Automatic Vacuum Switches

Woodworking machines produce a lot of dust, which needs to be kept out of our lungs. Over the 49 years that I’ve been building boats, I’ve become increasingly aware of the health risks posed by wood dust, and have taken many steps to gather it at source. I have a dust collector connected to my table saw, jointer, and downdraft table, as well as shop vacs connected to my 12″ disc sander, 6″ × 48″ belt sander, 14″ bandsaw, drum sander, and other benchtop and handheld power-sanding tools.

However, in the past, for quick tasks I would often forgo dust collection because it was simply too much bother to turn on and off two machines in different locations in the shop. It was easier—though less healthy—to go without. Then, some years back, I solved the problem with a couple of automatic vacuum switches, one for the dust collector and another for a shop vac.

Photographs by the author

The Automatic Vacuum Switch is quite simple. Its plug goes into a workshop wall outlet for power, and it has two receptacles—one for a tool and one for a dust collector. As the receptacles are marked only A and B, I further identified them, Tool and Dust, to remind myself which was which when switching between table saw and jointer.

The Automatic Vacuum Switch from Etoolcity has one outlet for a dust collector and another for a tool, which for me is most often the table saw. When I turn on the tablesaw, there is a 1-second delay before the Automatic Vacuum Switch turns on the dust collector. This delay staggers the surge of electricity that each motor requires when starting up. When I turn off the table saw, the switch lets the dust collector run for another 7 seconds. That delay allows lingering dust to be collected and kept out of the shop’s atmosphere. I’ve screw-fastened the switch to the shop wall so that, with one hand, I can easily change plugs from table saw to jointer. I’ve been using the Automatic Vacuum Switch for five years and it has worked flawlessly.

The Ortis Vacuum Switch is more sophisticated than the Automatic Vacuum Switch: it can connect two tools to a single dust-collection device, and its rocker switch offers three options for the vacuum function—On, Off, and Auto—giving the user more control.

Recently, I purchased the Ortis Vacuum Switch, also from Etoolcity. It is a more versatile switch that I use to connect my belt sander and bandsaw to the shop vac. Like the Automatic model, it delays the vacuum by 1 second when starting up and by 7 seconds when shutting down. In addition to the outlet for the vacuum, the Ortis has two outlets for two machines, so I can have the belt sander and the bandsaw plugged in at the same time and have the vacuum respond to either one. The Ortis has a rocker switch that can be set to “Auto” so that the vacuum will be turned on whenever a tool is in use; “Off” so a tool can run without the vacuum, for example when I want to replace and track a bandsaw blade or a sanding belt; or “On” to run the vacuum on its own. With the bandsaw and the belt sander each connected to the shop vac by a long, flexible hose, I can fire up the vacuum by itself, disconnect a hose from the dust port on either machine, and clean up any stray dust in the area.

The vacuum receptacle on the Ortis switch has a 15-amp capacity and I reasoned that a work light could be connected at the same time as a vacuum if the total power requirement is equal to or less than 15 amps. I used a three-way adapter that doesn’t obstruct the rocker switch.

A final detail on the Ortis Vacuum Switch is the label next to the top socket, which notes that it has a capacity of 15 amps. My belt sander has long needed a light and so, as my 6-gallon shop vac pulls only 7 amps and my 9-watt LED work light less than 1 amp, I have plugged a three-way outlet adapter into that top socket so that I can now operate both a work light and my belt sander from the Ortis Switch. A cube-shaped adapter enables me to plug in the vacuum and the light without overlapping the rocker switch.

The Etoolcity Vacuum Switches remove the previously inconvenient step of going back and forth to activate my dust-collection systems, and prevent me from taking shortcuts that could jeopardize my health.

Christopher Cunningham is Small Boats’ editor at large.

The Automatic Vacuum Switch and the Ortis Vacuum Switch are available from Etoolcity for $29.99 and $36.99, respectively. Online retailers offer the switches for similar prices.

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Interested in more tools to improve workshop efficiency? See…

NEBO Omni 2K Work Light, a compact cordless work light that can be carried into tight spaces and used hands free, reviewed by Jasmine Thomas.

Magswitches, an alternative solution for securing feather boards, stops, and special fences to a table saw, reviewed by Christopher Cunningham.

Cen-Tec’s Quick Click, a quick-connect hose and adapter for connecting a shop vac to small handheld power tools, reviewed by Christopher Cunningham.