Oneida Air Systems Dust Deputy DIY Anti-Static Retrofit Cyclone Separator for Wet/Dry Shop Vacuums (DD DIY)

I've got to say that I was skeptical at first with this thing, but after just one use I am thoroughly impressed. At $50+ the price is steep for just the cyclone piece, I think they could throw in a gasket, or maybe some various hose adapters. I'm using mine on a white "food grade" 5 gal bucket I bought from Home Depot. A quick squeeze of this bucket compared to the typical orange Homer bucket revealed the white one was a tad thicker and I thought would be better at not squeezing in. I made a rigid round doughnut for the lid about 9 inch diameter and and caulked it to the lid. I also printed out Oneida's template for the bolt pattern. I got a 1/8 inch thick 6" x 6" piece of rubber from Ace Hardware to make a gasket seal between the cyclone and the top of the lit. I used 1/4inch x 1 1/2 long bolts with washers and nuts to attach it. Came out looking sweet and feeling really solid. Attached to the bucket and gave it a whirl. Only minor lid depressions from the suction, and no leaks. Like other people complained, it is a little tippy. But I'll resolve that with some concoction of a cart to hold the vacuum too. I don't do a ton of woodworking, so I feel the 5 gal bucket size will be fine for my need. As far as the vacuum, I'm using a Home Depot Rigid model WD4070 bought for $69. I looked around for the something that sucked but didn't suck* and thought that was the best value. I am very happy with the power, size, and abilities of it. It's not as loud as people complain too. I felt that since I was using the dust deputy, I didn't need a huge shop vac, so I opted for a similar power one with a smaller volume. Not sure about the science behind all the static pressure, and suction pressure. But this one gets the job done well. After a 20 minute run sucking up saw dust of poplar, pine, and fir, and some plane shavings, the dust deputy did incredible. Its satisfying seeing it swirling around in there too, and even more satisfying when I opened the vacuum up after and not a freakin spec of saw dust was found. Its almost like magic! haha. The only frustrating occurrences I had were with the hoses, attachments, and adapters. Since I can't really blame Oneida for that since they didn't provide any, and it would be hard for them to because of all the different sizes out there. The adapter and hose companies really ought to dumb it down for us DIYers, and color code which hose will fit on which connections. The outer diameter and inner diameter sizes are a nightmare, and it really forces you to over-buy several different options bring it home and see what fits, then return what doesn't. The good thing about the dust deputy is [that I thought at the time] that the nozzles are tapered so maybe it could fit a few different close sizes. I ended up buying a larger hose for the vacuum end, and using the original hose that came with the vac, on the opposite end before the dust deputy. Ugh. My local HD didn't have a big selection of adapters, nor did they have optimal size rubber-and-hose-clamp ones. PROs: would buy it again, well engineered and gets the job done well. Con's: prepare for an annoying time getting hose fittings to work.

First an Installation Tip: When drawing the 3 inch circle on the lid of whatever you are using a roll of Scotch Pro Painter's Grade Masking Tape #2020 makes a perfect 3 inch circle when traced on the inside of the roll (empty or full roll - use the inside of the roll). Warning: It is so cool to look at you might be tempted to look away from your cut - don't do it. Watch someone else cut or suck up a pile of dust. I wouldn't feel right unless I included a warning, sorry. Based on all the reviews I ordered this. When I got the little lightweight box it felt disappointing. When I opened it and realized there was no bolts and no gasket (wasn't really expecting one) I was sure the best this would get from me would be a 3 or 4 star review. But after using it I have to say bolts and a gasket are not an issue. The performance of this thing blew me away! Best money I ever spent. In preparation for the Dust Deputy Cyclone I meticulously cleaned my shop vac. I have a RIDGID 16-Gal. Wet/Dry Vac with Blower. I dismantled it and washed it. You can take this thing apart and hose about 90% of it. I even washed out the foam filter over the motor and the suction hose. It was as clean as new. I installed a new filter of course. I hooked everything up and spent the day cutting wood and routing about 100 feet of wood trim. I filled the 5 gallon bucket I was using to the top. I opened the shop vac and there was nothing in it! NOTHING! The filter when tapped with a stick released a small amount of dust. I love this product for many reasons. Reduces strain on the wet vac motor Suction to the tool remains strong Collects sawdust in a standard bucket so I can use it in paper mache paste and wood filler. I can use a different 5 gal bucket and keep the other sealed or give it to other artists Cuts costs by dramatically reducing the number of filters I will have to buy. You will love this. Read the other reviews for great tips and warnings - like don't drop it!

