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This looks to me like it would be very practical for those of us already invested in a dust collection system. Anyone try this? Any sage advise?

oops forgot the good stuff.
DUH!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=440087405 7&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Keith, the only question to ask may be what gauge is the steel used to build the cyclone? I'm sure this guy will be around for a while and the price tag seems resonable. I'm going to build myself one of these and I have plans that I am willing to share if your interested. I think this may be worth the $ instead of the build (but what fun would that be) at the sale price of $139.
If you would like a set of the plans (they are in PDF form) just let me know where I can email them?

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PS. the plans I have are from wood plans online and they are the full meal deal (I paid small cash for the plans, now everyone is building them). The plans have a great cutting bill and everything you need to know about building the cyclone.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Thanks Rod sent you a PM

Guys,

I don't know if you've done much research on dust collectors but the numbers on that are absolutely terrible! If you're only collecting 5-10% of the dust under 10 microns, you will be poisoning yourself slowly in your shop if it is indoors. That system will definitly need an external filter system added. Go to Bill Pentz's website (in the OLF ref section) and do some reading before you decide. It will be a real eye opener.

Also, the CFM is very low. By the time you add the increase in static pressure from ducting length, size, and connections, your actual CFM would probably be much lower. As you may know, you need at least 800 true CFM to adequetly collect dust from the larger hobbiest woodworking tools. You also need an airspeed of over 3700 FPM to keep the dust moving away from your tools. I think you might be disappointed with the machine on EBay.

Sorry for the discouraging post.

John

John,

I think the numbers quoted on the e-bay site are drop-out numbers in the cyclone. I built a cyclone from a plan I got in Wood Magazine a few years ago. I adapted it for a 1.5 hp delta dust collector and works OK. It is certainly not big enough to run my 20" planer on all day. But I do fill the 45 gallon drum regularily with it and it works well on my re-saw. But a cyclone won't filter out the small stuff, that usually goes into the filter system, in my case a 5 micron bag. I should really get a finer bag but haven't yet. Anyway's, I will take a picture and show everyone how I adapted a $300 dust collector into a cyclone. Having built one, $139 dollars for that cyclone is a good deal, in my most humble opinion. It is how you set it up that will determine it's effieciency. I would recommend larger than the 1hp he talks about. I think 1.5hp is too small. But as Rod said, there is great satisfaction in building these things yourself and it gives you a better understanding of the system and the process.

Rod, I have been looking for that magazine for the plans for a neighbour of mine and can't get my hands on it so I would appreciate you sending me a copy; shane@highmountaintonewood.com

Thanks

Shane

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Canada

Thanks for the advice John I'm trying to learn here so I'll do that.

I was intending to connect it through my 1.5 Hp Jet 1100CKR which is 1100 cfm and has a 2 micron Canister.I also plan to replace my plastic collector bag with a 2 micron bag to try to keep the true CFM up as much as I can. Since the cyclone should trap most of the material that should not be too inconvenient.

It sounds like I should get the same result that Shane got not perfect but better than the collector alone.

Shane I would like very much to see those photos.

Thanks Guys

As promised!





The plan from WOOD mag, and the one you sent to me Rod, is missing a baffle on the inside. So if anyone is going build from this plan I will explain further. Also I am available if you have any questions or hick ups and I can explain how I got my system from a floor model on a platform to this cyclone. It was fun to build and does work fairly well.

Shane

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Canada

Thanks Todd,

I don't know all of the ins and outs of efficiencies of these things but I will tell you this much. I won't be trading in a cyclone for the other system. Another advantage to a cyclone is that you are not pulling shavings through the impeller fan as they fall out before they get there. That has to signifcantly increase the life of the fan.

Shane

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Canada

Thanks Todd, point well taken, I guess I'll be too close to the edge to expect this to be reliable.
But, since we're on the topic what would happen if I cascade two 1.5hp blowers raising the pressure?
Would that overcome the static loss of the cyclone?
Not trying to be difficult just trying to find a way to use what I already have.TIA

Keith,

The picture of the one I posted above is a 1.5 hp. For a one man shop and set up centrally so your runs are small it works quite well. But it is what it is, a step up from a non-cyclone but not an industrial set-up. If you can get that PDF file from Rod. It has a bunch of technical info about cyclones in it as well.

