I use a cyclone dust collector before the shop-vac. That way very very little sawdust gets to the shop-vac and any filter will work.
This is the way! I made a diy one that works well for my dust collector.
Yep! The way to go. I actually had the chance to measure my combination towards fine particles as a friend is working in that field.
The combination of a M-class (Festool) shopvac and a cyclone actually produces significantly less (as in 1/100) particles in the air compared to various other options,even when M class.
And of course it is far cheaper as the filter and bags are fucking expensive but the barrel is reusable.
I have found the cheap ones are total crap. The seams blow out, the connection port section will detach, etc. But yeah, I recommend bags over just a foam piece over the motor intake.
I also recommend a cyclone inline, before the Vac.
I keep one of the pleated filters on my vac and I also use the bags. Cleaning the filter is a pain and is a messy process which is avoided with the bag. If you make a cyclone or Thein baffle before the vac the bags will last a good while before they fill up
I never used a bag in a shop vac until a few years ago and my life was instantly changed. I've only changed my filter once or twice in that time, and none of the nonsense of trying to whack/wash the dust out of it to keep it alive. Suction stays super strong.
For saw dust, I would think the filter itself is not a huge concern and that the two most beneficial things would be a cyclone and a bag in the shop vac.
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