Thread: Wheelie Bin Dust Separator

Sorry for the delay in replying but I've been away on business. The wheelie bin has been in use now for a couple of years wihout it giving any trouble. The dust collector is a standard Carba Tec unit and the bags are a sort of cotton material.
I've played with the inlet and by adding a 90 degree bend on the inside of the lid it sorts of acts like a cyclone with the chippings lining the inside edges of the bin.
I've also had to add a rubber strap over the lid to seal it as the dust lifted the rubber seal away from the lid. Other than that it works just fineand provides my grand children with a ready source of bedding for the rabbits and guinea pigs.

Originally Posted by Jim Grant

Sorry for the delay in replying but I've been away on business. The wheelie bin has been in use now for a couple of years wihout it giving any trouble. The dust collector is a standard Carba Tec unit and the bags are a sort of cotton material.
I've played with the inlet and by adding a 90 degree bend on the inside of the lid it sorts of acts like a cyclone with the chippings lining the inside edges of the bin.
I've also had to add a rubber strap over the lid to seal it as the dust lifted the rubber seal away from the lid. Other than that it works just fineand provides my grand children with a ready source of bedding for the rabbits and guinea pigs.

Has anyone tried feeding the dirty air through water?

I envisage a two-stage process:
First, the wheely bin as described already
Second, a second bin, maybe not so large, where the inlet is under water. The outlet may well be clean air (but I'd still filter it before letting it through a pump).

The pump won't pull the air through much water, but 2-3 cm might be enough.

Passing the air through water will reduce suction at the pickup.

The bin will need regular (each day it's used, at least) emptying. The sludge may do well for watering the garden (but your veges might need more nitrogen).

Depending on the amount of use, evaporation might be a problem.

I read somewhere about someone who directs the air output from his dust collector into his garden and has put one of those mister sprays in front of the pipe so that the air passes through the spray. Apparently this works. Can't remember where I saw it, might have been on here somewhere.

Originally Posted by Bob38S

G'day Rod,

A lot of blokes do it this way [me included] use 4 magnets [I got mine out of old speakers] to hold the plastic bag in place - then it is easy to do up the clamp as you have 2 free hands.

Regards,
Bob

One is always learning... thanks Bob

I went to school on Jim's system when we set up our 15" thicknesser. We had the wheelie bin plus I'd also picked up a little GMC dusty. The dusty worked OK but the bag would fill in no time. So we used the wheelie as a seperator. Except that I used a section of red tongue particle board as the lid (rather than the existing lid) and made up a seal from some EV foam that was lying around (one could also use the metal framed car door seal off the roll from Clark Rubber). 90mm PVC pipe sorts the inlet and outlet - EV foam is used as a slip on gasket between the PVC and the flexible hose - no hose clips required. There's enough room for the dusty to sit on the lid too and when the whole lot is occyed down it can be easily moved in its complete form. Emptying is easy enough - the whole shebang disassembles in seconds and the un-adulterated wheelie can be taken out to the sawdust pile and inverted....

So thanks Jim.

The GMC dusty is still available but it's now in a plastic chassis rather than a metal one but it should still be adequate for this job.

I am thinking of building a cyclone to sit on top rather the dusty itself (I have easy access to plastic 220L drums) but honestly the fabric bag that came with the GMC dusty is fine and it all usually sits outside when it's in use so there's no real practical benefit to the cyclone.......just intellectual really....and I've got to much other stuff to do before this mod becomes a priority.

Originally Posted by Johncs

Has anyone tried feeding the dirty air through water?

I envisage a two-stage process:
First, the wheely bin as described already
Second, a second bin, maybe not so large, where the inlet is under water. The outlet may well be clean air (but I'd still filter it before letting it through a pump).

The pump won't pull the air through much water, but 2-3 cm might be enough.

Passing the air through water will reduce suction at the pickup.

The bin will need regular (each day it's used, at least) emptying. The sludge may do well for watering the garden (but your veges might need more nitrogen).

Depending on the amount of use, evaporation might be a problem.

I don't know much about dust extraction/filtration, but I do know that in home brewed ginger beer, when the beer is brewing in the bottles some people install one way air valves on top that lets the pressure inside the bottle escape, but not letting air from outside get in and making it stale.

I'm just worried that a pump wouldn't pull air through water at all, without pulling the water up itself, just like a drinking straw. I think the only way to get the air through the water would be to create a positive pressure before the inlet valve. Although I don't really know anything about this, i'm just guessing as I go along, hehe.

