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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2021
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    Willetton, Western Australia
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    66
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    Default DIY entry level Cyclone Dust Extractors - are you still undecided?

    I am relatively new to woodwork and until recently didn't feel the need for dust management - till I bought the belt sander and bandsaw.
    Started out with a cheap shopvac from bunnings, was ok, did the job well, but filled up quick and the filter was a PITA to clean.

    Bought a 300mm mitre saw. OK, needed something better. Bought a Milwaukee shop-vac. Ok, lots more suction and the hose was bigger than the Bunnings one and had larger dust capacity - less trips to the bin. But again oh dear, that filter was still a PITA.

    I would love to have the room and readies to have a nice 4" system on a big machine, but that's just not an option. So I looked around for small DIY options. Stumbled across the ubiquitous Cyclone DIY dust extractor.
    Now depending on who or what you read, these are the bees knees or total bollocks....

    I thought the science was sound enough so it ought to work, so I built one based on a YT video. Got a budget priced cyclone and a few metres of 52mm flexi hose from eBay.
    Cyclone.JPG

    Today it's been running for quite sometime now (couple of months), the 20litre white bucket was about half full. Time to check out if I built a lemon on not.

    Photo of the half full bucket...
    IMG_3388.jpg

    Photo of the bottom of the shop vac - ...mmm the cyclone action appears to be very effective.
    IMG_3387.jpg

    Now, pic of the filter..

    IMG_3386.jpg

    Before I built the cart the filter would have been jammed solid with dust; the flutes were not visible. So I can tell you I was very happy with these results - a quick brush down and ready to go again.
    Not too shabby for a budget cyclone I thought.

    So, the point is ...if you are unsure about building a DIY Cyclone system, don't be; they clearly work very well. Well worth the effort.

    BTW, the Occy straps holding the bucket to the cart are the Safety ones - they won't ping back and whack you in the head

    Cheers
    Mal

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  3. #2
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    Aug 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
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    Default

    Pro tip...you're meant to use a bag in those when sanding, they stop the filter getting killed

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Hobart
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    Nicely done, Mal, that's about as good as you can make a basic system. Like me, you have probably been amazed by how much stuff gets trapped in the bucket, and how little gets through the bag in the vacuum. I have found that I get best results if I empty the bucket when about half full - after that a lot more stuff gets through to the vacuum.

    May I suggest that you read what BobL has posted on this Forum and also have a look at Bill Pentz website. You will then probably start planning for eventually switching to a larger system with 150mm ducting!

    It is addictive.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    East Bentleigh
    Posts
    200

    Default

    I've got a 2hp dual inlet unit I use for the bigger tools like a thicknesser, jointer, drum sander, table saw and router table. There's nothing like a good run on the thicky to fill a dust extractor.

    I use a shop vac with one of those $ cyclones on smaller stuff like my sanders, band saw, drop saw and benchtop sander. It works a treat and I get more in the final filter from the sanders than what you seem to have. I have two sets of filters, one clean on standby and the other in the vac. This gives me less changeover time as I'm usually in the middle of something "important" when the filter needs changing. I clean them with a brush and the compressor when I have time - outside of course and wearing a dust mask.

    I'm an asthmatic so I usually wear a P2 mask in the workshop when sanding something and I also have a room air filter swinging from the roof.

    Can you ever have enough dust extraction?

    Cheers

    Bryan

  6. #5
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    Oct 2021
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    Willetton, Western Australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by elanjacobs View Post
    Pro tip...you're meant to use a bag in those when sanding, they stop the filter getting killed
    Indeed, indeed..I did use a piece of old stocking nylon on the filter for a short while before I made this up..worked pretty well. But now I find it's not required. But I don't sand all day every day.

    Cheers
    Mal

  7. #6
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    Oct 2021
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    Willetton, Western Australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by GraemeCook View Post
    ...

    It is addictive.
    ya think !? .....ha !

  8. #7
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    Oct 2021
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    Willetton, Western Australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tung tied View Post
    ....

    I'm an asthmatic so I usually wear a P2 mask in the workshop when sanding something and I also have a room air filter swinging from the roof.

    Can you ever have enough dust extraction?

    Cheers

    Bryan
    ..yes the room air filter is also a relatively cheap idea to run as an adjunct to the dust extraction. Its surprising how much these things capture.

    Cheers
    Mal

  9. #8
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    Oct 2021
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    Willetton, Western Australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by GraemeCook View Post
    Nicely done, Mal, that's about as good as you can make a basic system. Like me, you have probably been amazed by how much stuff gets trapped in the bucket, and how little gets through the bag in the vacuum. I have found that I get best results if I empty the bucket when about half full - after that a lot more stuff gets through to the vacuum.

