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Making a cyclone chip separator for a dust collectorby tashiandmo on November 19, 2009

Table of Contents

Making a cyclone chip separator for a dust collector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro:   Making a cyclone chip separator for a dust collector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1:   The dust collector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2:   The recepticle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3:   Taking apart the dust collector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 4:   The baffle concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 5:   Making the bottom disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 6:   Making the top disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 7:   Creating the gaskets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 8:   Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 9:   Flipping the switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 10:   Testing it out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-cyclone-chip-separator-for-a-dust-collect/

Intro:  Making a cyclone chip separator for a dust collectorA dust collector should be one of the first major purchases for any woodworking shop.  Not only do they help keep things clean and tidy, they also protect your lungs fromharmful airborne dust.  A dust collector is only as good as it's filter, and as filters fill up with dust it reduces airflow and efficiency.  One way to reduce this is to create achip separating baffle, which collects most of the debris in a trash can before it reaches the filter.  This instructable will show how I created a chip separator for my dustcollector. 

Image Notes1. Vented outside

Step 1: The dust collectorBeing on a tight budget, I chose the 2hp model from Harbor Freight.  I waited until it was on sale, and then used a 20% off coupon making the total price around $165with tax.  I think the 2hp rating is a little overly generous, but it still can't be beat for the money.  The filter that comes with it only filters down to 5 microns, which means itwon't collect the dust that is most harmful to your lungs.  Rather than spend a bunch of money on an aftermarket filter, I decided to vent my system outside, eliminatingthe filter completely.  I highly reccomend this approach if you're able to.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-cyclone-chip-separator-for-a-dust-collect/

Image Notes1. Stock assembly (without bags)

Step 2: The recepticleI buy used plastic drums for use as trash cans and storage containers in my shop.  They are easily found for little or no money, lightweight, durable, and come in a varietyof sizes.  I chose a large 60 gal size so that I wouldn't need to empty it as often.  I also used a white one, as they are semi-transparent, and I can see how full it is withouthaving to remove the baffle and look inside.  Most of these drums have a solid top with two 2" bungs, so you'll have to cut the top off with a jigsaw or reciprocating saw. You might get lucky and find one of the removeable top varieties.  It's generally a good idea to make sure the drum didn't contain anything toxic before you start cuttinginto it.  The ones I buy are were all previously used for transporting and storing food goods, but I still give them a good rinse before doing anything with them.

Image Notes1. 60 gal plastic drum ($5 on craigslist)2. Center ring3. Motor and fan assembly4. Cone to help maintain cyclone action

Step 3: Taking apart the dust collectorWhen I first bought the dust collector, I assembled it in the standard configuration so that I could test it, and compare the results to my finished product.  I then of coursehad to take it all apart.  The only pieces we'll need are the motor and fan assembly, the center ring, the hose, and the fittings.  You can skip this step if you're buying anew un-assembled unit.  Most of the excess parts went into the scrap pile, but the casters were actually pretty nice quality, so I think they will go under a new rolling toolcart I plan to make in the near future.  The center ring has 6 holes in it where the supports bolt on.  I simply used the bolts to plug these holes. 

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-cyclone-chip-separator-for-a-dust-collect/

Image Notes1. Stock assembly (without bags)

Step 4: The baffle conceptThe baffle is modeled after the design Phil Thien came up with to increase the efficiency of his shop vac.  This design has been used and modified by many people withgreat results, so I figured it would be a good place to start.  He has a great website showing his final design, along with other great information-  www.cgallery.com/jpthien/cy.htm

 His design puts the baffle under the lid, and it fits down into the recepticle.  This would be a little tricky for my plastic barrel trash can, as the sides are convex.  I thoughtthat the center ring of the dust collector would make a great housing for the baffle, especially since it already has a lateral inlet.  It also has a cone inside that is intendedto keep chips down in the bag with the stock set-up, which should only help with keeping the cyclonic action going.  The other advantage this has is that it allows me touse the full capacity of my trash barrel.

My idea was to create a disc that would fit on top of the trash barrel, and that the center ring would then fit on top of.  There would be a channel cut out of the disc nearthe perimeter of the barrel 2/3 of the way around, emmulating the Phil Thien design.  A second disc would then be fitted on top of the center ring, and the blower couldthen be mounted on top.

Step 5: Making the bottom discAfter looking around my shop for a suitable material, I found some scraps of 1/2" MDF.  I thought it might be a little thin and flimsy, but I had enough to make two piecesthat I could later laminate together to form a 1" thick piece.  I used my router circle cutting jig to cut two pieces a little larger than than the trash barrel.  I then used around nose router bit to route a groove in the bottom piece that would accept the top of the barrel.  The barrels aren't perfectly round, so I sorted through the 5 I had, andchose the one that was roundest.  I then routed another groove in the top piece to accept the bottom of the center ring.  With both pieces milled to shape and size, I thenglued and nailed them together, making sure not to nail near the area where the channel will be cut.

