55 Gallon barrels

[captainbg]

I have some 55 gallon plastic barrels with sealed tops. I am thinking of cutting off the top on one and making a Thein separator for it. I currently have a 5 HP shop vac and would like to use that as the air source. My question is, "Will this work?" I searched many of the posts and replies but, don't seem to see anything about using a 55 gallon barrel. I also have 2 55 gallon steel barrels with a heavy duty seal for the lid that contained Anchor Seal. I also have a squirrel cage and motor that a friend gave me. Would this be better to set up instead of the shop vac?  ???

[dbhost]

I don't know if it will impact a Shop vac setup, but I use a 55 gallon drum with my HF Dust Collector no problem...

[wizard of oz]

The squirrel cage will not work all that good.  They do make nice air filters for fine dust, with furnace filters.

Oz

[Negative_Zero]

I think shop-vac and squirel cage offer opposite qualities, but neither is ideal for dust collection.

The shop-vac will have very strong suction, but not be able to move that much volume, so it works well for a small set-up but may not be able to pull enough air to get a 55 gallon separator working efficiently.

On the other hand, the squirel cage will work well for large volumes of air, but cannot deal with any significant resistance, as you will need to pull heavy dust through a separator.

I would recommend getting a dust collector with an impeller designed for the amount of air you need to move and the suction necessary to keep the dust suspended until separated.  I also have a Harbor Frieght DC that I use with a 55 gallon barrel.

If you do try it, please post about your results.  I would love to find out I am wrong.

-Will

[captainbg]

Thanks guys. I probably will just get a HF dust collector to set up the separator on.

Maybe the squirrel cage will work for a window setup for a finishing room off my studio...
Again, thnks for the feedback.

[Negative_Zero]

I have read that Squirel cages do well as air cleaners, when combined with furnace filters.  This setup moves large volumes of air at low pressure and is good for removing the fine dust that may escape the dust collector.  There are a number of different designs you can find on the internet some in hanging setups some in down-draft sanding tables.

-Will

[Harold Pomeroy]

I have a 55 gallon drum set up as a cyclone. I don't have a Thein Separator, but am interested. The suction is provided by a cheap Rigid brand shop vac. The dust stream enters the barrel via 2" central vac pipe, circulates, then climbs baffles to go out through 2" central vac pipe to the vacuum. I wrap the vacuum filter in a rag to keep it from getting clogged. The 55 gallon drum works great. I connect the hose to a nozzle stuck though the wheels of a stock feeder over my 7 1/2 hp rip saw, and I also hook it up to a sander, and vacuum the floor with it. Regular dust collection is with two other blowers, 3hp and 10hp. The shop vac and barrel are parked out behind the shop, where the noise and dust don't bother anyone.

55 gallon drums work fine, because there is no (little) elasticity in the system.

Harold

[Negative_Zero]

I found 55 gallon steel barrels (previously used for mollasses, so no concern for toxics) for $30 on craigslist.  (I live in Vancouver, Canada, but there is probably someone trying to get rid of barrels near you too.)  While steel is harder to move around than plastic it also introduces almost no elasticity in the system.

-Will