J. Phil Thien's Projects

I am planning on redoing my dust collection system in general. I currently have a Delta AP400 1 HP single stage collector with a 9" impeller, 4" hose and aftermarket 1 micron bag. I want to DIY something up closer to what you guys with your fancy 2HP and above collectors use, but with existing parts I can swap out later as cash becomes available. I consider myself a skilled DIYer and junior engineer used to experimenting and tweaking until I like things.

I was planning with my collector the other day (I've owned for 10 years and not used for 6 since downscaling shops when we moved, then having kids, etc) and threw a cheapie energy meter on it to find it pulling between 4.8 and 5.7 amps for a 12 amp rated collector. So of course I popped the motor off and fired it up free air (motor in hand with impeller spinning just in the air) and it drew 11.7 amps and damn near sucked me in.

So I obviously need to open up the port into the machine... I'd like to just build my own structure that I could swap in a larger motor and impeller on later. Could I put on a 6" port and larger impeller to get my little motor drawing more power and increasing airflow?

A little lost in the woods here and looking for an insight you guys may have. Whatever I do needs to have a top hat built in as well. I should mention my shop is for diy purposes and completely uses our 2 car attached heated garage. I have mid level tools which have been mostly modified to 4" ports from shop vac ports if they came that way.

I suppose you could make a quick swap system with a set slot of one length on top then cut variable inserts or a piece on the bottom that could be quickly replaced...

I need to stew on this some more.  I have until aprilish to figure it out when I do the next insulation stage (garage has been done!!).

This reminds me of changing my central vac, which is in the garage. No matter what I try, I always make a mess which I clean up with the shop vac, then clean the big shop vac with the little shop vac. So I end up cleaning 3 vacuums.

Has anyone ever made one with a variable slot that you could easily change it to find the optimum?

I have been re-doing my attic insulation up in Canada after tromping around up there a bunch installing surround speakers, lighting, and fixing some grevious builder mistakes.

I choose cellulose and have been picking away at it as I can afford it.  I did my garage (which is heated but had no insulation) and my dining room (which was a stunning R10 before... now R60).  I'd like to save and "refluff" the existing fiberglass up there rather than spending extra cash to blow over the compressed fibre with cellulose.  Anyone tried a Thien tophat on a shopvac with a monster barrel to separate the insulation?

The machine I rented will blow both, so that's not an issue.  And the shop vac (no top hat) has reasonable suction through the 100 foot hose that came with the blower.