Bauer Cyclone Take 2: Deal or Dud? Not a Fair Fight?

[@bg9419]

Just bought this yesterday, (1 year after this video was uploaded) Mine came with a gasket and adapter for the end of the collection hose. They have thickened the lid too! I also own the Oneida and wanted a second for part of the shop that doesn't get used as often. I drop it on a milk crate and it never tips.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Glad to hear that they’ve made some improvements and the milk crate is a smart move. Thanks for reporting in. Scott

[@TophFu]

I got the foam gasket in mine too.

[@robertkelton9190]

You have your hoses mixed up. Put the short hose between the cyclone and the vacum and visa versa

[@kurtiscal3msetccdwell618]

You just showed me an example of how to take criticism and find value in it humbly and gratefully. The world needs more of you in it.

[@MyGrowthRings]

That’s very kind. Thanks for making my day.

[@-usa776]

@@MyGrowthRings, I am convinced. I will get one sometime this week. Thank you

[@OwenDawson]

this video goes far beyond the bauer cyclone operation. your humility is by far the lesson to be learned in this video. thank you!

[@MyGrowthRings]

@@OwenDawson Thanks for that.

[@mek4321]

The 2 bucket trick to stop it imploding on itself was the tip I really needed. So simple yet effective, Thanks.

[@laneetherington614]

This did not work for me, used a bucket that came with dry detergent from costco and that stopped the collapsing bucket problem for me.

[@laneetherington614]

Just got the cyclone today, Used the hose that came with the kit between the vacuum and cyclone, I used 2 home depot buckets. Have the problem still with the buckets collapsing and the hose that came with the kit is to soft and also collapses. I changed to a sturdier bucket that stopped the bucket collapse but still working on what hose to use to replace the hose that came with kit, the cyclone stopped 99% of the dust from getting to vacuum which is a 100% improvement over the home depot one I was using. Thank you for the video.

[@lancefarmer8096]

This is why I really like your channel, fair,objective and great follow up. I run a cyclone on all my vacuums larger or small . Get mobile stations idea on net and pintrest. Keep them coming. Thanks for sticking with it.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Thanks, Lance. I need to do that very thing. I’ve looked at a few videos on KZbin but you’re right, Pinterest probably has a bunch of ideas. Scott

[@joewallace38]

I have found that a bar bell weight in the bottom keeps many of these items from tipping over.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Smart call, Joe. Thanks for sharing. Scott

[@bubbapate5740]

I put a 1/2 inch round wood plate with the center cut out to reinforce the lid to keep it from flexing. I get nothing, no dust, anything in my shop vac using this. I also have two Dust Deputes. Same thing for them.

[@nateb4543]

You get nothing when you use 2? I did the same ring on the lid and there wouldn't be anything IN my shopvac but the filter would still fill up. Much slower than without but all the fine stuff still made it through. Im considering adding one of those dust buster in line separators, theyre maybe 14" long but a lot smaller diameter for airflow.

[@my_flippin_journey]

Interesting Enough, I found Bill's website in the comments of a video I viewed prior to yours. I *Highly Recommend* everyone uses the links you have provided to Bill's website. What a wealth of knowledge he has obtained and shared is *Invaluable* to everyone. *Truly Appreciate* you mentioned Bill's pg and provided the links, as well as these product video reviews you have created .. *Thank You* *Happy Holidays*

[@30guarino]

Glad I saw your video because my connections were crossed and was wondering why my shop vac was filling over the 5 gallon bucket. Thank you ....I will swap the hoses tomorrow and continue my concrete grinding

[@Win52D]

Scott...I made a disc out of 1/2" plywood to bolt to the inside of the lid to prevent the cyclone from drooping...used silicon sealer on it as well. You might want to add 4 more mount holes to the cyclone to distribute the clamping force better around the mount ring. I like the 5 gallon cart. I built a roll around cart that holds the vacuum, cyclone, vacuum accessories and hose. It's bulky but very stable and can be easily rolled into position or out of the way.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Yeah, the plywood desk is the one suggestion but I just didn’t have time to apply and I can see how that Hass to help. The idea of building some sort of a cart to combine the two on the same footprint makes an awful lot of sense. Scott

[@markskeldon1347]

Stiffness on that flexing lid looks like a must.

[@ManCrafting]

I have 1 dust deputy and one Chinese knock off. Both have similar issues. Hoses need adaptors the bucket lid needs reinforcement. That said. In years I’ve never needed to replace my filter or dumped my shop vac. I would expect that the hose with the Bauer would fit the Bauer shop vac. Crazy that it doesn’t.

[@MyGrowthRings]

I know, that didn’t make sense TJ me either.

[@mikeking7470]

Well on the Eastern edge of the Supply chain there is no "Bauer" or "Harbor Freight" just a bunch of companies that somehow (maybe a Chinese Government trade facilitator) sells these products to the world. The right hand doesn't even know there is a left hand much less what the other hand it doing. If there were any sort of "standards" for shop vacuums, vacuum hoses and fittings, ID's and OD's, etc. It would simplify. But correct me if I'm wrong, a lot of other makers, including Festool and Makita have non-standard "standard fittings" on their dust ports and dust collection products. too.

