If you are a DIY (Do it Yourself) person who likes to work with wood or are the owner of a shop in the woodworking space, you will be well aware of the mess that sawdust creates. Every time you cut into a piece of wood, you can be certain that your floor would be covered in the thin film of dust that you can’t wait to clear out.
There is good news for you, however. You don’t have to look into an expensive central dust collection system to clean up the mess from the woodwork. A simple shop vac can give you spectacular results.
In this article, we give you some tips on how to go about using a shop vac to clean up your woodworking mess. After reading through, you can shop around online for the best shop vac for woodworking.
A universal Adapter
Most often your vacuum hose will not fit the dust port on your tool. You will need to get a universal adapter to solve this problem. All you need is a minor hack – simply cut the rubber to fit the dust port on the tool to the vacuum hose and secure with duct tape.
A Smaller Hose is Better
The choice between a 1-¼ and a 2-½ hose might appear obvious – you would want to go for the bigger hose. But be aware that the smaller hose will give you greater flexibility due to its weight and suppleness when you have to move your tool across the wood.
Tools with Dust Port
When you buy bench-top tools like saws and planers, you get the option of buying them with or without the dust port. Going for the dust port option will save you a lot of clean-up work later on.
A Permanent Adapter
If you use your woodworking tool frequently, it might make sense to have a permanent adapter on it so that the hose can simply be plugged in whenever you want.
When your Hands are Tied
Quite often, both your hands will be busy working with the wood piece. In such situations, it is handy to have a remote switch that turns on the vacuum whenever the tool turns on. An alternative is a pedal switch that can be operated with your feet.
Finer Dust Particles
As a woodworker, you would know that certain particles of wood dust can be really small, nearly invisible. But they still form that film on the floor. A better filter like a HEPA filter is the solution to handle really small dust particles.
An Overhead Hook
When you are working on the floor with a long hose, it can get in the way and also spread wood dust in all directions as it moves along the floor. An overhead hook is the solution for such long hoses. The hook simply keeps the hose suspended above the ground.
Portable Dust Collector
Many tools do not have a dust port, in which case you can set up a portable dust collector nearby your workplace. But be ready to make some modifications with adapters and metal ducts.
The Whole Hog – A dust Collection System
You might want to consider this if you are a professional woodworker. A smaller DIY version of this system can be bought for a nominal price. It comes complete with blast gates and inlets to handle different tools.
You can enjoy your passion for woodworking without spending a lot on expensive equipment. All you need to do is to make some modifications to your standard equipment and attachments, which are available in most home centre stores.
Now that you’ve gotten the required know-how regarding shop vacs for your small business, you can shop online for the best shop vac for woodworking without any worries whatsoever.
