J. Phil Thien's Projects

Paul, I originally used that exact blower on the design below which is similar to a "top hat" (it also happened to be 16" in diameter) and separation was good however I had a large loss in suction with 4" hose. I also built a "top hat" using vertical grade plastic laminate which bends fairly easily (it is thinner than horizontal grade) and if you can't get the tight radius desired just warm it up with a heat gun.

You're welcome!  :)   BTW, my filter kit came with a wire that had an alligator clip on one end which I attached to the mesh on the filter and the other end had an eye fitting which I screwed to the motor housing but I'm sure you could easily make something yourself (I always found out the hard way when I forgot to clip it back on after emptying!  :o)

I had the Delta version of that dust collector and did as Alan suggested which was to mount it on top of the drum with a side inlet. It was a bit of a pain to empty however not too bad since the filter easily screws off. Also, I swapped the filter bag for the Jet canister like you have and one thing I'd like to mention is to be sure to ground the filter as recommended or it will shock you pretty good if touched while running!