The on going Cyclone tale

[DaveL]

Hi Woody,

The idea is that the dust is separated from the air that has moved into the cylinder by centrifugal force. The air is made to spin round in the cylinder and the dust is flung against the side, and then gravity makes it drop down, eventually down into the dust bin. When I look at the hose the dust is still spinning as it goes down it, quite odd to see. The dust bin must be air tight or the flow of air back up the hose will carry the dust up the centre tube to the blower and out the exhaust.

There are a number of advantages:

The bin should be much easy to empty than the bag on the normal DC.
The dust is collected down stream of the blower so off cuts that get sucked up don't ding the fan and should fall undamaged into the bin.
The filter on the exhaust should have very little dust reaching it so the need to keep shaking the thing to get the suck back every time its used should go away.

I will be reporting back when the thing has seen some real work.

 

[Woodythepecker]

Dave, it sounds very good. I may even try to build one myself.

Many thanks

Woody

 

[Bean]

Dave but i saw you today :lol:

Congratulations

Bean

 

[Anonymous]

Nice one Dave

Interested to hear if there is a real improvement in performance over your original extractor

 

[devonwoody]

AT the woodworkforums.ubeat site ther is a very descriptive article on an homemade cyclone(Pentz cyclone).

Around twenty pics. and an easy reading article.

Article just posted in last 24 hours.

 

[Alf]

AT the woodworkforums.ubeat site ther is a very descriptive article on an homemade cyclone(Pentz cyclone).

For the interested, a link. (I'm still waiting for the pics to download , but it looks good.)

G'day*, Alf

*That's what comes of visiting an Aussie forum :roll: . Still, no worries, she'll be right.

 

[DaveL]

Alf,

Thanks for the link I did wonder were Devon had seen it. Nice cyclone build but the metal work would cause me problems unless all of the rolled bits came preformed.

Do we have to call you Sheila now Alf :wink:

 

[devonwoody]

To Alf ,

May I call you Alf now?

The pictures at the aussie web site download on my computer immediately. (a few seconds) You neew a new computer?

 

[DaveL]

Devon,

You have to remember that Alfs computer is connected via damp string to the internet and its quite a long piece to reach that far down the map :wink:

 

[Alf]

May I call you Alf now?

What else? I'll accept "Your Highness" at a pinch mind... :wink:

The pictures at the aussie web site download on my computer immediately. (a few seconds) You neew a new computer?

As Dave says, it's the damp string (frayed at that) that's the problem. Allegedly BT are getting broadband within range this very month, but even then apparently they have to check if it's really true at our end. :roll: And then I have to pursade The Ps That B that we "need" it.

Cheers, Alf

 

[DaveL]

I have tried the cyclone with the planer and have found a problem, the pipe at the bottom of my cone is only 4", the design does call for a 6" one but when I started collecting the bits (long long ago) I could get any 6" flexible pipe. The problem is that the shavings rely on gravity to make the journey down to the bin and when the flow rate gets up ie planing a 6" board gravity just can't cope

Well there are obviously two solutions to this, but as I can't find the knob to turn gravity up a bit :wink: I have had to buy some 6" flexible hose which Charnwood now stock. I am in the process of making 6" fittings for the cone and bin and will post an update once its all back together. :lol:

 

[Chris Knight]

Dave,

It looks from your pictures as though you may need to make a new adapter to the bottom of the cone for the larger diameter? Fairly straightforward I guess?

 

[DaveL]

Chris,

I had a length of 6" stainless flue that I used for the centre tube inside the cylinder. What was left over is now being put to use.

 

[Bean]

DaveL
Steady development and improvement, this will be some cyclone when you have finished Dave.

Apart from the minor problem with the volume does it pick up ok on other equipment ?

Bean

 

[DaveL]

Yet another update

The new 6" hose came in a very large truck about 18 hours after I place the order on the phone.

The fitting for the top of the bin was easy

(H&S note ear defenders are required when using a jig saw to cut dustbin lids :twisted: )
The fitting on the bottom of the cone was trickier, take a length of 6" stainless flue and cut 1" tabs.

This was made harder by the selection of the wrong tool, ok then you choose:-

Well to my eye the compound snips looked the right choice. Well I fought with then and the tube for 10 minutes before going to get some coffee. Progress was as they say disappointing, I had not made one cut the stainless was twisting between the blades and just bending not cutting. I then started searching for any other metal cutting tools, even tried the jig saw, glad to still have all the bits attached in the right places, could not hold the tube still. :shock: I looked in the box of stuff acquired but not used and found what appeared to be a very tried pair of tin snips, the blades no longer closed fully. But they cut the tube like your mums best dress making scissors cut paper airplanes out On close inspection I found the makers name

This is the maker that today is trading as Footprint, I don't know when they stopped using this name on tools.
Alf any pointers I know its a bit outside your field.

The cyclone has gone back together but I have bodged the seal on the cone so its not usable. I will not be touching it until next week as I am off to Cropredy for the weekend, I hope it doesn't rain

 

[Noel]

Dave,

The 70's? Never liked FC but was a big JT fan. Glad to see Ian(was Ian, wasn't it?) is still on the road. Presume Cropredy is next door to Cropredy Bridge? Nice part of Oxfordshire.

Rgds

Noel

Oh, and good progress on the cyclone.

 

[DaveL]

Noely,

Ian is very much still on the road, trouble is is not one in the UK. Its getting harder to see Tull as they spend a lot of their time in the states.
I mix for Lyckerty Splyt Ceilidh Band, and on a good night we are a bit like the instrumental stuff that Fairport do, mind you I do miss our whistle player on the tunes that FC do :shock:

 

[Adam]

Just a comment on the lower of the two pairs of snips you show - they are evil :twisted: . Have you slipped yet and caught a bit of flesh between the ends of the handles? It nips really badly, and I use them just infrequently enough that I forget that I swore (in blood) at the last use that'd I'd wear gloves next time.

Adam

 

[Alf]

Dave,

All the info I have is really based on planes*, but fwiw:

Thomas Ellin started to use the Trademark "Footprint" in 1913 for their planes.
No planes listed in 1937, but no info on whether the "Footprint" brand was used on other tools yet.
Bought by the Jewitt family in 1970 and changed to Footprint Tools.

So it could well be as early as 1913, but certainly no later than 1970.

BTW, "my, what a big hose you have, grandma" :wink:

Cheers, Alf

*No, I'm not fixated. There just isn't a book to buy called "British Tin Snip Makers From 1700" At least, I don't think so...

 

[Bean]

Alf your just not looking hard enough :wink:


Bean