J. Phil Thien's Projects

my DC wont pick up screws either. probably better that way as if you didnt have a separator in between the screws would hit the impeller, damage it or worse create a spark and ignite your sawdust after you left your shop.

i use my shop vac to clean to floors, but i did have to 'try' the DC. shop vac wins that round.

thats a cool setup; i have the same DC and use it with a trash can too and have had similar thoughts as you.

here is an idea i have been tossing around for a few weeks.....

i dont get any dust in my lower bag. its about a 100 to 1 ratio or more, i can have half a garbage can full of dust and a few specks in the lower bag.

so, why do we need such a big lower bag? seriously.

i've thought about cutting the bag down or using something else completely and putting the garbage can where the lower bag is supposed to go. (may have to raise entire assembly)

am i onto something here?

static pressure and lack of flow would cause the can to collapse. logic would dictate to lower static pressure and increase flow to prevent can collapse. can you try a bigger hose for the can intake? i assume you have a roughly 2.5" I.D. hose when measured? is your can unusually thin gauge?

a little OT update; i am in the middle of building an outfeed table - i have it mostly done. it is sort of like bennybmn's but it attaches different; i ran supports on the sides of the table flush with the tabletop and no support underneath. i struggled with this for days mocking up different ideas with scraps and nothing else would pan out barring a large rolling base that the entire saw sits on.....maybe someday.

i had to drill/tap 6 holes in the saw; 3 in the cast iron extension and 3 in the angle iron rail in the rear. the cast iron was a lot easier to work with and i broke 2 bits in the steel. i also found out my steel angle iron on the rear of the saw is not straight  >:( but a little planing and sanding 'fixed' that issue. i toyed with the idea of removing the angle iron as its only function is to attach the extension table - but i ended up leaving it on due to hole placement in the deck. i'll try to post some pics soon.

i also ordered the removable delta splitter so i am not notching the outfeed table for the stock one. i am going to build/buy an overhead guard and pipe it into the HF DC. i've been cutting a lot of wood and only had to sweep the floor with what is coming off the top of the saw - nothing compared to what is in the trash can separator coming from the bottom of the saw.

i measured the inlet and by my naked eye it is approx 4 7/8" OD so 5" should work.

interestingly i ran the DC with no hose attached with and without the 4" Y adapter and without the adapter it really pulls in a lot more air. the dust in the clear bag became violent without the adapter!

i don't think a 4" system is a wise choice for my shop as my three main goals are a table saw, floor sweep and downdraft table. i need to sit down and rethink this.

is the inlet on the HF DC actually 5"? i thought it stated it was 4 3/8" but i could be wrong. i'm getting close to running pipe in my shop and i am really seriously considering 5". if the 5" can easily hook up to the inlet then that would almost seal the deal.

your outfill table is even more interesting now that i know your motor is in the rear. i think i can make one similar to that with a minimum of issues; at worst i think i may have to drill some holes in the rear rail to hold it to the table. thanks for the ideas!

i notice you did not cut the slots for the miter bars in your table, how does that work?

the older ones might have the same base, i don't know. the instructions said to use a nut on the bottom and the diagrams show nuts there but as you said the base is threaded.

i do plan to get a better bag, what is the consensus on the shaker felt bags? they say they go down to 0.1 microns but that seems a little implausible. the wynn filters look great but i have gone over budget for a while according to SWMBO.

i've seen the shark guard but the 3 months wait is a little off-putting. there are plans for a near identical one here: http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/overarm_guard.shtml

i've read every post on this forum in the last two weeks (some 5 times) and have seen the baffle in the DC ring and i may do that at some point but emptying the trash can seems a lot easier for now. the bag is a PITA to remove.

nice outfill table, what is the notch for behind the kerf splitter? i have some ideas for an outfill table on my saw but due to the motor being behind there are issues.

did you build that top collector/guard? i need that! i've seen plans for them and they seem doable. the lower dust port does work but i still get chips shot at me off the top.

i hooked the trash can up to the saw today (first time) and cut the heck out of a 2x4 to make some dust and it is all in the trash can except what shot  forwards out the guard.

i got it going last night after buying the DC from HF (on sale). the one i got is slightly different from the ones i have seen in others' shops; the base has threaded holes instead of using nuts, the hose clamps are not awful (they work great) and the bag is made of felt instead of the typical material i have seen. i don't know if the bag is better or not but it doesn't inflate to a solid bag, it stays soft when inflated.

i had just finished the trashcan lid before i got the DC so i was exited to turn it on and see how it worked. i used 4" fittings on the lid and sucked up a lot of dust and leaves into the can with only a tiny amount getting in the bag.

i had a mistunderstanding about the PVC types and originally built the lid with 4" DWV instead of S&D. this left me with a 5" hole for the angled inlet instead of the 4" hole i needed ( i caught my misunderstanding before drilling the center hole). i made a patch peice to hold the inlet fitting and put it over the 5" hole and i wonder if i should attempt to fill up the remainder of the hole underneath (inside) the lid or not?

i already have the bug and want to go 6" but money is a little tight after buying all this DC stuff. my main goal in all this is to tame the new delta contactor saw i bought and it comes with a 4" hole and no upper dust mechanism so i don't know what my final plan will be.

i am suprised that the HF DC is not very loud like i thought it would be, and that is the main reason i bought it after hearing the one at a friends' shop. the small ones seem a lot louder(?)

also - my trash can is plastic rubbermaid and does not show any signs of wanting to collapse - i had worried about that.