Thien Separator with Younker Lift

[Enigmadan]

I happened upon the Thien design after I purchased a HF dust collector. I had only glanced at a few photos and knew it needed some sort of apparatus to support it when emptying the bin. I then read several posts that mentioned working on a bin lift to raise the bin to the separator. This was a totally unsatisfactory solution to me, in part because mine would be cart-mounted. Plus, my thinking is "don't lower the river, raise the bridge."

My criteria were fairly straightforward:
1. It had to be simple, yet robust
2. It had to be operable single-handed
3. It had to automatically stay in the raised position, but able to be lowered without having to disengage anything
4. It had to be readily removable from the separator without needing tools

I came up with a few designs before distilling them down to an elegantly simple cam lift. A 90-degree throw of the actuating handle is all it takes to lift or lower the entire separator from the bin (after unlatching the hasps).

The pics and drawings show the relevant details. I made mine almost exclusively from materials I had on hand, except for a few small bits like the wire clips and hasps. Mine isn't completely finished as I'm in the process of rearranging my garage/shop to accommodate the dust collector and a new planer, but I've tested both the separator and lift and both work beautifully.

Although I didn't include a specific design for a wall-mounted version, it can easily be adapted for it by slight modifications of the shaft mounting brackets.

I attached scrap Formica (blue) to the cart base beneath the bin to make sliding it in and out easier, and stop blocks make positioning a breeze.

I made a bellmouth for the outlet by turning a form on the lathe which I used to thermoform a section of pipe (forgot to get a pic of the finished pipe). I first stuck the end of the pipe in boiling water to soften the first couple inches, then placed it on the form with a 10 pound lead weight on top. This keeps you from having to apply downward force while also heating the pipe with a heat gun. The wood collar, which will be used to attach it to the separator lid, is placed just above the top of the form to prevent the pipe from ballooning when it softens.

It is important (and not particularly easy) to keep the entire lower section of pipe that's on the form heated to pliability, or it won't make the bell properly. While plastic does retain heat remarkably well, this thin-walled type loses just enough quickly enough to fall below formability if you don't keep the heat on and constantly moving. I suppose I could have submerged the entire form in boiling water and done it that way.

I also added a viewport to the bin by cutting a hole and attaching sheets of lexan inside and out using machine screws and sealing it with Lexel (a rubber-based adhesive/sealant superior to silicone) I also used Lexel to seal the separator where necessary.

Please excuse the poor quality drawings; I knocked them out on paper pretty quickly. If anything isn't clear, I'll be happy to answer any questions. I work 6 days a week so I may not respond immediately, but I'll do my best.

Thanks for looking.

[phil (admin)]

I had never heard of a Younker lift, that is a pretty neat!

[Lael]

This is really cool. I love your moulded bell mouth! What is the performance like?

[Enigmadan]

Leil, it works very good the couple times I've been able to use it. My regular job has me going 6 1/2 days a week, plus I need to put in another circuit for the dust collector, so I haven't been able to make nearly as much sawdust as I'd like. I'm hoping in the fall things will slow enough for me to get more time in the shop.

[Tacuabe]

I also never heard of that name but Marius Hornberger uses a very similar setup in his Small Dust Collector. Have a look at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tREMRr81olg&t=1116s. The system is described starting at 15'03. I was looking for something of the sort for my Shop Vac which was covered in previous posts in this forum.

As seen in the photos below, I started years ago with a hinged upper part which allowed removal of the dust bin very easily. After some time I decided that a power cable reel would be a convenient addition and installed one at the back. The problem was that now the hinged top required an extra hand to hold it while removing the dust bin. Not very comfortable, really.

The photos show my version of the Younker/Hornberger Lift. In my case as in Marius' the Separator remains fixed and the dust bin is lifted in place. The whole setup is much smaller and therefore the bin is lighter than the rest. Marius uses a bar to link the two levers that lift the dust bin. I left this out to avoid its forward protrusion from bumping things when the vac was moved. I just kneel down and use two a finger on each lever to push them down 90?  and lock/press the bin in place. Works very well.

The flat part of the cam is its greater asset. It lock the lever  in position and will not move under vibration or jolts.

Here are some shots of the Shop Vac, before and after the modification.

Photos 06 and 10 show the original Shop Vac arrangement and the addition of the cable reel.

Photos 11 and 12 show the lever open and closed respectively. Total travel upwards is 18mm

Photo 13 illustrate the alignment blocks screwed from the inside of the dust bin. These guide it properly against the back wall and sides of the frame.

Photos 14 and 15 are with the bin being inserted.

Photo 16 - The dust bin lifted and pressed in place

Photo 17 -The whole arrangement as seen from the front

Photo 19 - View from the back. I have two hoses, one with the standard nozzle and the other (shown in the photo) has a special nozzle that fits in my bandsaw and edge sander when I remove the grey end piece. In a pinch, with this piece installed, I can use other accessories without a hose change.