Cyclone Lids

[blindbambi]

I was just looking around the Lee Valley / Veritas web site and saw the cyclone lids for bins. Would this be an effective way of making a cheap dust collection unit?
heres the link (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=30282&category=1,42401&ccurrency=3&SID=)

regards Blindbambi:)

[Gumby]

check out the triton forum and the thread entitled "Router table dust".
There's quite a discussion on cyclones going on and thiese have been mentioned as well.
Some good plans to make your own are there too.

[Wayne Davy]

These lids are reasonably effective IF used with a 1hp D/C. A 2hp or above have so much suction that the chips/dust just get sucked straight through.

Before building my proper Cyclone, I investigated getting one of these lids but the cost was prohibitive given the freight quoted (cannot remember how much but it was a lot) so I made one. Just took a plastic garbage bin that had a hard plastic lid in which I cut two holes, roughly, in the same positions as the Veritas/Lee Valley one. Then Liquid Nailed two pieces of 100mm PVC pipe into the holes at angle. This worked Ok and the D/C Bags did not get hardly any chips but they still clogged up with dust just not as quickly. Also, as with any Separator/Cyclone, a bit of suction was lost.

So, I came to the conclusion that the only way to go was a proper Cyclone which I built. I wish I had built one right from the start. Especially when I add up all the cost/mucking around/time I spent getting to the Cyclone. The trip consisted of:

Broom -> Old Vac -> Old Vac and Triton Bucket -> 1hp Bag D/C -> second 1hp Bag D/C -> Separator Lid (above) -> Proper Cyclone (yah)

When it could have been:
Broom -> Proper Cyclone (yah)

Food for thought...

[GeoffS]

I finally used a standard gal rubbish bin for collection. I did not have room for a 44 gal drum and could not locate an old 13 gal drum with clip on lid or anything else that would fit.
How do I seal a rubbish bin. For now, two runs of duct tape. Duct tape is pretty cheap and does the job. Put a piece of paper under the end so that it is easy to get off. Cut some 30 mm holes in the side with bits of perspex hot glued over them so that I can see when it is almost full.
I did try sealing under the lid but couldn't find anything that the 3 hp extractor didn't suck straight in.
I am about to try (on the next empty) a run of the plastic foam expansion material that brickies use, around the bin just under the edge of the lid. A couple of bungie straps over the top and then let the suction pull the lid down hard enough to seal. Just could work. In the meantime, duct tape is cheap.
These bins that most h/ware stores sell have very well finished edges around the top and the lid and a successful method should be able to be found

[Daniel]

Just found this address on drum type cyclones, it might be of some interest.

http://members.aol.com/Alamaral/DC.html

Daniel