Collection: Vacuum Cleaners and Extraction Tables

Capturing dust at source costs less than cleaning it up afterwards, and far less than breathing it. Whether it is an extractor connected to the machine or an industrial downdraft table, the principle is the same: hold the particles before they spread through the workshop.

The 5 references in the catalogue

• Dynabrade NITRO 64815, industrial extractor.
• Dynabrade Raptor-Vac, pneumatic extractor.
• 3M Xtract 64159, electric extractor.
• Mirka, electric extractor.
• Mirka 1230, non-woven extractor bag.

See also our sanding machines and our backing pads and interfaces.

Electric or pneumatic

An electric extractor offers the highest vacuum and plugs in anywhere. It is the choice for fixed workstations and mobile jobs.

A pneumatic extractor has no electric motor, so no ignition source. In an area where combustible dust is extracted or near solvents, it is often the only acceptable option. On the other hand it consumes a lot of compressed air continuously.

Vacuum or air flow

Two figures appear on every data sheet and they do not measure the same thing.

Vacuum, in millibars or water column, is the suction force. It matters when the air passes through a narrow hose and many holes, typically a pad sander.

Air flow, in cubic metres per hour, is the volume moved. It matters for capturing a cloud of dust over an open surface, typically a downdraft table or an extraction arm.

A machine that excels at one can be mediocre at the other. A sander extractor does not serve a table properly, and vice versa.

The filter decides what you breathe

The most dangerous sanding dusts are the finest, those that stay in suspension and penetrate deepest. They are also the ones a mediocre filter lets through and sends back into the workshop.

A clogged filter loses flow long before it splits: if suction weakens, look at the filter, not the motor. Filter cleaning, manual or automatic depending on the model, is part of routine maintenance, not repair.

Hose diameter

A hose that is too narrow throttles the flow, one that is too wide makes the air speed drop and heavy particles settle inside instead of reaching the container. Improvised reducing adaptors are the main cause of lost efficiency on an installation that used to work.