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12-19-2012, 12:27 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Heidelberg, Germany
Posts: 182
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DIY shopvac cyclone separator
I guess most of you have a proper manly shopvac. I don't. And I was tired of buying new dust bags. So a few months ago I searched for self-made separators and found this: http://www.jpthien.com/cy.htm
Decided to build my own, using a planter from IKEA, some plywood from my lathe's shipping crate, and a set of casters that were supposed to go under the second work bench which I never built. Here is the lower baffle sitting in the bucket (edit: Pierre pointed out that the drop slot in the original design is 240 degrees, while mine is 120 degrees -- this was not intentional, it's an oversight):
And the whole assembly. The PVC fittings are glued in with hot glue:
I placed everything on a small trolley so that I can move it around the shop:
I've used the thing for about half a year now, and I love it. Virtually everything stays in the bucket. Nothing makes it to the dust bag. Saw dust, chips, swarf from drilling ... you name it. 
__________________
Hendrik
Club-Libelle: flying
RV-8: on hold (new job  , new home  , no workshop (yet)  )
Last edited by hendrik : 12-25-2012 at 11:46 AM.
Reason: Updated link, comment about size of drop slot
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12-19-2012, 01:18 PM
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Forum Peruser
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Austinville, Alabama
Posts: 2,458
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Small portable cyclone separator
Very nice design! There are some subtleties in your design that need not be overlooked. I assume you used 120 degrees for the length of the drop slot. How did you determine the width of the drop slot? Did you ratio the areas from the linked design? The location of the elbow relative to the drop slot seems important. I notice your elbow is not in contact with the lower baffle, whereas the linked photo and text plainly describe the elbow just touching both the baffle and the side. Is this of any consequence?
I like your design. I have some experience with installing cyclone collectors in an industrial plant many years ago and have been intrigued by them since. But I never thought they were practical on such a small scale. Thanks for sharing with us.
__________________
Don Hull
RV-7 Wings
KDCU Pryor Field
Pilots'n Paws Pilot
N79599/ADS-B In and Out...and I like it!
?Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights;
it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." Miriam Beard
Last edited by rv7boy : 12-20-2012 at 12:53 PM.
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12-19-2012, 01:37 PM
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Senior Curmudgeon
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Dayton Airpark, NV A34
Posts: 15,420
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I would think a curved baffle between the intake and exhaust ports would make the swirl a lot stronger.
Baffle needs to start at the end of the 90* fitting on the intake, and stop at the beginning of the drop slot. Basically follows the arc of the threaded bolts, height to touch both discs,
__________________
Mike Starkey
VAF 909
Rv-10, N210LM.
Flying as of 12/4/2010
Phase 1 done, 2/4/2011 
Sold after 240+ wonderful hours of flight.
"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it."
Last edited by Mike S : 12-19-2012 at 01:39 PM.
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12-20-2012, 11:45 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 121
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Cool!
Neat idea. Nicely done. I bet it works great.
-David
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David Speyers
CFII, A&P IA
Denton, TX
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12-20-2012, 08:33 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Half Moon Bay, CA
Posts: 1,035
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This is really cool! After reading the post, I spent about an hour reading up on the physics of operation of these things ... very interesting! I'm gonna build one for all those aluminum chips!
__________________
Bill Bencze
N430WB RV-7 #74152 @ KHAF, tip-up; IO-360-M1B; Hartzell CS. !! Phase 1 !!
2357 hrs over 8.5 years to get to flying. Log at: http://rv7.wbencze.com
VAF 2020 donation happily made
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12-21-2012, 11:00 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: NorCal
Posts: 565
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Hey...I'm astonished and jealous of that beautiful wood floor. Is that your shop floor where you build your RV?
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Ralph Finch
RV-9A QB-SA
Davis, CA
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12-21-2012, 12:01 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Louisville, Ga
Posts: 7,840
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Seems to me that your baffle is reversed from the drawings. He has 240 deg of drop slot, where yours has just 120 deg of slot, just the reverse. Or not?
Best,
__________________
Pierre Smith
RV-10, 510 TT
RV6A (Sojourner) 180 HP, Catto 3 Bl (502Hrs), gone...and already missed
Air Tractor AT 502B PT 6-15 Sold
Air Tractor 402 PT-6-20 Sold
EAA Flight Advisor/CFI/Tech Counselor
Louisville, Ga
It's never skill or craftsmanship that completes airplanes, it's the will to do so,
Patrick Kenny, EAA 275132
Dues gladly paid!
Last edited by pierre smith : 12-21-2012 at 12:47 PM.
Reason: sp
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12-21-2012, 12:02 PM
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Forum Peruser
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Austinville, Alabama
Posts: 2,458
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A swirling question
One other question I've pondered...if the cyclone separator were built for use in the southern hemisphere, say in South Africa or in Australia, should the cyclone be in the opposite direction?
Any Coriolis aficionados out there?
__________________
Don Hull
RV-7 Wings
KDCU Pryor Field
Pilots'n Paws Pilot
N79599/ADS-B In and Out...and I like it!
?Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights;
it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." Miriam Beard
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12-21-2012, 12:06 PM
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Forum Peruser
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Austinville, Alabama
Posts: 2,458
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pierre smith
Seems to me that you baffle is reversed from the drawings. He has 240 deg of drop slot, where yours has just 120 deg of slot, just the reverse. Or not?
Best,
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Good eye, Pierre! I believe you are correct! I totally missed this. As I said before there are some design subtleties that should not be overlooked. Hendrik, we need your comment on this since you are the original poster. Was the drop slot change intentional or an oversight?
__________________
Don Hull
RV-7 Wings
KDCU Pryor Field
Pilots'n Paws Pilot
N79599/ADS-B In and Out...and I like it!
?Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights;
it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." Miriam Beard
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12-21-2012, 12:13 PM
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Forum Peruser
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Austinville, Alabama
Posts: 2,458
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Here's a link to a page containing detailed instructions by the original author as well as a discussion page. The photos clearly show 240* of drop slot as Pierre pointed out.
__________________
Don Hull
RV-7 Wings
KDCU Pryor Field
Pilots'n Paws Pilot
N79599/ADS-B In and Out...and I like it!
?Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights;
it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." Miriam Beard
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