Need help on vac/separator cart design

[Hobkirk]

I want to build a cart with my shop vac (Craftsman, 6 HP peak, 16 Gal.) and a separator and a removable boom. I will use it with "small" tools like my circular saw (on an EZ rail), or the small outlet on my router. I will report back with pictures and results - it should be interesting. But I immediately find numerous basic questions as soon as I start planning how to best do it.

• Separator can size - What size would work best with a shop vac? I have a rigid plastic barrel (about 50 gal.), an extra Craftsman 16-gallon tank, various smaller size containers, and I'm willing to buy something new, although it's against my instincts!
• Hose size - I have small (approx. 1 1/2") & large (approx. 2 1/2") shop vac hoses, the ports I will be connecting to are 1 1/2" or less, and the hose between the tool and separator will be about 15'. Large DC ducting works best, and the best practice I believe is to do any reduction at the tool end of the run. Would it be better to run a 2.5" hose for the first 12' and then 1.5 for the connection to the tool?
• Separator up/down/side - The cart will be more compact if I place the vac or separator above the other, but I could do side-by-side. I can formulate good reasons that either one would work best if it were on top, but I would bet that experience will trump confused guesses.
• Side entry - I have an idea for a way to have the separator input hose come into the container tangentially, similar to a cyclone. Has this been tried with the PT baffle design? Is it worth trying if I can crank up sufficient ambition?

I obviously need help! Thank you for reading this far!

As an aside, I have a 2HP DC setup in a shed outside my shop (un-plumbed as of now). I had planned on plumbing it through the adjacent window to my various tools. Then the final filter would be outside my work area, saving me from worrying very much about the dust in the shop, although I also have one of those ceiling box filters for ambient (?) shop air. But it seems like overkill to use that for my circular saw or hand-held router. I decided that the DC should be used for the table saw / band saw / jointer / planer / router table and the shop vac for the smaller tools.

[phil (admin)]

Separator can size:  I think all of the above would be fine.  If you're shooting for small and available, I'd go with the 16-gallon Craftsman bin.  But my preference for metal (less static cling to the sidewalls) is well known.

Hose size:  I have a 15' Fein 1-1/2" hose I use with my system and I'm very happy with the results.  I've used lower-quality 1-1/4" hoses (like the kind that come w/ lower-end shop vacs) and wouldn't use one of those.  If your 1-1/2" hose is of decent quality (smoother inside), I'd give it a shot.  If there isn't enough suck, you can always switch to a 2-1/2" hose for the first 10-12'.

Up/down side:  I have have any practical experience because I haven't done up/down, just side-by-side.

Side entry:  It has been done with 1-stage DC's with great results.  A little tricky to implement yourself, but certainly doable.

[dbhost]

I know I am digging up an old thread, but I wanted to touch base on this one since they are talking about doing what I am working on... Now I am not planning on a cart, but rather a cabinet.

    * Separator can size - Just about any of those sizes you listed would work well. BUT, for space considerations, and if I recall right you mentioned you have a small shop so space is ALWAYS a consideration, I would go with a 20 - 30 gallon heavy gauge galvanized steel trash can. I use a 20 gallon and it works great. I had considered using a 55 gallon drum but have scrapped that as the 20 getting full is about all I want to lift...
    * Hose size - As I understand the concepts and best practices, go with your normal size runs until you get as close as possible to the tool in order to avoid overly restricting air flow. I would say go with 2.5" dust collection hose and neck down with a tool adapter. It's what I do with my sanders and it works great!
    * Separator up/down/side - I am planning on putting the vac up top, and the separator on the bottom. In theory, the vac up top should have the added benefit of having any chips, or fines not only have to go with the air flow, but also fight against gravity. I am sure the benefit will be minimal, but if I am thinking right, should be beneficial. You also have the benefit of saving valuable floor space in your shop by using that much less floor real estate...
    * Side entry - If you look at the way the elbow shoots the air stream into the cyclonic stream, I would have to assume that this would have the same effect as a side input on the container itself. HOWEVER, I would think the location on the baffle would be important, and you would HAVE to figure out a way to "key" the lid to the container. I think it would be a lot of extra work for not a lot of extra benefit.