New separator on cart with pics

[johncarl]

Here are pics of my version of the Thien Cyclone Separator.  I wasn?t sure if my mods would work, but my fears were groundless.  It works perfectly.  Right now there is about 5? of sawdust in the 20 gal. trashcan and nothing in the vacuum except some fine dust.  The vacuum has a HEPA filter and a muffler.

While the 2? PVC elbow/2.5? ABS dustport connection looks counterintuitive, it allowed me to make a smooth air path by cementing them together with multi purpose PVC/ABS cement.  I rounded off the inside square edges of the PVC 90? Sanitary Street Elbow with my Dremel and a small drum sander.  After cutting the lid hole with an adjustable circle cutter, I rounded off the underside, where appropriate, with a rough rasp so the elbow would fit.  I glued and bolted the input dustport first to the top, then glued the elbow in place and filled around it with epoxy putty.  The exit port is done similarily using 2? PVC pipe cut to length.  Inside square pipe edges were also rounded off.  Be sure to dry-fit these ports before gluing.  The exit port outlet extends out about 1.125? toward the baffle.  I used 1/4?x5? full thread hex bolts to connect the masonite baffle.  Their threads are covered with ?? aluminum tubing from my local hardware store (also available at hobby shops).  The lid and the baffle were shellacked to smooth the airflow.  The baffle is about 3? from the top.

I built a cart with wheels for the vacuum and the separator since my shop is my garage and all my tools (miter saw, table saw, band saw, router table, jointer and planer) are on wheels.  I shortened the vacuum cord and plugged it into a Craftsman auto switch (vacuum automatically turns on when the tool is turned on).  The switch plugs into an outlet that is connected to a 12ga pigtail that connects to a 25?, 12ga extension cord.  The vacuum is connected to the separator with a 4? section of 2.5? black flexible hose (Peachtree).  The vacuum end of this hose has a 2.5? screw end adapter (Peachtree) and the separator end is attached with a hose clamp.  The input hose is the original Ridgid hose.

I do have an ?oil-canning? effect with my metal trashcan, but I have devised a homemade relief valve that seems to alleviate that problem.  I will describe it in a separate post.

My thanks to Phil Thien for the time he has spent researching the workings of his dust separator.  I am sending a donation.

[rmac]

Nice writeup.  Nice pictures.  Nice job!

-- Russ

[dbhost]

That lid looks like the hatch on a boat. Sure is pretty...

Good job on the Thien cyclone AND the cart.