For hand held tools with small ports, the shop vac works better. It has more "suction" or static pressure, but not the volume of air (CFM) required for larger tools like tablesaw, jointer, planer...

And quiter is better. Like the others, I use a sears shop vac and ear muffs. My stationary tools are tied into a central system, and in addition I have an air cleaner made from a furnace fan and some filters in a wood box.

You'd never know it, looking at the floor of my shop

There is more to dust collection than the basic books go into. Onieda has a good website, I think its www.onieda.com but I could be wrong.

: I would like to get some form of dust collection - either a dedicated dust
: collection system, such as those from JET or Delta, or a shop vac.

: I currently do most of my kayak work in my garage. My power tool inventory
: consists of a Skil jigsaw, a Black&Decker 10" miter saw, and a Bosch
: ROS, all with ports to connect a dust collection or vac system. The Bosch
: has a dust bag, but it only works well when working on a relatively flat
: surface - like the center part of a hull or deck. When working on very
: curved portions, like the bow and stern, the dust seems to fly out before
: it gets picked up. Also the bag has a tendency to come off in use.

: I searched the archives for information on dust collection systems, but
: everthing I found pertained primarily to table saws. Since I don't own
: one, that information is of little value. I may eventually buy a band saw
: or radial arm saw, but that's a few years off.

: JET and Delta both have small dust collection units in the $200 range. Shop
: Vac has some "quieter" models (QSP Pro series) in the $100
: range. Shop Vac also has a couple of "on demand" vacs that turn
: on and off with the power tools, and feature the quieter motors, in the
: $200 range.

: Of course, the ability to control the dust is the primary issue. Noise is a
: major concern because the collection system or vac will need to be located
: in the garage. I am leaning toward the "on demand" vac because
: it would minimize the duration of the noise exposure to the time the power
: tools are actually being used. The fact that I can only attach one tool at
: a time seems to be a limitation of both systems unless I go to a much
: larger dust collection system.

: Any advice would be appreciated.

: Thanks,

: Ken Finger