Thread: Horizontal Dust Collector?

Originally Posted by stevecassidy

I was wondering if it would be possible to re-engineer a standard 2hp DC to have the air filter run horizontally while the waste bag hangs down?

I wouldn't recommend it for the following reasons.
The first reason is that the column of swirling dust generated inside a vertical filter and collection bag is that this creates a basic cyclonic separation - if the filter is horizontal this action will be destroyed.

Teh second is that over a time the DC is one lots of light dust packs onto the insides of the filter, so when the DC is turned off some of this dust falls down into the collection bag. Ideally you should strike/shake the filters every now and then to flake of some of this dust so that it falls into the collection bag. If the filter is horizontal the lightly packed dust will fall onto the lower half of the filter and totally block it up.

This horizontal cyclone has a some good reviews in the US. Can you get it in Australia? It's made in China.

That is a tight space to try fitting a dust collector in.

An American company that makes a horizontal cyclone (in steel and stainless steel). I'm pretty sure they don't have a distributor in Australia but would export one to you if you wanted to pay. Not a cheap solution. If I remember correctly they separate down to about 20 microns. I once had a size chart for all the models they made and the ones with a 5hp motor were roughly the same diameter as a 45 gallon drum.

Poke around some of the industrial dust collection suppliers websites. Many use cartridges mounted horizontally filtering from the outside in. They normally have pulses of compressed air from the inside clean side to dislodge the dust and make it fall for cleaning out. They sound like shotguns being fired so unless you are rural you might ruffle a few feathers.

Any chance you have room in the attic above the shop? Assuming it doesn't have a room above or a flat/shallow pitched roof.

Pete

Thanks for the responses. The industrial options look interesting but probably wouldn't fit the space or my budget.

Bob, that makes sense and explains why all of these hobby level DCs are vertical.

I think I'll have to look for another solution which will be finding a corner of the shed to build an enclosure around the DC. There's no space outside or above.

Steve

Ive always wondered how the bearings would go long term turned on their sides like the OP is asking.