And another top hat

[chrism3]

Here's my new conversion of a small dust collector.

[retired2]

I'd be curious to hear how it performs.  The small separator diameter has the potential to create waste by-pass.  Also, I don't see an outlet pipe extending down into the separation chamber.  That feature is part of all the builds I've seen.  I'm not sure how this might effect performance.

[chrism3]

The outlet pipe extends into the chamber according to Phil's rule of 1/2 the 4" pipe diameter.
Seems to work fine on test, but the real test will be my thicknesser.

[retired2]

The outlet pipe extends into the chamber according to Phil's rule of 1/2 the 4" pipe diameter.
Seems to work fine on test, but the real test will be my thicknesser.

Sorry, I couldn't see the outlet pipe due to the glare on the plexiglass.  You might be surprised at the performance with your thickness planer.  The chips tend to be a little heavier and the centrifugal force keeps then to the outside wall where the separation occurs.

[chrism3]

Fair comment, here's a better shot.

[bbain]

The outlet pipe extends into the chamber according to Phil's rule of 1/2 the 4" pipe diameter.
Seems to work fine on test, but the real test will be my thicknesser.

Planer shavings usually don't even make a full revolution around the tophat in my system.  Fine dust is the hard stuff to separate, it can make a couple trips around the chamber.

[chrism3]

Well I've given my collector a real workout over a couple of days, and it didn't pass!.
I was using my planer on macrocarpa (cypress), which doesn'r present as particularly difficult timber. The chips were narrow, light and a  bit over 1 inch long, and clumped together like a lot of straw. They clogged the top hat fairly quickly, refusing to drop down the baffle slot, with the result that most passed into the lower bag of the collector. This happened even though I was only taking a small cut each pass.

[dabullseye]

looking at your picture of the outlet pipe. it looks like you have a piece of particle board (or mdf) under the Masonite drop slot piece. the masonite should be beveled on the bottom side and sand the edges really smooth and round off the back edge of the slot where it stops and i would get rid of that piece of particle board (or mdf) or really cut it back from the edge of the masonite. i think if you had a larger drum you'd be better off.   

[retired2]

"dabullseye" offered you some good advice about the baffle plate, it should be thin and smooth.  However, I would not waste your time fixing the baffle without increasing the chamber diameter. 

In your second photo I can look into the inlet pipe and see quite a bit of the outlet pipe.  That should not be.  The diameter of the separator should be large enough so that the inlet pipe is well outside the diameter of the outlet.  If not, you will have a lot of waste by-pass.

[chrism3]

Thanks to both of you for your comments. I'll have a rethink. The masonite is in fact bevelled underneath, and the bevel continues onto the mdf base. But I could remove the mdf around the baffle edge as you suggest.
Here's a pic of the chips that did make it into the barrel -they are up to 3 inches long, not 1 inch as I previously stated.

[retired2]

For whatever it is worth, the only time I plugged my separator was when I was planing cypress.  However, mine was very wet, water running ahead of the planer feed rollers.  Shavings were six inches long.  I wrote a post about the experience and the mess.  But my situation was so extreme I don't think it would be wise to pin your problems on cypress.  When I plane dry cypress there are no problems.

[Fytrius]

...... However, I would not waste your time fixing the baffle without increasing the chamber diameter. 

In your second photo I can look into the inlet pipe and see quite a bit of the outlet pipe.  That should not be.  The diameter of the separator should be large enough so that the inlet pipe is well outside the diameter of the outlet.  If not, you will have a lot of waste by-pass.

With less effort you could try a transition from round to rectangular inlet and in that way get the inlet outside the diameter of the outlet. That may also have effect on separation on coarse chips due to better "air rotation".

That is if you don't want to increase chamber diameter which I agree is the best solution....

[chrism3]

The white fitting that you can see is a transition from round to rectangular .

[Fytrius]

I can see that, sorry...

I meant a much more narrower "slot" compared to that one. Of course you can't decrease the area too much but it seems that the area of the rectangular part of your intake is almost larger than the circular part?

[chrism3]

OK, thanks. I'll see if I can make a narrower slot.