Chris, that will be one of my options as an experiment. I have nothing to lose as I do not use the leaf blower at the moment.....

 

Hi Chris - I toyed with that idea awhile back. Just never got around to trying it. Not sure how mph translates to CFM but with a 4" hose it would seem it would be high enough. The only thing that occurred to me is everything would wind up going through the impeller. Not sure if that would be an issue or not.

 

I doubt it would be much of an issue because the vacuum feature is designed to be able to suck up leaves (and sticks and whatever other various things happen to be in the leaf pile) and chop them up on their way to the bag. It is the impeller that chops them up, so it should be able to handle it.

Re CFM, this one didn't specifically say, but other similar blowers had CFM in the range of 120-140 on their specs. Given how much air the thing puts out, it must suck alot of air in. And it can suck up wet leaves, so the vacuum must be pretty strong.

 

I have been using this setup for a while .The vacuum,connected to a 4" hose has plenty of power and the sawdust is captured in a bag for easy disposal.

 

Frank, can you post pics or more info about how you hooked the vac port to the 4" hose?

 

Just be careful with fine wood dust, for 2 main reasons:

Dust buildup in the motor and possible explosion/fire hazard. Most leave blower motors aren't sealed and are brush motors which can spark as they age.

Joe D.

 

Over the years, having been in the repair business, I have seen many vacuum cleaners which have picked up an object that punctured or shattered the plastic fan housing. Most have some form of cover outside the fan housing. The leaf blower does not. Vacs do not have exhaust velocities in excess of 150 MPH either.

No matter if the CFM seems adequate for use as a dust collector, do you really want to take the chance of getting hit by a particle of anything travelling at 200MPH + when(not if) the bag tears?

After all the safety discussions about kickback and such on the forum lately, it is beyond my comprehension that anyone would consider this as an option!

 

duane, it seems to me that it can be set up fairly easily to provide the vacuum for a thein or cyclone style of chip collector. in that scenario, any larger item would go where the rest of the sawdust collects.

would that make you worry less?

 

Guys, I am not trying to make light of your concerns, but to me, they seem a tad unrealistic.

I have used a leaf blower/vac to suck up my leaves for as long as I can remember. And this is in a yard with 10+ big trees around it, resulting in huge piles of leaves and 50+ bags of copmpressed leaves per year. It usually takes a total of 10 hours or more to suck up all those leaves and empty them into the bags. I have never had a fire. And the bag has never even come close to breaking due to something coming out of the exhaust side at high velocity.

Joe, have you ever used a leaf blower/vacuum? If so, then you must know that there is an awful lot of fine dust in a leaf pile. I doubt that dry leaves and leaf dust is LESS combustible than sawdust; if anything, I would think it is probably MORE combustible.

Duane, do you realize that a good amount of things other than leaves get sucked up and spit into the bag (eg - sticks and even small stones)?

To me it seems like a leaf blower/vac is perfect for sawdust, especially when combined with a separator and then exhausting ot the window. Am I really that nuts?

 

Guys, I am not trying to make light of your concerns, but to me, they seem a tad unrealistic.

Duane, do you realize that a good amount of things other than leaves get sucked up and spit into the bag (eg - sticks and even small stones)?

To me it seems like a leaf blower/vac is perfect for sawdust, especially when combined with a separator and then exhausting ot the window. Am I really that nuts?

Well, I am assuming(probably not smart) that you bought a Homelite, as you really did not say. Read the reviews on HD. Holes in the bag is the no.1 complaint. A reviewer on the first page already had the issue of blowing a hole thru the fan housing.

I am not worried about it, tho. Even at 200MPH, the fallout shouldn't reach Ohio:haha:. Hope your neighbours window isn't too close if you are firing that thing out the window!

Seriously, a Thein separator or cyclone should help, also remove that venturi tube(will slow down the exhaust a bit). It(the cyclone/separator) will also cost a bit of the already fairly low CFM.

There are lots of things I'll go cheap on, but I try to avoid it where safety is concerned.

 

Think I would try something like this first...

Portable Dust Collector - 13 Gallon

Has more than double the CFM(Yes, I know, that's about as reliable as HP ratings on routers) and with a 20% off coupon it's not that expensive.

 

Definately something to put on my list for my birthday or father's day, both in June.

 

Chris, A mate of mine was going to throw out a perfectly operational Ryobi Leaf Blower and I looked at it, I saw that it both sucks and blows, very fast and that the air flow seems faster than the air flow through many professional dust systems that I have seen, I have not done it yet as I am so busy in other ways but professionally I can see no reason why it could not be used as a simple dust collector, as it does also suck, then it is is designed to have sticks and small rock ect. "go through it" at good speed then I was thinking of using it as a front end booster for my wood lathe as it is on the end of the line and the air speed is a bit slow there, considering that you intend to vent it out the window then I think that these blowers could work as an alternative dust collector as long as they don't have to push the air too far and the only advice I can think about passing to you is that you must not not point the vent at the clothes line as I think that there may be somethings that your wife will want to talk to you about if you do vent it towards the washing, also you may want to have some dust masks handy so you can pass them to your neighbours as their back yards may get a bit foggy when you use it. Nice lateral thinking. NGM

 

If this idea works (and I don't see why it would not), considering the price of these machines, I will be able to attach one to each of my workstations, rather than running hoses or ducts all over the place.

 

If there is any trepidation about the bigger chunks being a problem just use the leaf vacuum to charge a vortex type separator. Should eliminate the problem all together.

I'm liking this idea.

GCG

[oops, Duane already made the point ... Gotta read ALL the posts.]

 

i have to take some measurements and get some pvc pipe and fittings and stuff. i'll post pics and more info when i have made some progress.

 

Well, I read about a guy in southern Texas that cleaned his shop with a leaf blower. However, he did have all four sides open up, seems it gets HOT there in the summer. Anyway, that's all he used, a leaf blower, set to blow. About 20-30 seconds and he was done. Would probably take a bit longer just blowing it out the door, but I'd be willing to try it - while wearing a dust mask. Never know until you try.

I never ask about stuff like this. I just think it all thru a few times and then if it seems workable (safe), give it a shot. And I'm seldom wrong.

 

With both doors open, it takes me about 30 seconds at most to blow it out. But I'd rather have it taken away immediately so it doesn't settle on everything.

Heh, while the idea might be right more often than not, I also often miss something in the execution that it takes a few tries to get it right. I do intend to try this. The main reason I opened the thread was because I'm sure someone else has already had this idea and done it, and might have some insight that would help me (and others) who are thinking about it for the first time.

 

I think it sounds like a great idea, Chris. However, I use my leaf blower differently. I open the garage door and just blow all the dust out into the grass. I think your idea should work great.

 

When it is warm out, I do that too. But it is starting to get cold, and I do alot of my work at night, so I don't want to open the doors anymore. With the doors closed, the router dust settles EVERYWHERE, and I'm sure it's not good for the lungs. So I would much rather get the dust out before it gets on everything and keep the air clearer.

 

Chris, just a couple of charts from a couple of sources...


Machine Type Airflow Requirement Duct branch diameter
Radial Arm Saw 400-600 CFM 4" or 5" duct
Table and Circular Saws (to 16") 400 CFM 4" duct
Swing Saw (to 20") 400 CFM 4" duct
Band Saw 600 CFM 5" duct
Disc Sander (to 18") 400 CFM 4" duct
Disc Sander (to 26") 600 CFM 5" duct
Drum Sander (to 31", each drum) 600 CFM 5" duct
Belt Sander, enclosed (to 8") 600 CFM 5" duct
Belt Sander, enclosed (to 14") 900 CFM 6" duct
Jointer (to 12") 400 CFM 4" duct
Jointer (to 20") 600 CFM 5" duct
Planer, single/top (to 20") 900 CFM 6" duct
Planer, single/top (to 32") 1200 CFM 7" duct
Lathe (small) 400 CFM 4" duct
Lathe (large) 600 CFM 5" duct
Molders, CNC routers, wide belt sanders, multi-head CNC saws, etc Consult machine tool manufacturer for CFM requirements

and from Penn State Industries...


Chart 1
CFM Requirements
tool cfm
15" Planer 500
Radial-Arm Saw 450
Drum Sander 450
6" Jointer 450
12" Planer 350
Tablesaw 350 (My 1200 CFM doesn't to well on that)
Bandsaw 350
Drill Press 350
Floor Sweep 350
Disc Sander 350


Sorry about formatting.. lost a lot in cut and paste but info still there!