[@sassafrasvalley1939]

@@mikeking7470 my gripe exactly… I have a 5gallon bucket of fittings and nozzles… I tried color coding them but some fit inside of one thing and outside of another… after you get away from the vacc… the tool hookups are even worse! I hate government interference, but I can’t believe there isn’t a vacc/collector industry professional group that hasn’t set up voluntary guidelines. I served on the National Association of Bedding Manufacturers technical guidelines committee back around 1980… that’s why all of your fitted sheets, bed frames, pillow cases and blankets all fit. It took three months to research and draft the standard and 6 months to get it adopted. They’ve been expanded to include innovations but, the basic standard hasn’t changed one iota! At that time the big S Corporations. (Serta, Sealy, Simmons, Springaire, Stearnes & Foster) only held 60% of the market. The rest of the bedding was made by mom & pop factories. Yet, they still came together and adopted the standard across the board… what they all realized was… that special little something that they thought was their competitive advantage was lost when customers couldn’t buy a frame to fit it on or a sheet to fit on it. (I can’t remember the exact number but, a dealer who sold bedding to the public would have to carry ~30 different SKU’s of bed frames to match all of the sizes of bedding offered.) That is why I don’t buy the ShopVac brand… the hose size isn’t compatible with my hookups! As I said, it can be done. Will it? Obviously the industry is still too immature to do so.

[@brucemiller607]

​@@mikeking7470 "non-standard "standard fittings" on their dust ports and dust collection products. too." Some of that is so it forces the use of their products.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Exactly right. It’s not unlike sanding disc hole patterns. They all introduce something proprietary hoping theirs will become the standard.

[@appalachianwoodworker7046]

That adapter that came with the Bauer fits inside the 4’ hose perfectly, and a 2” rubber coupler with pipe clamps works well for the other one. That’s how I got mine to work.

[@rld1278]

I didn't see your first review, but this and every other one I've seen are highly impressed with it's performance. Nice to know! And good for you for listening to others advice on this device!

[@brkoury]

to solve the hose to tool connectivity issue on my Hercules random orbital sander (oval dust port to round hose), I 3d printed a connector and glued it onto the sander since I don't ever use it without the vac.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Good solution.

[@915greenhornet]

I added mine to a 55 gallon drum. Sucks the lid down with a good vacuum. Longer hoses are fairly cheap

[@txcwboy64]

I mustve hooked mine up wrong also, it was blowing INTO my sandblast cabinet. Thanks !

[@MyGrowthRings]

Yowzers! That’s not a good prize.

[@danruggles4382]

I apricots you remake on the video, I just bought this same one from hf. The description on the box has been changed to remove confusion. My experience with hf is some times they have been opened and parts stolen. In directions after warnings there is now a note directing you to the parts list. Mine also came with large adapter on collectionalready assembled with clamp. Insuring correct assembly. When assembling mine I used washers with a lRger diameter to keep bolts and small washers from breaking through

[@whar2010]

Huh, I bought one of these and althought they are thinner, lighter material than my Oneida system, it seems to work equally well.

[@ureasmith3049]

I add a vacuum bag to the shop vac. You lose a little bit of suction in the short term but it's more efficient long term. Because it keeps the filter cleaner for longer.

[@kkarllwt]

Cut a circle of 1/4 inch plywood to reinforce the bucket lid. Tippy? screw the bottom ( from the inside) to a circle of square of plywood.

[@jimdension8074]

Great video - I have ground down thousands of SF of thin set off of floors - my first unit was the Oneida - still got it 15 years later - I have tried several other units on the market - the critical area in all applications is proper seal on the buckets and hoses - vacuum leaks really impact the effectiveness of the unit - unfortunately when grinding down thinset, the dust is so fine that some of it passes through to the shop vac - but only a very, very small amount - a filled 5 gal bucket of dust vs just a small layer of dust on the filter and virtually no dust in the bottom of the shop vac is a great achievement

[@MyGrowthRings]

That’s quite a testimony. Thank you for sharing. Scott

[@annemcdonley5983]

So so interesting. I have not played with using a cyclone in my dust collection. This was so informative and that's why I really appreciate the work you do. I've learned so much. I'm a bit behind watching you because I've traveled from CA to FL and am not in my shop currently. Great stuff, you really have me thinking and I appreciate all the comments from your subscribers; what a great bunch of people!

[@MyGrowthRings]

Thanks Anne, I totally agree about the comments. Are you moving to FL?

[@sassafrasvalley1939]

I have read that article… it didn’t make me smarter… but it did tell me several things I didn’t know! Scott, I wonder if the efficiency and volume of air is significantly affected by increasing the container size? A barrel or a trash can, lined with a plastic bag, would help to reduce tipping and prolong time between clean outs.

[@MyGrowthRings]

I think there’s a lot to that. I made a separator years ago and the container was roughly 4’ square and it worked very well.

[@woodshopnerdery]

This is interesting to think about in terms of air friction. On a regular dust collector, like mine, the CFM drops a little when the bottom bag becomes full. This is because the bag ring is a cyclone and the spinning air in the meal ring experiences friction with the dust in the bottom bag. This friction is transferred upward into the cyclone via the column of air in the bag. I think of the bag air as grease between the dust and moving cyclone air. As the bag fills with dust there is less grease so more and more friction is applied to the air in the bag ring which slows the velocity and lowers the CFM. Also, as the bag fill more dust goes up into the filter. So, one thought is that a larger bottom container for the cyclone could reduce friction with in the cyclone. Although, I believe that the conical cyclones (vs. cylindrical) are not as impacted by this in the first place because the area is so small at the bottom.

