Dust Collector Mods

[mtylerfl]

Great - I'll finish putting all together. Thank you!

[mtylerfl]

Getting ready to run a rotary test carve on one of my CarveWright CNC's using the modified dust collector. Woopee! (It's not quite completed, as I still need to figure out a better exhaust routing instead of into that bag resting currently in the 5-gallon bucket!)

[zeeway]

Looks good, Michael.

Now about that bucket...you will recall mine exhausts through a dryer vent to the outside world. You really do not want to be breathing all those fines that get through the filter material.

Angie

[mtylerfl]

Thanks, Angie.

True, indeed about breathing the fines. My slapped-together "jury rig" includes the exhaust routed into the 5-micron bag (sort of "doubled over") that came with the DC, so I don't think I'm breathing much fine dust at the moment. I am thinking about better ways to exhaust though! I haven't ruled out the dryer vent idea.

[scottp55]

The finer it is , the deeper into your lungs it goes. And once in lungs--- It's what you DON'T see that is dangerous.Have Fein Hepa with a dust deputy on a Desktop here because of heating costs lost outside here. Would otherwise vent exterior like Angie. Had a lead carpenter finally sensitized to redwood and cedar here and had an ambulance call that was unexpected, as he'd been working with both for 20 yrs.. Game over for him doing exteriors.

[zeeway]

Here is another mod you may want to make. It is a window which gives you a view inside the can, so you can tell when emptying it is necessary. I used 1/8 inch (3mm) plexiglass about 6 inches by 9 inches, held on with machine screws and nuts and sealed with silicon sealer. I cut the hole in the can with an angle grinder with a metal cutoff wheel (best $20 tool I ever bought). And by the way, don't wear polyester shirts when using the angle grinder - they seem to catch fire from the sparks. DAMHIK...

Angie

[scottp55]

Good idea Angie, Not sure about Thiens, but Oneidas will continue to pull until cyclone and vac filter are PACKED. Kind of defeats the purpose if your barrel is full. Wear chamois shirts--no open flames--you just smolder until you swear

[mtylerfl]

Angie, you are a mind reader! I was just thinking about putting in a window yesterday. My idea was to make it tall and skinny - maybe about 20" tall with a strip of plexi mounted like you have done yours. Once I get past a few deadlines, I'll be cuttin' my can, too!

[Tundraman56]

Here's another option for consideration. Instead of a Thein separator, I used a Super Dust Deputy along with a Harbor Freight DC. The exhaust is filtered through a Wynn Environmental C1425 filter.

Van

Van,
Looks like a great option. How's it working for you? How do you like the SDD? I was thinking of doing something very similar.

Angie,
Have been watching for a long time and am very impressed by many of your ideas and insights. Great idea for a method of containing the dc in one compact unit. Just got a dc and trying to figure the best method for setting it up. Like many others I must filter and recirculate the air.

Trying to determine if a cyclone or Thielen will work better. Does anyone with a Thielen have any problems or are you happy with them?

Thanks,
Scott

[vgraves]

My SDD system works great. One of the best things I've done to my shop, besides getting a CNC router Having a fixed DC system makes the whole woodworking experience so much better. The only time the bag below the filter gets any chips in it is if I let the barrel fill up so that the SDD no longer separates like it should. Need to put in a window but haven't done it yet.

Van

[zeeway]

Angie,
Have been watching for a long time and am very impressed by many of your ideas and insights. Great idea for a method of containing the dc in one compact unit. Just got a dc and trying to figure the best method for setting it up. Like many others I must filter and recirculate the air.

Trying to determine if a cyclone or Thielen will work better. Does anyone with a Thielen have any problems or are you happy with them?

Thanks,
Scott

My Thien separator works very well. I understand cyclones work well, also...but they cost more and take up more space.

Angie

[mtylerfl]

Well, I certainly have no complaints! Hooked this baby up to one of my CarveWright machines during some rotary carves on wood and on PVC recently. Your mod with the Thein separator worked perfectly! Thanks again for posting the files, photos, tips, etc. Happy camper, here!

[roy_okc]

Van / Angie,

Can you use a plastic bag in the trash can so that you don't have to dump and raise a cloud of dust when doing so?

I definitely need to get a separator set up on my HF DC, I like Van's idea of mounting components on walls.

Thanks for sharing.

Roy

[vgraves]

Roy,

My separator can is a 30 gal fiber drum. Normally I don't use a bag and just carry the drum outside and empty it around my trees as free mulch. But I've also used bags in the drum to give the chips to others to do the same. Works great as long as the top edges of the bag hangs outside the lid of the drum a little.

Van

[zeeway]

Yep, you can use one of those giant plastic bags in the can - I did that on my old one. But if you put a window in the side of the can, and use a dark bag...the window is useless.

Angie