We need one of the best suckers around!

[Pplug]

Hey folks,
I need your advice. I'm a tech teacher and I'm looking for the best shop vac I can find. I would like it to be as quiet as possible so it won't blast the kids' ears. I'm planning on using the shop vac for it's traditional role and try to use it as a small vacuum table as well for thin stock. We already have a dust collector in the shop but we are looking for suction over volume. If that makes any sense....

All your opinions would be welcome as I haven't shopped for one in years, and I trust all your experiences.

Thanks,
Chris

[ger21]

Probably Fein or Festool. Neither is cheap.

[fixtureman1]

Fein is probably the quietest and better price.

[DonFrambach]

I've been around both Festool and Fein vacuums. They are both excellent shop vacuums. While Festool has some advantages in certain cases, the Fein is substantially quieter. If I were you, I'd get a Fein.

Both brands now feature variable suction which can make them even more quiet if you don't need full suction.

[DonFrambach]

Originally Posted by Pplug we are looking for suction over volume. If that makes any sense....

The higher static pressures generated by shop vacuums are sometimes much more important than the higher flow volumes generated by dust collectors. Yes that makes a lot of sense.

[Pplug]

So it looks like the fein is the best model for price and noise. We will be purchasing a vac in the oct.-nov. time frame so if anybody has more ideas I'll be open to them.

I'm surprised some of the larger manufacturers haven't caught on to the noise selling point! I know for many people it would make the difference.

[silyavski]

i think what you have to consider is sth like this Garage Pro;Canister Vacuum Cleaners or similar, found under garage vacuum cleaner in Google or Amazon. It seems they are great suckers and bag-less with cyclonic system, so you can really suck dust with it, and it will save you from buying a separate cyclonic system for separating the dust. you can put it in a noise box with a breathing hole as i have mine and will be no problem with the noise even with continuous use

[fixtureman1]

Originally Posted by silyavski i think what you have to consider is sth like this Garage Pro;Canister Vacuum Cleaners or similar, found under garage vacuum cleaner in Google or Amazon. It seems they are great suckers and bag-less with cyclonic system, so you can really suck dust with it, and it will save you from buying a separate cyclonic system for separating the dust. you can put it in a noise box with a breathing hole as i have mine and will be no problem with the noise even with continuous use

Try taking it out of the garage though like down the basement.

[eaglezsoar]

Originally Posted by silyavski i think what you have to consider is sth like this Garage Pro;Canister Vacuum Cleaners or similar, found under garage vacuum cleaner in Google or Amazon. It seems they are great suckers and bag-less with cyclonic system, so you can really suck dust with it, and it will save you from buying a separate cyclonic system for separating the dust. you can put it in a noise box with a breathing hole as i have mine and will be no problem with the noise even with continuous use

Could you elaborate on the noise box like how to make one or where to buy one? I have not heard of such a device. Thanks!

[Pplug]

Originally Posted by silyavski i think what you have to consider is sth like this Garage Pro;Canister Vacuum Cleaners or similar, found under garage vacuum cleaner in Google or Amazon. It seems they are great suckers and bag-less with cyclonic system, so you can really suck dust with it, and it will save you from buying a separate cyclonic system for separating the dust. you can put it in a noise box with a breathing hole as i have mine and will be no problem with the noise even with continuous use

That would be an option if we were only going to use it in a stationary place. Unfortunately we will be moving it around the shop to use as traditional vaccine as well as a weak vacume table for our cnc. We will need something with wheels. It's a good thought though....

[silyavski]

Originally Posted by eaglezsoar Could you elaborate on the noise box like how to make one or where to buy one? I have not heard of such a device. Thanks!

Hi,
basically a box with a hole for the hose and a whole for the air to come out. All the inside surface covered with any noise absorbing material, starting from egg boxes, 2mm vinyl, expanded PVC up to pro noise isolation material, like a sub woofer box , and if 2 boxes one in other, with different hole placement and 5 cm air isolation even better. Just before any of this open your vacuum cleaner ans assure yourself that it has thermal protection wired to the motor, 99% have already.

