Dust and chip separator

[Rick Thom]

Anyone here built the Phil Thien separator? If so, I am wondering what the results are.
I have a Delta 50-760 DC equipped with pleated filter cartridge. I'm happy with this unit but the lower collection bag is very small and fills quickly. If I am not vigilant, the bag fills to the 2/3 level and starts to muck up my filter. Cleaning out the filter is a genuine pain, especially in the winter I know that several companies including LV sell cyclone lids, but I understand that Phil's solution is superior.

[Woodwreck]

Please see the Similar Threads at the bottom of this screen where it is exhaustively discussed.

[kcjones]

I built Wally's poor man's cyclone and it works just fine. As soon as I see chips going into the plastic bag I know it's full.

[Rick Thom]

Please see the Similar Threads at the bottom of this screen where it is exhaustively discussed.

Steve, thanks for the reminder of the search function on the forum. I am looking for first hand anecdotal input on Phil's design and figured that since we've discussed the design, and Phil drops by the forum periodically, that some of our members have probably tried it. To date I only recall Mike Brazeau's comments, which were quite positive, on his 1 hp Trademaster DC which is pretty much hard plumbed with PVC.
The Delta 50-760 is a much more powerful unit, is cart mounted and has a unique design feature that allows the input pipe to be either top or bottom facing. The only weakness I've found with the dc is the collection bag size which is @ 1/2 that of other comparably sized DCs. This presents some options for how the separator is integrated. Since this DC model is fairly common, I expected that some of our members would have experimented by now. Phil's web site does show some options that have been used, but since this is an evolving design I was looking for anything current that might be offered here first before I take the plunge.
I have had great results with the pre-separation on my shop vac using the 'dust deputy' mini cyclone. It, like Phil's design, isn't just a chip separator, but actually intercepts and separates the vast majority of fine dust as well.

[Woodwreck]

Maybe it poses a little bit of a floor space problem, but I find the cyclone lid & can to the eventual DC of whatever brand to be simple, incredibly easy to maintain and effective. Hope this is helpful.

[CheapScotsman]

I haven't built his separator ... yet. Hopefully, I may get to it this winter as my dreams for a full Grizzly/Oneida type cyclone aren't in the budgetary plans.

He has website including a forum for his separator lid. Lots of good info there.

[OttawaP]

Maybe it poses a little bit of a floor space problem, but I find the cyclone lid & can to the eventual DC of whatever brand to be simple, incredibly easy to maintain and effective. Hope this is helpful.

That's a great setup. Simple and effective.

[Rick Thom]

Steve, i see the Jet's also got a small collection bag, same problem as mine. I see you have some blow- by escaping your separator. Is that a small amount of the total? I think Phil's setup gets a quite high % of both the fines and larger chips.

[Mike Brazeau]

Reading this thread prompted me to go out tonight and actually have a look at what is in the lower bag on my Trademaster. In the last couple of months, I have done quite a bit of lathe sanding, bandsawing both dry and wet woods and did a small amount of table saw work and planing a couple of weeks back. There is almost no evidence of dust accumulation in the Lee Valley bag and in the plastic bag I have less than a cup more than I had after my initial startup testing. There is nothing but fine dust in the collector bag. My intake velocity at the lathe inlet still seems much better than without the baffle and large bag added. Our old noisy Beam central vacuum croaked on Friday, so I just bought a new Canadian Made Central Vacuum (Drainvac G2) that is very powerful (USA = non Chinese made motor, 12.5 A) and quite quiet (58 DB) . I have drawn up a plan for a new lid using vacuum fittings and utility vacuum inlets for both in and out plus adding a baffle to my old vacuum chip collector. A vacuum shop will make me up a short hose with male connector on each end to connect to the collector outlet and CV inlet, which is also a utilty inlet. It uses a grease barrel I got almost 40 years ago from my VW mechanic, to build my first shop vacuum from a plan I saw in Popular Mechanics at the time I think. I plan to start using it more in my shop, so I won't get dissed by SWMBO every time she walks through the garage. Will post when I get it completed.