J. Phil Thien's Projects

DominicG:

Thanks for posting the Sketchup drawing. 

Regarding: "My new Separator has a 5" air inlet since my DC has the same size. As I mentioned before, I need to find a source for 5" flex tubing or just use 6" (which I'd rather not do). If I can't find 5" PVC tubing, fittings, and flex hose, I may end up using 5" HVAC fittings. Not optimal, but better than nothing."

Here is a thread that I started from another forum (http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f32/pipe-diameter-vs-performance-59625/index2/).  Here is the text: 

"Grizzly has good prices on their flexible hose. I am very pleased with the 5" and 6" diameter hoses that I received from Grizzly. They are very good quality. I would not order 5" and 6" diameter hose from Woodworker's Supply again. They are ok, but they are definitely less flexible than Grizzly's."

http://www.grizzly.com/products/5-x-10-Clear-Wire-Reinforced-Flexible-Hose/W1035

Here is another link for you: http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f32/4-dust-collection-flex-hose-64176/.  Here is the text:

" Here are some of my favorite places to get anything related to dust collection (in alphabetical order):

1. Grizzly (http://www.grizzly.com/)
2. Harbor Freight Sales (http://www.harborfreight.com/)
3. Rockler (http://www.rockler.com/)
4. Woodcraft (http://www.woodcraft.com/)
5. Woodworkers Supply (http://woodworker.com/)

2 thru 5 have retail stores in my area (Portland, Oregon). All of them have web sites that you can purchase from.

Try using Google with the "dust collection flexible hose" search phrase."

Quote from: sk1pp3r on July 26, 2014, 08:21:29 AM
OK, Here it is.  I'm still creating scenes to show the measurements in an easy way.

If anyone has any suggestions to add to the file before I finish it let me know.  I'm going to add little dimension tabs in each scene so there is more clarity for others trying to build this design.  Many Thanks again to Phil Thien, Retired2, Plauale, and any others I forgot!

Thanks for posting the Sketchup drawings.  They look very professionally done.  My Sketchup drawing is not as well done as yours, but I would be happy to post it if it would help. 

Here are a couple of details that I included on my 6" Top Hat build, that you might be interested in:

1.  a lip, the thickness of the Lexan, right below it.  This keeps the Lexan from slipping down and provides a nice shelf to set it on when assembling.

2.  a notch, for the Lexan to slide into on both ends.  This keeps the Lexan from slipping out of place and really makes assembly easy.  The notches were chamfered at a 45 degree angle on the outside edge to minimize the air flow disturbance.

3.  a strip of 1/16" X 3/4" red oak.  This strip was glued to the bottom lip the lexan was sitting on.  It overlapped the Lexan approximately 1/8".  The top edge was chamfered at a 45 degree angle.

4. a notch in the top to hold the Lexan in.

Including notches for all sides of the Lexan, created a leak-free Top Hat for me.  I did not have to apply any adhesive to seal any of the Top Hat.

It is always educational for me to see how others tackle a problem, so make sure that you post some photos during your build. 

Thanks and have fun,
Eric

Quote from: Latham on May 11, 2014, 06:22:00 PM
OrBlack: Thanks for the explanation and taking the time to upload the photos.

That's a serious looking separator.

L

Thanks.  All the credit goes to Retired2, for his build postings and Phil, for this very wonderful forum.  I just did the "grunt" work. 

It is definitely a "serious separator"!  It is a huge improvement over my previous 4" system.  My 12" Jet Jointer and 20" Grizzly surface planer don't get clogged any more with the 6" ports on the Top Hat.

I am in the process of rebuilding my Jet DC-1100 to incorporate the Top Hat and barrel into one cart.  This will reduce the dust collection foot print and improve the CFM.   I will post a couple of photos in a new thread, when it gets completed.

Quote from: Latham on May 11, 2014, 08:41:58 AM
OrBlack:

"I just cut vertical side support dados on the table saw with a dado blade.  I used the square edges of the input side along the fence.  I just had to be careful and make sure the square edge was along the fence."

I take it you made these cuts prior to cutting the (square) pieces into circles?

