Vacuum cleaners are great for tidying up the home, but they typically can’t deal with the bulky, gross messes of a proper workshop. [CraftAndu] is currently building a sailing vessel, and has found that there’s simply too much sawdust for a regular vacuum to take on. Thus, he built a mighty vacuum of his own that’s able to deal with such conditions.
The core of the build is a giant 3.8 kW dust collector that’s used as part of a workshop dust extraction system. It’s of the type you’d normally use to suck up dust from machine tools. It’s then fitted with a long flexible hose that goes to the vacuum handle itself. The handle is made up of lengths of sewage pipe and several adaptors to fit it all together and hook up to the flexible tube. It’s also fitted with a set of wheels to allow it to be easily skated about the floor of the shop.
It’s a neat way to suck up all the lightweight sawdust that collects around the workshop. However, [CraftAndu] notes that even with the 3.8 kW extraction system powering it, it’s still quicker to use a broom for bigger detritus like wood chips and the like.
A lot of people think that vacuum projects suck, but we’ve always had a soft spot for them. Pun intended, and you’ll find the video after the break!
If only Billy Mays was still around to do a bombastic infomercial about this.
Pedantry alert: machine tools refer to tools used for machining metal, such as grinders, metal lathes, milling machines, etc.
You don’t use a dust collector with machine tools for a few reasons.
The chips are heavy. You’d need a lot of fast airflow to move them along.
The chips can be covered in coolant. You don’t want to aerosolize that more than already happens.
The chips can come off HOT, red hot at times. An air blast sufficient to move them can provide enough oxygen to ignite. You don’t want to deal with a metal fire.
You don’t want to mix metals. Chips get recycled, and if you have say copper or brass contaminating your steel you get a lower rate from the recycler.
Dust collectors are used for woodworking tools.
Where is the hearing protection? I used a vac like this in a warehouse, it was strong enough to suck up styrofoam peanuts from three feet, made noise like a military jet, massive hearing protectors were necessary. Also, stuff flies all over and eye protection is necessary.
My dust collectors at about 60db, older vacuums are exceptionally loud, they are much improved
I used to work in floor care industry. Our most powerful vacuum was an air powered unit with 4 venturies. The veturies were adjustable and the vacuum was made to fit on top of a 55 gallon drum. If the venturies were opened up too much the vacuum was capable of collapsing the drum. Thats a powerful vacuum. https://www.minutemanvac.com/air-vacuums.html And I fully agree that vacuum stories suck!