That job site dust collection setup in Austin flipped my approach

I was doing a kitchen remodel out in Austin last spring, and the homeowner hired this other crew to do the drywall while I was still finishing the cabinets. Their guy had this little dust collector hooked up to a shop vac with a cyclone separator, and he never even wore a mask because there was almost no dust in the air. I always just used a regular bag on my vac and figured that was good enough, but standing in that room while they sanded for 4 hours straight made me realize my way was way off. I went home and built a similar setup for about 120 bucks using a plastic barrel and some PVC fittings from Lowe's. Now I barely get any fine dust on my tools or the cabinet faces, and my lungs feel a lot better after long days. Has anyone else switched to a cyclone setup and noticed a big difference in their shop or on site?

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the_patricia12d ago

That line about not even wearing a mask while sanding for 4 hours really got me. I was the same way, just using a regular bag and thinking I was fine. Then I did a job where the dust was so thick I could taste sheetrock for two days after. Built a cyclone setup with a cheap bucket and some old hose I had lying around. Now the only dust I breathe is the stuff I kick up walking into the room. My sinuses are thanking me, and honestly my tools stay way cleaner too.