[@MarkJonesRanger]

@@woodshopnerdery The only time I get any dust in the Shop Vac filter is when I let the buckets get too full. If you empty them before they are 4" from the top of the bucket the shop vac filters will stay clean for years!!!

[@Rusty_ok]

@@MarkJonesRanger agree completely. I dump mine when it gets a little over half full and never get anything in the shop vac. Also I took pvc pipe that was slightly smaller than the fittings I needed and used a heat gun to get it flexible enough to stretch over the fitting on the vacuum and the end of the hose. Worked perfectly.

[@jeffpeterson9836]

12/1/2022 It seems HF changed their lid a bit, it's thicker and added a fitting in the box.

[@MyGrowthRings]

That’s all good news. Thanks for reporting in, Jeff. Scott

[@nerknerk8834]

The community choir is a wealth of information and is even better with the right conductor.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Great comment, John. Bonus points for that!

[@piercem56]

Very effective and thorough review thank you sir!

[@MyGrowthRings]

Thanks.

[@benrandomly2016]

Good video. I never used a small collection system. Now that I've left the commercial world and going to my home shop, something like this will come in handy in my 12x16 workshop. Thanks.

[@MyGrowthRings]

You are welcome. It seems to work OK for this scale. Scott

[@georgekornfeld5168]

What if you connect to 3300 shopsmith dust collector would get more air flow and not filling the cloth top with dust?

[@MyGrowthRings]

I’m not sure, but I would never add a tiny separator like this to a DC3300.

[@jtome12]

@@MyGrowthRings Scott, is that simply because you don't want to have to empty the 5 gallon bucket frequently or is there a more technical reason? I have only used my Mark V/7 on small tasks so far, but liked having the Dustopper connected to my Ridgid vac as it worked well separating so far.

[@JohnRFlegg]

@@MyGrowthRings As i implied earlier, connecting the DC3300 to these separators does not work well; however, the DC3300 works great with a baffle separator such as laid out in the Rockwell plans. I built that into a two drawer separator under my router table. To that I added a ceiling mounted shop dust extractor and a window-mounted ventilation fan. My asthmatic wife is happy = happy life and I can keep on wood working! Crazy John

[@MyGrowthRings]

@@JohnRFlegg Rockwell plans? I'm not sure I get that reference. Scott

[@JohnRFlegg]

@@MyGrowthRings Please see later and separate comment as i missed my entry. CJ

[@walthodgson5780]

Those HF buckets use much thinner plastic than the HD or Lowe's do, which exacerbates the leaning and collapsing issues.

[@FredGCopping]

Well done! I missed the first video so I get to skip right to the improvements 😀

[@MyGrowthRings]

Glad you landed on this one! Scott

[@felipelim7201]

Thank you for the follow up. Fair and honest. Love you.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Thanks.

[@awlthatwoodcrafts8911]

Outstanding follow-up. Good of you to be as fair as possible to a product that did not look very promising. Most people wouldn't have bothered, especially if they already had a negative bias toward HF products.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Thanks. It really gnawed at me because it just didn’t make sense that HF would introduce something that ineffective. Scott

[@stuartgray5877]

I hooked one up and vacuumed up my garage. I filled the 5 gallon bucket with sawdust and NOT A SINGLE BIT of it made it into the shopvac.

[@MyGrowthRings]

That’s great!

[@oflores7457]

I have same set up but with a 5.5 hp vacuum and works so well it IMPLODED MY harbor freight bucket

[@MyGrowthRings]

I bet it did!

[@MrJohnnyboyrebel]

I was a technical support engineer for over nine years. The Help Desk has a favorite saying, “RTFM”, meaning, Read The F-ing Manual. Glad you did! Awesome video. I will get one of those cyclones, but I’m going to add a circle of plywood to the underside of the lid to make it more rigid.

[@akbychoice]

And when the translation from Chinese to English is so bad that it doesn’t make any sense?

[@putiputain1230]

@@akbychoice That's when my wife comes in play. She can translate it since that's her main language, lol

[@FrancisoDoncona]

@@putiputain1230 that’s cheating and takes the fun out of it.

[@frankenberry9670]

I got a lot of information from the Pentz site. The main things are a lust for a true 5HP dust cleaning system and learning the difference between dust collection and filtration. Dust collection keeps the shop reasonably clean, dust filtration keeps my lungs reasonably clean.

[@MyGrowthRings]

I know exactly what you mean. I had a 5hp system once that I sold because it was just too loud and powerful for my shop space and I couldn't find a way to install it outside because we were renting at the time. It was pretty amazing, though. Scott

[@mikeking7470]

Not sure how much you save by the time you get the adapters, extra bucket, roller base, etc. needed for the Bauer. The Home Depot unit is pretty much ready to go out of the box. I have one of the internet versions of the Bauer clone of the Dust Deputy, I'll probably go for mounting it on a bigger barrel, since I already own it. I might even try for a DIY version of the Oneida wall mounted unit.

[@MyGrowthRings]

I have the same assessment.

[@danielhayes9274]

and IF you cut the bottom out of the red can you could collect even more dust and separating the cover is easier than unsnapping the ret top...