    May I suggest that you read what BobL has posted on this Forum and also have a look at Bill Pentz website. You will then probably start planning for eventually switching to a larger system with 150mm ducting!

    It is addictive.
    ..wow Bill Pentz’s website is a bit of an eye opener …. ..thanks for the link..

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
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    27,757

    Default

    What most people are bedazzled by is what they see in the cyclone bucket versus the vac. After 40+ years of dabbling in dust one learns to not trust ones eyes as it's the fine dust you cannot see that really causes the health concerns. While the amount of this fine dust is smallm not much is needed to contaminate a shed above safe levels.

    The problem is humans simply cannot see it so we never know if
    a) The dust has even been picked up in the first place (a common problem on machinery using small DCs and 4" ducting) leaving it free to waft all over the shed
    or
    b) If it has gone straight through the cyclone and the vac filters and then out into the shed. This is why venting DCs or Vacs outside a shed is teh safest way around this.

    I've often shown this photo
    CoolDrinktopdust.jpg
    It shows 270 mg of visible dust and is enough to contaminate the air inside 4 sheds of 6 x 4 x 2.7m to above the old health and safety levels.
    If we're talking more recent health and safety levels then its about 40 sheds of that size.

    If anyone vents vacs or DCs inside a shed then my recommendation is to force ventilate the shed.
    An oft referred to target is 20 room air changes per hour (RAC/h) but even 10 will be better than 5, which will be better than none.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Macksville
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    62
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    390

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    Draconus, I've got an almost identical set-up, but with a wet & dry shop vac from Godfreys. I use it for cleaning up sawdust & shavings from the bench & floor, as well as connect it to my ROS & small router table that takes my Milwaukee cordless trim router. My vac' has a bag & pleated filter and I only get a very small amount of fine dust in them, not sure if it gets through both or it's being trapped by the cyclone.
    The Vac' has a lot of suction through the 2" hose, lost my little 2m Stanley tape measure up it the other day.

  12. #11
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    Jun 2005
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    Helensburgh
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    Quote Originally Posted by draconus View Post
    ..yes the room air filter is also a relatively cheap idea to run as an adjunct to the dust extraction. Its surprising how much these things capture.

    Cheers
    Mal
    They are a band aid because the dust which should have been collected at the machine has escaped due to inefficient dust extraction. We are talking about dust extraction not debris collection, the difference is not recognised by most. 99.9% of information on the internet is wrong and should be ignored.
    CHRIS

  13. #12
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    Apr 2006
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    Hobart
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobL
    ... What most people are bedazzled by is what they see in the cyclone bucket versus the vac. After 40+ years of dabbling in dust one learns to not trust ones eyes as it's the fine dust you cannot see that really causes the health concerns. While the amount of this fine dust is smallm not much is needed to contaminate a shed above safe levels. ...
    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Parks
    ... They are a band aid because the dust which should have been collected at the machine has escaped due to inefficient dust extraction. We are talking about dust extraction not debris collection, the difference is not recognised by most. ...
    This really is the crux of the issue.

    But most people, certainly including me, come to dust collection via debris collection. I had a problem in repeatedly sweeping highly visible sawdust, sander dust and router shavings from the bench and shed floor and started looking at a vacuum to collect the debris. While researching that I discovered the dangers of dust - something of which I was blissfully unaware, except at far away Wittenoom. Pentz and BobL provided a library of information, and other "sources" provided misinformation.

    A chip collector will collect a portion of the fine dust and that is better than nothing. But a system that can collect a higher portion of the fine dust is even better. [This is like your room air-change rates analogy, Bob.]

    Realistically, there will always be this sequential learning curve, and budgetry and space constraints.

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    Adelaide
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    26

    Default

    A question to the knowledgeable.
    I have been contemplating a similar dust collecting system like the OP. This is similar to many I have seen on here and YT.
    The question I have is - "Why is the cyclone mounted above the vacuum source?"
    To me, the pipework is shorter and more manageable if the cyclone/bucket and vacuum source were around the other way.

  15. #14
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    Apr 2006
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    Hobart
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    Quote Originally Posted by bookleaf View Post
    ... The question I have is - "Why is the cyclone mounted above the vacuum source?"

    To me, the pipework is shorter and more manageable if the cyclone/bucket and vacuum source were around the other way.

    Balance and stability - the heaviest bit is the vacuum, especially the motor, and you don't want that on top.

    Arguably, having the bucket/cyclone alongside the vacuum is best - but that option doubles the footprint.

    Bookleaf's solution is probably the best compromise.

  16. #15
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    May 2011
    Location
    Albury
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    3,019

    Default

    Or you could do something like this. The whole thing takes up minimal floor space and rolls around very nicely. The filtration of the vac is far superior to all but the very best 'shop vac's'. If you're using a cyclone you don't need a 20 or 30 litre vac canister.
    Attached Images Attached Images

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