Drop Slot Width

[MunchyMonster]

I've been cutting mdf on a cnc machine and I was clogging the filter on my shopvac in less than a 1/2 hour of cutting.  I had seen Phil's design on CNCZone and decided I would try throwing together a 5gal pail version.  I didn't see the plans but had read an article about the basic principles.  I designed a bottom plate with the 240 degree cutout to fit the pail I had available in my shop (an old 5 gal paint pail), and worked up the rest of the parts (plumbing elbows, 2 1/2" hoses, etc.). 

I hadn't seen any specs about the width of the drop slot so I completely guessed.  I think my drop slot is about 1/2 inch.  Is this way too narrow for a 5 gal pail sucking fairly small particles?  I'm cutting MDF with a router and while I'm getting decent sized "chips" we all know how MDF likes to disintegrate into a fine powder.  Even my big chips are in the 1/4 - 1/2 inch range in rough diameter. 

I don't appear to have any clogging issues that I can detect.  Is my drop slot sufficient?

-MunchyMonster

[pitbull]

You can find  all the info here

http://www.jpthien.com/jpthien/cy.htm

[phil (admin)]

The drop slot should be sized to the media you're separating.  My standard (1-1/8") is based on general woodshop use, where you have larger chips that may come from things like a planer or jointer.

If your have primarily very fine dust, 1/2" may be adequate.

Finally, MDF dust is a challenge for any separator.  For long-term use, I'd place a bag inside the shop vac.  Most of the debris will go to the separator.  Whatever makes it to the shop vac will go into the bag, and stay out of the filter.  The bag really just keeps whatever does make it to the shop vac from immediately finding the filter.