5", Rectangular Inlet, Bellmouth Outlet with Air Straightener, Top Hat Separator

[alan m]

definetly put the air straightener in . it will only help .

[retired2]

Question regarding the tubes....

I designed my Top Hat rotation in the same direction as my DC impeller rotates.  Do you think that I will need the tubes when I connect the Top Hat directly (with six (6) inches of flexible hose, of course) to the Top Hat?

Thanks,
Eric

Do a search on air straightener.  It's been covered multiple times, rotation in either direction is undesirable.

[ORBlackFZ1]

Alan & Retired2:

Thanks for the response. 

I found the reading from the search of "air straightener" very interesting.  It looks like I have found a use for those Rockler and PeachTree tubes.....

Eric

[Latham]

Retired2:

You're killing me. :P I'm about ready to create more sawdust and build a top hat.

How did you cut the dados in the retaining rings? I've cut many a dado but never into something that was round.

My first theory was that you cut them while the piece was square and then cut the circle, but I don't think so.

Help me out here before I go on a hunger strike.  :-X

L

[retired2]

Retired2:

You're killing me. :P I'm about ready to create more sawdust and build a top hat.

How did you cut the dados in the retaining rings? I've cut many a dado but never into something that was round.

My first theory was that you cut them while the piece was square and then cut the circle, but I don't think so.

Help me out here before I go on a hunger strike.  :-X

L

As I recall I clamped a board across the rings and routed the dados, two at a time since they are 180 degrees apart.  I probably used the waste rings to support the center.

[ORBlackFZ1]

Retired2:

You're killing me. :P I'm about ready to create more sawdust and build a top hat.

How did you cut the dados in the retaining rings? I've cut many a dado but never into something that was round.

My first theory was that you cut them while the piece was square and then cut the circle, but I don't think so.

Help me out here before I go on a hunger strike.  :-X

L

How about using a router attached to a circle jig?  It worked for me when I created my Top Hat. 

With the pieces cut to size (rectangle/square), drill a small hole in the center and put your circle jig centering pin in the hole.  Route the dado with your router and a straight bit. 

You can also use the router to cut the rectangle/square into a circle and then use it to cut the inside drop slot.

Eric

[retired2]

Retired2:

You're killing me. :P I'm about ready to create more sawdust and build a top hat.

How did you cut the dados in the retaining rings? I've cut many a dado but never into something that was round.

My first theory was that you cut them while the piece was square and then cut the circle, but I don't think so.

Help me out here before I go on a hunger strike.  :-X

L

How about using a router attached to a circle jig?  It worked for me when I created my Top Hat. 

With the pieces cut to size (rectangle/square), drill a small hole in the center and put your circle jig centering pin in the hole.  Route the dado with your router and a straight bit. 

You can also use the router to cut the rectangle/square into a circle and then use it to cut the inside drop slot.

Eric

I think he was questioning the dados that run radially to the rings. 

[Latham]

R2:

Thanks for the quick response. That's a simple solution. I'll probably just crank out a long jig and use a pattern bit to cut those dados. Why I couldn't think of that may remain a mystery.

Now I can declare my hunger strike over and run into town and eat some busquits and gravy for a Saturday breakfast.

L

p.s. I cranked out a fiberglass/epoxy round to rectangular inlet pipe using the "lost foam" method this week. I'll start a thread on it on a day or two. Thinking about forming one out of sheet metal was making my head hurt.  ;D

[retired2]

R2:

Thanks for the quick response. That's a simple solution. I'll probably just crank out a long jig and use a pattern bit to cut those dados. Why I couldn't think of that may remain a mystery.

Now I can declare my hunger strike over and run into town and eat some busquits and gravy for a Saturday breakfast.

L

p.s. I cranked out a fiberglass/epoxy round to rectangular inlet pipe using the "lost foam" method this week. I'll start a thread on it on a day or two. Thinking about forming one out of sheet metal was making my head hurt.  ;D

Good luck and keep us posted.

