J. Phil Thien's Projects

I have the option to purchase a 2hp motor with 12" impeller attached for a good price.  The rest of the dust collector is long gone. 

My thought is to build a Thien top hat separator over a garbage can, direct mount the motor and blower atop the separator, and plumb the output of the blower to a Wynn filter.  The filter would hang down from a fitting on the blower output. I would add a cleanout pan to the bottom of the filter.

Compared to the setups I have read about this one would not have an OE dust collector ring with plastic bag hanging below.  I'm wondering how necessary is this second point of separation?  I guess it comes down to how efficiently the separator performs.  With high efficiency there should be little dust making it to the filter.

Can someone quantify how much dust they end up with in their plastic collection bags in what I'll call the "normal" setup?

Thanks in adavance for any input / advice.

Hello,

I'm glad to have found this site and the wealth of information it contains.

A couple weeks ago I purchased a Jet DC650-TS dust collector via Craigslist for $110.  This is a two stage unit designed to sit atop a can / drum.  It has a 1hp motor, 4" inlet, and a cartridge filter.  Please see attached pictures.  I have a 31 gallon steel trash can ready for use with the dust collector.  The DC will be connected to one machine at a time.

I have learned from online reviews and correspondence with an owner of the same DC this unit quickly clogs the filter in operation.  I've worked my way through the forum in reverse order attempting to soak it in.  At this point I believe a top hat design separator would prolong the filter life and improve efficiency.  I'm thinking to remove the impeller from the plastic lid and remount to a top hat separator.

Does this seem like the right approach for my dust collector?

Thank you,
Aaron_T