the wheels on it are a close match for my Bauer wet vac (which is very similar to the Rigid). I screwed two metal D-rings to the top of one side of the dolly's base. Then I placed the HD bucket cyclone on top the dolly, pushed it up against the side of the wet vac, attached one end of a three foot bungee cord to one of the D-rings, ran it around the outside of the cyclone and wet vac, and attached the other end of the cord to the other D-ring. Voila: a mobile cart! Yeah, it's not the most secure assembly, and it certainly isn't elegant. But it works perfectly well, providing sufficient mobility without falling apart or over, and best of all it disassembles in less than a minute and has a less than one square foot storage footprint (the dolly). Don't get me wrong, I still plan to build a more permanent cart. But in the meantime, this is certainly better than no mobile solution at all.
I think your explanation of how this works is FANTASTIC. I can’t wait to see ur homemade cart. ALSO, could this system be hooked to multiple machines, instead of hooking it up, then disconnecting it an hooking it up too another machine? Ty
Great video, I was at my local Home Depot today and just happened to be in the Dustopper aisle. It was marked down to $12.03. I’ve been wanting one for a while glad I waited
I have had a Dust Deputy hooked up to my Ridgid vac for 6 or 7 years. I may have emptied the vac less than that. Great product. Have the smaller Home Depot unit as well on another vac. Anxious to see your cart when it is finished.
Good video, thanks. I used the duststopper for a few years. It worked great. I recently bought a Bauer 6hp vac and had to stop using the duststopper because the Bauer is too strong for it. The suction collapses the bucket and breaks the seal . It sounds like a jet engine on take off. I need to strengthen the bucket .. maybe turn a few bracing rings.
Thanks lad! Ive been doing carpentry work for a very long time and ive never heard of that contraption...... but tanks to ya im gonna get one ! We love yer wisdom keep it up!
when i first got the DS i tired it on fine dust .it was less than stellar. i removed the "Thien baffle. and installed a 5'' piece of 1.5 '' pvc into the vac port . on the inside of the pail . works better now
Love your honest (hey, it's in the name of the channel ;-) ) and balanced views. Thanks! Just a side question: how does that Ridgid vacuum deliver 5 HP? That's over 3,700 watts of delivered power. Without correcting for input/output efficiency (which would make actual consumption greatly exceed 4 kW), this already exceeds a 16 Amp/230 Volt = 3,680 watt EU outlet, let alone a US standard 15A/120V = 1,800 watt outlet...
I have the same setup minus the bag and fancy filter. 2 things I would like to add: 1. empty the bucket when it is half full or else it will suck into the vac. 2. get that bucket upright as soon as it falls over or else everything in the bucket with end up in the vac.
Plastic = static electricity. Actually potentially dangerous, although I never read/heard it exploded.. Still would be nice to ground it. Have seen a guy applying a self-adhesive copper band from inside to outside, or even inside the hose. I have mine DIY and it works as additional dust collector during sanding :) Hose, cyclone - everything covered with a finest dust.. But really like it - helpfull always for any home renovation.
I had the dust stopper on my Ridgid vac then got rid of it for a dust deputy. I wish I had just kept the dust stopper even though it wasn't quite as efficient. The dust deputy setup is just too tall. The dust stopper was great even at picking up dirt and gravel from a trench whereas the dust deputy inlet is too high off the ground. I also found when using the cyclone I would still need to toss my bag long before it filled up because it would start to deteriorate due to all of the fine dust passing through. I've since moved on to a CT-MIDI-I and am just using the bag + HEPA filter for most of what I do. I'll use the cyclone for the table saw and planer, otherwise I just want to be more mobile.
I invested in one of these a while back. When it came to the bucket, I shop at Blue more often than at Orange. The opaque blue bucket wasn't ideal. So I spent and extra couple bucks on a see through bucket. SO WORTH IT. So much easier to see how full it is.
I made a vertical holder to go on top of my 12 gallon Ridgid shop vac. I'm going to add bricks to the shop vac to see if this helps the top heaviness as someone else mentioned in these posts. I also have the green bags and filter. There seems to be little loss in suction.
There's not much problem when attached to a miter saw, track saw, etc. But, if you have a jointer and/or planer, you're going to want a much larger "bucket". A 40-55 gallon cardboard barrel would be much better. Jointers and planers produce an insane amount of chips. Not sawdust. I would also suggest saving up to get a higher end dust collector that pulls a few hundred cubic feet of air per minute (CFM). Yes, that requires more work, and money, in setting up all of the ducting, but will most definitely help keep any home shop virtually dust free.
This is really cool - I wish I knew about this last year before I sanded and refinished my entire deck since that killed more than a couple of filters!
The dust separator link you listed, item shows unavailable. Hope there is another model you would recommend. Great videos and I can't wait to watch more of your productions. Very informative and helpful. THANK YOU!!!
That's honestly..... A good tip! Thank you, I'll have to get one myself as there's nothing worse than suction loss, then having to clean out your filter. Major time waster.
Ethan, I am a subscriber and love your videos and information, HOWEVER...ahem...the duststopper is a waste of money. I owned one and it was the worst. There is a loss of suction while operating, yes I had the brand new HD bucket etc. If you put a back plastic bag around the bucket and use tape to secure to the two inbound ports, turn it on, you’ll see the bag will get sucked tight against the bucket, hence a leak. There should be some sort of rubber gasket that attaches to the unit and bucket to make a good seal. There was a great loss of suction at the tool connections. The unit by itself is very unstable..Plus to help with the bucket from tipping over the manufacture rep suggested I put rocks in the bottom of the bucket...really? I went to the dust deputy and am happy, Glad to see you like yours.