Works fantastic. Keeps most of the fine dust out of the vacuum filter and all of the larger particles. I got a big bucket from our pool guy that is super thick. I tried a regular bucket and the suction imploded it in short order.

I was a little bit skeptical as to how well this would work, but was pleasantly surprised when it preformed exactly as they said it would. Hooked up to a router or miter saw, it picks up 95% or better of the dust. I really like the fact it doesn't take any special vacuum. I have a small 2 gallon shop vac as well as a much larger 16 gallon. I just carry the 5 gallon bucket with deputy from one to the other. I really don't see the need for a large shop vac with this as all the debris goes into the 5 gallon bucket. I just used a generic Home Depot bucket I picked up for about $4, another 2 bucks for the lid. A little bit of silicone, and I was in business. Using 2, 5 gallon buckets probably make sense as they tend to fall over very easily. I wish I would have purchased the kit as I now want some casters, and I think that little plastic piece that is use between the pail and the vacuum would be one worth some extra $$$. Update: I tried attaching four small casters to a separate bucket, but it's just too top heavy and falls over. I ended up putting some sand in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket, and then the dust deputy bucket inside that, and it's more stable that way. I think it may be worth purchasing a base designed for 5 gallon buckets if you want or need casters. There is almost too much suction with this for a 1 1/4" hose btw. The hose compresses quite a bit. A 2 1/2" diameter hose would probably be a better fit overall, using an adapter for say a router that takes 1 1/4" fittings. Update: I purchased a 7 foot 2.5" diameter hose to replace my 1 1/4" hose, and this is a much better fit. Suction is still superb. I can rip through an MDF board on my table saw, and have no dust in the air whatsoever to speak of. The system really does work quite well. Very impressive! Overall, this is an excellent product, albeit overpriced for what it is. Not any more plastic in this than a 5 gallon bucket that cost $4. I ended up paying almost $60 due to my location in Alaska. Lots of profit for these guys! I just wanted to add one comment since I needed to contact the seller of these units. The customer support was not as good as I had hoped. Basically I felt like I was getting the brush off. I think this company should make more of the small parts available to the consumer, but they focus more on "kits". I think this is something to keep in mind if you order one component and want to add something later, you probably won't be able to do so. I was not able to get a simple gasket from the company or the foam block that attaches the 5 gallon bucket to a vacuum. Both of these items are included in the kit, but cannot be purchased separately. I was able to get around both issues, but it's kind of a nuisance to have such poor product support and lack of available parts. One star removed...

Work great, saves the filter on my shop VAC!

After trying a few 3d printed versions of a similar design I gave up and finally ordered this. I have no regrets as it had no difficulty in collecting and separating out fine MDF dust from my cnc machine with seemingly ZERO of the dust making it into my shop vac. I can easily recommend this separator to anyone for the purposes of a small shop-vac dust collection system.

A great dust collection separator for any wood working machine. The cyclone separator is easy to install and use. The stability and sturdiness are achieved with a nicely configured dust collection system. The price and reasonable and comparable to similar items. Recommended for any workshop.

I took a long time to finally make this purchase, mainly because I thought the price was a little high for a piece of plastic. My (endless) research indicated the DD rated highly, higher than even more expensive alternatives. I finally pulled the trigger on the "economical" DIY model and I could not be happier with the result. After suffering through cleaning my clogged shopvac 2-3 times during every project, I was amazed at how well the DD worked. I ran the new unit for several weeks on a project, during which I attached it to my miter saw, router and sander. Also cleaned up the floor under the table saw. I had about 6" of dust and shavings in my DD bucket. When I opened the shopvac, there was virtually nothing inside. Maybe the slightest hint of micro dust. It works. It's great. How I built it: It needs a lidded container. I procured 2 5-gallon pickle buckets which have a tight fitting lid with a rubber seal. For a base, I cut a piece of plywood to a size big enough to hold a pickle bucked and my shop vac side by side. I mounted one pickle bucket (no lid) and my shopvac (wheels removed) to the base. I bought a cheap furniture dolly from Harbor Freight, took the wheels off and put them on my base. I mounted the DD to the lid of the 2nd bucket. I made a gasket out of gasket material, but you could just get a tube of liquid gasket at Wal-Muerto. Seal the lid down onto the DD bucket and slide it into the bucket on the base unit. That way, it easily lifts out when you need to dump it (wear a mask!). Hook up your hoses, plug in the shop vac and Bob's your uncle. A great companion tool is a switching plug (SP). You plug the SP into power, and then you plug your main tool and the shopvac into the SP. When you turn on (and off) your main tool, the SP automatically turns on (and off) the shop vac.