Thread: Triton Dust Extracter

Photos please.

They are coming as soon as I can arrange them.


Peter

I'm wondering about something... I understand the reason for the cone at the bottom of the centrifical separator (doesnt that sound fancy? ) and the reason for its length but the trouble is that it makes the whole assembly long and bulky.

I want something small enough to be portable as I dont even have a garage and so most work is done on the driveway and EVERYTHING packed up at the end of each day (dammit). Hence a primary reason for Triton gear .

This is probably a dumb question, but why does the cone have to be there?

What I mean is this: Take one mayo bucket, turn it upside down and poke the inlet through the side near the base and poke the outlet through the centre of the base.

Rather than make that flamin'long funnel for the other end, cut a ply disk 280mm in diameter, roughly the size of the bucket mouth (no the mayo bucket, not the author's), and make a cone with a base diameter of 240mm and a height of 120 or so mm. Attach the disk over the opening with three or four angle brackets so as to leave a slot of 50mm or so and place the bucket, inverted, into the top of a garbage bin?

Would this work? Obviously if it works in this scale I can build a little smaller to make one the size if the mini like Wayne's.

Has anyone tried this?

Or am I just being dumb?[

Rob,

Your idea will work but will not be the most efficient. Basically, what the cone does is the dust separation.

From Bill Pentz's site:
http://cnets.net/~eclectic/woodworki...C4Dummies.html
Dust Collector Cyclone A cyclone is a simple tank with no moving parts. Dirty air comes in through an inlet and spins quickly around. This spinning throws the heavier particles outward to the cyclone walls. Airflow on the cyclone walls is slowed by friction. Particles get trapped in the slower moving air then gravity pulls them down. As the air continues to spin it slows and drops downward. The cone on the bottom of the cyclone forces that slowing air to keep the particles pressed tightly to the walls. Those particles continue to slide downward and eventually out into a dust chute. The dust chute is sealed tightly to the bottom of the cyclone with no air leaks to stir up the collected dust. At a certain place called a neutral point, the spinning clean air reverses direction and comes up through the center of the cyclone then exits through the cyclone outlet.

You can (and lots have done it) do without the cone but including one does make it work lots better.

Peter

Where the pic's?? I hanging out to see your creation.

Okay, that makes sense...

Now, not that I dont accept what you say, but ( more in the interest of understanding) I hope you will forgive me if I continue to argue the toss...

Reading your post, the idea of the cone is that it constricts the air flow and so keeps the material against the outer wall. The other obvious benefit, not mentioned there, is that as the cone constricts, it would help to maintain air speed that would otherwise be lost to friction.

Question, once the waste is down toward the bottom of the centriguge, what does it matter if the material falls in a little. The desired movement at that stage is downward, which gravity will take care of, and if it moves inwards, my coe pushes it back out again and out under the lip, shoudl the centrifugal force be to low at that point...

By adding an air ram (correct term?) to the outer wall, that will help to ensure that both mater separation and downward progression happen as they should...

With that in mind, why would my idea be less efficient?

Obviously it is less efficient or more people would be doing it, but I do not understand why...

Wayne,

Tomorrow I'll be taking some photos and when developed I'll post them.

Rob,

What you are proposing is very similar to what I did, I used the existing Triton dust bucket, made the inlet and outlet onto the lid, inserted the cone within the bucket and fixed the lot onto a 15 lt paint drum. The dust falls through the bucket into the paint drum. Whilst the cone is much shorter than Wayne's it still works satisfatory. I'll take some measurements as well and post them.

Regards

Peter

Wayne

Here are the long awaited photos of my alteration to the Triton dust bucket.

This one shows the completed item painted orange in the Triton style. The connections to the vacuum cleaner and suction hose is through the dust bucket lid and the paint drum is attached.

Regards

Peter

This is the close up of the separate components.

On the left is the inside of the lid showing that the inlet is a 90% elbow facing the side wall of the bucket and the central exit pipe. Note the lid filter is discarded.

In the middle is the view inside the bucket. I used a 220mm funnel held in place with a top and bottom disk ( painted orange ). The paint drum lid is affixed to the bucket.

On the right is the paint drum and in the foreground is the part of the funnel I did not need.

For those interested in making this I have written detailed instructions for the next newsletter of the Holmesglen Triton Woodworkers Club.

Regards.

Peter.

Peter,

looks good, I will go shopping for a funnel.

Did you try it before the funnel? Has the funnel made a detectable improvment over just the swirl created by the elbow on the inlet?

Though I love the orange stuff, painting the home made improvements orange.......?

Jon

Jon,

Yes, I made it first without the funnel and whilst an improvement on the original too much dust was being sucked into the vacuum cleaner bag.

I then tried to make a metal cone for inserting into the bucket but could not get it to bend properly ( I don't know how Wayne manages it but I was ready to give up in disgust ) and then saw the funnel by chance.

With the funnel all the dust falls into the bottom drum and none gets into the vacuum cleaner and no loss of suction either.

As for painting it orange that is another story.

Regards,


Peter

Pete, you are a GURU!!!!!

I have a simple question though: how far into the cone/funnel does the main suction line extend and did you place anything over the end of it?

cheers.

Peter,

When and how do we get the next edition of the Holmesglen TWC newsletter?

By the way, re: bending metal cones, I read elsewhere on this forum that you can't make a metal cone with a straight sheetmetal roller. Take it from me (I'm an ex-sheety), you can if you know how. But the plastic funnel looks much easier.

Cheers,
Darren

The newsletter of the Triton Woodworkers Club (Holmesglen Inc.) is posted monthly on the net. Save this link:

http://www.tritonwoodworkers.org.au

We email all club members monthly advising them of this posting, and usually advise BB members at the same time via this forum.