Awesome. I think you only need a cart for the bucket, which I'm pretty sure already exist. Maybe one for potted plants. Some kind of hose clips might help.
I put a heavy brick inside the 5 gal bucket. keeps it from falling over. In the future, I'm going to put about 8 lag bolts through the wall of the bucket towards the center. And then pour in a couple inches of concrete into the bucket. concrete slab will stay locked into the bottom and stay put when you go to dump out the saw dust. As opposed to now, reaching your hand into the bucket to grab the brick and get blasted with static electricity..
Lots of versions of cyclonic separators, including a bunch of diy versions that you can build yourself using a 5 gal. bucket and some PVC fittings. Also lots of cart designs on YT.
This and your other video on upgrading bags in my shop vac are really valuable. Thanks for doing the research and providing the solutions you came up with. I'll likely go the same direction. However, I have the same concern - mobility. Did you end up building a cart to keep the vac and cyclone rolling together? I'd love to see it and copy it!
I really like your shares. About Ridgit vacuum cleaner, the outer cover plastic is a magnet for dust. How do you manage to get rid of all the dust out of this? Paper towel or vacuuming itself does not solve its dirt. Thanks.
I don’t know, Candan! It’s static buildup. I’m hoping someone out there has a solution…
@@TheHonestCarpenter wiping it down with anti-static dryer sheets, perhaps? Attaching a small ground wire?
What worked for me was grounded hose. It has a metal wire running around it. I use it for my planer too and it keeps the static to a minimum
@@michaelcovais2280 Thank you Michael, I will try.
I have that exact setup. My DustStopper keeps falling over when I move it too. I put a 2.5 lb. weight in it to keep it from tipping over. Eventually I will build a “cart” for them. I saw another idea where they used pvc pipes, in the tool holders on the vac, to build a vac “tower”.
THANK YOU for summarizing the video in the description, with full descriptions of the cyclones to choose. You are more than fair with showing the ones you did NOT choose instead of just glorifying your "best choice" (too common with youtube videos). After getting frustrated with clickbait titles and descriptions, it is refreshing to see your integrity and honesty.
If you do build a custom cart, I’d suggest making it so that you could use regular plumbing PVC pipe as the connector between the Rigid vacuum and the cyclonic separator, because those flexible hoses really do greatly reduce the quality and quantity of airflow in the system. All the good fixed dust collection systems use large diameter hard plastic tubing to connect everything, and they do so for really good reasons.
A heat gun can make regular plumbing PVC fit when it doesn't.
Excellent point! The ribbed construction of flexible hoses do seem to reduce airflow by quite a lot. Can't remember the video title but I think Matthais Wandel made an excellent video showing this effect in effect 😉
@@vikassm I have two vacs, a Makita 36V cordless/corded and a bigger Fein vac. Both have ripped hose's, they always end up catching on something. Especially when using my Makita 36V track saw. I think Festool make a smooth sleeve for vac hoses. If so I have to get one. Nether of my two vacs have Bluetooth, that is annoying, 🙄 The Fein vac stays in my w/s and the Makita more or less lives in my van. I need to get one of those separators and make up a rolling cart for it. Down the line I'll be squeezing the trigger on a dedicated dust collector. I also need an air cleaner with a remote. That wish list never gets any smaller! 🙄😁 Great presentation Sir, some excellent advice there.
@@TKevinBlanc Also, a glue gun for troublesome joints that have a tendency to separate.
I use similar. I also use "Pool Skimmer Socks" over the vacuum filter. You get 30 of them for next to nothing and they help prolong the life of the vacuum filter. I use the same "socks" over the filters in my hot tub to keep the bigger stuff out of it and prolong it's life too. Handy little buggers!!
Thank you, Yellowdog! Good tips 👍
This is great! I'm a beginning DIY woodworker and have recently seen the need to deal with all the sawdust in my limited work space. I'm looking forward to adding a unit to my Rigid vacuum. I appreciate your considering size of the space to hold both units and I'm looking forward to seeing the solution you build to make both units portable without the tangled hoses. Thanks for posting. As a beginner, I have learned more from you than from anyone else on the Internet and your channel was the first woodworking site that I subscribed to.
I totally love my Dustopper. I added a couple more things to enhance it. I put metal tape around the top edge around the intake nozzle and then down the side and added a grounding chain to eliminate all the static I was getting on the tubing and the unit. I'm not sure if it was important for any spark issues but I didn't want to chance it.
I have the dust deputy and built a cart to keep it on top of the vacuum works phenomenally
I’m an elderly woman who has only a few tools and very limited woodworking skills. For many years I have attached-using screws-an inexpensive wheeled flower-pot caddy (preferably round, but square will also work) to the bottom of each 5-gallon bucket I use for storage in my garage. I can easily move them around without difficulty. For buckets that are used for liquids I just add a few shims to the caddy on the outside of the bucket so I can easily move it. I know experienced carpenters will laugh at my system, but it has worked very well for me. My late father was a skilled carpenter and woodworker, so I enjoy watching these videos.
That sounds like as good a system as any to me, karodora 😄 I appreciate you watching and writing in!
After using the Dustopper for several years, I have to applaud your vid on it. About the only time I need to clean my vac filter immediately is after using it while cleaning my woodstove pipe. The rest of the time it collects at least 99% of what it vacuums up to include cottonwood cotton that makes it's way into the shop. For the price Dustopper can't be beat. I made a cart/holder for mine, added larger diameter casters to the setup and it's perfect!
Don’t need it, but can’t live without it. RUclips is expensive!
😜
I use the size 1 and 1/0 Mustad hooks to freeline for snook ruclips.net/user/postUgkxzXmlErSqVAEGWFEKO530BvTqFDw53QW3 and they have been fantastic. The points are super sharp, and the hook is small enough to blend with my baitfish, yet large enough to land fish 30" or more. I also use these hooks when I'm pier or surf fishing with my kids. They tend to catch tons of smaller snapper, whiting, and catfish, and we get far fewer gut hooks with these Mustad in-lines, which means more of them survive after release. I was actually using these hooks when I caught my friend too, but I think that had more to do with the bait I was using ;-)
I have this exact same set-up and built a stand with pvc, abs, and a scrap of plywood. Dust extraction on my table saw works amazing. But I need to build some sort of dust hood for my miter saw because it only vacuums up about 1/2 or 3/4 of the dust. The suction when vacuuming the floor is very slow. I tried attaching a small Rockler vacuum fitting to the end of the hose for vacuuming in tight spaces, and the bucket did implode. So next time, I'll try the double bucket idea posted by other viewers here.
I used this type of separator for a long time, but I finally tried the dust deputy and the difference was night and day. It did require a taller cart, but it honestly made a huge difference in the amount of debris collected as well as an increase in suction. I can’t recommend enough that people try the dust deputy instead of this bucket attachment style.
Most of the Ridgid vacs have little round slots on top of the wheel mounts, as a place to store the accessories.
Conveniently, PVC pipe also fits into the round slots, making it fairly simple to build a holder for the bucket right above the vacuum. It can be a little top-heavy, so I put a couple of bricks in the bottom of my shop vac.
What size of pipe did you use?
@@ARikozuM I don't recall. I just took one of the vac accessories to the hardware store and matched it up.
Depends. I have a craftsman and is 3” at the bottom. I reduced to 2” at the top.
Here's a video of this process in case it helps anyone: ruclips.net/video/lGnGNYrxqjs/видео.html
@@FowlerAskew pretty much what I made. If you get the ShopVac that looks like a steel drum, you don't have to mess around with reducers to get the pipes to clear the vacuum's rim.
Other than that it's practically identical to what this guy made.
I considered building one and Home Depot put the Dust Collector on sale for 39.95 so I bought it. I am amazed at how well it works. I trimmed the lip of the 5 gallon bucket where it clips on to one side so now all I have to do is line up the trimmed part with the clip on the Dust Collector on one side, slip it on the bucket and give it a twist to lock it in place. A lot easier to get on and off. I wasn't sure how long the clips would last snapping them on and off so I modified the bucket.
Bro, I'm not sure how I ever stumbled across your channel. I don't do much woodworking or shop work, but I've learned so much from all of your videos. Thank you, keep it up.
Thanks, Jeff! 😄
Great tips. I've been using the Dust Deputy for a while. You're right about the size, but I planned on it. I have the wheeled dust bucket too, which as you note, is a very nice addition when it comes to moving the rig around, especially when you want to use it to vacuum the shop. I also have the Onieda rig for my Festool CT 26. I can't remember when I last changed the main fine dust bag since installing it.
Something I found out the hard way. I had been using Rockler's Dustright Dust Separator and it worked great, with one exception. I have a DW735 planer which everyone knows has it's own powerful chip blower in the housing. After the first emptying or two, the blower overpowers the Dustright's lip seal and the chips end up leaking onto the floor in a big way. That's how I ended up switching to the Dust Deputy. The Dustright otherwise works very well. I'm giving mine to someone that doesn't have the DW735 planer.
Thanks for the review. Mentioning the microns was a great detail that you included. The only thing I am yet to understand about cyclone separators is whether an air handler would work. I have a squirrel cage fan in a box from a home A/C system which moves a LOT of air, but does not produce high vacuum. I will experiment.
Having used both the Duststopper and the Dust Deputy almost daily for several years, I see little difference in their efficiency...both work very well.
The Duststopper gets my thumbs up for it's ability to easily slide under my work table and not fall over as easily.
Good to hear, Ed! Having been in relatively small shops over the years, I like everything compact 👍
I didn't have good results with the Dust Stppper. Switched to a knock off Dust Deputy from Amazon and it is WAY better. The DS did collect some dust but many times more went right into the vac and clogged the filter. The other one collected nearly all the dust. Maybe I had a bad unit or didn't have something connected properly, but I'm definitely not going back to the $50 DS.
I've been using the dustopper for about a year and a half. Pros: it captures almost all the dust and wood shavings, it's compact, doesn't topple over, and snaps easily onto any 5 gallon bucket.
Cons: the few fine dust particles that make it through the dustopper all end up clogging the vac filter. None settle to the bottom of the Shop-Vac bucket. So I still end up having to clean my shop vac filter occasionally. I have no way to tell if I have to clean the filter more often with or without the dustopper.
I had the same very disappointing experience with the DS as Matt Biallas. I found that it doesn't come even remotely close to removing 99% of sawdust. I'd say at best it was 80% of sawdust generated from pine wood - not even MDF dust which is much finer. Maybe 80% sounds good to those who haven't used a cyclone separator before, but that's next to useless, as the vac's filter still gets entirely covered. Plus I found that the hose the DS supplies to connect to the vac to be far too short in building a mobile cart for the DS and vac together. I've abandoned use of the DS and have turned to a DIY cyclone separator I built from the instruction I found on the 'Chris Notap' RUclips channel. It actually works significantly better.
Any air leakage (even if small) through the large stiff plastic-to-plastic joint between the bucket's rim and the Dustopper will degrade 1) fine dust separation (very important) and 2) static suction (less important). Leakage at this large joint is intolerable if the best possible performance using this device is to be achieved. A flexible, compressible, conformable, elastic gasket must be added at this joint and tested from time to time, because the rim of a bucket might become oblong rather than round. Wrap a continuous length of kitchen cling film around the outer circumference of the rim joint. Any vacuum leakage through the joint will visibly suck the thin plastic cling film inward.
