Dust collector upgrade.

[greatdane2]

Finlly got one more job done. I have a dust collector that I built a cyclone for, it is hooked up to my small room where all my sanders and the scroll saw are. But I found the reach was to much form my bigger tools.
One of the tools I got from dad when he croaked was another 1hp dust collector. So it now has a cyclone on it to, what a diiference the cyclone makes.
The plans where in a wood mag a few years ago, I looked and can't find it. But it is easy to build and cost about $150. If you look at any of the tool sites they will list a cyclone system, but they are a lot of $$$. This just uses a simple 3/4 or 1hp system. It uses a round container with a big funnel in the bottom. The 4" hose ataches to the side of container at an angle. In the center of the round container is a 4" pipe that goes down towards the funnel. a 4" hose goes from the top of this pipe to the fan assembly.
When turned on the fan sucks air up the vertical pipe. As air comes from the table saw or whatever it goes in the side of the round container.It spins around the container. wood chips and sawdust fall down in the funnell and into a container, the air keeps going and goes up the central pipe and into the fan and on into the bag and filter that came with the dust collecter.
Very little sawdust will end up in the filter bags.
On this last one I bought a large pleated filter and thew away the cloth filter on top of the fan. I cut a round piece of plywood and fastened it where the lower bag would be.it has a door so I can clean it out once in a while.
With the new pleated filter I hooked up 30' of 4 inch flex pipe and boy does she suck.
If any of you want to upgrade your dust collecter this a is a cheap way to do it. My other on uses the 1 micron bags and it does not work as well but I do not hook up my bigger shop tools to it so its staying the way it is
If anyone wants the plans I will try and find them. It took me about 5 hours to make the last one. It will fit in a normal hight shop. I made mine mobile on a steel frame with 4" casters and have my 18" band saw on the other end.

[utbva]

Very good job Alan. I am glad to hear that it is working so well. It looks like a great system. I had looked at those plans in Wood magazine many times and was going to build it, but I went ahead and spent the $$$$ to buy a Clear Vue Cyclones Home Clearvue Kit. It really moves the air too and has really help keep the dust down in my shop. I use 6" pvc pipe for the ducting and four inch flex pipe to my tools. I still don't have everything plumbed individually, so I just move the flex pipe to what ever tool I am using at the moment.

[greatdane2]

I am using the long flex hose on my big tools, I have 7 machines hooked up in my small room. but no matter how hard I try I lose a bit of suck with all those angles and gate valves. It is not that big a problem with just sawdust, but in the bigger room I want bigger wood chips (planer) to all go into the pipe, so yeah 1 pipe and no valves.
My dad nearly bought the Clear Vue system. I talked him out of it as to much $$$.
The way things turned out I should of let him buy it. If their claims are right that is a sweet machine.

[utbva]

It is a sweet machine, but noisy as he##. I wish I had room to make a place for it outside of my main shop so it would not be so noisy.

[greatdane2]

What part is making the noise?

[utbva]

it is the motor and fan assy. It is a 5 HP motor so it is really moving alot of air.

[utbva]

I even laid out 40ft of 6" pvc pipe across my lawn and hooked up a 50ft 4" flex pipe and vacuumed up all of the seeds from my neighbors silver maple trees. Those things are harder to clean up than the leaves are. It did a good job of it though.

[greatdane2]

I guess it would over heat if you added insuation around it. Here we can get insuation that comes in 2,4&5' x whatever length . it is sold by the foot and is tough tin foil with a plastic bubble filling. It is sold to wrap hot water heaters. Also great to sit on when winter camping.
Anyway it could be cut and shaped to fit. I used some in my dads old van to cut down on noise and it worked well. High end stereo shops sell a more expencive version to put in cars.