Thread: Replacing dust bag with drum

Folks who have to have their DCs inside their shed could really use this mod as it gets around the numerous leaks that inevitably develop in plastic collection bags over time.

A couple of draw backs I can see are;

1) Cannot easily see how full the bin is.
At the mens shed where 200L wheelie bins are used under the cyclone we put transparent acrylic windows in the sides of the bin but they get covered in dust so its not easy to see the amount of sawdust. This was why I developed the "dust bin full" indicator.
The other thing is the transparent windows, which were sealed with silicone and had a metal strap bolted down across the sides of the window, started leaking after a couple of months. Repeated re-applications of silicone have not worked. It seems like the cyclone vibe easily breaks the seal and we need a greater mechanical strength on the clamping arrangement.
2) The other thing would be emptying the sawdust out of the bin, although it's no different if you reuse the plastic type bags and have the DC outside. The mens shed wheelie bin is replaced with the spare and pulled up to the kerb and emptied by the Council rubbish truck

Good points.

1)I'm looking at a possible solution but in the meantime it takes a couple of minutes to remove the drum top clamp, take a peek the replace it but you have to be pro active.
2) replaceable plastic bags that fit inside the drum - have them coming.

Cheers

Real interesting.
I've been thinking of something similar with a thien or wok baffle to stop too much dust going to my pleated filter.
Re bags: why couldn't you just use standard green garbage bags? That's what I use inside my current plastic bags (I double bag it, so it is easy to empty, plus makes the clear outer bag last longer).

Where did you get the barrels from? Instead of a metal drum I was thinking of plastic buckets with screw top lids, but I'm not sure the lids are airtight in the ones I've seen.

I've put a baffle in my Dusty separator, replaced the bag with a drum and added an extra filter/drum with a Thein separator off the spare 5" port on the Dusty separator (I added a 6" port some time ago). They all work great. Large green bags can be used to line the drum if you want a removable medium.

IMG_0864.jpgIMG_0890.jpgIMG_0872.jpgIMG_0882.jpg

The 220l? drums are from a used drum supplier in Sydney but they held a chemical for the cosmetic industry. Both have clamped ring lids. $20 each.

I've been lucky. I made a separator and have only emptied the plastic bag once in 4 years. I empty the separator bin every month.

Yes BobL, it's in it own little shed, behind my main turning shed. The white melamine walls really showed the escaping dust, especially Redgum, in my turning shed.

Hi, ok I have lots of questions:

The photo of the wok in the separator - did you clean it or is that how clean it is when you remove the pleated filter? It seems to be working really well. My plan was to attach Thien baffle on the bottom of the separator between separator and drum, as I read that wok/jet cone doesn't really stop swirling dust in the bottom bag/drum. But your's doesn't seem to have that issue?

Originally Posted by Lappa

...and added an extra filter/drum with a Thein separator off the spare 5" port on the Dusty separator (I added a 6" port some time ago).

I must say that confuses me. Is that an output port from the separator to the second drum? How much goes in there vs the primary drum?
I'm wondering if that is the reason the wok is so clean, as a lot of dust would be bypassing the wok and going straight to the second drum?

Originally Posted by Lappa

Large green bags can be used to line the drum if you want a removable medium.

I asked because you said "replaceable plastic bags that fit inside the drum - have them coming" . Wondering why you are ordering bags if you can just use garbage bags?

Originally Posted by Lappa

The 220l drums are from a used drum supplier in Sydney

Ok great, thanks, I'll need to try find similar in Melbourne.

Originally Posted by John G

Hi, ok I have lots of questions:

The photo of the wok in the separator - did you clean it or is that how clean it is when you remove the pleated filter? It seems to be working really well. My plan was to attach Thien baffle on the bottom of the separator between separator and drum, as I read that wok/jet cone doesn't really stop swirling dust in the bottom bag/drum. But your's doesn't seem to have that issue?

As you can see, my wok is fitted in much the same position as your are proposing fit the baffle with the lower lip level with the base of the separator. This a photo I just took now. The units been undisturbed for a month or more now. There is some particles that may have come down when I removed the filter but its certainly living up to my expectations of keeping the heavier dust particles below the wok. When I just had the plastic bag, the heavier particles still swirled around but didn't come up into the filter.

IMG_0948.jpg

I must say that confuses me. Is that an output port from the separator to the second drum? How much goes in there vs the primary drum?
I'm wondering if that is the reason the wok is so clean, as a lot of dust would be bypassing the wok and going straight to the second drum?

I have two "inputs" into my separator, The original 5" one (that was blocked before I added the second filter) and the 6" one I added to match the 6" outlet from the impellor housing. When I added the second drum filter with the Thien separator, I opened the 5" inlet and made it into an outlet to the second filter.
BTW, the wok was as clean as it shows in the picture above, even before I added the second filter. There is a picture in my Wok thread that shows this.
There certainly are some particles in the second drum but certainly not the majority. My main reason was to reduce back pressure because of the increased air flow in the system, and that has certainly worked with a reduction in back pressure into the main separator and an increased air flow in the main ducting.

I asked because you said "replaceable plastic bags that fit inside the drum - have them coming" . Wondering why you are ordering bags if you can just use garbage bags?

I said that because I hadn't got the bags yet. I didn't know whether supermarket bought bags would be large enough. I used the garbage bags you get for council bins. Sorry if it gave the wrong impression.

Ok great, thanks, I'll need to try find similar in Melbourne.