Cyclone Vacuum - Why?

[juststartingout]

hi all - wondering if anyone has any thoughts / advice on why I keep seeing cyclone vacuum mentioned and if there's a reason to get one instead of using my small second hand Dyson which sits under my workbench?

Hoping to move house later this year which, as a requirement must have a garage that will become a workshop so thought I'd start taking a look at what's going to fill it.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice - as my name suggests I'm relatively new to this!

 

[gregmcateer]

JSO,
If you use the Search button in the User Tools on the right hand of the screen, you'll find shed loads of discussion and very helpful advice about dust/chip extraction, including cyclone design, costs, etc.
I haven't got a cyclone, so cannot write with any authority at all, but put simply, I think a cyclone separates the waste and drops it in a container, rather than sucking it into the filters and either clogging them quicker, or worse, going through them and spraying fine, dangerous dust all over the shop.

(Happy to be corrected if I've misunderstood)

 

[juststartingout]

Thanks Greg - will do!

 

[CHJ]

Cyclones, whether basic Cone or Thien design, when working correctly will dump the bulk of the waste in a convenient, easy to empty container and pass the minimum of fine dust to be stopped/collected by the systems fine terminal filters.

 

[mseries]

Yes the cyclone separates the dust from the air so the vacuum doesn't handle so much dirty air, thus it's filters stay cleaner for longer and hence it's efficiency remains better for longer.

 

[gregmcateer]

Phew! So I must have been listening in class

 

[biskit]

Hi jso I have a cyclone fitted to my Silverline shopvac, it's great ! The filter doesn't need cleaning for ages, before l had to clean it nearly every time it got emptied. I highly recommend getting one. Can't upload my picture :?

 

[juststartingout]

Thanks everyone - much obliged indeed for the advice!

 

[mseries]

I have only just fitted a cyclone separator to my vacuum cleaner based system, they are not vital. My vacuum is an old (2009) Draper WDV1400 wet and dry machine with power take off. It's the second one I have after the first got broken when it was dropped. Since I got the first in 1996 I had a nylon filter in it which replaces the paper bag and allows the debris to settle in the bottom of the plastic drum. Essentially the nylon filter surrounds the paper filter and is the first filter. It's 20 years old and is deteriorating, it's getting some holes in so it's filtering properties are degrading. Thus , as well as liking the science in a cyclone separator, I wanted to prevent some of the debris from getting to the vacuum and a cyclone separator fits the bill. I did an initial test yesterday with and without my nylon filter, it didn't seem to make much difference to the sucking power at the hose. There is little debris making it to the vacuum anyway. More tests are needed with the tools I typically use the extraction with

 

[sunnybob]

Cyclone is brilliant. I used to have to replace the big paper bags every time I emptied my SIP extraction unit. and I knew when I had to empty it because the bag clogged up and the suction dropped off alarmingly. Not to mention the motor had to work a lot harder.

Since fitting the small cyclone, I now run without a bag in the cleaner, the suction is dramatically improved, and I dont have to get the cleaner out of the noise cancelling box more than a couple times a year.

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

I use a cyclone on my Festool ctl26 and think it's good. I have a ctm26 as well provided to me by my work because majority of sites vacuums have to be M class now. Both are fitted with "the bag for life" reusable bags but if you're routing a lot of mdf they fill up and lose suction whereas the vacuum with the cyclone keeps up suction and is much less hassle to empty as 99% of waste is dumped in the bin bag inside the cyclone and can go in the skip. I use the ctm26 on my chop saw and have empty and clean the bag in that a lot more often which is messy and a pain plus it's bad for your lungs nasty stuff too

 

[DiscoStu]

I have a dust mite cyclone on top of a 40 litre bin and connected to £50 worth of Karcher wet and dry vac and it's excellent. I get nothing through to the vac and the bin is easy to empty.

Might be worth getting a clear bin, if you can, so you can see when it's full.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rorschach]

I have 2 big cyclones on my 4" extractor, I use them for my big sanders and my sandblaster, work great. I also recently bought a dust deputy to go on my small shop vac and that thing is just superb, barely a pinch of dust makes it through to the vac and the days of replacing the filters are over, a quick blast with compressed air and it's spotless again. Really recommend it.