Conversion to Top Hat.

[jojonz]

Should I be removing the internal cone in this dust collector housing when I convert it to a tophat style separator?
Picture as viewed from the bottom.
Thanks.

[alan m]

welcome to the forum

nice dog

i presume the inlet enters high up on that cone.
i would leave it there and see what happens
i dont think leaving the cone will cause any major problems, there is very little air moving in that space anyway, its alll around the outside
i would mount the baffel plate down as low as posible and put a pipe into the hole in the cone

[phil (admin)]

If that is, in fact, a shot from the bottom (and judging by the leg holes, I would say it is), that funnel is going to have to come out of there.

[Schreck]

That is an old-style DC ring with the inlet above the cone.   I have a 1984 vintage Grizzly with a similar cone & ring.  Leaving the cone in place, at the bottom of the ring, will force the dust to the center, which is opposite what we want.  We want dust at the outside of the ring and air in the center. 

Your other option is to flip the ring upside-down, install a baffle below and a chimney above in the hole of the cone.  Making it a dome...with an oculus.
You may need a plywood ceiling to cover the hole in the cone and support the chimney.  If you are also planning to install a pleated filter, this ceiling could be made larger to facilitate attaching the filter. 

Flipping the ring changes the alignment with the blower, however.  If you plan on keeping both on the mobile base this might be an issue. 

[jojonz]

The inlet is definitely below the cone, and the bottom of the cone would be 5" from the top of the Thien baffle when built.
Another pic with it up the right way.

[jgt1942]

I highly suggest that the Thien unit be placed prior to the impeller. I recently modified my Grizzly and just installed a baffle in the ring (that you have pictured) and I'm not happy with the results. The main reason for installing the Thien separator prior to the impeller is to prevent anything from hitting the impeller. My unit has a web prior to the impeller to help prevent things from hitting the impeller but

• The web becomes clogged which means I have to shut down the DC and clean it out
• When things do slip by it make a lot of noise and it is possible that the impeller will be broken
• Once you have the separator installed before the impeller you can remove any web material in front of the impeller. This is not a must and I'm not sure how much it disrupts the air flow.

I will be installing my new separator prior to the impeller. I may modify the entire unit and build a new frame to properly hold the impeller assembly in an attempt to reduce the number of pipe bends. The pipe bends reduce the efficiency of the unit. My Grizzly is only a 2HP unit. If I were buying a new unit today I'd go for the Clear Vue 5HP unit.

[Schreck]

The inlet is definitely below the cone, and the bottom of the cone would be 5" from the top of the Thien baffle when built.
Another pic with it up the right way.

Forget what I said above.  Your ring and cone are similar to many current dust collectors on the market.  I see no reason to remove the cone.

Here is a picture of an old-style ring and cone:

[phil (admin)]

Wow, I really should have looked at that more carefully.  The perspective of the original photo made it look like the funnel was below the inlet.

That is fine, the funnel can be left in tact.

[jojonz]

Thank you for your help.
I will happily keep the cone.
I have mounted the impeller and motor horizontally and it will be only about 12" above the tophat when complete.
So yes, the impeller will be downstream of the separator, directly vented to outdoors with a straight run.(a temperate climate has many advantages)
Separator dumping into a 200L steel drum.
2HP 230v single phase taiwanese motor is good and the impeller is closer to the Grizzly than the Harbor Freight, so I am hoping the top hat reconfiguration will be a decent upgrade.