Shop Vac and Plunge Router

[parodielin]

So I am almost set on the DeWalt 621 plunge router. I need a shop vac to go with it. (I think I am turning into a tool wh0re, what can I say?)

Walmart has many of them:

Walmart Shop Vac

What would you recommend from the ease of use and effective perspective (size, power, connection, ...)? I don't have a table saw or other tools to hook into the shop vac yet. It will just be the plunge router at this point. The MDF dust is horrible and I decide to do something with it.

[Face]

No Sears, Home Depot or Lowes by you?

[killersoundz]

I had a craftsman shopvac for a long time...was a good value buy. Worked great up until the day the filter got a hole in it and sucked up a piece of metal into the motor.

I have the same router and I have to tell you honestly don't expect a lot in terms of dust collection. I tried hooking it up once and it got in the way more than anything. Great router otherwise though.

[Deward Hastings]

Chose one that you can get a HEPA filter for (they are available for Craftsman I know, and probably others), and get one. Otherwise the most dangerous of the dust particles blow right through. Vent it outside the shop anyway . . . (ie. get a vac which has a hose fitting for the exhaust as well as the suction).

When routing speaker cutouts with a jig (like Jasper) that prevents rotating the router the hose becomes a total PITA . . . get an extra length of hose and a swivel connection and rig it to overhead so the hose comes down from the ceiling. Also use a reducer and small diameter (1 1/4) hose for the down line to the router . . . the higher air velocity will help clear the hose. The rest of the run (to the vac) can be 2 1/2 inch (you might need two lengths, go larger to get less pressure drop and better air flow overall). There's a very nice long (12 ft.) and flexible orange hose available that is excellent and does it all with one piece, but it's also expensive (around $40) . . . it's what I use, bungeed to the ceiling, when I use the router indoors. When I can I just work outdoors in the driveway with a strong fan at my back . . .

[parodielin]

That really helps! I forgot there is a Sears. I'll check the Craftsman as well. I plan to use it outdoor as much as possible. It will be router + jasper + upcut or downcut depending on pre-finished cabinets or not. I need to wrap my brain around what horse would work..... that's a great tip...

Does size or power matter for just cutting speaker holes? I prefer to get a smaller one so I don't need to worry about storing it.

This one looks nice with a filter:

Craftsman 12 Gallon

Also thinking to use this to clean the car interior. So one additional benefit to justify this with the wife...

[parodielin]

I had a craftsman shopvac for a long time...was a good value buy. Worked great up until the day the filter got a hole in it and sucked up a piece of metal into the motor.

I have the same router and I have to tell you honestly don't expect a lot in terms of dust collection. I tried hooking it up once and it got in the way more than anything. Great router otherwise though.

Ooops, that is really something. The "big" vac tube really triggers my interest comparing to other great but cheaper router (Craftsman, PC, ...)...

[Deward Hastings]

Does size or power matter for just cutting speaker holes?

Dust collection is ALL about moving air, so size and power do matter. I use an old 16 gallon Craftsman (rated "5 HP peak" . . . what a joke, that would be 3.7 kilowatts) that is adequate. I've also got a little (4 gallon?) "ShopVac" that I use for wet pickup . . . I don't believe it would even be worth the effort to hook it up to a router . . .

[kevinr]

Kmart sells Crafstman and has the six gallon vac on sale starting today for $39 . Hepa filter is $22

[parodielin]

Kmart sells Crafstman and has the six gallon vac on sale starting today for $39 . Hepa filter is $22

Thanks for the tip!!

[6thplanet]

The Craftsman router w/ both bases is hard to beat. Variable speed, 1/4 and 1/2 collet, smooth start features are hard to beat for the price. Usually you can catch it on sale for anywhere between 90-110 bucks.

[arlis_1957@yahoo.com]

get the highest hp you can.

[donparsons]

I bought a Craftsman 4.0 peak horsepower shop vac and I am dissapointed. Get the biggest shp vac you can find. It wont be overkill.

I am in the process of putting together a real dust collection system.

[killersoundz]

I bought a Craftsman 4.0 peak horsepower shop vac and I am dissapointed. Get the biggest shp vac you can find. It wont be overkill.

I am in the process of putting together a real dust collection system.

I do think it's worth noting that hooking up a router dust collection (tiny hose) to a real dust collector doesn't work very well. It just bottle necks it and you get no suction practically at all. I tried it.

[Deward Hastings]

It just bottle necks it and you get no suction practically at all. I tried it.

True. Most "real" dust collectors have a blower tuned to move a lot of air across not much pressure drop (4 inch pipe). They are more like big fans, and just don't produce a lot of "suction". Of course you don't need "suction" at the router any more than you do at the planer or table saw . . . you need airflow. Airflow is what picks up and moves the "dust" ("vacuum cleaner" is kind of a misnomer . . . they don't "clean" by vacuum, they "clean" by moving air). But without suction you don't get much airflow through a 1 1/4 inch hose . . . and that's where a sufficiently powerfull shop-vac has the advantage. It's designed to do just that . . . suck air through a small hose at high velocity across a (relatively) high pressure drop.

[marvin]

I have the 621 router and use a Craftsman shop vac for dust collection. Works well for me, I have the router mounted below a table saw extension wing.

Many shop vacs are horribly noisy. Look for a vac with a noise reducing foam outlet filter. Some of the Craftsmans have them.

A friend likes the shop vac brand because of the filter bag inside in addition to the pleated main filter. I dislike that feature. He is miserly enough to empty the bag through the intake port of the bag, but I think the bag's pores still are partially blocked after doing so. I have two pleated main filters, and just replace one when it gets clogged. You can clean and wash them later at your convenience.

The Dust Deputy http://dustdeputy.com/ seems like a good concept to reduce filter clogging, but I hardly have room for the vacuum in my work room, let alone the DD.

Marvin

[duanebro]

I got a nice vac from Home Depot. They usually have one for dirt cheap on black Friday. Look through the adds while your letting the turkey settle. I didn't go early on Friday, and I think they still had some left on Saturday. (this was several years ago, but I think they do it every year.)

As far as tools go, a circular saw can do most everything else needed to build a box.

Also Check this place out for bits: http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/

Good luck,
Duane

[killersoundz]

True. Most "real" dust collectors have a blower tuned to move a lot of air across not much pressure drop (4 inch pipe). They are more like big fans, and just don't produce a lot of "suction". Of course you don't need "suction" at the router any more than you do at the planer or table saw . . . you need airflow. Airflow is what picks up and moves the "dust" ("vacuum cleaner" is kind of a misnomer . . . they don't "clean" by vacuum, they "clean" by moving air). But without suction you don't get much airflow through a 1 1/4 inch hose . . . and that's where a sufficiently powerfull shop-vac has the advantage. It's designed to do just that . . . suck air through a small hose at high velocity across a (relatively) high pressure drop.

Yep, you said what I was getting at - Use a shop vac for a router dust collector with the small hose. Can't beat a true dust collector for the table saw though.

[lamski]

I didnt used to use a vac on my 621 as i felt it probably wouldnt work all that great and would just get in the way. After my recent project using the vac on the 621 I will never cut MDF again without the vac attached. It did a superb job grabbing the MDF dust. it works especially well in a router table. I filled the vac bag in 1 day. All that dust would be all over the place and would be a pain to clean up had I not used the vacuum.

Highly recommend the vacuum and the Dewalt 621 is a spectacular router by the way.

it was my favorite tool before, but when I finally got it mounted in a DIY router table and attached the vacuum, it became 10x more valuble to me...

[Ryan_M]

+1

I have the 621 and a good shopvac and dust collection is outstanding. Yes the hose will feel like it's in the way but you get used so it doesn't really bother me much... much less than dust all over the place!

For a shopvac get a lot of power and make sure it can take vacuum bags, they are way better than the typical corrugated filters.

[johnastockman]

+1

I have the 621 and a good shopvac and dust collection is outstanding. Yes the hose will feel like it's in the way but you get used so it doesn't really bother me much... much less than dust all over the place!

For a shopvac get a lot of power and make sure it can take vacuum bags, they are way better than the typical corrugated filters.

The Dewalt 621 always gets high marks for its dust collection ability compared to other brands. The bungee-cord overhead thing for the hose is a great idea, too. I happen to have a lower truss beam right above my work table in the garage...

John A.