With the grooves cut, and everything test fit sastisfactorily, I then marked out the channel.  The Thien design uses a 1 1/8" wide slot that runs 2/3 of the way around, but itis designed for use with a shop vac, and a smaller diameter trash can.  I wasn't sure how the lower static lift and higher airflow of a dust collector would effect the design. I had a suspicion that mine would need to be larger, but I decided to use 1 1/8" to start with, so that I could enlarge it slightly later if I felt it needed it.  I drilled 1 1/8" holesat each end of the channel, and then used a jigsaw to cut the rest out.  I could have use my circle cutting jig again to make a perfect arc, but I would have had to makeseveral passes to cut the full 1" depth, and the jigsaw just seemed quicker and easier at the time.  Since I want the chips and dust to fall into the barrel, but not comeback out, I used some sandpaper by hand to slightly round over the top edges of the channel.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-cyclone-chip-separator-for-a-dust-collect/

Image Notes1. Circle cutting jig2. Groove to fit center ring

Image Notes1. Channel for dust fall into barrel

Step 6: Making the top discFor the top disc, I found some scraps of 5/8" OSB.  Once again I decided to laminate two pieces together for added thickness and strength.  Just like the bottom disc,I used a roundnose router bit to form a groove that would fit on top of the center ring.  The scraps I had were just barely large enough to cover the ring, and as you cansee in the pic, it barely had room for the groove.  I then measured the inlet of the fan housing, and cut a hole in the center that would fit snugly.  I noticed that the squareoutlet on the fan housing was preventing it from seating fully, so I notched the top of the disc.  I tested it to make sure it was a nice flush fit, and then used someconstruction glue to attatch the upper disc to the fan housing, creating an airtight seal.

Image Notes1. Groove to fit top of center ring

Image Notes1. Notch to allow flush fit to fan assembly

Step 7: Creating the gasketsBeing that the barrel and center ring aren't perfectly round, and it needs to be close to an airtight seal, I wanted to form some sort of gasket where everything fit together. I decided to lay a bead of silicone caulk in each of the three grooves I had routed, and then used my finger to smooth them into a convex shape that would help contourto the mating parts.  This creates a flexible and airtight seal.  The silicone takes 24 hours to fully cure.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-cyclone-chip-separator-for-a-dust-collect/

Image Notes1. Construction glue2. Silicone in groove

Image Notes1. Silicone in groove

Step 8: AssemblyAfter letting the silicone cure, I put everything together.  One of the reasons I didn't attatch the center ring to the base disc is that I want to get the alignment right first. I placed the bottom disc on the barrel, and then placed the center ring on top of the disc.  I put the inlet of the ring in place above the solid portion, emmulating the Thiendesign.  I just guessed at proper placement, and then made temporary reference marks on the outside of the center ring and disc.  This way I have a starting point, andcan adjust the alignment in either direction to get maximum perfomance.  Once I get it tuned up, I can make permanent reference marks or even attatch it permanently sothat it's perfectly aligned every time.

Then I mounted the top disc with the fan and motor assembly.  I used the short length of flexible hose that came with the dust collector as a vent.  I wasn't comfortableinstalling it permanently just yet, so I just ran the vent hose out the nearby window for now.  I plan on using a dryer vent for the final permanent installation.

Image Notes1. Allignment marks

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-cyclone-chip-separator-for-a-dust-collect/

Step 9: Flipping the switchBecause the motor is now on it's side, the on/off switch is now upside down and on the back side of the unit.  I simply removed the switch box, and rotated it 180 degrees,so that it's now right side up and facing the right direction.  The only modification required was to drill a new hole in the mounting plate for the wires that run from theswitch into the motor.

Step 10: Testing it outI hooked up a length of hose and ran a few tests with some of the machines in my shop.  I ran a few boards through the planer, the jointer, and the tablesaw.  The airflowand collection seem to be as good if not better than the stock set-up.  I then had a helper stick the hose straight into a large pile to sawdust while I watched the exhaustoutside.  There was a visible amount of fine dust coming out, but it was surprisingly small.  All of the chips, and the vast majority of dust were collected in the barrel.

After a minor adjustment to the inlet alignment, and enlarging the slot to 1 1/4", I was able to improve the performance even more.  During most normal operations thereis so little dust being exhausted that it can't be seen with the naked eye.  Sucking up a large pile of dust, or taking heavy passes with the jointer or router table will createenough fines that the exhaust is visible, but just barely.  So far I've filled the barrel just over 3/4 full, and there doesn't seem to be any scrubbing or loss of airflow so far.

I currently have most of my equipment on wheels, and they are all set up at the same height in order to use the same outfeed table behind my tablesaw foreverything. This makes it practical to install the dust collector near the outfeed table, and just use one 10' flex hose for everything.  I may install permanent ductssometime in the future if I ever expand my shop, but this set-up seems to work well for now.  The only machine the hose doesn't reach is my bandsaw, but it doesn'tcreate much dust, and I think the higher static lift of my shop vac works better for my bandsaws dust hood set-up.