Again if you you got the homelite, it is 300CFM. A lot of effort for very marginal collection. Trbaker's use may be best of the leaf blower. Doesn't help much with breathing dust though.

I await seeing you results

 

LOL, I never give it a thought to post. But I have used my leaf vac to suck up shaving for my thickness plane. Now I may have to come up with a larger catch. I don't know of anything in the shop that makes more chips than that darn thickness plane.

 

Chris Curl, I didn't have as many bags as you but my son-in-law gave me his riding mower with the leaf collector. I can do my yard in a fraction of the time it used to take. You might consider a powered vacuum system.

 

It never ceases to amaze how some people will put all this time, thought and effort into some ridiculous scheme for the sake of a few dollars saved. And what's worse, they receive the endorsement of fellow members who have no expertise but share only the same penny pinching desires.
Don't you think that if this could be done safely and effectively that someone would have already figured it out?

The power tool woodworking hobby/professsion, is a not an inexpensive proposition. A proper dust collection system is costly. If you take your health and safety seriously then make the investment or switch to the exclusive use of hand tools.

 

It never ceases to amaze how some people will put all this time, thought and effort into some ridiculous scheme for the sake of a few dollars saved. And what's worse, they receive the endorsement of fellow members who have no expertise but share only the same penny pinching desires.

Wow, you don't think out of the box much, do you? Perhaps you should re-read the rules, because calling an idea "ridiculous", and insulting open-minded members as having "no expertise" is pretty close to crossing the line of keeping it respectful.

Don't you think that if this could be done safely and effectively that someone would have already figured it out?

Not necessarily. Are you familiar with the concept of innovation? Maybe someone else already DID figure it out, hence the first question in the thread. Do you ever think about new ways to do something, or ways to use things that you seldom use that might help you in other areas? I guess not.

The power tool woodworking hobby/professsion, is a not an inexpensive proposition.

It can be, if you shop smart. This is just a guess here ... do you only use Festool tools?

Do you have a family and more than one kid in college? Are you retired and on a fixed income? Have you been laid off in this horrible economy? Do you live within your means? I actually make a very good salary, but sometimes other things are more important than buying the best tools.

A proper dust collection system is costly.

Does it really HAVE to be? Why? Because you are not capable of coming up with an inexpensive solution on your own? Plato said " and yet a true creator is necessity, which is the mother of our invention".

If you take your health and safety seriously then make the investment or switch to the exclusive use of hand tools.

I'll decide on my own where and how to spend my money and time, thank you.

 

I for one am a penny pincher and proud of it. I have a limited budget and don't intend to limit myself exclusively to costly commercial solutions ... ever. Ingenuity is the heart of innovation and finding a less expensive way to SAFELY skin the same cat is an admirable pursuit. Any safe reduction of dust in the shop is a step in the right direction.

Anyway it's his call, no one else's.

Rock On, Chris ... Be safe.

GCG

 

Chris - great response to a less then appropriate post, plus it saved me the effort of doing something similar. Heck if I had a dime (nickles are being retired) for every attempt I tried, some worked, others best left not remembered, I would be quite wealthy. Yep, I'm retired, made a good salary, etc, etc, etc - but it's the challenge/fun of trying something that didn't come in a box (and often ended up costing MORE then the boxed item).

 

Chris,

Yep, been there done that . . . had a fire with one, don't want another.

 

dang ... please elaborate

 

Shop-Vac 2021000 Micro Wet/Dry Vac - Amazon.com

nuff said.

 

Duane, I try to be as straightforward as possible, without worrying about political correctness. But if someone thinks something is a bad idea, then he (or she) should provide supporting information as to why it is a bad idea. Saying that something is stupid without saying why is not very convincing.

If the information is sufficiently compelling, then I will not hesitate to agree that it was a bad idea.

 

? By the time you make a canister/filter system for the 'blower, you'll have been better off just buying a second shopvac. Bonus! It'll comes with a warranty...
I think your original idea of using it as a blower...what it was designed for ...was spot on.
I do the same thing with my compresssor, me wearing a mask of course. Open the garage door and have at her! It's a hell of a lot more effective and efficient than trying to sweep and vacuum every nook and cranny, health risk not withstanding.