[@cap2574]

Mine came with a seal and a nozzle. You received a defective package.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Mine was an early using, so perhaps they’ve added some items since mine was made. Mine included all the items in the parts breakdown. Scott

[@davids9793]

What size hole is needed in the lid? Need to get a appropriately sized hole saw

[@MyGrowthRings]

The Bauer comes with a lid that already has the holes.

[@davids9793]

@@MyGrowthRings I'm aware. Getting a metal bucket and lid for the seperator, I'll be needing to make a hole. The metal lid has a quick release latch, should make things a bit easier

[@MyGrowthRings]

@@davids9793 Got ya. I’m out of town so unfortunately I can’t measure it for you. Scott

[@MyGrowthRings]

@@davids9793 Let me know how it works out.

[@davids9793]

@@MyGrowthRings ok

[@TheRojoe123]

I have the dustopper, easy set gives you everything you need, no guessing need. What would be better than the bucket caddie is a well built cabinet for both wet/dry and the 5 gal bucket. And no I have yet to do this simple thing… 😞

[@MyGrowthRings]

I totally agree. I need to build one too! Scott

[@wiredperformance6130]

I have the Oneida separator connected to an easy empty 100% wood container and use a 12 gal shop vac and have 0 complaints. I have a table saw, router table and sliding miter saw all with $4 blast gates and 0 complaints. Most of my work is using mdf which is very fine dust. Some things are a good deal at harbor freight. Some things are not worth bringing home.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Yeah, I've brought some of those home too!

[@billlarrabee9436]

My cyclone is a no name I purchased some years ago and the only thing I did to it was mount it to a plywood disc, that I cut out, and then fastened it to the top of the five gal. can. Then, because I use it in the cellar of my home, I tied it to one of the post supports. It is permenantely hooked up to a large shop vac. I have done a lot of vacuuming with it and may have only dumped it four times. But it is my small cyclone, my other pseudo cyclone is a home made one made from a large metal garbage can. When your poor, you make do!

[@MyGrowthRings]

You sure do! Glad you found solutions that fit your budget. Scott

[@MarkJonesRanger]

I have 2 Dust Deputies. 4" and a 2" a Dustopper and a Bauer. Dustopper in my shop doesn't work as well as the cyclones. I bought the bauer for the CNC shavings clean up will mount it under the table. The 4" Dust Deputy handles the light dust from the CNC enclousure. Hands down the Dust Deputy style in my shop keeps me from cleaning filters for years at a time. This last 2 weeks I was resawing walnut and made 35 gallons of walnut dust and just emptied the buckets and the filters are still clean and the suction is 100% all the time. I don't know if the bauer unit will hold up over time as the American made units have but will find out over the next few years. 99.9 percent of the dust stays in the bucket. That is awesome!

[@MyGrowthRings]

Mark, I'm glad to hear you are getting such a good performance from them. Did you add a gasket or caulk between the Bauer and the lid? Scott

[@MarkJonesRanger]

@@MyGrowthRings It wouldn't be a bad idea to do so. If they let dust into the filter that means there is a leak. I didn't have any leaks on my tests on the bauer. I pulled the filter off the shop vac and cleaned it with the bauer and then put it back on the shop vac. Then cleaned up around the shop with it. I figured it would preform as well as my two dust deputies. I did clean up a bit and opened up the shop vac. Clean in there. Lots of dust in the bucket. I may make a small cart for my portable shop vac it has no wheels but it's powerful and can be used as a leaf blower. Or it may go on the CNC machine at this time I have a 25' pool hose on a dust deputy and a Fast Cap Reel cleaning up the saw dust from the CNC carvings.

[@Immolate62]

"I won't be called out on my caulking skills any time soon." That's what she said!

[@1kzrider]

I didn't see the first vid. But, just have to say good job on here. Just bought a Bauer Shop Vac. And TBH was not impressed with lack of no bags and attachments. I regret buying it. For near the same cost could have bought a rigid or other with attachments. So like this Bauer product it stated hose sold separately was just another reason I would shy away. Also, it took so many extra steps just to make this work and it is flimsy on the bucket. I would rather just buy the other products you have shown.

[@Qsteffa524]

What is the diameter of the hose provided with the kit?

[@MyGrowthRings]

2 1/2"

[@Qsteffa524]

@@MyGrowthRings Thank you for the quick response!

[@StardogTheRed]

I have the same dolly and I even put one of my old brake rotors in it under the bucket to give it a real low center of gravity

[@MyGrowthRings]

Smart move!

[@jimbennett7248]

Thank you for your videos, very helpful. The question I have, but haven't seen a answer to is, what are the inside and outside dimensions of both the intake and outtake ports on the harbor freight cyclone. Thank you for your response. Also, your presentation is informative, pleasant and intertaining.

[@09vsstarultra]

why didn't you connect the short hose to your vacuum?

[@Aristocob]

Hey Robert, in the first attempt to use the Bauer cyclone (kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6OnY4GOpapqqMk) I did use the short hose between the vac and the intake, but I was told that wasn't correct, so I changed its location for this take. It makes more sense to me to use the shorter hose between the cyclone and the vac, but who knows, that may have contributed to the issues I had with it. Scott

[@MyGrowthRings]

Sorry, Robert, that comment was from me, but I was logged into the wrong account. Scott

[@kimvette1]

If you want to step it up a little more, upgrade to the HEPA filters HF sells now for the vacs, and put a pool filter sock over the HEPA filter.