Hey Ethan,
Glad you put this vid out for other folks. I use a 5 gallon/5 HP Ridgid rectangular vac and built an enclosed system using it and a Dustopper couple years ago. Because my vac is enclosed and the bucket assembly is mounted on top of the wheeled enclosure its portable and very quiet. Also I just took delivery of a Lasko brand box fan with a built-in replaceable filter off Amazon. These are just as good or better than commercial units.
Combined both of these machines truly filter out 99% of chips, dust and particulate matter from my small shop.
Just sharin'
Thanks for sharing, Tom! That sounds like a great setup 🙂
thanks for this. I was trying to figure out what horsepower to get. Seems some people are saying that their 6 hp vacs are too strong and are squeezing their buckets and often breaking the seal. I found a deal on a 4.5 hpm 9 gallon rigdgid that I'm about to pull the trigger on.
Timely video. I’ve picked up the Dust Deputy, a 12 gallon steel drum and a Dewalt shop vac to assemble on a cart for mobile dust control. Sounds like I’m going down a good path based on your video and the comments in here from your viewers. Great to know! A pleasure to watch your productions.
Hello everyone. I've had this for a few years and it seemed to work good in my garage. Now the story! My front yard is all river rock with some shrubs and a large Chinese Fan Palm. The palm tree grows these large stems that have a ton of seeds on them. I used to cut them down, but the tree is too high now even with my pole saw. Anyway, these seeds (the size of olives) now fall onto and into the rocks. After a recent storm, so many fell the ground was green with seeds. You couldn't see the river rock there were so many. And they got mixed in with the rocks. This looked like a big back breaking job to get the seeds out. Then I thought that I would try my shop vac with the cyclone top. It worked super great. I used a tapered nozzle. I emptied the bucket when it was full the first time and checked to see if it sucked up any rocks. I raked my hand through the seeds and dirt it sucked up on top of the weed block for the few light rocks. The second time I emptied the bucket when it was half full. I filled 2 mulch bags half full before it got too hot outside. I dragged the vac back into the garage and decided to check the vac bag. IT WAS EMPTY! No dirt or seeds. When it gets cooler I will rake the rocks back away for the tree and mulch it so the seed can fall and stay in place. I had made a cart for the Ridgit 14 Gal vac with the cyclone bucket on the top when I first bought it.
Thank you - love the clear explanation of the role and purpose of each part of the overall system and how they work 👏
Great presentation, I bought a dust stopper a couple of years ago and have been every bit as happy with it as you are.
Ethan, as always, excellent. Don't think I've seen a vid of yours yet that didn't help get me thinking. I was an aero engineer in college, but I don't know anything about simple, practical stuff that's available. My current thinking . . . ? For my planned 16x24 shop, do the cyclone, 5 gal pail as mobile front end, patched into fixed station 5 to 10 horsepower suction in roof are at gable end, likely with simple diy sound enclosure. Simply vent anything that makes it past cyclone outside. No filter or secondary catchment. Just thinking, as an idea. Need to work through connection points, if I need some controllable blast gates, etc.
I have a 6hp Ridgid vac and it squeezes in the sides of the bucket. It goes back to normal once I turn it off. The Ridgid HEPA filter/bags combo is now $63 so it really helps saves money, especially when using the planer. Good video 👍
I have the same setup. I put an old kettlebell in the bottom of my bucket. The weight helps prevent tipping and it can be easily lifted out for emptying.
The problem with those short squat ones is they force the cyclone down into the collection bin. That means that it needs to be emptied of chips more often. More importantly it also means that the efficiency of both the suction and separation are nerfed as the thing fills up. The taller ones like the Dust Deputy and the Chinese knock off versions keep all of the cyclone out of the collection bin. I paired the more expensive $200.00 10 gallon Dust Deputy Deluxe version with a $99.00 Harbor Freight 16 Gallon 6.5 HP shop vac. $300.00 all in and this system works better in my tiny shop than the single stage dust collector I paid almost $800.00 for. Even my luchbox planer and my jointer which used to clog the single stage dust collector don't clog this setup. I admit that originally I bought into the hype that you NEEDED a big dust collector but having had one and "stepped down" to this setup I can't imagine ever going back.
I just got the new Dustopper with the clear top and longer sweep 90s. This is replacing my homemade bucket with a Thein baffel. Fun to watch to dust swirl in the top. Have not evaluated the effectiveness of the system yet but seems better. I also have a washable bag over my filter.
Had one fir 3 years.... and finally just got it set up today for the first time! It does a great job for the size and price
I use this same setup, except my workshop shop vac is 6.5HP/16 gallon. I placed a 10# steel barbell weight in the bottom of the cyclone bucket to give it stability. At $30 each to replace the HEPA filter, this setup has paid for itself several times. When I check the shop vac tank, I see zero wood chips and sawdust. Regularly use it in a mounted system for table saw, compound miter saw, and router table, and occasionally to clean up the shop floor mess from other handheld power tools. Good value for the investment, IMHO. Not a professional workshop by any means, but the system gets a pretty good workout. I'm generally out there a couple of days a week.
Have not built a shop vac/cyclone cart primarily because I have a smaller 5HP/10 gallon shop vac that is more portable for outside the workshop cleanups. The 6.5/16 is a beast, and is really too big for inside the house applications.
