I want to build a separator to be used attached to my sanders, and maybe the biscuit jointer using a shop vac. I was thinking of making a small unit out of a 5 gallon bucket. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Fine sanding dust is the most difficult to separate. Sanders and biscuit joiners also generate about the least amount of dust of tools in the shop. So I'd probably just put a bag in the vac and call it a day.
I am not so sure about that Phil. My Ridgid Oscillating sander produces a TON of dust that the baffle does a pretty good job of separating.
I would still build a little bigger though. 5 gallons fills up REALLY fast. Heck, my 20 gallon fills up super fast!
i've built two. they work great and are wonderfully portable.
MY random orbit may not produce a high volume of dust compared to other machines (router for instance), but until I started using my shop vac on it, it kicked a TON of dust into the air, which is the problem. So it solved that! As for the size, others have more experience, but I think it's more about priorities. Capacity vs portability.