[@MyGrowthRings]

@@kimvette1 Yes, that new vac looks nice.

[@donsch6766]

Field Treasure Designs has a very nice cart design that mounts the collection bucket and cyclone above the shop vac . The biggest problem I see with the Bauer Cyclone is the cheap hose they provide. I would throw it away and use a quality hose but by then you have probably equaled the cost of an Onieda cyclone or Dust Deputy.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Yeah, that's pretty much the same conclusion I've drawn too. Scott

[@mrstanskaggs1]

what is the size of the outside of the vacuum inlet and the suction port? Are they the same smaller diameters as the Chinese ones? Anyone measure these ports by chance?

[@MyGrowthRings]

Stan, on which cyclone? I just checked the manual on the Bauer and it doesn't state the diameters, but I suspect they are metric. Scott

[@mrstanskaggs1]

@@MyGrowthRings the Bauer one from Harbor Freight.. I got a cheap Chinese one but it’s outlets are too small for my 2.5” hoses.. I was hoping the Bauer one was really 2.5”… was you able to measure its outlets when you were testing it?

[@MyGrowthRings]

@@mrstanskaggs1 No, I didn’t measure it but I can tell you that they were an unusual size that didn’t fit my hoses.

[@mrstanskaggs1]

@@MyGrowthRings was your hose 2.5”? Was the ports too small or too large?

[@88rushrocks]

I always go to KZbin for the majority of my information for tricks and tips and although I’ve been wood working for quite sometime there’s always someone in the world that can make what I do a little easier and time is business and business is money lol thanks to KZbin I’ve double my production.

[@MyGrowthRings]

I do exactly the same thing. I got the oil changed in my bride's minivan and the technician couldn't figure out how to rest the oil life counter. While he searched his many manuals I pulled up a KZbin video that was in Spanish (which I don't know) and 30 seconds later I reset the counter. The guy came back to the car and was shocked that I got the answer so quickly. That has been repeated for me many times over and it has been fun to share what I know with others. Scott

[@TheMr.George]

I'm glad I saw the follow-up video, now I can go grab it lol

[@MyGrowthRings]

Glad you caught that!

[@kellyvcraig]

A friend makes his living building wood trucks and doing intarsia. His shop is a dust calamity waiting to happen. He saw how my vac-over-Dust Deputy cyclone worked and asked me to build him one, as a favor. I told him I would. To the end of building it, he ordered the plastic version of the DD. Too, he ordered a 20 gallon drum I showed him on line ($60.00), which has a metal snap on lid attachment, like my metal version of the DD does. It seals well, and won't require a bucket lid tool to access the collector bin. Like the 55 gallon one under my Super Dust Deputy, I'll install a view port when I put his together to allow monitoring of the fill level. The view port allows me to see when it's time to empty the bin, even through the lightweight, clear lawn bag.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Kelly, that sounds like a great solution. Thanks for commenting and for sharing your approach on LumberJocks.com! Scott

[@VilleLiski]

Steps you took in this video may have helped a bit, but I think the main reason for previous less than optimal dust separation was due to the bucket felling over while the vacuum was running. That have happened to me once and as I'm running regular home vacuum with a dust bag the effect was that immediately the separator let most of dust and chips from the bucket to the outlet and the dust bag filled and clogged immediately. The immediate difference in suction and noise level from the vacuum helped me pinpoint the moment the dust bag was clogged.

[@MyGrowthRings]

You would think so but I actually did the test several times without the tip over and was still getting a ton of dust bypassing the cyclone. It wasn’t until I implemented the recommended changes that I got better performance.

[@VilleLiski]

@@MyGrowthRings OK, good to hear.

[@walthodgson5780]

Seems to me that the additional time and effort required to get the Bauer working properly makes the slightly more expensive Dustopper option a better deal. I don't expect much from HF stuff, although their quality has improved greatly in recent years. We'll see how recent supply chain issues affect that.

[@MyGrowthRings]

I totally agree with your conclusion. Scott

[@tclem44]

Some people abuse their tools and some are very hard on tools. I have used HF tools for decades and the only problems I ever had were a bar clamp that failed and a $10 hand grinder that died. They are great value if you treat your tools with respect.

[@walthodgson5780]

@@tclem44 Yeah, I've had a drill control board burn up, and I had a drill press for about an hour that went back because of a wicked vibration. Some bar clamp mechanisms that failed, but otherwise not too bad.

[@j.mygrant3752]

Costly improvements to make the product servicable. There are othere products that have equal or beter results "out of the box"; though a bit more expensive, it wont require multiple trips for other materials, cutting, assembly. I cut costs with a bunch of ChinesiumFreight stuff. But this dust separation product isn't for me. Thanks for SAVING me time and not wasting money.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Well said.

[@pumpkinheadghoul]

Not only the organic material in the airborne dust that we can potentially breath in, but also there's a whole lot of very nasty caustic chemicals that are used in the production of commercial lumber and sheet goods.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Excellent points, Ryan. Thanks for sharing. Scott

[@danilopaolucci7976]

I would put a round piece of plywood on the underside on the lid which will make it less likely to tilt and buckle.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Hey Danilo, yeah, that suggestion has bees made before. The Dustopper worked so much better right out of the box and has a much lower (less top-heavy) profile, so even though the Bauer could be made to work better, I don’t feel the need to put any more time into it. Thanks for adding to the conversation. Scott

[@Alex_science]

Nice video. Just a question. Is this Bauer ciclone better than the bucket lid ciclone from Home Depot? Thank you.

