Shop Vac. Bagless

[ScouseKev]

Hello Gents.

i'm looking for a decent bagless shop vac / wet & dry... will be used mainly for just general vacuuming up of sawdust and wood chips .
Will occasionally be used with my sander.

Your probably wondering why i want bagless?? It will be used daily and i know it will fill up quickly...and the price of the bags!!

Something where i could put a filter over the motor, like the Record RSDE's...then just empty into a bin bag.

The RSDE1 is around 200quid and i was hoping to get away with £150.

Any thoughts? Cheers

 

[MattRoberts]

The problem with bagless is you're going to get a clogged filter very easily. However, I'd recommend the titan 1400w from Screwfix. Really good wet and dry vac that runs bagless just fine. It also has a power port on the vac, so it will auto start when you run a power tool through it

 

[Steve Maskery]

If you build a Thein separator you can use pretty much any shop vac, such as a cheap Aldi one, and the bag lasts ages because the debris doesn't get that far. You empty the Separator, rather than the vac.

 

[Hobbyshop]

The primary dust extractor in my shop is one of the record HPLV extractors but I also use one of the Parkside vacuums from Lidl.
The parkside vacuums can be used with or without a bag, but the use of the bag is recommended for fine dust, so I was using them to capture more of the fine dust but as you suggest I was getting fed up of replacing the bags.
A quick check for size and the Record paper filters that fit over their main filter are a good fit over the filter in the Lidl Vac.
Just a couple of cable ties around the top to hold it in place, and now my Lidl Vac has a Record fine dust filter but no bag.

I imagine the same solution could be used for other vacs that are designed to run with or without bags.

 

[ScouseKev]

Thanks for those replies.

The Titan looks like a real possibility.

 

[LancsRick]

I've built a little vac cart for the sum total of about £50 that does me really well...

Set of heavy duty castors from Amazon £6
Dust Commander DLX - £35
Length of hoover hose - £5
Old 1st generation DC01 Dyson with a broken power switch - £0
Steel ash bin at my local wholesaler - £2

Dyson at the bottom of the cart, bin on top with the cyclone attached to the top, hosepipe from the cyclone. It's about 18"x18" in footprint, and works a treat - I've filled and emptied the bin many times now, and have yet to see even a noticeable amount of debris in the hoover itself. Hoover filter is also still extremely clean.

I'd thoroughly recommend a double separator approach, it's one of the best bodges I've put in my workshop!

 

[MattRoberts]

+1 for the dust commander DLX - it's a fantastic addition. Rick, mind if I ask what you used to connect in and out of the DLX? I ended up getting a whole host of plumbing fittings, and I'm not 100% happy with it

 

[CHJ]

I've had a Lidl's (Parkside) version with a large diameter cartridge filter and tool actuated take-off socket for several years, works fine and they appear in various slight design changes every few months if you can wait for them. (£50-60 if IRC)

I made some hose adaptors and fitted it with a 63mm dia. hose to improve the airflow and shavings pick up.

 

[Rorschach]

I use a lidl wet dry vac with a cyclone separator, works great and the filter rarely needs cleaning. Vac has seen hard use for about 7 years now, about due for replacement.

 

[LancsRick]

+1 for the dust commander DLX - it's a fantastic addition. Rick, mind if I ask what you used to connect in and out of the DLX? I ended up getting a whole host of plumbing fittings, and I'm not 100% happy with it

It's a bit of a heath robinson method, but it works flawlessly!

32mm hoover hose, with the screw-on endcap left on.
Good dose of Stix-all around it (after 24 hours this stuff sets unbelieveably strongly).
Few wraps of gorilla tape around the join, tapering out further up the hose, to create a strain relief boot.

 

[MattRoberts]

Ah ok, thanks. Good to know I'm not the only one who had to get creative!

 

[ScouseKev]

Getting things back on track....

Other than the Titan which looks good..any further ideas of what makes and models?
Something fairly powerful that would cope with bits of debris that get mixed up with general dust and shavings?
Thanks

 

[LancsRick]

I'd go for the Titan Kev, and use the cash you save to get an extra bin and cyclonic separator. Short of hoovering up chunks of sharp metal, that'll cope with pretty much anything, give you excellent filtration, and rarely require you to touch the hoover itself.

 

[woodpig]

As I mentioned in another recent thread:

Some folks cut the end of the bag and reseal it with a clip. When it gets full you just remove the clip, empty the bag and re-use. All the benefits of using bags without so much cost. Just a thought. The clips folks use appear to be document edge binders.

I use a Nilfisk Aero wet and dry with power take off. It can be used with or without a bag and has a very handy blow function as well. I got mine from Screwfix on special offer for £110.00. The bags were around a fiver for four the last time I bought them.

 

[memzey]

I've got the Titan you refer to and have had really good service from it for the past two years. I'd heartily recommend it.

 

[skipdiver]

What size Titan are people recommending. The 40ltr at £90 or are the smaller ones enough?

 

[MattRoberts]

I have this one http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb430v ... 240v/70472

 

[skipdiver]

Cheers Matt.

 

[Rorschach]

Anyone know of a really small but powerful vac that has the power take off socket? Now I have a cyclone the drum size is irrelevant so a compact vac would be better.

 

[MattRoberts]

Smaller than the titan? Not that I know of.

But bear in mind that the power of the vac is often proportionate to the size. If you get one too compact, it might not have much suction