It is a smart and rational idea. Similarly I use double filter for furnace; the top one is with tough material for larger particles, and under that I put the delicate one for micro-dust. Both are washable. When I wash them separately, the top one is almost clean because the micro-dust do not stay there and pass through it but the one for micro-dust make the water dark and cloudy.
Love the dustopper! Built a simple caddy for it based on another RUclips video. It uses some PVC pipe & fittings, set on the vacuum’s casters, and the bucket rides above.
I added the Dust Stopper to my Ridgid vac a few years ago…works great as you’ve noted. Simple cart keeps the system portable. I was plagued by the collapsing bucket issue but found an easy fix. I bought a metal bucket at HD, fits inside the HD orange bucket and haven’t had a collapse since. Thanks for making these videos!
Good idea, Jan! I’ve heard you can drill a little relief hole in your hose connector near the inlet to introduce some make-up air as well. Gauging suction to hose diameter to hardware limits is always a tricky, trial and error thing!
These things are a must have. I recently bought one from Harbor Freight which runs about $40. It is a top-heavy cone shaped one and its biggest flaw is that the lid is very flimsy so the separator rolls around and can tip the bucket. I mitigated this by carving out a wooden doughnut shaped based that attaches between the lid and separator to help make it more ridged.
Agree, the portability and finicky functionality is an issue but worth the effort to use. I just recently picked up this model from Home Depot for job site use while I use my DustRight large cyclone barrel from Rockler Woodworking in my garage shop. As I have them connected to the Rigid contractor vac; i.e., rectangular stationary vs cylindrical on wheels. To ameliorate this lack of portability I have a separate utility. art with the vac on to and dust cylinder below. Because the vac itself can easily be disconnected and is very portable itself, getting a DustStopper than can be fitted on to a standard 5gal bucket made a lotmof sense. The hoses with which it comes are short so adding a longer hose may be helpful. Do NOT use a stretch hose as the 5 gal bucket will just constantly fall over. The fix, as James alludes to, is to make a 2 tier (many RUclipsr videos on this) platform with the rolling vac on bottom and piping from the wheel legs supporting a platform in which the dust separator sits. Unfortunately having long prior purchased the Rigid vac model with no wheels will require a different set up. Still, for ease of cleaning to longevity of vac filters, any of these systems is a great asset.
Thanks for introducing the 2 1/2 inch collector. Most of other videos are for old Ridigt models which use 1 1/2 or 2 inch hose.
I have the exact vacuum and the Dustopper. I used the cart design from John Builds It. I've been very happy with it.
I bought an anemometer and measured the airflow at the different points in the system. At the inlet on the vacuum, I get about 180 cfm. That pretty much matches Ridgid's specs. At the end of the first hose, that goes in to the top of the Dustopper, I measured 133 cfm. At the inlet of the Dustopper, I measured 96 cfm. At the end of the hose, I measured 77 cfm.
Even at 77 cfm, I still get plenty of suction that works well for my random orbital sander, Ridgid circular saw and the fence on my router table. I've even used the whole setup to vacuum our cars and it works just fine. It is woefully inefficient however, for my table saw (Ridgid R4512). For that, I got the Dust Right 750 from Rockler. Now I have the best of both worlds.
A solution to the suction crushing the bucket is to put the dust collector bucket inside of another bucket. Also, the additional space at the bottom of the additional bucket can be filled with stones to make it less tipsy.
My [Dyson designed] Fantom Thunder vacuum, which I purchased in 1999, used cyclonic design to remove the dust from vacuumed material. The hepa filter remained completely clear for the next 15 years, no matter how much I used it. Everything was collected in the dust bin. Best vacuum I ever had, including later Dyson models, which needed their hepa filters cleaned or changed every few weeks. Sadly, I loaned that Fantom vacuum to someone for the summer, and they killed it. I haven't been able to find another; the few people I've met who own them, won't part with them no matter how much I've offered them. That design was THAT good.
Thanks for this video! I was just looking at this very item today at Home Depot when I picked up my new 6hp Rigid 10gal vacuum, and wondered if would really help with shop debris from my saw etc. I,m sold! Cheers!
These work great! I bought an Onieda unit that works very well and made a second out of wood and pvc. Use a second bucket outside of the particle catcher to keep it from collapsing... problem solved on that one. I won't vacuum again without using these.
Thanks Tony! It sounds like the 2 bucket approach gets used a good amount.
Great unit! I've been using it for the past 18 months or so. As others have stated, ultra fine particles (sanding dust or from cutting MDF) do make it to the main vacuum unit. That being said, I have only had to blow out the shop vac filter twice since I had it. Overall it made a great addition to my garage shop.
Great video and great information. I just bought my Rigid "shop vac" and when I searched for the separator they did not have this at the store. Thanks for the info, I'll definitely pick one up. Keep up the good work! Have a good one :D
I have used the Duststopper for over 3 years now, and it is awesome.
The simplest approach to vacuuming is usually what ends up on shelves. You got a reverse fan device and micron netting, can't be simpler than that. So I got to experimenting. I found these 6" diameter galvanized disks that had 1/4" wire used for keeping rats out. Anyways, in a vent coupling section I stuffed 30 of these disks 1/8” apart to where it looked like you were looking through a window screen. And all this was sitting atop a 5 gallon Home Depot bucket lid that had a funnel like device on it. It all ended in a simple cubic foot plywood box that I made and sealed off any vacuum leaks. And before I closed the box, I installed the tip of my paint sprayer, at a 75° offset so the blast would be centered and just enough to keep the disks both wet and clean. Then I removed the vacuum’s filter and attached the input hose to the output of my contraption. I needed the vacuum pulling air though my device. Then I made adapters to fit the other end of the 3” flexible hose to my device and put the other end into a box filled with sawdust. This was all done on the patio encase I was an idiot. Next, I turned on the compressor and let it fill up with air. The compressor filled with air faster than the output of the paint sprayer. Next, using the clip that I made, I turned on the paint sprayer and vacuum and went to the box of saw dust and sucked in all the saw dust and shut everything down. Next, I looked down into the vacuum cleaner and saw thin layer of wet pulpy stuff on the bottom and nothing on the piece of card board I taped 4” outside the output of the vacuum. So I had set it perfectly and would not need more water. So that part worked great.