[@MyGrowthRings]

No, the Dustopper form Home Depot is much better. Scott

[@Alex_science]

@@MyGrowthRings Thank you!

[@MyGrowthRings]

@@Alex_science You bet.

[@Marc-nz1dd]

I arched another video where the lid had segmented clips on the lid. He cut half of the segmented clips to make it easier to open.

[@rhuynh]

Watched both videos and maybe I didn't pay enough close attention but... so where did we end as far as DustStopper vs Bauer Cyclone?

[@MyGrowthRings]

Good question. I was happy that the Bauer was able to redeem itsself, but not until I invested more money and time in it. The Dustopper worked perfectly right out of the box and has a lower profile, so for my money I would opt for the Dustopper. Scott

[@allenriff9242]

Scott if your 2 buckets are sticking together take your air compressor hose and blow air in between the seams of the 2 buckets and the upper bucket wil release.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Great idea. Not I just need to hope that my sister has a compressor.

[@Immolate62]

So my criticisms are that the connection to the bucket is too flimsy and if you use it in a mobile configuration, it will be the point of failure. It is also too tall to put in a stack. Other than tht, it works a little better than the Dustopper, so if you intend to use it in a stationary environment like under a bench or tool, it's probably good. If you're using a stack or side-by-side, the Dustopper is good enough and so much better designed. Dust Deputy is best, but cost more and it shares the problem of making too tall a stack if you go that direction. You'll always be pulling your stack over unless you zip-tie your hose down to toward the bottom of the stack.

[@josephlee7325]

The bucket with the separator on it cut that bucket in half discard the bottom half and you don't have to worry about the suction problem this is my answer it's easy quick

[@MyGrowthRings]

Thanks for the tip, Joseph. Scott

[@JT_70]

Which works better, your HF one or the Bauer? Like you, I have buckets from HF, HD and Lowes as well as from Sherwin-Williams.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Bauer is Harbor Freight. The best one is the Home Depot Dustopper.

[@thebeggarswoodshop8756]

From the looks of things I may invest in the Oneder for my shop. Will we see you use the Oneder, I mean Oneida?

[@MyGrowthRings]

I’m not sure. I don’t want to overplay the dust collector theme, but I’m also curious about it.

[@chadnevels246]

Scott, I take back what I said. After seeing the far better performance of the Bauer Cyclone this go around. I'd say it maybe an improvement for you sister's basement if she doesn't have dust collection of some sort already for her own tools. Good video.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Thanks, Chad. Yeah, it just didn’t make sense that they would’ve brought some thing to market at work so poorly.

[@equinoxtacticalsupply7732]

It is also clear how to hook it up when you just look at the diagram on the back of the box.

[@equinoxtacticalsupply7732]

Also that is a cool bucket dolly.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Yeah, the issues was there was conflicting information between the packaging and the instructions. Shouldn't have come as a surprise, but just stating the facts. Yeah, I have a couple of those bucket dollies and they work very well. Scott

[@sim672]

so what's the purpose of this unit when you could just use the vac its self to do the same job?

[@MyGrowthRings]

That’s a very good question. The problem with using the vacuum for high volume dust producing tools, such as the router table, planer, jointer, tablesaw, is that the dust will quickly impact the pleated filter, thereby reducing the vacuum pressure. Great question, Scott

[@boydmerriman]

Not sure if you noticed, but Harbor Freight products you have to put together are notorious for poor instructions that make very little sense. So you are under grace for this one! ;-)

[@MyGrowthRings]

Thanks for the grace. Scott

[@woodshopnerdery]

fyi - Home Depot and Oneida both have new "Pro" versions on their 2.5 inch bucket top cyclones.

[@ppeterzhong]

I actually used similar ones and they do work. Similar designs claims to capture 99.99%. I have no way to verify that percentage but I have never needed to change my shop vacs filters (and the shop vac container) and they stay really clean as long as I empty out the bucket when it is 2/3 full. I ended up with reinforcing with three around 1/2" thick plywood sheets. One below lid, one above lid, and nail/screw them to firm up the lid. Another one donut sheet up higher to contain the cyclone with vertical three vertical rectangular plywood sheets to hold up against the lid top sheet. The reason for all above is that the flimsy lid began to crack and leak after some decent uses, just by the weight of hose connected to the cyclone or worse by pulling on the hose by normoforce. By the way, you can find same/similar (no hose no lid) things at about half price if you can wait for one month or so delivery. Have fun.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Hey Peter. Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of inexpensive, no name cyclones available. Does yours have a dollar sign molded into it, as many of them do? That made me laugh when I first saw it. You sure had to put a lot of effort into it. I do that too, sometimes, and that can be part of the fun of woodworking, but other times, when I have more money than time, I opt for the “out-of-the-box” option. Glad to hear it worked out for you. Scott

[@ppeterzhong]

@@MyGrowthRings Mine does not have $ sign. That was the old design that claimed to have around 98%. There have been "upgrades" and the latest designs are similar (almost identical) to HF one (not sure who is copying who) and claim up to 99.99%. I have bought several ones (actually almost 10 of them since they are so "cheap") and the new upgrades do improve (really clean shop vac container). I was trying to make a multi cyclone ( similar to current bag free house vacuum) to use with the HF high CFM dust collector but I found a much simpler way. Have fun and kill the boredom.

