Anyone built a Thien separator lid for Shop Vac?

[dbhost]

I am planning on going with a 10 - 20 gallon Galvanized trash can. 30 gallon is too big for my needs. If I could find a nice, thick clear plastic 20 gallon bucket for example, that would be ideal so that you could see the status of the container...

Not sure how long it would take to fill one up though...

[gsmittle]

I am planning on going with a 10 - 20 gallon Galvanized trash can. 30 gallon is too big for my needs. If I could find a nice, thick clear plastic 20 gallon bucket for example, that would be ideal so that you could see the status of the container...

Not sure how long it would take to fill one up though...

I got a white plastic 30-gallon container from the car wash down the street. Chatted up the manager for a few minutes and he let me have it for the $10 deposit. It still had enough detergent in the bottom to wash two cars.

I can fill it in a couple of hours of jointing and planing rough-sawn lumber. It will go for months between empties if I only use the table saw, ROS, band saw, etc.

g.

[pelligrini]

So I guess first things first, find a round container and make the seperator to fit.
Any suggestions for a container? 5 gallon bucket seems way to small.

Don't try using a inexpensive, thin-walled 30 gal rubbermaid trash can from the borg. I had been using one with the chip collector bag for my DW735 planer. I tried putting a pre-made seperator lid on it from Woodcraft. The fit wasn't that great, but good enough seal to collapse the container with my Rigid shop vac. It probably would have turned inside out if I had a real dust collector.

[dbhost]

It appears a Thien separator is going to have to wait. I tried 3 Walmarts, 2 Home Depots, and a Lowes to find a galvanized trash can for the receptacle... The ONLY trash cans I found were the big rubbermaid 50 gallon square cans on wheels.I do have one question though...

I never realized how fast 12 gallons can fill up, and if 12 gallons fills that fast, 20 can't be much better. Is a 30 gallon galvanized can a problem with a Thien baffle / shop vac setup? I have no intention on using a plastic can, as I have a Rubbermaid Brute 30 gallon now, and I am keeping that around for keg usage for events such as weddings, family picnics, and new years parties...

[cgallery]

Is a 30 gallon galvanized can a problem with a Thien baffle / shop vac setup?

Most of them aren't sturdy enough to handle a shop vac. A DC (with lower static pressure) seems to work okay.

You could always look for a used drum (fiber or steel). Sometimes you can outfits that will give used ones away, or sell them for a nominal amount.

I do some consulting work for a recycling outfit and they have dozens of them. It probably wouldn't be too hard to find a decent one and I imagine you could get one for $5 to $10.

BTW, I've purchased cans at Home Depot, which had limited supply and selection. But my Ace Hardware has quite a decent selection and 5-10 of each size.

[shoottx]

It appears a Thien separator is going to have to wait. I tried 3 Walmarts, 2 Home Depots, and a Lowes to find a galvanized trash can for the receptacle... The ONLY trash cans I found were the big rubbermaid 50 gallon square cans on wheels.I do have one question though...

I never realized how fast 12 gallons can fill up, and if 12 gallons fills that fast, 20 can't be much better. Is a 30 gallon galvanized can a problem with a Thien baffle / shop vac setup? I have no intention on using a plastic can, as I have a Rubbermaid Brute 30 gallon now, and I am keeping that around for keg usage for events such as weddings, family picnics, and new years parties...

If you have a Farm and Fleet or Tractor supply in the area, they may have a better selection of these cans.

[dbhost]

Problems not that. Since Ike, nearly every available trash can has been sold... They are back ordered...

Actually, my neighborhood Ace Hardware carries THE can I need, and I am seriously considering trying this with a 30 gallon galvanized can... My problem with the local Ace is their hours are the same as my office hours. I might just have to play hooky to go grab a can...

[dbhost]

Well, I finally got my hands on a 20 gallon galvanized trash can, the elbow, cut the disk for the baffle, and ordered the dust ports.

I need to grab the hardware for the spacers, cut the top, drill the holes, route the rabbet, and hook it all up. I am looking forward to this...

[pacwind3]

does anyone have some type of instructions or parts list for building one of these?

