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shop vacuum Upgrades A few accessories turn your shop vacuum into the ultimate cleanup tool. Crush-Proof Hose. ▲ This polyethylene hose is strong, yet flexible. And it has smooth walls to maximize airflow. A large claw tool makes cleaning up around the shop quick and easy. Crevice Tool. For reaching into narrow, tight spaces, a crevice tool can't be beat. Accessories Sweeper Head. Flipping a lever on this sweeper attachment raises or lowers the brushes for different types of flooring. Like most woodworkers, I purchased my shop vacuum with one purpose in mind — to suck up sawdust around the shop. But the truth is, a shop vacuum can do a whole lot more than that. With the right accessories, you can use a shop vacuum for all sorts of tasks — both in and out of the shop. Upgrades. A lot of these accessories come in the form of hose attachments. But before we begin talking about these, there are a couple of shop vacuum "upgrades" that I would invest in right off the bat. The first of these is a better hose. The stiff, plastic hose that typically comes with most shop vacuums is unwieldy and difficult to manage. It's prone to getting kinked and crushed, and collapsing on itself. The ribs that are molded into the hose to help reinforce it actually act as mini-roadblocks, impeding the flow of debris through the hose. The solution is to buy a hose like the one shown above. This hose is made out of high-density polyethylene. It's crush-proof and much more flexible than standard hoses. And the inside of the hose is smooth, so debris passes through it easier, with less chance of clogging. And best of all, the hose is available in 12' and 24' lengths, so you don't have to pull your shop vacuum around behind you as you clean up. For sources, see page 51. The second upgrade on my "must-have" list is a new filter. Replacing the standard-issue, paper-element filter with a better quality one really makes a difference in the performance of the vacuum. For more on this, see the box on the opposite page. ATTACHMENTS Both a new hose and filter are worth buying, even if all you ever use your shop vacuum for is cleaning off your workbench. But there are also some pretty handy attachments on the market. Basic Attachments. For general cleanup, there are two main tools that I use (see photo above). For most cleanup jobs, I use a claw tool. It allows you to cover a fairly wide surface area, but it's still small enough to fit into most spaces. And for spots that are just too tight for the claw tool, a crevice tool comes in handy. Floor Sweeper. Although you can use a claw tool to sweep up 12 ShopNotes No. 83 |