[@edd.98]

Put a wooden round plate on the bottom of the lid just wide enough to attatch the intake to the lid so it will be more sturdy.use the same 4 bolts or longer.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Yes, that's been recommended before. Too much work when the Dustopper works right out of the box. Scott

[@chuckhudson8159]

Hi, Great video and thanks for the follow-up! I just wanted to write in about your comment regarding Bill Pentz inspiring the Dust Deputy. This is highly unlikely. Oneida has been producing cyclone dust collection systems since the early '90's - way before Bill Pentz came around. I actually still have one of Oneida's first systems. I also believe Oneida was actually making a metal version of Dust Deputy way before any of the plastic models came around.

[@MyGrowthRings]

That claim is from Oneida’s own website.

[@chuckhudson8159]

@@MyGrowthRings Hi, Thanks! Can you provide link to Oneida's claim? I am curious to read more.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Just checked and it was ClearVue, not Onedia.

[@mastertoolman9377]

Did you set out to make one Dust Cyclone look better than others.

[@MyGrowthRings]

No, I had no idea how it would turn out. I still prefer the Dustopper. How about you? What is your preference? Scott

[@mastertoolman9377]

@@MyGrowthRings Hi Scott I have been using the Dust Deputy for over 7 years, they are expensive in the UK for what they are, my Dust Deputy had a failure where the vacuum fits in the top. This piece fell off when I was going to empty it. So I looked for a cheaper alternative which is like your Bauer and have been using it for over a year without any issues. The best lid for any US 5 gal bucket is to convert a Gamma Seal Lid and to install your shop vac and dust collector in some sort of mobile cart. In the UK our home workshops are small so that is why we do not build big.

[@MyGrowthRings]

@@mastertoolman9377 I can see why you might not be impressed by the Dust Deputy. Yes, I’ve seen similar configurations of vacuum and bucket, and cyclones, and if this were a solution I were going to stick with I would do exactly that. One of these days I will bring on the camera, my dust collector that I use in real life, which doesn’t require a cyclones, but out of curiosity because of their popularity, I just wanted to try these out.

[@josephlee7325]

You need to put a small piece of plywood to reinforce the top

[@MyGrowthRings]

Yes, I've heard that. It really is "floppy"!

[@Keifsanderson]

This looks like a nightmare. I'll stick with Oneida. Made in the USA, too. Thanks for the video.

[@ruelsmith]

I have my doubts about cyclones. The only thing it separates is the large particles. The dangerous stuff still goes through the filter. Even then, the longer path the air takes through the cyclone adds a tremendous amount of friction, seriously slowing the air down, rendering it less effective. This is backed up by a comparison of test done by Wood nagazine a few years ago, where a single stage Powermatic dust collector pretty much waxed every cyclone except one, that only beat it in particle count because the Powermatic was using a non-hepa filter. Air movement and static pressure was far better on the single stage. If that single stage would of had a hepa filter, it would have beaten every single cyclone in the comparison.

[@danweirich3709]

FWIW Stick an empty 1 gal milk jug in 5 gal bucket then nest the next one on top, etc. The milk jug adds just enough space that they don't get jammed.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Crushing the milk jug?

[@danweirich3709]

@@MyGrowthRings No, with the lid screwed on. It just creates enough space to prevent the buckets from nesting tightly. Plus, it's a useful way to recycle.

[@floydlarken3148]

I just went to Home Depot today and bought a Dustopper and it was 3995> new lower price.

[@MyGrowthRings]

That’s a great buy! No doubt they are feeling some pressure from the Bauer.

[@alanrichardson7244]

A hose is a hose. Reverse the short one to the vaccuum

[@richarddaly1953]

i get that the jury rigged bauer and another vac to power it could probably cost maybe $125? and the shopsmith vac is what, 3x that? but from a function POV, you got these two things and their footprint to pull around, multiple hoses and buckets you need to empty all the time, and in the configuration you showed only one hose. the footprint size argument is in favor of the shopsmith i think, and its easy to use, as i frequently do, the two hose inputs. i am still on the shopsmith vac side of the discussion..

[@MyGrowthRings]

I totally agree with what you’re saying. I think the Shopsmith dust collector is a far better tool than this approach, but it just isn’t within the reach of everybody. I will eventually do some thing to mount the bucket above the vacuum so at least it’s not taking up as much space, but the little bucket dolly did serve as an immediate upgrade. Scott

[@richarddaly1953]

@@MyGrowthRings makes sense

[@rosewd2]

A hepa filter and bag on the vacuum is a good idea to to protect the motor. Then exhaust the exit air to the outside. Tptools has a dust collector exhaust kit. I want to use this for a blast cabinet and dint want any if the blast dust inside my garage at all.

[@toddharshbarger8616]

Definitely have to have good seals everywhere - though many ways to do it - love the double bucket and dolly idea to help the tip!

[@MyGrowthRings]

My pleasure.

[@FrugalFixerSpike]

Safety, my dust burned down my shop. Keep it up, the fine is the worst.