[ORBlackFZ1]

Retired2:

You're killing me. :P I'm about ready to create more sawdust and build a top hat.

How did you cut the dados in the retaining rings? I've cut many a dado but never into something that was round.

My first theory was that you cut them while the piece was square and then cut the circle, but I don't think so.

Help me out here before I go on a hunger strike.  :-X

L

How about using a router attached to a circle jig?  It worked for me when I created my Top Hat. 

With the pieces cut to size (rectangle/square), drill a small hole in the center and put your circle jig centering pin in the hole.  Route the dado with your router and a straight bit. 

You can also use the router to cut the rectangle/square into a circle and then use it to cut the inside drop slot.

Eric

I think he was questioning the dados that run radially to the rings.

Retired2:

Sorry, I missed that the question was about the dados for the vertical side supports.  I thought he was asking about the dado for the top of the waste container....Oh well, part of getting old......

Anyways, I just cut vertical side support dados on the table saw with a dado blade.  I used the square edges of the input side along the fence.  I just had to be careful and make sure the square edge was along the fence.

This is one of the great things that I enjoy about woodworking, there are always multiple ways to get something done, depending on your tools and knowledge.  Ask three (3) different woodworkers how to drill a hole and you could get three (3) different answers that all get a hole drilled.

[Latham]

Retired2:

You can read (and see) my first semi-serious build post here: http://www.jpthien.com/smf/index.php?topic=1117.0 It's about buliding my round to rectangular inlet out of fiberglass.

OrBlack:

"I just cut vertical side support dados on the table saw with a dado blade.  I used the square edges of the input side along the fence.  I just had to be careful and make sure the square edge was along the fence."

I take it you made these cuts prior to cutting the (square) pieces into circles?

And did you say somethig about being old? Yeah, age ain't easy sometimes but I like being an old-guy monkeying in my shop! 8)

L

[ORBlackFZ1]

OrBlack:

"I just cut vertical side support dados on the table saw with a dado blade.  I used the square edges of the input side along the fence.  I just had to be careful and make sure the square edge was along the fence."

I take it you made these cuts prior to cutting the (square) pieces into circles?

And did you say somethig about being old? Yeah, age ain't easy sometimes but I like being an old-guy monkeying in my shop! 8)

L

Actually, I cut the vertical support dados after cutting the circles.  My inlet sides were square enough to use against the fence.  My input/output ports are six (6) inch diameter, so I had 10" on the one side and 14" on the other to run along the fence.  Check out the photos attached.

This Top Hat separator is replacing an in-barrel Thien separator that had 4" input/output ports.  The larger port size makes a huge difference with my Jet DC-1100.  The volume flow is much larger than with the 4" ports.

A big benefit of being retired is spending time in the shop!  A big drawback to being retired is not spending time communicating with humans.  Just me and the wood .... and the wood usually doesn't talk back.... ;)

[Latham]

OrBlack: Thanks for the explanation and taking the time to upload the photos.

That's a serious looking separator.

L

[ORBlackFZ1]

OrBlack: Thanks for the explanation and taking the time to upload the photos.

That's a serious looking separator.

L

Thanks.  All the credit goes to Retired2, for his build postings and Phil, for this very wonderful forum.  I just did the "grunt" work. 

It is definitely a "serious separator"!  It is a huge improvement over my previous 4" system.  My 12" Jet Jointer and 20" Grizzly surface planer don't get clogged any more with the 6" ports on the Top Hat.

I am in the process of rebuilding my Jet DC-1100 to incorporate the Top Hat and barrel into one cart.  This will reduce the dust collection foot print and improve the CFM.   I will post a couple of photos in a new thread, when it gets completed.

[sk1pp3r]

I Love it! I'm just getting ready to start building, but like all of my projects I am creating a sketchup file for this.  Once I am done I will share it as long as it is ok.  All credit for design goes to Retired2.  Amazing build!