Butchering conventional 100mm chip extractor to cyclone?

[flanajb]

I have an Axminster 100mm chip extractor, but a quick look at the dust on the top fabric bag just reinforces the thought, that in all reality this extractor is rather rubbish and just serves to pump micro dust particles around my garage.

I came across the link below and am thinking that it might be a great way to go.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making- ... /?ALLSTEPS

It basically converts the unit to a cyclone and then vents the extractor outside so that the really small particles never stay in the garage. Great simple idea.

 

[dzj]

It's not a bad idea, if the neighbours don't mind the minuscule amount of dust.
It also sucks all the warm air from your shop (a downside in winter time) and if the
plastic drum overflows, then you probably will have words with the neighbours.
Apart from that it's not bad, once you learn to live with these shortcomings.
(I have such a system in my shop).

 

[flanajb]

It's not a bad idea, if the neighbours don't mind the minuscule amount of dust.
It also sucks all the warm air from your shop (a downside in winter time) and if the
plastic drum overflows, then you probably will have words with the neighbours.
Apart from that it's not bad, once you learn to live with these shortcomings.
(I have such a system in my shop).

I agree that the biggest downside is in the winter when you are robbing warm air from the workshop. Given my neighbor loves nothing more than covering my fan in dust from his chop saw, I don't the minuscule amount of dust should be an issue.

(I have such a system in my shop) - do you have a picture?

 

[dzj]

I cobbled it together from this and that, but it works fine. It's powered by a 3 phase 2.2KW motor
which spins a 15" impeller at 4500 rpm (not sure what it was originally from, but it's well balanced).
The cyclone I made from a metal drum. It was a bit noisy when hit by the wood particles, so I dampened it
with PU foam (the sides near the wall). Seeing how the whole setup is in a small room (for off cuts and scrap) adjacent to the shop,
the noise is tolerable.
The second picture is that of a 5" inlet on the shop side.

 

[Myfordman]

Just add a filter and the warm air can be retained in the shop. Search in this forum for the cyclone kit made by the late Barry Burgess. His text and photos still exist years after Barry has passed on.

 

[flanajb]

looked at the cyclone kit, but concluded £100 for a self assembly kit was a little too pricey. I do find it rather staggering that these are not more readily available.

I just searched on Amazon. Look at the joke price for this Oneida one.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01...=8-53&pi=AC_SX110_SY165&keywords=dust+cyclone

 

[n0legs]

looked at the cyclone kit, but concluded £100 for a self assembly kit was a little too pricey. I do find it rather staggering that these are not more readily available.

I just searched on Amazon. Look at the joke price for this Oneida one.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01...=8-53&pi=AC_SX110_SY165&keywords=dust+cyclone

Whilst I share your concerns with costs, I would urge you to put cost at the bottom of the list.
£100 ain't all that much for cleaner air.
My mothers portable oxygen machine was near £2K.
If you're going to be in your 'shop' a lot it becomes an investment.

 

[flanajb]

looked at the cyclone kit, but concluded £100 for a self assembly kit was a little too pricey. I do find it rather staggering that these are not more readily available.

I just searched on Amazon. Look at the joke price for this Oneida one.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01...=8-53&pi=AC_SX110_SY165&keywords=dust+cyclone

Whilst I share your concerns with costs, I would urge you to put cost at the bottom of the list.
£100 ain't all that much for cleaner air.
My mothers portable oxygen machine was near £2K.
If you're going to be in your 'shop' a lot it becomes an investment.

You make a fair point.

 

[Andy RV]

This is my system, it is not a true cyclone in that dust still reaches the filter bag, however all chippings and 75% of the dust are deposited in the drum.

If you could vent the exhaust outside then its a good system for the money in my opinion.

The black vertical pipe runs up to a small 1hp extractor suspended in the roof trusses.





The elbows are from axminster.

 

[Fishandchips]

I had a Axminster extractor that was quite strong but the filters kept getting clogged so I turned it into this.

99+ % of the dust stays in the cyclone bin and the filter bin and filter hardly need attention at all.

Got a few assembly pics if anyone interested.

 

[Alexam]

Do you have an Air Filter? If not then you do need that to clean up the dust that you cannot see in the air.

Alex

 

[Deejay]

Morning all

Doorframe posted this a while ago ...

dust-extraction-and-thien-separators-my-efforts-t60232.html

Might be useful.

Cheers

Dave