Next, I looked in the 5 gallon bucket just under my contraption and it was filled halfway up with wet wood pulp, which I emptied in the bushes, but found hornets loving it a few days later.
Next, I tried it with dry, drywall compound. Again, a thin layer on the bottom of the vacuum, but a few speckles on the cardboard outside the vac. And the bottom of the 5 gallon container was drywall mud but I would need to adjust for more water to keep the mesh clean. The only thing to remember when vacuuming up drywall compound is you have to rinse it off immediately or it will harden. In the end, I created a zero dust vacuum chamber that would never lose performance efficiencies. However, it was non mobile.
I want to appreciate your ingenuity and mastery of concepts … but it’s very difficult to visualize what youre describing. Maybe this is better as a reddit post? I would like to see what youre talking about.
I'm still surprise this is rare in biger sites.
Thanks for reminding everyone about that product.
Ethan, I really appreciate the way you scrupulously list the downsides as well. It’s way too easy to watch some promotional video and get all hyped and run out and spend money. You put the “honest” in “Honest Carpenter.” Thanks.
The Home Depot Dustopper really works. I built a platform on top of my Ridgid 6.5 hp shop vac. It takes up little room and is easy to get around my shop. I still wear a respirator to protect against the dust that the dust collector misses.
I love this to thing, John! People are like, “it’s 5% less effective…” But I could care less! 😂 like you said, respirator every time
I have a Dustopper and built a cart (OSB & PVC) over my Bauer vac. It works great, but is very top-heavy (because the wheels on the vac aren't designed with the high center of gravity in mind), and isn't necessarily easy to move around the shop. If you come up with a solution to that, I look forward to seeing it. (If anybody can, it's you!)
Great post as always!
OK, back to the Home Despot... love your vids, already followed your advice from the last vid on the 12 gal Ridgid, inner bag and Hepa filter (returned the 9 gal I just bought). You would have saved me a trip if you posted this vid with the other vid - argh!
Keep the great vids comin', you give great advice and tips to the non-tradesman home crowd
Would be amazing if shop vac manufacturers incorporated a cyclonic separator within the actual vac. But then they wouldn't sell as many filters I guess :/
I wonder if even a slight modification of having the hose input the same as a cyclonic dust separator would on the shop vac make a great difference.
@@sparda169leon typical shop vac designs don't stand out to me as easily modifiable but there are certainly some amazing designs by some RUclipsrs who have taken the motors out of a shop vac and used it to make their own compact vacs with built in separators.
@@sparda169leon the real challenge is that to be effective I do think the filter has to be in a different compartment from the separator.
Also look up Thien Baffles.
@@anik321 Theres no reason they couldnt make two smaller compartments in the vacuumes though, be it a figure 8 shape, or if the cyclone effect could still work with simply dividing the current circle shape in half with a wall/barrier with one side being the seperator section and the next side having the filter and providing the suction
again its not really in their best interest due to filter sales.. but with all the competition between shopvac, ridgid, and other box store brands youd think atleast one of them would release a design that atleast attempts to separate out most of he heavier stuff prolonging filters
i wonder how these setups act when liquids are introduced
@@AndrewBrowner I've actually wondered about that as well. I do have a more traditional cyclonic separator at home and will test it out with water and report back eventually. Perhaps that is the real reason.
I bought one of these a few years ago for my small basement shop. It works very well with no issues. I did build a custom cart with wheels for the bucket so it can move easily with the shop vac. It is an ideal low cost dust solution for a small shop, and definitely saves on bags, filters, and wear and tear on your shop vac.
There is a “bucket trolley “ or similar name , sold in Wallmart for 15$ (automotive section , car cleaning products section) attaches to standard buckets . It helps a lot with mobility and tipping issue .
I use a shop vacuum with a 2.5" hose, a bag and a filter. When I added a Home Depot dust collector the drop in suction was severe enough that I just went back to using bags. Would be great to have a %-loss of suction test video comparing a mix of HP, hose diameter and dust collector brands.
Any air leakage (even if small) through the large stiff plastic-to-plastic joint between the bucket's rim and the Dustopper will degrade 1) fine dust separation (very important) and 2) static suction (less important). Leakage at this large joint is intolerable if the best possible performance using this device is to be achieved. A flexible, compressible, conformable, elastic gasket must be added at this joint and tested from time to time, because the rim of a bucket might become oblong rather than round. Wrap a continuous length of kitchen cling film around the outermost circumference of the rim joint. Any vacuum leakage through the joint will visibly suck the thin plastic cling film inward.
Good call out on the HP. I wish I had seen this before I built my cart and separator. I have a Craftsman 2.0HP and it struggles mightily. Love these vids!!
Thank you, a lot of your tips helped. The reveal trick made me realize that the professional door installers screwed it up and why when I look at it, it looks like crap. One thing I will fix on my own.