Shane

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Canada

Thanks Shane I did get the info from Rod I am studying it now. Are all your runs 6"? Have you noticed the runs filling up with dust?

Yup and Yup!

I moved onto my property 3 years ago. In that time I my youngest son got sick that resulted in a liver transplant, which I donated. So that put me out of commission for 8-10 months, no lifting allowed for most 2004. So I am set up in a friends shop that I built for him in 2003. It is far from ideal and I am not that interested in experimenting until my shop is completed at home, hopefully next year. The dust build up usually occurs when I am re-sawing wet spruce. There is a LOT of saw dust that has a small surface area and is heavy. The re-saw is some distance from the collector about 25 feet and the duct has to turn a full 180 degrees before it reaches the saw. But I know that with better planning this collector would work just fine. My largest runs are all 6 inches. If I was to build again I would a 2 or 3 hp collector and add this cyclone. You should know that it took quite a few hours to build, but was fun. When my shop is built I will either buy a new cyclone and use this one just for the re-saw or I will build another, probably 3 hp. Like I said, they work well but more hp will certainly be better! Don't forget that extra interior baffle, it makes all the difference to the performance of these things, I added it later but did it while I was moving from one shop to the next so I had the unit torn apart anyway.

Shane

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Canada

Very helpful Shane. Can you discribe the extra baffle that you added?
TIA

I will look at it agian and make sure that I have the proper information and will get back to you tonight. After I change the modem in my less than happy computer!

Shane

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Canada

Shane -- the baffle you speak of is the ramp inside the cyclone itself? I had a setup much like yours in theory, but not execution, until recently. When I built it I told myself that it was temporary. It was pretty embarrassing that it lasted for 10 years. I had a 3/4 horse delta dust collector and it worked really well. I suppose there is no way to measure the dust you are missing, but it didn't seem bad at all. Yours makes me embarrassed even to think of what mine looked like

Hi Guys

I have been reading this post with great interest, I have flexible ducking on a small fan extractor running to my drum sander it is a run of about 5 feet, do you think it would be worth changing this to solid ducting ?

Many Thanks


Russell

a cyslone from this site was written up in a recent woodworking mag:

     www.cycloneseparator.com

for what it's worth,they apparently claim no performance drop. the listed price is also $139.

russel, the answer to your question largely depends upon whether your flex duct has a smooth interior wall as opposed to a corrugated wall. if it is corrugated, then a solid duct, with smooth interior wall should improve things, but may limit your ability to move the collector to service other machines/activities.

the claimed advantages of a cyclone relate to the facts that big bits and the odd metal bits don't hit and damage the impeller and filter media, and that you don't have to clean the filter media as often.

the fine dust issue is more related to air quanity/velocity issues, which in turn are primarily related to impeller size/power, port/duct size, length and layout efficiency, and filter media efficiency and effectiveness.

Michael

Thank you for your help.

Micheal Thanks for that link it's the same guy on Ebay.Do you recall which wood mag. and issue had the review?

Russell the following link might provide some help.


http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/printableStory.jhtml?storyi d=/templatedata/wood/story/data/249.xml&catref=wd18

Have any of you guys bought one of these

http://www.clearvuecyclones.com/Order_Page.html

I was originally thinking about a 3hp Onieda, but after reading this site, this looks like a pretty good set up too?

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

american woodworker, sept 2005, page 20.

Hey Eric,

I don't think we can be embarrased by the tools that keep us going until we can afford either the time or the money or both to get something more along the lines of true needs! I am just happy to able to help out with some of this tool stuff. The baffle is insdie the cyclone. As you look at the front of the pictures I posted earlier you can see that the inlet pipe enteres the cyclone on the right hand side and too the rear of the upper cylinder. Inside that upper cylinder is a six inch pipe that is the same length as the upper cyclinder and is in the middle of the unit, right below the impeller. The baffle is placed against the outside wall of the upper cylinder and extends from the top of the unit down to about 2 inches below the inlet. And it extends from the outside wall to within about 1 inch of the centre pipe. Am I explaining this clear enough? I had to open up my system when I was in the shop tonight just to see what I had done. If this isn't clear I will try to draw it, scan it and post it.

Sorry for the delay in responce, ny computer has been at the doctors!

Shane

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Canada

for a small-med. basement room I was thinking about a 5hp Shop vac to attach to equipment as I use it. Would this be OK if I also use dust collector?