And did you say somethig about being old? Yeah, age ain't easy sometimes but I like being an old-guy monkeying in my shop! 8)

L

Actually, I cut the vertical support dados after cutting the circles.  My inlet sides were square enough to use against the fence.  My input/output ports are six (6) inch diameter, so I had 10" on the one side and 14" on the other to run along the fence.  Check out the photos attached.

This Top Hat separator is replacing an in-barrel Thien separator that had 4" input/output ports.  The larger port size makes a huge difference with my Jet DC-1100.  The volume flow is much larger than with the 4" ports.

A big benefit of being retired is spending time in the shop!  A big drawback to being retired is not spending time communicating with humans.  Just me and the wood .... and the wood usually doesn't talk back.... ;)

Quote from: retired2 on May 10, 2014, 12:31:16 AM

Quote from: ORBlackFZ1 on May 09, 2014, 11:34:54 PM

Quote from: Latham on May 09, 2014, 09:41:08 PM
Retired2:

You're killing me. :P I'm about ready to create more sawdust and build a top hat.

How did you cut the dados in the retaining rings? I've cut many a dado but never into something that was round.

My first theory was that you cut them while the piece was square and then cut the circle, but I don't think so.

Help me out here before I go on a hunger strike.  :-X

L

How about using a router attached to a circle jig?  It worked for me when I created my Top Hat. 

With the pieces cut to size (rectangle/square), drill a small hole in the center and put your circle jig centering pin in the hole.  Route the dado with your router and a straight bit. 

You can also use the router to cut the rectangle/square into a circle and then use it to cut the inside drop slot.

Eric

I think he was questioning the dados that run radially to the rings.

Retired2:

Sorry, I missed that the question was about the dados for the vertical side supports.  I thought he was asking about the dado for the top of the waste container....Oh well, part of getting old......

Anyways, I just cut vertical side support dados on the table saw with a dado blade.  I used the square edges of the input side along the fence.  I just had to be careful and make sure the square edge was along the fence.

This is one of the great things that I enjoy about woodworking, there are always multiple ways to get something done, depending on your tools and knowledge.  Ask three (3) different woodworkers how to drill a hole and you could get three (3) different answers that all get a hole drilled.

Quote from: Latham on May 09, 2014, 09:41:08 PM
Retired2:

You're killing me. :P I'm about ready to create more sawdust and build a top hat.

How did you cut the dados in the retaining rings? I've cut many a dado but never into something that was round.

My first theory was that you cut them while the piece was square and then cut the circle, but I don't think so.

Help me out here before I go on a hunger strike.  :-X

L

How about using a router attached to a circle jig?  It worked for me when I created my Top Hat. 

With the pieces cut to size (rectangle/square), drill a small hole in the center and put your circle jig centering pin in the hole.  Route the dado with your router and a straight bit. 

You can also use the router to cut the rectangle/square into a circle and then use it to cut the inside drop slot.

Eric

Quote from: BradD on March 14, 2014, 03:24:57 PM
Very nice! Pretty barrel.

Thank you.  I made that barrel a couple of years ago when I was testing out the accuracy of my table saw.  Each barrel "slat" side has an angle of 11.25 degrees to make a 16 sided barrel.   I only had to make one test cut to get it correct.  I have a lid that fits inside the barrel perfectly, in any of 16 positions.  That is what I love about woodworking, there are always many different ways to do something, you just have to open your mind and think about it for a while.

Quote from: BradD on March 14, 2014, 03:24:57 PMBungee cords will free up those clamps.

That is an interesting suggestion.  I was waiting for a more creative method that is easy to use.  I can't decide which suggestion I like better.  I will probably use these:

http://www.rockler.com/trunk-tool-chest-table-catch

or

http://www.rockler.com/classic-oblong-catches-select-finish

Actually, the only reason the clamps are needed is because when I glued up the two (2) 1/2" thick plywood bottoms, I didn't clamp them to a flat surface, so they warped a little bit.  I will eventually put some weatherstripping on the bottom to seal the Top Hat to the barrel.