Much easier than a cart is a mounting stand on top of the vac that cradles the 5-gal bucket. A design I came up with a few years ago is to rip 5 1.5" strips of 3/4" plywood (could also be MDF, furring strips, strips ripped from 2x4, etc.), about 24" each. The exact dimensions of the stand will vary based on your bucket and your vac top and motor height. Assuming a standard Home Depot type bucket, and a vac top with a flat space around the edge and a motor 6" taller than that, the stand will have these dimensions: Cut one of the 5 strips into 2 pieces whose length is the diameter of the bucket at just under the lip at the handle (about 11.75"). Cut matching dado notches in the center of each cross piece, 3/4"x3/4", so that the 2 pieces will fit these notches together to form a cross-lap-jointed X (don't glue this joint for easier disassembly later). The 4 uprights will be the length of the bucket from that 'handle lip' down to the bottom (about 13.25", plus 1.5" for the height of the cross piece on edge, plus 7" to clear the motor with 1" between it and the cross piece, down to the flat edge of the vac top, so in this illustration the length of the 4 uprights is 21.75". Attach each end of each cross piece to one of the four uprights as indicated in the above measurements, one with the notch up, one with it down, to make two H-shaped assemblies. The cross piece ends should butt into the flat face of the upright, with a screw from the outside face through the upright into the end of the cross piece (again no glue in case you want to disassemble for storage/shipping later). Now you have two H shapes, cross-lap-joined in the middle to form what looks like a 4-legged stool with an X for a 'seat' partway up the legs, with a 13.25" deep area at the top for the 5-gal bucket to sit in on the cross pieces, and the bottom part of the legs standing on the flat part of the vac's top, with the cross piece clearing the motor by an inch (adjust the length of the legs from the cross piece on down as needed for your vac's top). To fix your dust collector stand to the vac's top, I used 4 small L brackets epoxied on the vac top where each leg touches it, then a short screw through the upright part of the L and into each leg. Just 4 screws to remove it from the vac, and it breaks down into 2 H assemblies, or remove the 4 screws fixing the cross pieces to the uprights to break it all the way down into 6 sticks. You can even remove the epoxied L brackets from the vac with a scraper or knife for a permanent removal.
Thanks for sharing those tips, I make one like it it is very good and safe!, and I build a cart on the shop vac!
How did you do that? … side by side or stacked on top?
Great to hear, Hassan! Can’t wait to build my cart. I think a side-by-side approach is best for my space, but I bet other people could stack them effectively as well. 🙂
@@johnoerter2883 I did side by side, and used the wheels of the shop vac and one wheel for the front
@@hassanal-mosawi4235 thanks, Hassan!
Wanted to share my tip for making the equivalent of a side-by-side mobile cart for my DIY Dust Stopper 'cyclone clone' and wet vac, but that required essentially no construction and took me less than 15 minutes to assemble. I picked up one of those mini-dollies at Harbor Freight for under $10. It's a near perfect fit for the HD bucket, and the height of the wheels on it are a close match for my Bauer wet vac (which is very similar to the Rigid). I screwed two metal D-rings to the top of one side of the dolly's base. Then I placed the HD bucket cyclone on top the dolly, pushed it up against the side of the wet vac, attached one end of a three foot bungee cord to one of the D-rings, ran it around the outside of the cyclone and wet vac, and attached the other end of the cord to the other D-ring. Voila: a mobile cart! Yeah, it's not the most secure assembly, and it certainly isn't elegant. But it works perfectly well, providing sufficient mobility without falling apart or over, and best of all it disassembles in less than a minute and has a less than one square foot storage footprint (the dolly). Don't get me wrong, I still plan to build a more permanent cart. But in the meantime, this is certainly better than no mobile solution at all.
I think your explanation of how this works is FANTASTIC. I can’t wait to see ur homemade cart. ALSO, could this system be hooked to multiple machines, instead of hooking it up, then disconnecting it an hooking it up too another machine? Ty
Great video, I was at my local Home Depot today and just happened to be in the Dustopper aisle. It was marked down to $12.03. I’ve been wanting one for a while glad I waited
Bought a Duststopper at HD during demo of a finished basement. I put a kitchen tall trash bag in the bucket to make emptying easier.
I have had a Dust Deputy hooked up to my Ridgid vac for 6 or 7 years. I may have emptied the vac less than that. Great product. Have the smaller Home Depot unit as well on another vac. Anxious to see your cart when it is finished.
Thanks for posting. I have the rockler separator and it works decent enough. I like that the can is larger.
I bought the same model a few month ago. I thought it was a bit expensive for what it was but it works great.
Good video, thanks. I used the duststopper for a few years. It worked great. I recently bought a Bauer 6hp vac and had to stop using the duststopper because the Bauer is too strong for it. The suction collapses the bucket and breaks the seal . It sounds like a jet engine on take off. I need to strengthen the bucket .. maybe turn a few bracing rings.
Thank you for another idea in depth that would never had occurred to me.
Your welcome, Richard!
Use a double bucket set up. It helps prevent the collapsing of the bucket.
On that rigid vac you can put 4 pipes vertically from the feet posts to support a platform above the vac for the bucket.
I have one and it works great.. in time the device will clog with fine particles. I use a small 2.0 shop vac to clean it and toss the bag when full
Thanks lad! Ive been doing carpentry work for a very long time and ive never heard of that contraption...... but tanks to ya im gonna get one ! We love yer wisdom keep it up!
Thank you, Bockarie! I went years without having one myself. With this new shop space though, I’m keeping multiples. Thanks for watching! 😄
@@TheHonestCarpenter yer welcome lad!
when i first got the DS i tired it on fine dust .it was less than stellar. i removed the "Thien baffle. and installed a 5'' piece of 1.5 '' pvc into the vac port . on the inside of the pail . works better now
Love your honest (hey, it's in the name of the channel ;-) ) and balanced views. Thanks!