[@MyGrowthRings]

I had a friend who experienced that and was actually blown through the sliding sheet metal doors of his shed my the explosion. I hope everyone came through your fire safely.

[@FrugalFixerSpike]

Lost almost everything, including my life. Will move it up to feature on my channel. So easy to find.

[@MyGrowthRings]

@@FrugalFixerSpike Man, that’s awful.

[@FrugalFixerSpike]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGrMYYqboJV8odU

[@MyGrowthRings]

Oh my!

[@craigperkins938]

If you cut the bottom out of the red Bauer bucket you would be able to lift the whole assembly out of the blue bucket easily. Then just dump the blue bucket.

[@brucemiller607]

You wouldn't get a good seal that way.

[@MyGrowthRings]

I’m thinking that since the dolly has mounting holes that I’ll probably drill holes and mount the blue bucket. That should prevent the vacuum between them and should make the red bucket easy to remove. We’ll see. Thanks for thinking about this, Craig. Scott

[@woodshopnerdery]

Great step by step troubleshooting. In my opinion you had the hoses configured in the optimal fashion in the first video. The important thing is it does not leak. There is less dust in the vacuum, but in my opinion, the key benefit of a pre-separator is to maintain a cleaner filter longer so that air flow and suction is maintained longer. It was hard to tell from the footage how clean the filter started out. But it did look like the filter had a lot of dust in it.

[@MyGrowthRings]

It started out with about that same amount of fine dust. I suppose I should have started with a new filter, but I was just thrilled that the vacuum didn’t have 3 gallons of dust in it like last time.

[@rosewd2]

The 5 gallon bucket is way too small. I have a 16 gallon shopvac that died. Ill attach it to that. Actually the dust deputy shows that setup- and it already has wheels and is hard to tip over. Its only 45$ on EBay for a dust deputy - that works. Of course you don't get the hose, but you can get shop vac hoses at lowes or home depot.

[@MyGrowthRings]

These are all temporary as I am about to move into my permanent shop where I’ll use my Shopsmith dust collectors. Thanks for chiming in. Scott

[@corin164]

I have two Home Depot "Dustopper" brand cyclone separators. I'm very happy with them. The HF brand Bower separator was not available when I purchased the Dustoppers but I did consider the possibility of going with similarly designed brand. What I liked about the Dustopper was its low profile and low price. Considering how the Bower's instability, inferior hose design and its high price were an issue in the demonstration, I think I made a wise chose.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Thanks for sharing and I totally agree. Scott

[@jefferyholland]

I had to laugh when talking about which port goes to the vac when at 4:37 it clearly shows the diagram showing it.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Yes, yet other places, including the instructions showed it differently. My point was that they don’t know what they are doing when they knock off a product.

[@jefferyholland]

@@MyGrowthRings Chinese to English can get muddy. I guess that is why they have street signs with big red circles and a slash . The picture works in any language.

[@scottfeatherstone7156]

Nice job

[@MyGrowthRings]

Thanks!

[@AbuctingTacos]

I'd like to build something like they use in sawmills where they have a large pipe running the length of the shop. At each machine they have a t and a smaller hose to connect to the saws and the collector just constantly runs while they work

[@MyGrowthRings]

Those are sweet. I’ve worked on a few shops with those and they are great.

[@W1ldt1m]

Several KZbinrs show the construction or installation of while shop systems. I don't think any of them ring in under a hundred bucks.

[@marcuszettergren8885]

The problem with that is total cost and space requirement. Lets say you have 4 tools, and each tool require a gate and a T connection plus the hose itself. Every piece adds resistance. With all that resistance, you need a stronger motor, and possibly a beefier circuit. And a huge collector on top of that and you have a great system, but it takes up a huge amount of space. And possibly cost several thousands of dollars too. But it is awesome once you have it. Back in school, we had a system like that when we learned woodworking.

[@tommoores1531]

Why is it so difficult to hook up an accessory that is made by the same company, should have been made to fit perfectly with the vacuum,

[@MyGrowthRings]

You'd sure think so.

[@allenbadgley2184]

i bought it one day and took it back the next day

[@woodshopnerdery]

Regarding the Bill Pentz information, I made a comment earlier which was poorly phrased and rightfully filtered out of the public discourse. I'll try again. I really like the information on Pentz provides. Unfortunately, his recommendations are out of reach for me in term of available time and dollars. Pentz summarizes his recommendations in the "Here is the Goal" section of the "Dust Collection Basic" page. I cannot afford to buy new tools with better dust collection, build hoods and shrouds, buy a cyclone, buy a 0.5 micron filter, and a 2hp or better motor with 12 inch impeller. Also, I don't live in a climate where I can vent outside. I am actively looking for ways to improve the system I have now, but I refuse to feel badly that I cannot, right now, reach this ideal. Probably, the best I could do is something along the lines of an Oneida Mini Gorilla, but at $1400, its not in the cards right now.

[@MyGrowthRings]

I’m right there with you.

[@curttundra]

Get in the habit of always wearing the best dust mask you can afford when working with wood, paints, cleaner's etcetera. Especially when vacuuming up the shop floor. Those paper pleated filters are a great defense but you can't believe how much super fine dust gets by them and into our bodies. Thanks for sharing.

[@douglassmith2055]

Excellent.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Thanks.