J. Phil Thien's Projects

Today I added the extension to the center port of the lid.  I used a PVC union because it has a larger OD and required less caulking to fill the hole I sawed in the MDF.  My hole saw set didn't have a size closer to the size I needed.  I also copied the idea for a stand that billw submitted recently.  I've uploaded some pictures to a Picasa web site and included pictures of the circle jig I made for my router.  For the adjustable pivot point, I used 5/16" hex head bolt and wing nut in a block of plywood to make the adjustment.  I laminated another piece of plywood to cover the hex head and drilled through the plywood into the head of the bolt.  I then epoxied the tip of a nail  through the plywood into the head of the bolt.  Sorry, but if I knew how to use Sketchup, I'd include a drawing.  I also glued a couple of pieces to the block to make a saddle.  I hope you can tell from the pictures how it was done.  The site lets you zoom in on a picture and pan around.  Here is the link to the pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wjburl/DustCollector#

I finished my lid last week and built a stand to stack the system similar to the one built by billw.  I'm still using the flexible hose that came with my Rigid Shop vac between the vac and the separator.  I'd like to replace the 7' hose with something similar to the pics above. I probably could have built the stand about 6" shorter than I did, but since I put frame around the platforms, they may be strong enough to add a shelf or drawer for additional storage   I built the separator lid pretty close to the one described by Phil.  I haven't extended the center port below the lid yet, but it seems to be working well.  I made a few cuts on my TS and the dust had collect around the bottom edge of my 31 gal. garbage can and there was no detectable dust in the vac.  The center of the bottom of the garbage can was nearly free of dust.  That made me conclude that there was a cyclone type air movement set up below the baffle.  Has anyone compare the results with the center port extended to the results without the extension?

I put some painter's tape around the rim of the garbage can and some clear silicon sealant on the rim of the lid.  I had to pry the lid off after the sealant dried, but now I have a very tight sealing lid.  It may have been easier to remove the lid after the sealant dried had I coated the tape with a some lubricant.  I also removed the painters tape from the garbage can afterwards.  I did notice that I had to get the lid in the correct orientation to avoid leaks.  I marked the lid and the garbage can with a magic marker. Now I can pick up the whole unit by the lid when the shop vac is on.  I covered the in port with my hand one time and it started to collapse the garbage can.  I have a 31 gal. garbage can.   I was having a problem with getting enough air flow at first, but it turns out that the filter in the shop vac was clogged before I started.  Now it works fine with my little 2.5 gal Rigid Shop Vac. 

I have not tried it.  I haven't built my separator yet.  I have the Rockler dust ports on order. I haven't bought the other materials needed and I still have to make a circle jig for my router.  I would like to make the version proposed before I try any mods.  It looks like it'll probably be a week before I can even begin construction.  I was watching a video on Stu's Shed and he built a system that didn't even have a baffle.  He acknowledge that it wasn't a cyclone separator and it still did a pretty good job. Another question - does the corrugated side on a galvanized garbage perform any differently than a barrel with smooth sides?

I'm not proficient at using drawing packages, so I made a model out of a piece of cardboard.  The first picture is intended to show the baffle unchanged and the second picture shows the mod.  My camera had some trouble focusing at such a short distance, but I think the pictures are clear enough to see what I was talking about.  It turns out that it made the baffle a cone, but if the diameter isn't increased and  it isn't folded under, it would merely drop the edge in front of the input.  I also guessed at the angles.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wjburl/Baffle#

Have you considered making a baffle slightly larger than the diameter of the container, cutting it along the radius just behind the input port so you could create a ramp? I think 1/4" hard board is flexible enough to permit it to fold in a little underneath itself.  I just ordered my dust ports from Rockler and now I need to make a circle jig for my router.  I couldn't find masonite with two smooth sides at HD.  I haven't tried Lowes yet.  Where did you find a source or