[pelligrini]

Here's more info:
http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/cy.htm

[dbhost]

Material list.

Enough MDF, plywood, lumber of whatever variety of build the 2 disks. I am leaving this vague because it will vary on the canister you chose to use. The majority seem to use MDF...

Some variety of metal, or rigid canister. Galvanized trash cans, Steel, Plastic, or even fiber drums, whatever. Big enough, open topped, with a sealed bottom, round, and ridgid. Round plastic trash cans will not work.

If you are building a Thien Cyclone lid for use with a shop vac, a 2" PVC Elbow.

Epoxy to bond the elbow to the MDF.

4 risers of some sort. I was originally planning on using all thread, but I think dowels cut into 3" segments, and pre drilled will work...

2 2.5" Dust Ports such as Peachtree #387.

You will need a way to cut circles. I used my B&D router with the circle cutting attachment and a straight bit. Not the best setup, but if worked okay.

You will also need a rabbeting bit to cut a 1/2" rabbet into the outer edge of the top disk.

You will need hole saws for the PVC to pass through the upper disk.

You will need a band saw, jig saw, or some other way to cut back 1.25" on the lower disk for 240 degrees.

Measure at least 6 ways accross the top diameter, and average them out. Divide that by half to set the radius with your circle cutting setup. Add just under one half inch for the rabbet, and make sure you account for the bit size or you will have wasted material...

Cut your upper disk, and rabbet it out.

I hope the rest can be figured out by the pics on Phil's site, because I am not done with mine yet...

A couple of gotchas I am looking for with mine, sealing to the trash can. I might end up with a thin foam weather strip inside the rabbet, and the seal of the dust port to the lid might just end up with a generous amount of clear RTV silicone....

[jabe]

I just finished making one for my Delta 50-760 dust collector and it works GREAT! Hardest part was getting a 5" flex hose & fitting to connect to my dust collector. Got those parts from Grizzly. I used a 30 gal metal trash can, bought it from our local Ace Hardware. They had 3 sizes, 10, 20 & 30 gal. Check your local Ace.
I had bought a clearvue mini cyclone for my shop vac couple years ago and now regret it (cost too much). Could have made this Thein seperator cheaper and it would work just as well as the mini cyclone.
The plastic dust collector fittings will not fit into the pvc DW pipes. I use a heat gun on the pvc pipe and with weather stripping gaskets around the plastic fittings shove it into the heated pvc pipe then I duct tape the joint. The DW pvc pipes have memory so after heating & stretching it, when it cools it goes back to it's normal size.

[footprintsinconc]

dumb question: what is DW pvc?

[gsmittle]

Is 2" Sch 40 the right size to connect the 2.5 shop vac slip fitting? I think sch 40 is 1/8" wall, so that would be 1/4" additional to the O.D., so 2" I.D. = 2.25" O.D. which should be the shop vac male slip fit size...

For the output, is there a good reason not to use a 2" stub to a slip / slip coupler to connect the hose? It looks like I should be pulling the air from just about flush with the inside of the lid, or close anyway, so that dimension will be important. I figure I can hot glue that together. Possibly Gorilla glue it...

Yeah, pics, as detailed as you can get particularly on the inlet side, and the baffle itself would be helpful. The spacers are no big deal. I like the idea of all thread and nuts. Fewer parts to worry about fabbing up...

Finally getting back to this thread... no pics yet, but I should be able to take some next weekend.

What I did was use 4" sch 40 90 deg elbows for the intake, and adapters to take that down to 2 1/2 inch. My reasoning was that the air flow would slow down from the change in diameter and the two 90 deg changes of direction. On the output side, I have a 4" piece of 4" sch 40 cut on a diagonal, with the opening facing opposite the opening of the intake. Above that is a 90 deg elbow, then another adapter for the ShopVac hose.

Sooner or later I'm going to graduate to a dust collector, and I thought that starting with 4" pvc would save me time and hassle later on.

Pix coming soon!

g.

[gsmittle]

dumb question: what is DW pvc?

Usually abbreviated DVW. Stands for Drain Vent Waste. Sewer pipe, in other words.

g.