Now my set up is totally different, when i get home i will make a drawing and some pictures. Basically it consists of these pieces glued with plastic melt gun or simply fit by its own weight, in the following order vertically from ground to above:
1.Big chinese plastic bin, like 80l /new 10 euro, translate in $/
2.instead of the plastic bin cover i cut a round piece of composite panel , below for an air tight fit i cut and glued a piece of 2 euro yoga mat, which seals it perfectly below the weight of the above pieces. It has a 15 cm hole in the center where fits the next piece. When i lIke to clean it, i simply lift all above and empty the bin. HAVE TO MENTION THOUGH THAT THERE GOES 50CM NAKED WIRE WHICH IS GROUNDED TO MY NEAREST TUBING,OTHERWISE WILL BE A BIG BOOM, DUE TO STATIC ELECTRICITY FROM THE SPINNING IN THE CYCLONIC SEPARATOR SMALL PLASTIC AND WOOD PARTICLES
3. conical hard plastic cup 25cm high and 20cm diameter . This is the cyclonic separator. Half of it enters vertically the bin cover center hole and is glued with plastic. The protruding half has hole and there is glued a short rigid tube where, here the vacuum hose fits and from here
the sucked air enter the cup and cyclone forms, the dusts is forced to the walls and is going down the bin in a cyclonic movement. The cyclonic cup is closed from the top by a 2 times its diameter round composite round panel centered to it plate with a hole in its center where is fit another rigid tube which goes this time down in the cup, and ends some 5 cm below the level of the suction hole, o from here the vacuum motor sucks clean air from the center of the cyclone, while the dust goes down.
The good thing here is that the size of the cup and the conical or not shape in reality is not at all important, and bigger is not better. The important thing is that the air enters at a good angle to form a cyclone and that the distance of the protruding inside down pipe is like 5cm below the level of the incoming air. The top cover plate is 2 diameters of the cup cause it will support the above structure and holes for screw can be made. Its glued permanently to the cup with the plastic gun
4. 2 copies of the above mentioned cap/cup cover/ each with hole in the center and in between a flat car filter /5-10eur/ glued together like a sandwich, goes atop of the cyclonic separator. The good thing is that you need to clean it only 2-3 times a year, the cyclone is so effective, even if you suck a bucket of dust a day
5. Another copy of the circle with a hole in the center, glued above to a cylindrical thin metal box,covered inside with yoga mat and which has inside another smaller box, and inside the small box which also is covered with yoga mat this time from out side is the vacuum motor facing down. the smaller cylindrical box is chosen so that i used the rubber mount the original rubber mount of the motor to fit tightly. So the 2 boxes are one inside another, glued to the bottom only, separated by 2 cm or more of air space and have a hole in the center coinciding with the whole of the circle which is glued to the outside box. The inner box has also many small holes on the wall which in total are 2 times the surface of the vacuum hose! the bigger box has a hole at the top from where clean air goes up and out of the silencer assembly. At the top of it i also mounted the electronics, cause my vacuum had regulating suction.AND REMEMBER TO PUT ALSO THE THERMAL SENSOR INSIDE THE SMALL BOX.
The boxes i used where bought each 2 euro from a chinese shop and are tin boxes for saving money, like the children use. I went for metal there cause if the thermal sensor malfunctions i will not like a fire in the house
Used an old Panasonic vacuum cleaner, though a new vacuum motor can be bought from ebay for 10-15 $ .
it cost me a total of 30 eur materials and i have connected it now permanently to the CNC, instead of 1500W now it is like 300W cause i always keep it down, cause i have enough suction and don't need to push the slider to the top

Will make some photos and Plans on Sketch up as i want to rework it more beautifully, but like this is perfectly functional. English is not my first language but i hope you get the idea. Its totally noiseless now

[fixtureman1]

If you are using it for a vac hold down I would go with the Fein I use 2 on my 4x8 cnc table. They are rated for this.