J. Phil Thien's Projects

Has anyone ever tried adding a half-profile NACA duct shape to the end of the chip slot? Any thoughts on whether it would have any beneficial effect on chip removal from the airstream?

I happened upon the Thien design after I purchased a HF dust collector. I had only glanced at a few photos and knew it needed some sort of apparatus to support it when emptying the bin. I then read several posts that mentioned working on a bin lift to raise the bin to the separator. This was a totally unsatisfactory solution to me, in part because mine would be cart-mounted. Plus, my thinking is "don't lower the river, raise the bridge."

My criteria were fairly straightforward:
1. It had to be simple, yet robust
2. It had to be operable single-handed
3. It had to automatically stay in the raised position, but able to be lowered without having to disengage anything
4. It had to be readily removable from the separator without needing tools

I came up with a few designs before distilling them down to an elegantly simple cam lift. A 90-degree throw of the actuating handle is all it takes to lift or lower the entire separator from the bin (after unlatching the hasps).

The pics and drawings show the relevant details. I made mine almost exclusively from materials I had on hand, except for a few small bits like the wire clips and hasps. Mine isn't completely finished as I'm in the process of rearranging my garage/shop to accommodate the dust collector and a new planer, but I've tested both the separator and lift and both work beautifully.

Although I didn't include a specific design for a wall-mounted version, it can easily be adapted for it by slight modifications of the shaft mounting brackets.

I attached scrap Formica (blue) to the cart base beneath the bin to make sliding it in and out easier, and stop blocks make positioning a breeze.

I made a bellmouth for the outlet by turning a form on the lathe which I used to thermoform a section of pipe (forgot to get a pic of the finished pipe). I first stuck the end of the pipe in boiling water to soften the first couple inches, then placed it on the form with a 10 pound lead weight on top. This keeps you from having to apply downward force while also heating the pipe with a heat gun. The wood collar, which will be used to attach it to the separator lid, is placed just above the top of the form to prevent the pipe from ballooning when it softens.

It is important (and not particularly easy) to keep the entire lower section of pipe that's on the form heated to pliability, or it won't make the bell properly. While plastic does retain heat remarkably well, this thin-walled type loses just enough quickly enough to fall below formability if you don't keep the heat on and constantly moving. I suppose I could have submerged the entire form in boiling water and done it that way.

I also added a viewport to the bin by cutting a hole and attaching sheets of lexan inside and out using machine screws and sealing it with Lexel (a rubber-based adhesive/sealant superior to silicone) I also used Lexel to seal the separator where necessary.

Please excuse the poor quality drawings; I knocked them out on paper pretty quickly. If anything isn't clear, I'll be happy to answer any questions. I work 6 days a week so I may not respond immediately, but I'll do my best.

Thanks for looking.