I borrowed (stole?) a bunch of ideas for this project (especially while lurking at this site), but thought I would contribute this post since I have not previously seen a portable DC with an easy-to-empty can. Overall, this thing truly sucks!! ;D
The slide-out drawer is a recycled 12 gallon shop-vac base. Big enough to run for hours, but small enough that it is easy to empty. The MDF insert is slightly tapered to make extraction and insertion easier. The former intake hole is covered with Lexan so it is easy to see if the can is getting full.
So far the only time that I've gotten *any* debris in the plastic bag under the Wynn filter has been while testing it as a yard-waste vacuum (which overwhelms the Thien slot). Otherwise the bag is completely empty. So although this is not a "real" cyclone, functionally it is serving the same purpose. Kudos to Phil for his excellent & flexible design!
The Thien intake is constructed from MDF slices. Fortunately a colleague suggested 'lightweight' MDF, otherwise I would probably have a hernia! Now I just have to find a use for all these MDF pieces that look like comic strip text-bubbles! ;D
For more details, there are a few more photos at this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/cb95014/DustCollector?authkey=Gv1sRgCL6r05vghYfZugE&feat=directlink
The slide-out drawer is a recycled 12 gallon shop-vac base. Big enough to run for hours, but small enough that it is easy to empty. The MDF insert is slightly tapered to make extraction and insertion easier. The former intake hole is covered with Lexan so it is easy to see if the can is getting full.
So far the only time that I've gotten *any* debris in the plastic bag under the Wynn filter has been while testing it as a yard-waste vacuum (which overwhelms the Thien slot). Otherwise the bag is completely empty. So although this is not a "real" cyclone, functionally it is serving the same purpose. Kudos to Phil for his excellent & flexible design!
The Thien intake is constructed from MDF slices. Fortunately a colleague suggested 'lightweight' MDF, otherwise I would probably have a hernia! Now I just have to find a use for all these MDF pieces that look like comic strip text-bubbles! ;D
For more details, there are a few more photos at this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/cb95014/DustCollector?authkey=Gv1sRgCL6r05vghYfZugE&feat=directlink