So here's my build.
I used the ubiquitous HF 2 HP dust collector, and jettisoned everything but the ring and blower assembly.
My build is more or less a rip off of Jay Bates design from his old shop on u tube, as I also have the luxury of venting out the window and don't need to mess with a filter at all.
I liked this design as the impeller assembly is AFTER the separator (in fact it's the last item in the chain) so it should hold up a lot better than having the bits slamming the impeller.
My changes to Jay's build was to add a lot of height (in order to get the blower outlet to line up with my "exit" window), and in the process it meant moving the can up to meet the ring. My cheesy solution for this was to hang some all thread bolts above the platform that supports the can (a 32 Gallon Brute Bucket), and use T nuts on the bottom of the platform to engage the all thread. A socket on a drill raises and lowers the can support platform enough to clear the frame to extract and dump the can.
It also makes for a very snug fit on the can.
A few other items of note:
I unmounted all the HF clips and handles, taped over them on the outside, then filled them in with hot melt glue on the inside.
The motor assembly just sits on the top plate, and after test runs I was noticing some dust gathering on the top plate between the plate and the blower bottom, so I added a home depot "homer" bucket gasket to the blower assembly (it sits just inside of the 16 bolts that hold the plate on over the impeller dimensionally, and as a result of that have picked up a fair bit more airflow as the impeller junction is no longer leaking by.
From several brute force tests (1/4 trash can worth of dust in under 30 seconds stuffed into the floor sweep) its proving remarkably effective at separating, as I'm not seeing any dust of any kind on the ground outside the shop under the exhaust hose.
I didn't take a lot of shots during the build, just a few of the glue up of the top and ring / thein plates.
I did shoot some video and if I can figure out how to get it under 5MB I'll attach that in a separate post.
I tried to attach the photos but it says the upload folder is full.
I think the attachments folder was full, I just made some more room, though, so you can try uploading pics again.
For videos you could always upload to Youtube.com and link from here.
Here are some pics of the project:
[url]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/48859695/dc%20assembled.jpg/url]
[url]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/48859695/dc%20glueup.jpg/url]
I'm a newbee with similar equipment and need for a Thien Separator. Your description appears to fit my desires. Wanted to see you posted URL pics, but, even after reading lots of help sections, I haven't determined how to do that. I did try cut and paste to my search engine, but no luck. Perhaps as a new user, I'm not authorized to see pics yet. Looking forward to viewing your efforts! Thanks for posting!
Hi.
I cannot pick up the picture either.
I saw both pictures by ignoring the "[URL]" and "URL]" and used the address only
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/48859695/dc%20assembled.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/48859695/dc%20glueup.jpg/
ddowell, I like the roundover in the slot. Probably improves dust/chip extraction.