J. Phil Thien's Projects

Jgt1942

1) No duck tape.   The Thien unit actually fits inside the drum.   A PVC ring was solvent welded around the outside to prevent  it from sliding too far down.   To get an air tight fit I added self adhesive rubber tape under the ring.   The weight of the unit and an tight fit is all that I needed to keep it together an leak free.

2) I actually have gear clamps with thumb screws on the hose.   I disconnect the bottom of the hose then remove the drum and Thien unit together.   The unit simply slides off and is set to the side when dumping the barrel.  I guess I could also do as you described.   There should be plenty of clearance and the unit is not all that heavy so the hose would probably  hold the unit. I also thought about replicating toggle clamps used on some the Laguna collectors I've study at the wood store showrooms, but all seems good enough for now.

3) I haven't done any specific measurements but I have filled  the barrel 3 times and have an 2-3 inches or so of fines in the bag under the filter.  I also think most of this was from me pushing a big pile of dust (too much for normal usage) at once during my first testing.   Under normal use I haven't noticed much accumulation lately.   I am also hoping to adjust the height of the outflow over the baffle down to see if there is any improvement.  I will dump the bag and barrel and report back soon.

Overall very pleased with the setup.   

I can't remember the cost exactly, but it was definitely under $50-60 for everything.  I purchased all the plastic at a local plastic/sign fabrication shop.  The poly carbonate was sold at a discounted off-cut priced (per pound) at around $20 or so from what I remember for the top and baffle.  They didn't have a pvc off-cut long enough that day, so I had to pay shop cost for that, but still very reasonable.  The key is to find a plastic shop that sells remnants at a discount, as the local home supply store would most definitely be cost prohibitive.

As for scratching of the surface, I have not noticed any yet.  I'm sure time will tell, but it will most likely be good for a while given my shop is not production use.   

Rodger - the shop I used in Colorado was Fort Collins Plastics.     

Both the polycarbonate top and baffle are 1/4".   The PVC sheet was also 1/4".  The biggest trick was heating the PVC sheet to be pliable enough to bend and clamp around the collection bin to get close to the ring shape desired.   I used a propane torch which caused slight burning; hence the green paint :).   Once close to the desired diameter I was able to solvent weld the edges together.

I used PVC pipe for the inflow cut at the band saw to get close to the proper radius.   A little sandpaper got to close to perfect.   The inflow was then solvent welded also.

I was a little worried about the solvent welds but they seem plenty strong.

Finally - Here are some pictures of my build.  Body is made from PVC sheet (painted green).  The lid and baffle are poly carbonate.  Motor is Harbor Freight.  Filter is Wynn Environmental C1425.

I've also included a video link to the baffle in action.  About 1:30 into the video I notice more turbulence and what appears to be material going through the outlet which can also be seen in the bag on the filter.  I suspect this is due to me pushing a very large amount of dust accumulated in my table saw too quickly.  In other words - under normal operation I would not expect to be moving this much material.  However, I am open to any other comments/suggestions other folks may have.

http://youtu.be/lhsTBoe9MyA

Thanks for looking

Also look at local plastic and/or sign shops.  The one I found locally is more than happy to sell me off cuts from regular production at a significantly reduced price (usually by the pound).  Acrylic, PVC, poly-carbonate, etc...  They even cut it, if it is too big, for free. 

I do most of the detail cuts at home on the table saw with a carbide tipped blade or on the router.  In addition to the previous great tips on table saw cuts, if cutting thin material, make sure it can't slip under your table saw fence, which could lead to a nasty kickback.  I suspect your material will be thicker and that this will not be an issue, but worth mentioning when working with thin materials like laminates.   

I'm hoping to post some photos of my all plastic build this weekend (or maybe next week if I continue to get side tracked  :-\). 



   

Thanks Phil.  I really appreciate your insights.  I went ahead and ordered the 5" fitting and will report back in the next few weeks once all is assembled. 

I am in process of my first baffle build and was wounding if there is any added benefit to having a larger 5" outflow (from the blower to the filter and between the tophat and the blower); with a smaller 4" inflow to the baffle.   I was thinking the 5" after the baffle may overcome some internal resistance, but maybe not and therefore not worth the effort.  My tophat is built entirely from PVC and the inflow is 4" sewer pipe (no changing it now as it is welded together).  4" is easy to find locally, but 5" will need to be ordered.

I've attached a photo of the basic design.  Any help and thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks