J. Phil Thien's Projects

Bennybmn: Thanks for the input.  I'm still debating whether it is worth the work!

Jim_L: Thanks for sharing your experience.  I was thinking it might be worthwhile to cut off that heavy/curved top 3 inches to make it easier to fit the baffle.  Needless to say this won't be happening now.   :o

I have a ~40 gallon plastic barrel that could be great as a preseparator.  The question is how to fit a Thien baffle lid in/on it.  As you can see in the attached picture the top opening (~16") is smaller than where the actual baffle would sit (~20"), therefore getting the baffle in the barrel would be difficult, if not impossible.

Two possible solutions to this:
1) Make a lid/baffle like normal but use a piano style hinge to make the baffle foldable. Problems: Finding a way to assemble it once the baffle is inside the container and possible air resistance from the hinge itself (unknown).  Also cleaning out the barrel could be troublesome.
2) Make a lid/baffle that sat on top, as opposed to inside, the barrel.  Problems: No idea what type of material could be used to make the curved part of the lid.

Is this container going to work or should I keep looking for something else?   :'(

Quote from: bennybmn on June 09, 2009, 08:26:08 AM
Anyone tried reinforcing a can like this internally with some bracing?

It crossed my mind, but considering the cost of this can ($20-$40) + effort and cost of bracing, it might be better (read: more cost effective) to just find a more rigid container.

Thanks, Phil.  In that case would doing the same thing with 6"->4" adapters work the same way?  Call me more crazy: what about 6"->4"->2 1/2" to make use of existing 2 1/2" hose but maintain a forward thinking 6" port?

Quote from: phil (admin) on June 04, 2009, 07:44:50 PM
I haven't done any testing to see how well separation works while the can is collapsing.   ;D

:o
And here I figured you'd thought of everything!   ;D

Thanks for the reply!  Looks like I'll be returning this can and getting something else.

Just tried a baffle on 32g Brute trash can and with a 3hp shopvac the can buckles with a clogged duct.  It goes back to it's original shape when the clog is removed.  The issue with the can is the mid-section isn't as rigid as the top handle section.  Is that beyond acceptable?  Should a container with one of these lids have zero give?

Firstly, Phil, you've done a tremendous thing with this lid design.  Thank you for sharing it.

This may be a stupid idea since I've not seen anyone else try it:

If I were to create a [Phil Thien] separator lid with 4" inlet/outlet and hook up 2 1/2" hose using 4"->2 1/2" adapters, would there be any negative impact on airflow?  Would the size of the baffle need to be adjusted to work with 4" ports?  I'm in the planning stage of my separator lid design and want to create something that will stand the test of time.  Currently I'm running with a small 3hp shopvac with 2 1/2" inlet/hose but a true dust collector is on my wishlist, so the ability to go to 4" ducting would be beneficial if my wish ever comes true.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: I should also mention that a 5.5hp shopvac is a possible replacement in the interim if it would perform better than the 3hp.

I'm considering the same can to stick a separator on.  Anyone have any experience with this can?  You can see in the picture that the can has a smaller diameter (~1-2") ~6-7" down from the top of the can, and the inside of the container near the handles "juts" in a bit (~.5"), so it's not perfectly round.  What effect would thse things have on the scrubbing action of the lid?



They've also got larger cans: 32g, 44g, and 55g sizes.  What effect would using the same shop-vac have while increasing the size of the can (and thus the size of the separator)?