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smiife
21st July 2011, 08:34 PM
hi guys ,
does anyone have any tips on how to stop my dust collector
clogging up with shavings,does anyone else have this problem??
or do we just have to clean them out more often??
any advice tips greatly received
cheers smiife:~:((

dai sensei
21st July 2011, 08:40 PM
Use a separator or a cyclone. Check out the Dust Extraction sub-forums for more details.

Cheers

Scribbly Gum
21st July 2011, 08:53 PM
I have found that the CarbaTec type have an awkward trap at the point where the hose meets the body of the dust collector. On mine there was a pressed metal cross arrangement directly in the airflow - probably designed to trap large chips or whatever.
After cleaning it out a couple of dozen times when it clogged up with shavings, I finally bit the bullet and removed the pressed metal parts that were causing all the stoppages.
I haven't had a problem ever since.
Cheers
SG

bellyup
21st July 2011, 09:12 PM
Yep, as Neil states, you are best to have a bin in line before your d/e to take up most of the solid shavings and rubbish before it reaches the actual d/e.
My first effort was a green garbage bin for the collector and as a lid I used a piece of mdf with an "in" and "out" vent of 100mm to suit the 100mm hose. That was held in place with cheapo spring clamps onto the bin - the seal wasn't 100% between the bin and the top but it worked. Next modification was to put a panel of mdf between the in and out holes to stop the d/e from sucking swarf straight through and clogging the d/e - big improvement in time between clearing the d/e basic rubbish screen.
The bigger your primary bin the better for your d/e.

P.S. Shhhh - I am thinking about washing the filter bag in the washing machine to improve airflow. Do you think the wife will notice???
Bruce.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
21st July 2011, 09:29 PM
Out of curiosity...

... just how do you mean it clogs?

I've had the occasional clogs at bends and at gates... mainly 'cos of poor design of my runs or because I was "tweaking" the gates to adjust air flows, partially blocking the runs.

In the early days, I also had clogs of the grille just before the impeller fan. A short-term fix is to remove the grille (!! :oo:) but the far better solution is an inline separator or cyclone. (Separators are easily enough made)

China
22nd July 2011, 12:35 AM
As said above a separator is a good choice it may also be that you do not have enough air flow to handle the volume you are attempting to move, also design of fluming plays a part

smiife
24th July 2011, 08:07 PM
hi guys,
sorry for the delay in repling ,[damn work keeps getting in the way
of my turning:~:~]. thanks to everone for there replies:2tsup:
the clog up, is as all ready said at the impeller fan where the cross grill
is..so would it be ok just to cut that out?????
the seperator/cyclone thing sounds like a good idea, does anyone have any piccy's!!!??? or can you buy them from somewhere ??
[belly up ,just wait till she's gone shopping :;:; ]

Tisorp
24th July 2011, 11:41 PM
I too have applied the "remove the grill" solution to a Carbatec dust collector without apparent negative consequence. I have however taken care not to suck up large chunks to avoid damage to the impeller.
Cheers

Skew ChiDAMN!!
24th July 2011, 11:58 PM
Yeah, me too. But I ended up building my own separator very shortly thereafter... I didn't want to have to replace the impeller in case of a worst case whoops!

Mine's basically just a 44 gallon stock feed drum (the type with a removable lid, not the type with bungs for liquid products!) that has a 4" hole drilled in the middle of the lid and another 4" hole near the edge of the lid.

PVC plumbing fittings were bought to fit to these holes; the middle one goes to my duct-work/machinery and extends about 12 inches straight down into the drum. (Obviously, once the drum gets about half full it starts sucking the shavings into the Dusty. But that's OK... it tells me to empty the 44 when I see shavings in the DC bag. And a half-full 44 is more than heavy enough. Trust me. :;)

The hole near the edge hooks up to the dusty, and has a 90 degree bend on the inside of the lid. This is oriented so it points tangentially to the drum, causing the cyclone effect.

Rough description, I know, but there've been a few WIPs and how-tos done on this over the years. A search should give you all the info you want to know... and probably more! :U

Hmmm... there used to be a "Best of the Best" thread which had all sorts of handy links and would probably have one or two about just this. but I've no idea where it is nowadays... if it still exists.

smiife
25th July 2011, 08:24 PM
hi tisorp & skew,
i think i might remove the grill and see how we go ,thanks for your replies
also the' 44' sounds like a good idea ,i saw some in a stock feed type shop the other day. they were blue with a black screw type lid, is that what you have ??
cherrs smiife

Skew ChiDAMN!!
25th July 2011, 08:35 PM
also the' 44' sounds like a good idea ,i saw some in a stock feed type shop the other day. they were blue with a black screw type lid, is that what you have ??


Mine's the old metal 44gal drum, the lid is held in place by a "lock-down band." But I've seen separator's made using the drums you're talking about.

I think my lid is easier to remove as I don't have to disconnect the hoses before "unscrewing" the lid. :)

But you work with what you have. :;

Sawdust Maker
25th July 2011, 10:06 PM
If you're worried about the impeller getting busted up you can always put a grill over your intake - I use a bit of gutta guard but mainly to stop losing bits of sandpaper - they make a racket when they get stuck in the impeller :doh:

smiife
26th July 2011, 08:52 PM
hi sawdust maker
just use a grill at the lathe:doh::doh::doh:dunno why i didn't think of that:B
cheers smiife

RETIRED
26th July 2011, 09:19 PM
If you're worried about the impeller getting busted up you can always put a grill over your intake - I use a bit of gutta guard but mainly to stop losing bits of sandpaper - they make a racket when they get stuck in the impeller :doh:2"balls make more. :whistling2:

Sawdust Maker
26th July 2011, 10:06 PM
2" balls make more. :whistling2:

Is that why you've gone high pitched

smiife
27th July 2011, 08:12 PM
2"balls make more. :whistling2:

hhhmmm???? think i might leave that one alone
comment could only get me in to trouble:U:U:U
cheers smiife:2tsup: