Confessions of a Cyclone "Builder"

[Jeff in vancouver]

I am doing lousy at this project. I planned on getting the metal work, duct work and machine connection points done before my motor and impeller arrived - but I haven't done one thing yet! I have a million excuses but the fact is the longer I wait to start building this thing the less confident I get that I will be able to build it at all.

Just wondering how everyone else is making out with their cyclone preparations.

[Allan Johanson - South Su]

...that a guy with your obvious talent is getting nervous about a few pieces of metal and wood for a shop project! :-)

You'll do just fine with this. Look at the great work you've done on other projects and look again at what you're trying to build. It'll be a piece of cake!

Allan

[Jeff in vancouver]

Thanks for the kind words Allan.

I am not sure what it is about the cyclone that has me so intimidated. I am sure once I get started I'll get over it. I think there is so much info on cyclone on Bills site and others I am bit overloaded - I need to draw up my plan and move forward. I'll have to drop Randy a line and get hold of some metal!

Cheers,

Jeff

[Randy in Langley]

Jeff,

The guy who is supposed to be geting me the metal has not returned my call.

I will be contacting him today and I will let you and Ken know what is going on.

I think you may be getti8ng nervous because you have so much tied up in your head that you're starting to forget things. Not to worry, you'll remember it as you built it.

Look at Allan, he keeps claiming to have a mind like swiss cheese and he's not nervous. ;)

[Jeff in vancouver]

Randy I think you hit the nail on the head. I think I need to stop woring about CFM and Static Pressure and microns, and just worry about making a cone out of sheet metal!

Let me know when the metal is in - and I'll head to langley.

[Robbie in Napanee]

Jeff, I can relate...sometimes I can really confuse myself before I have actualy started anything. There is a time to stop thinking and start doing. There are times when I find that exact moment blurred. Good luck on your project! Robbie.

[Ken_in_Regina]

[J.P.Rap(Hamilton)]

Man, does that sound familiar.
Sometimes I find I overthink things way too much. Then when I get started things seem to go very smoothly(sometimes).
None of that applies to woodworking though.
I tend to take woodworking pretty lightly. I do it to relax.I rarely work from a plan.And I use free material whenever possable (reclaimed lumber).
If I had to concern myself with the end result, I wouldn't be able to relax. If I can't be relaxed about it, theres no point in doing it.
Fortunately, The more I do, the easier it gets and the fewer mistakes I make...well,not realy...I guess I still make lots of mistakes, I just seem to catch them a little sooner than I used to. LOL.
J.P.

[Allan Johanson - South Su]

I think it's because my mind *is* like Swiss-cheese that I'm not nervous! I wouldn't know any better. :-)

Like some of the other folks have mentioned, I too suffer from "paralysis by analysis". I tend to think things to death and not get around to doing them.

But now with 17+ hour work days, I don't have time to think of WW projects. Except for maybe times like this where I'm still at work and waiting for my computer to churn through some files so I can get back at it again. I thought computers were supposed to make our lives easier? :-)

Allan

[Steve In Kemptville]

Speaking from experience it seems a monumental task at the outset.
You guys are all 5 steps ahead of what I was faced with in that your major design points are already taken care of (aka, motor, impeller, filter, cyclone design). Stop worrying about CFM and SP, that's already been tried and proven withthe design you are building and you can not go wrong on this point.

Your only challenge is the metalwork and although I had someone do it for me, I know many others have tried and succeded and you will too.
Even it it's not 'perfect' it will still do the required job just fine. It doesn't need to be put together with surgical acuracy, there's lots of room for errors in geometry, cutting etc without any serious impact on the performance.

THe biggest thing to ensure is that it's a tight assembly, free from leaks.

A couple weeks of sweating and sheet metal knicks & scrapes and you will be pretty proud of what you once thought was such a big job.

Cheers,
Steve.

[Randy in Langley]

How's that game coming along?

When it's done and over does that mean you get to sleep and play in the shop or does that mean you have to move on to the next game?

When are you guys going to develop a Woodworking game? You know, buck a maple and mill it for 500 points, sell off the burls to make enough money to shop at Lee Valley. Kind of like Grand Theft Auto Vice City but it's all about woodworking.

I'd buy that game. That way I could buy all the tools I have dreamed of and wouldn't get in trouble.......Hey there's another aspect of the game, you have to deal with SWHMBO.

[Jeff in vancouver]

Randy - you may be joking, but you never know that game could catch on. Games like Deer Hunter and bass masters have done well enough, as have Railroad tycoon. I haven't played many games myself in a while but I read about a new game where all you do is get job, go to work, find a wife etc... Basically everything you do in real life - sound kind of boring right? I think it was the most popular game ever. I think its called "The Simulation".

Just Imagine they might call it "Norm Abraham's: Wood Working Madness!" Might even have a first person shooter bonus round where you get to go around "tacking" everything "with few brads" jus like normy does on TV.

[Rajiv_in_KW]

A first person maze game where woodworker ( player ) is being chased by all the projects gone horribly wrong, like that drawer in my junk pile with two left sides, or bed rail with mis-aligned mortises or chair with one leg 1/4" shorter than others..

My wife finally decided to buy one of those chimeneas for us just so I can quietly get rid of all those projects without having hang my head or having to hide them everytime someone is expected to visit the shop ;)

--Rajiv

[Randy in Langley]

But I don't think it should necessarily be named after Norm Abram. Maybe it could be named after someone canadian and it could be riddled with safety issues. If you don't use the table saw properly you get nailed with kickback.

The final stage in the game could be a Moris Chair glue up and you have to do it as fast as possible.

[Allan Johanson - South Su]

This game is getting closer to being done. Almost there...but when it's done I'll be assisting with the college version of this sports game. In October sometime I can sleep for more than a few hours. :-)

By the Cloverdale wood show I should be able to play in the shop a fair amount. When these games are over I'm "done" with the insane hours. One way or the other. :-)

Allan