I made a few modifications to my contractor style tablesaw in order to get more efficient dust collection with the new set-up.  I used a piece of hardboard with magnets toform an enclosure for the back of the saw.  I also used some magnetic sheet material (old car magnets) to reduce the gaps between the frame and the table top, as wellas the slot on the front of the saw.  These can all be easily moved for making bevel cuts.  The last modification was to drill a hole in the ZCI just behind the blade to helpreduce above the table dust.  This has reduced above table dust by about half.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-cyclone-chip-separator-for-a-dust-collect/

Image Notes1. Small hole helps reduce above table dust

Image Notes1. Vented outside

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Comments

9 comments Add Comment

 bigfreeinfo says:  Jan 30, 2011. 2:52 PM  REPLYI was just about to start building a lid for a 20 gallon trash can with a Thienbaffle. I like you design better, and I hate to just throw the center ring away and not use it. I'm going to vent to the outside through a dryer vent as well. I waswondering what the final "adjustment" to the inlet vs the slot was. Can you post a drawing of the exact position of the slot in conjunction with the inlet hose onthe ring. Or email it to me?

 kidharris says:  Apr 30, 2010. 5:25 AM  REPLYI thought about doing something similar, but decided against it. My worries were.....That the blower was not designed to be operated in a vertical position. The shaft bearings may wear out quickly since they were not meant to support theload of the shaft pulling downward against the face of the bearing. I tried to find out about the bearings in mine but the manufacturer wouldn't answer myquery.

Also the blower may possibly come loose and cause some damage or tear the housing apart since it also was not designed to be pointing downward. Gravity

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-cyclone-chip-separator-for-a-dust-collect/

may help pull it loose or tear it all apart. Mine is only held on to the shaft by a setscrew, which is fine in the horizontal position. I'm not sure but I think thatmost vertically mounted blowers utilize a bolt and oversize washer threaded into the end of the shaft to hold it on.

I was also worried that the sheetmetal housing might not be strong enough to hold the weight of the motor without bowing in a little and changing theclearance between the blower and the front of the housing.

If yours is the same as mine (and it looks it), I would put it as far away from where I was working as I could. At the very least if it came apart right next to me,it would scare the devil out of me. There is a lot of kinetic energy going on there when it is at full speed and I'm not sure how much resistance a lightweightplastic barrel and a piece of plywood would offer in the way of containing it if it starts coming apart. If it starts sounding funny I would shut it off immediately.The Chinese products are not widely known for for being quality products and I didn't want to push my luck.

So....Is it still holding up now, 6 months later?

 tashiandmo says:  Apr 30, 2010. 10:26 AM  REPLYIt's holding up fine.  I had similar concerns at first, but after asking around at some of the woodworking forums, I saw that many many people had turnedthis and other models horizontal and still had no issues years later.  It would have been easy to leave the motor and impeller upright and use a shorthose or elbow, but I decided that I liked fewer turns in the airflow and a more compact set-up.  Laying the motor and impeller horizontally is probably themost common set-up when adding a baffle or cyclone to a DC.  Even many of the commercially available cyclones have this orientation.

The impeller housing is more than strong enough to support the motor, and even if it bowed slightly, there is a disturbing amount of clearance beteen theblades and the housing.  I almost wish it would bow a little so that efficiency would improve a little.

Since writing this 'ible, I've run PVC ducting to most of my tools, and made a bunch of blast gates.  I've also rigged the assembly to lift off the barrel witha ratcheting hand winch and some pulleys, which makes emptying the barrel much easier.  I also permanently secured the exhaust to something similarto a dryer vent.

 michaelhaile says:  Feb 12, 2010. 5:28 AM  REPLYI use the same collector.  It works great but the pictured switch doesn't last long.  When mine melted, I replaced it with a heavy duty light switch.  I find itmuch easier to turn on and off now.

 furley says:  Dec 7, 2009. 12:11 PM  REPLYWhat is the reasoning behind cutting just the channel for dust and not cutting out the whole center?

 tashiandmo says:  Dec 8, 2009. 12:43 AM  REPLYIt helps create something similar to a vortex, so that the dust and chips get trapped in the container.  If you just left it open, most of the dust and chipswould blow right through and out the exhaust.  It also prevents scrubbing, which is when the dust in the container is sucked out as the container gets full.

 socrateez says:  Nov 21, 2009. 6:23 AM  REPLYIf your design was a little different, you would have a true cyclonic filter. Many can be seen atop grain elevators. Many are capable of filtering below the sizeyou indicated.  Dyson Vacuums are designed around the same science.

www.billpentz.com/images/ClearVuelogo3.jpg This link is a pic of anothers attempt at just such a filter for your purpose.Still, Kudos on the re-purposing design and "MacGyverism"

 tashiandmo says:  Nov 21, 2009. 8:19 AM  REPLYYeah, I've seen the Bill Pentz plans for a sheet metal cyclone, but as I'm venting outside into the desert, I didn't feel it neccesary to spend that kind oftime and money.  I should mention that his cyclone design combined with a good filter (ie. wynn) is by far the best option if you aren't able to ventoutside.  He has excellent and comprehensive instructions for building one on his website.

 socrateez says:  Nov 21, 2009. 1:32 PM  REPLYI lived in Phoenix so know how dusty the natural desert environment is. I agree, venting outside in the desert isnt really contributing very much to thedust levels in the air. Nice job.