Update on my 55 gallon drum build. Some things to do different.

[dbhost]

I just wanted to let folks know that I have now had the 55 gallon drum build done now for, what has it been, 5 weeks, 6 weeks something like that? I have filled, and emptied the drum I guess 4 times now, (twice has been dumping the barrel out on the floor and sucking it back up to see if I could overload the baffle, I didn't). Some things I noted.

#1. Hot glue is pretty stiff, the plastic lid from the barrel is not. The last time I removed the lid, I noticed the center pipe is getting loose. So tip for those wanting to build one of these using the plastic lid instead of building from wood. Use clear silicone adhesive sealant instead of hot melt glue.

#2. The 55 gallon drum is pretty tall, and it makes the outlet flex line make a radical turn coming out of the separator to go down to the DC impeller. My cure for this is also to save floor space. I am building a lipped stand that will stand 29" tall (Gives me about 2.5" clearance to the ceiling) to put the DC on to get it higher off the floor. I have plans to put a small, horizontal air compressor there. Got to maximize use of 3D space folks! The second item is to use a sweep, street elbow coming out of the separator to force the turn to be a more gradual turn. The higher elevation of the DC will also allow me to drastically shorten the flex hose, in turn improving air flow.

#3. There is nothing small, or dainty about this size barrel. If I had it to do over again, I am not sure I would go with this size, or 30 gallon. The 30 gallon is easier to deal with, but would fill up dramatically faster than the 55 gallon...

#4. With the number of fills / empties I have done with this so far, and the woodworking operations have been a mixed bag of sawing, sanding, turning, planing, jointing etc... If I can hook the DC to it, I did... The stuff in the dust bin currently has a mixed consistency not unlike white flour, with wood shavings mixed in about 50/50. With all of this, I still have less than 1 cup of material that made it past and into the lower bag of the DC.

Now in all fairness, even with the baffle I initially tried, I never put this DC through much use until I put the barrel into place. So I was dealing with an effectively new Wynn filter. No telling if I have enough "cake" built up on it yet... What I do know is if the fines aren't passing the filter, or getting stuck in the filter, then where are they?

[jbod]

I'm planning on a 55gal drum with the fan (Old Cinncinnatti 1hp with 12" fan) on top of the drum, both inlet and outlet will be 4".  My question is - should the baffle is reduced in diameter by a total of 4" instead of the 2 1/2" on the original? ♠

[dbhost]

I kept the 1-1/8" 240 degree drop slot on mine. Works great!

[jbod]

Thanks, I'll use that.  With the setup I have, all the fine particles from my table saw and drum sander end up in the filter bag >:(.  It isn't an easy job to clean it.