Actually, while writing this, I realised how much this process is just like how a bong works (Not that I've ever touched one, I wasn't born in the 70's :P). I looked it up on wikipedia and found a process called Gas Washing. There's not that much information on it, but I'm guessing that it works by forcing air into the water, and letting it rise upwards and outwards through an outlet.

Maybe this link, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venturi_scrubber , might prove useful. Honestly I haven't even read it, It's time for bed I think. But knock yourself out.

Catya.

If the vacuum tube extends into the water, it will try to suck the water up and may even succeed. If however, the vacuum tube operates in a chamber above the water, then it will draw air through the water and through the vacuum (although water probably isn't the best filtration medium).

Some automotive and commercial truck air filters used this principle although they drew the air through an oil bath and not water. Many people would be familiar with the early VW Beetle oil bath air filter.

Originally Posted by Woodwould

If the vacuum tube extends into the water, it will try to suck the water up and may even succeed. If however, the vacuum tube operates in a chamber above the water, then it will draw air through the water and through the vacuum (although water probably isn't the best filtration medium).

Some automotive and commercial truck air filters used this principle although they drew the air through an oil bath and not water. Many people would be familiar with the early VW Beetle oil bath air filter.

In this case, you'd be filtering air after it's been through the pickup phase. If the water filter is the last step before releasing it to the atmosphere at large then there's no risk of harm by ingesting water.

It occurs to me an evaporative aircon should make a fine air washer. The cooled, humid exhalations should be pretty clean of dust.

I think Dad's 1950s Fordson Major diesel had an oil-bath air cleaner, but I was pretty young to me taking much in. I think the oil bath's purpose was to keep the filter wet, I can't imagine air going through a shallow bath would get cleaned very much, most of the air would escape contact with the oil.

Originally Posted by Johncs

I think Dad's 1950s Fordson Major diesel had an oil-bath air cleaner, but I was pretty young to me taking much in. I think the oil bath's purpose was to keep the filter wet, I can't imagine air going through a shallow bath would get cleaned very much, most of the air would escape contact with the oil.

I can't speak for your Dad's Fordson Major, but several of my '67 and earlier VWs' filters contained nothing but oil - no paper element. The amount of dirt the oil trapped was phenomenal.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

So simple; so good.

A simple refinement that would not affect its efficiency but ......

Avondale thanked for this post

First time that I have been thanked for a post sixteen years ago. Glad it is still helpful.

Why not?

I often read ancient posts, especially the ones that appear under current ones responding to key words or phrases I guess.
I’m often tempted to ‘like’ or thank but don’t because they’re so old.
Theres so much useful info on here if you’ve the time and inclination to peruse it.
H.

Old saying "Praise where praise is due"
I have a perfectly good wheelie bin minus the lid.
Thought it'd make a perfect receptacle for wood shavings.
Searched here for wheelie bin and voila

Agree, these old threads can be very useful.

Seeing this has been commented, if anyone has anything new to add to bring latest innovations I'd welcome thanks

I like the practicality of the wheelie bin idea but see one huge barrier for most considering this idea - the sheer bulk and weight of a full wheelie bin of fine sawdust especially considering the difference in shavings now produced by helical cutter heads. How do you manage that, especially for the not so young wood worker.

Many councils now have rubbish collection trucks that are fitted with numerous sensors and even cameras to detect what is in the rubbish, particularly prohibited materials. I have seen wheelie bins in our street replaced on the kerb unemptied i.e. still full because they exceeded a weight limit or some other such criteria.

Our council will not accept sawdust as "green waste" even if it is only coarse shavings, nor will it accept it at transfer stations as "general waste," but will accept it in "small quantities" in "general waste wheelie bins" for domestic collection only so the only option for suburban hobbyists is small quantities. Or you could pay for an industrial waste pickup then that raises other significant questions - are you conducting a business???

Not an issue if you have an outlet for your waste such as a horse stable or you are on a rural lot and can self manage the waste in compliance with local bylaws.

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

I like the practicality of the wheelie bin idea but see one huge barrier for most considering this idea - the sheer bulk and weight of a full wheelie bin of fine sawdust especially considering the difference in shavings now produced by helical cutter heads. How do you manage that, especially for the not so young wood worker.

I'd just wheel outside and add to the mulched native garden.
I appreciate the dilemma if no such option.
One of the things that attracted me to the idea was it's portability.
I'd been mulling for a while. All the time looking at this bin begging to be used.