Comments on: Building the 5-Gallon Thien Separator http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks/2008/06/27/building-the-5_gallon-thien-separator/ Woodworking Knowledge, Skill Development, Discussion Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:41:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: woodworking http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks/2008/06/27/building-the-5_gallon-thien-separator/#comment-84 woodworking Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:26:06 +0000 http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks/2008/06/27/building-the-5_gallon-thien-separator/#comment-84 Excellent article! I have been using my shop vac for some time now for dust collection. I was using the vacuum to collect the dust made from making raised panel doors out of mdf on my router table and was very frequently having to stop work to clean a dust clogged filter, so I removed the filter and let the dust blow straight through the vacuum. I aimed the exhaust of the vacuum out the back of my shop, and it looks as though a saw dust bomb went off. I really don't want to use the vacuum this way anymore. I am definitely going to give this 5-gallon thien separator a try. Thanks for the excellently written article. Excellent article! I have been using my shop vac for some time now for dust collection. I was using the vacuum to collect the dust made from making raised panel doors out of mdf on my router table and was very frequently having to stop work to clean a dust clogged filter, so I removed the filter and let the dust blow straight through the vacuum. I aimed the exhaust of the vacuum out the back of my shop, and it looks as though a saw dust bomb went off. I really don’t want to use the vacuum this way anymore.
I am definitely going to give this 5-gallon thien separator a try.

Thanks for the excellently written article.

]]> By: Rick http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks/2008/06/27/building-the-5_gallon-thien-separator/#comment-48 Rick Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:16:46 +0000 http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks/2008/06/27/building-the-5_gallon-thien-separator/#comment-48 Hi Rob, Great site you have here, and this dust collector project you have so well documented is a tribute to your espertise. I was refered here from the Woodnet. On the Thien seperator. I built one for my Delta 50-760 1.5 hp DC. I must say, I have never been so impressed with such a simple modification and easy to build gadget, that worked marvelously. It not only protects my impeller from big items that get sucked up, but it is definitely soooo much more efficient than just using the DC by itself. It has made my DC so efficient, I no longer even think about buying those expensive cyclone type DC. Best of luck on your other projects and I will stop by often to see what your up to. Rick Hi Rob, Great site you have here, and this dust collector project you have so well documented is a tribute to your espertise. I was refered here from the Woodnet. On the Thien seperator. I built one for my Delta 50-760 1.5 hp DC. I must say, I have never been so impressed with such a simple modification and easy to build gadget, that worked marvelously. It not only protects my impeller from big items that get sucked up, but it is definitely soooo much more efficient than just using the DC by itself. It has made my DC so efficient, I no longer even think about buying those expensive cyclone type DC. Best of luck on your other projects and I will stop by often to see what your up to. Rick

]]> By: Rob http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks/2008/06/27/building-the-5_gallon-thien-separator/#comment-46 Rob Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:50:12 +0000 http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks/2008/06/27/building-the-5_gallon-thien-separator/#comment-46 Hi Chris, and Andy, Chris, your comments are right on. The lid by itself is useless. I tested and found the same issues you did, but, the lid has good bones. Your method of cutting off and moving one of the hose bosses to the center works. Main thing being, do as you like but the the lid must seal and the outlet to vacuum must come out of the center of the lid, or you've got nothing. I outlined the why of that in both my articles. Andy, you just made the cost of building the 5-Gallon Thien Separator $12.00 cheaper. That is exactly the same lid. It will save future builders a bunch of money. To be sure, this thing is so cheap for what it does, it nearly makes me laugh. You'll have Maybe $20 in it if you use an HF lid. You could make a plywood lid and two of the router fence fittings I used as an alternative as well. Just a scaled down version of Phil's full size design. All paths will lead to a Shop Vac that won't lose suction from filter clogging for a long time. Thanks a lot for the great comments guys! Rob Hi Chris, and Andy,

Chris, your comments are right on. The lid by itself is useless. I tested and found the same issues you did, but, the lid has good bones. Your method of cutting off and moving one of the hose bosses to the center works. Main thing being, do as you like but the the lid must seal and the outlet to vacuum must come out of the center of the lid, or you’ve got nothing. I outlined the why of that in both my articles.

Andy, you just made the cost of building the 5-Gallon Thien Separator $12.00 cheaper. That is exactly the same lid. It will save future builders a bunch of money. To be sure, this thing is so cheap for what it does, it nearly makes me laugh. You’ll have Maybe $20 in it if you use an HF lid. You could make a plywood lid and two of the router fence fittings I used as an alternative as well. Just a scaled down version of Phil’s full size design. All paths will lead to a Shop Vac that won’t lose suction from filter clogging for a long time.

Thanks a lot for the great comments guys!

Rob

]]> By: Andy http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks/2008/06/27/building-the-5_gallon-thien-separator/#comment-45 Andy Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:56:54 +0000 http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks/2008/06/27/building-the-5_gallon-thien-separator/#comment-45 Thanks for the very detailed write-up! Very helpful. I'm definitely planning to make one of these sometime. I just thought I'd share that I found a dust collector lid on HF's website that looks suspiciously similar to Woodcraft's model, for $7.99: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=9586 (Item #9586-0VGA) Andy Thanks for the very detailed write-up! Very helpful. I’m definitely planning to make one of these sometime. I just thought I’d share that I found a dust collector lid on HF’s website that looks suspiciously similar to Woodcraft’s model, for $7.99:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=9586
(Item #9586-0VGA)

Andy

]]> By: Chris http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks/2008/06/27/building-the-5_gallon-thien-separator/#comment-44 Chris Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:12:18 +0000 http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks/2008/06/27/building-the-5_gallon-thien-separator/#comment-44 I have one of these 5 gallon separator lids, and it is a useless as sold. I converted it to a Thien separator following your example. I just cut off the existing outlet and moved it to the middle, glued with PL 200, and installed the baffle as you show. I have been using it for a week, on my router table, cleaning up after hand tools etc, and just opened the vac for the first time to empty it, and found it nearly empty with, very little dust on the filter! Flow is definitely better, too. Thanks to you and Phil Thien for coming up with an inexpensive, compact separator that really works. I have one of these 5 gallon separator lids, and it is a useless as sold. I converted it to a Thien separator following your example. I just cut off the existing outlet and moved it to the middle, glued with PL 200, and installed the baffle as you show. I have been using it for a week, on my router table, cleaning up after hand tools etc, and just opened the vac for the first time to empty it, and found it nearly empty with, very little dust on the filter! Flow is definitely better, too. Thanks to you and Phil Thien for coming up with an inexpensive, compact separator that really works.

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