Just a side question: how does that Ridgid vacuum deliver 5 HP? That's over 3,700 watts of delivered power. Without correcting for input/output efficiency (which would make actual consumption greatly exceed 4 kW), this already exceeds a 16 Amp/230 Volt = 3,680 watt EU outlet, let alone a US standard 15A/120V = 1,800 watt outlet...
I have the same setup minus the bag and fancy filter. 2 things I would like to add: 1. empty the bucket when it is half full or else it will suck into the vac. 2. get that bucket upright as soon as it falls over or else everything in the bucket with end up in the vac.
ETHAN,
THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS AND VIDEOS. I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND EFFORT TO HELP US ALL 🙏🙏 GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY 😇😇 RODNEY
Thank you, Rodney! 😄
I have the Dustopper which works well. I’m going to build a stacking system using pvc pipes and the attachment spots on the wheels of the shop vac.
Plastic = static electricity. Actually potentially dangerous, although I never read/heard it exploded.. Still would be nice to ground it. Have seen a guy applying a self-adhesive copper band from inside to outside, or even inside the hose.
I have mine DIY and it works as additional dust collector during sanding :) Hose, cyclone - everything covered with a finest dust.. But really like it - helpfull always for any home renovation.
I had the dust stopper on my Ridgid vac then got rid of it for a dust deputy. I wish I had just kept the dust stopper even though it wasn't quite as efficient. The dust deputy setup is just too tall. The dust stopper was great even at picking up dirt and gravel from a trench whereas the dust deputy inlet is too high off the ground. I also found when using the cyclone I would still need to toss my bag long before it filled up because it would start to deteriorate due to all of the fine dust passing through.
I've since moved on to a CT-MIDI-I and am just using the bag + HEPA filter for most of what I do. I'll use the cyclone for the table saw and planer, otherwise I just want to be more mobile.
I invested in one of these a while back. When it came to the bucket, I shop at Blue more often than at Orange. The opaque blue bucket wasn't ideal. So I spent and extra couple bucks on a see through bucket. SO WORTH IT. So much easier to see how full it is.
Dang, good point, Clif! 😆
I made a vertical holder to go on top of my 12 gallon Ridgid shop vac. I'm going to add bricks to the shop vac to see if this helps the top heaviness as someone else mentioned in these posts. I also have the green bags and filter. There seems to be little loss in suction.
Sold. I'm getting one ASAP
Tired of constantly cleaning my filter.
Instant value, Michael! 😁
I never thought of using one but i will. Thanks for the information.
Need video on these amazing 5 gallon buckets.
I have a mouse trap lid, a toilet seat lid - for camping, etc
theyre great I have 1 on each of my vacs. saves filter clean, and a quick dump of the bucket is easy. both are on carts with the vacs.
There's not much problem when attached to a miter saw, track saw, etc. But, if you have a jointer and/or planer, you're going to want a much larger "bucket". A 40-55 gallon cardboard barrel would be much better. Jointers and planers produce an insane amount of chips. Not sawdust. I would also suggest saving up to get a higher end dust collector that pulls a few hundred cubic feet of air per minute (CFM). Yes, that requires more work, and money, in setting up all of the ducting, but will most definitely help keep any home shop virtually dust free.
This is really cool - I wish I knew about this last year before I sanded and refinished my entire deck since that killed more than a couple of filters!
My old British Series 3 Land Rover had a cool cyclone dust colletor air cleaner system - it rocked
The dust separator link you listed, item shows unavailable. Hope there is another model you would recommend. Great videos and I can't wait to watch more of your productions. Very informative and helpful. THANK YOU!!!
That's honestly..... A good tip! Thank you, I'll have to get one myself as there's nothing worse than suction loss, then having to clean out your filter. Major time waster.
Yep, and it happens so quickly, madatown!
Ethan, I am a subscriber and love your videos and information, HOWEVER...ahem...the duststopper is a waste of money. I owned one and it was the worst. There is a loss of suction while operating, yes I had the brand new HD bucket etc. If you put a back plastic bag around the bucket and use tape to secure to the two inbound ports, turn it on, you’ll see the bag will get sucked tight against the bucket, hence a leak. There should be some sort of rubber gasket that attaches to the unit and bucket to make a good seal. There was a great loss of suction at the tool connections. The unit by itself is very unstable..Plus to help with the bucket from tipping over the manufacture rep suggested I put rocks in the bottom of the bucket...really?
I went to the dust deputy and am happy, Glad to see you like yours.
There is the new Dustopper Pro is even better. ☺
Awesome. I think you only need a cart for the bucket, which I'm pretty sure already exist. Maybe one for potted plants. Some kind of hose clips might help.
Get the Dust Deputy. These perform much better and don't drop pressure as much.
I put a heavy brick inside the 5 gal bucket. keeps it from falling over.
In the future, I'm going to put about 8 lag bolts through the wall of the bucket towards the center. And then pour in a couple inches of concrete into the bucket.
concrete slab will stay locked into the bottom and stay put when you go to dump out the saw dust. As opposed to now, reaching your hand into the bucket to grab the brick and get blasted with static electricity..
Brilliant explanation, instant like, thanks!
Lots of versions of cyclonic separators, including a bunch of diy versions that you can build yourself using a 5 gal. bucket and some PVC fittings. Also lots of cart designs on YT.
This and your other video on upgrading bags in my shop vac are really valuable. Thanks for doing the research and providing the solutions you came up with. I'll likely go the same direction. However, I have the same concern - mobility. Did you end up building a cart to keep the vac and cyclone rolling together? I'd love to see it and copy it!
Thanks for this video. I am getting one of these and I am passing on the information to my cousins who have shop saws.
Nice idea for Table Saw extended cart. Thanks.