Charlie...I use a Dust Deputy on top of a 5-gal bucket with a Ridgid shop vac. Connections are 2 1/2".
I use it for sanding spackle and sheetrock dust as well as fine sawdust when connected to the dust port of my Dewalt ROS. I've also used it the same way on the teak on my boat and a quick sanding before bottom-painting. Outside furniture, old varnish (until I started using my Stanley 80 scraper), refinishing table tops, between poly applications, hardwood floor repairs, holes in the wall repairs, etc... It's very handy because it's portable... I have also connected it to my Fein tool dust port...
I start with a clean filter in the shop vac and it stays that way...all the fine dust is in the 5gal bucket. I have noticed that the shop vac can "over-suck" the DD and the dust swirls at the top (instead of dropping down) until I break the vacuum. Easy fix is to put a small door at the top of the DD to let some air in and that should take care of it.
The ROS's I have (Dewalt and Bosch) sometimes leave fine dust as the ports don't grab all the sanding dust...but that's a ROS issue.
Short story...? Works for me...for all the sanding jobs I do...
I use it for sanding spackle and sheetrock dust as well as fine sawdust when connected to the dust port of my Dewalt ROS. I've also used it the same way on the teak on my boat and a quick sanding before bottom-painting. Outside furniture, old varnish (until I started using my Stanley 80 scraper), refinishing table tops, between poly applications, hardwood floor repairs, holes in the wall repairs, etc... It's very handy because it's portable... I have also connected it to my Fein tool dust port...
I start with a clean filter in the shop vac and it stays that way...all the fine dust is in the 5gal bucket. I have noticed that the shop vac can "over-suck" the DD and the dust swirls at the top (instead of dropping down) until I break the vacuum. Easy fix is to put a small door at the top of the DD to let some air in and that should take care of it.
The ROS's I have (Dewalt and Bosch) sometimes leave fine dust as the ports don't grab all the sanding dust...but that's a ROS issue.
Short story...? Works for me...for all the sanding jobs I do...