Quote from: BradD on March 14, 2014, 03:24:57 PMJust posted results of my first emptying.
http://www.jpthien.com/smf/index.php?topic=1080.0

Nice to see your first emptying.....I have already emptied my 44 gallon barrel three (3) times since I finished the Top Hat  (over the last week) and the barrel is full again.  It looks like I will have to go fill up a couple of neighbors "green recycling bins", since we only get curbside recycling every other week and my bin is full.

Here are some photos. 

Quote from: retired2 on March 14, 2014, 06:44:02 AM
I think Alan has pointed you in the right direction.  Are the hangups starting at the end of you slot?  That is the one place where a very thin baffle(like sheet metal) is more likely to snag stringy chips than a slightly thicker one(like 1/4").  Whatever you are using, make sure the end of the slot has no sharp corners, round it over in ever direction to make it less likely to grab chips.

Retired2:

I think that you have the answer.  The end of my slot could be thinner and smoother.  I will work on that and let you know.

Thanks for the help.

Quote from: alan m on March 14, 2014, 02:18:43 AM
i just saw your post in retired 2 s thread.
another thing that could cause issues is that you have a rond pipe entering the  seperater.
if that was a rectangular transition it would spread out the chips more  and not have a big lump of chips hitting that end of the drop slot.

Here is the link to a better photo.

http://www.jpthien.com/smf/index.php?topic=1094.0 

In the first photo you can see that the 6" round port gets transitioned to a 3.5" x 8" opening inside the separator. 

I determined the rectangular dimensions by using the area of the 6" pipe.  Hopefully, my math calculations where correct.

Pi r squared = 3.14 x 3 x 3 = 28.27 sq inches
3.5 x 8 = 28 sq inches

The transition is over a 14" length and is lined with a very slippery surface to reduce the turbulence.

Alan:

Thanks for the quick response.

Quote from: alan m on March 14, 2014, 02:14:25 AM
the drop slot width is a compromisse between wide for choips and shavings and a narrow slot for dust,

I was afraid that would be the answer......

Quote from: alan m on March 14, 2014, 02:14:25 AM
im guesssing that the shavings build up at the end of the slot where the solid part starts.

Yes, and then the whole slot fills, if I don't stop the jointer and clean it out.

Quote from: alan m on March 14, 2014, 02:14:25 AM
what thickness is you baffle plate. i heavily tapered back that area to reduce that happening.

My baffle plate started as a 1/2" thick piece of plywood.  I put a 45 degree camfer on it and sanded it to 220 grit to smooth it out.  I think that I will work on the end of the slot to make sure that it is as thin as I can get it, since that is where the clog always starts.

Quote from: alan m on March 14, 2014, 02:14:25 AM
if you are not worried about fine dust  as much then widen the slot by 1/4 " .

Fine dust is definitely a priority in my shop!!!  Maybe I will have to create another Top Hat for use with the jointer and planer.

Alan & Retired2:

Thanks for the response. 

I found the reading from the search of "air straightener" very interesting.  It looks like I have found a use for those Rockler and PeachTree tubes.....

Eric

I just finished my Top Hat separator.  It works much better than my previous in-barrel design.  I also created it with 6" ports for both inflow and outflow.  I used a 1-1/4" drop slot.  Over the first week of using the new separator with my 12" jointer, the chips sometimes get stuck in the slot.  I am assuming that once I test the Top Hat separator with the 20" surface planer, I will get the same problem.

Here is my question to those of you that have created a Top Hat separator and are using it with a 12" jointer and/or 20" surface planer.   

What is the optimum drop slot width for using the Top Hat with a 12" jointer and/or 20" surface planer?

Thanks,
Eric

Question regarding the tubes....

I designed my Top Hat rotation in the same direction as my DC impeller rotates.  Do you think that I will need the tubes when I connect the Top Hat directly (with six (6) inches of flexible hose, of course) to the Top Hat?

Thanks,
Eric

When I have purchased Universal T-Track from Rockler and Aluminum Miter T-Bar from Peachtree, they have been shipped in plastic tubes.  I kept the tubes because I thought that they might be useful for something.  Now, I know what I can do with them.