Two-stage HF DC modification

[Larryl]

Last month I posted a tread showing the repair/replacement of the plastic connector coming from the impeller after a screw was sucked into the impeller. It got me to thinking of the advantages of having something to catch the material ahead of the impeller, this is my mini-cyclone solution:

[dbhost]

Larry,

You've got plenty of space. Why not use a drum or a trash can under that thing and get some volume? First time you run the planer you'll fill that thing up in nothing flat...

[lrogers]

Wow, that was some impressive damage. Glad you weren't hit by flying debris!

[toolguy1000]

i gotta say, that is very impressive. but wouldn't a thein separator on a 30 gallon pail have achieved the same result with less effort and more capacity than the 5 gallon pail? just out of curiousity, how were you able to fabricate the nested portions of metal to creae the cyclone?

[Larryl]

Larry,

You've got plenty of space. Why not use a drum or a trash can under that thing and get some volume? First time you run the planer you'll fill that thing up in nothing flat...

You hit the nail on the head, I just used the bucket until I was sure it was going to work. Any suggestions/discussion on what I could use and where I can get it.

[John Hunter]

I use the seperator I bought at Woodcraft http://www.woodcraft.com/Catalog/Pro...f-590c0c3d414a It sits on a 30 gal. aluminum trash can and works great!

[gsmittle]

You hit the nail on the head, I just used the bucket until I was sure it was going to work. Any suggestions/discussion on what I could use and where I can get it.

I went to my local car wash and got a plastic 30-gallon drum for the price of the deposit. $10 as I recall. It had about a gallon of detergent in it, too.

g.

[Larryl]

i gotta say, that is very impressive. but wouldn't a thein separator on a 30 gallon pail have achieved the same result with less effort and more capacity than the 5 gallon pail? just out of curiousity, how were you able to fabricate the nested portions of metal to creae the cyclone?

This project sort of evolved, there is a Thien separator inside the original separator section and it performs exactly as it should by keeping almost all the dust in the bag and keeping the top filter clean longer. However, I wanted some method of collecting ahead of the impeller and an easer way of emptying the bag which is a pain to install each time. The cyclone section is just a series of different size a/c reducers caulked and riveted together. The 5 gal bucket is just all I had until I can find a larger can/barrel, does anyone know where I can find those fiber/paper barrels with the latching tops? Thanks for looking.

[toolguy1000]

thanks for the additional info. so the bucket atop everythig, that has the pipe into its side and top, has a thien baffle in it?BTW, would this be what you are looking for? :

http://www.mcmaster.com/#fiber-drums/=7cupkd

[SARGE..g-47]

Looks as though Toolguy has you pointed in the right direction on the drum Larry but.. if I may make a suggestion. When you get it you might cut a hole after purchasing a metal blast gate and knowing the size of the flange. Install that blast gate about 2/3 of the way up from the bottom but replace the metal blast gate door with a piece of clear plexi-glass. You now have an inspection window you check daily if you use your jointer planer a lot.

Trust me.. you can fill your 30 gal. drum in a jiffy with the jointer and planer. A few boards taking off a marginal 1/8"-1/4" creates much more space in shavings than when they are on the board. Unless you take the lid off to check which is a PITA done often... you have to guess and you will eventually guess wrong as I did ONCE. The drum fills to the top and any other shaving and fine dust have nowhere to go.

They will fill the filter and clog it badly and when I say badly I am not kidding around. I have a cyclone and it took me around 5 hours to clean it with a 120 mph leaf blower.. beating the sides with a stick and compressed air. Bad enough I considered getting a 5' tall replacement filter which isn't cheap. So... an inspection window and when the shaving hit the 2/3 mark empty it then.. not latter or you will be sorry. Find the time to check often and change it when it needs changing is the best piece of advice I can render on a DC or cyclone.

Nice system and good luck...

[Larryl]

No the Thein baffle is in the original separator section between the top filter and the plastic bag, it does a very good job of keeping the top filter clean. As you can see in the last photo above I used the bottom of the bucket that I cut out for the baffle in the cyclone, it stands away from the intake about 1 1/2". Thanks for the ideas, I never thought about the car wash chemicals.

[pelligrini]

I've also seen plastic, fiber, and metal containers on craigslist from time to time.

Have you noticed any big performance hits since hooking all this up?

[dbhost]

Larry, I am not sure about your area of TX, but Baytec Containers is just down the road from me. I got my 55 gallon open head plastic drum for cheap from them... Check your most local Craigslist and see what you can come up with. Lacking that, you can use a steel 30 gallon trash can from the hardware store.

[Larryl]

Sarge - good advice, I do plan to add an inspection window when I finally get the barrel/can I finally use, but I hadn't thought about a blast gate(good idea).

Thanks for the suggestions for the containers, this is what I needed to help me think outside the box as I hadn't even considered Craig's list.

Erik - it's hard to tell as I haven't really got to test it on any real live projects yet, but it seems to feel and sound about as strong as it did before the modification. I'll know for sure after I do some jointing and planing.

[Larryl]

Happy with dc mods(update)

Well I'm sure all who have followed this thread on my dc modifications are tired of the subject, but I now have the final piece in place. As suggested I looked on Craig's List, found the exact 30gal fiber barrel I was looking for on the web at McMaster-Carr for $29.32+shipping, both box stores had the Rubbermaid 32 gal for $29.97. I headed out to get one from one of the borgs but checked out Martin Tool & Supply here in Waco on the way. When I walked in I was staring at a 30 gal fiber barrel marked $5.00 clearance. Anyway I am now a happy little woodworker, I like it when a plan comes together.