Anyone make their own DC
#11
The DC we are using is just not good enough for the lathe or other tools we use.

If a person used a 1hp motor but used a bigger fan would that help create better vacuum or whatever it is called?

Also I am so sick and tired of changing the plastic bag that seems to get full in no time.

We would also like to keep the filter from collecting dust so fast so maybe somehow making a Cyclonic action better?


Anyone have an idea just what we need or how to do what I am asking?

Thank you in advance

Arlin

O and I did see another persons ClearVue and it is very nice but out of my price range.
As of this time I am not teaching vets to turn. Also please do not send any items to me without prior notification.  Thank You Everyone.

It is always the right time, to do the right thing.
Reply
#12
with some help I made my cyclone using a motor from a 3hp DC I had.

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. - Philip K. Dick

Mark

Reply
#13
What are you using now?

There are several pretty low cost DC's out there that should easily handle what comes off a lathe. A 1 HP unit typically can move about 500 cfm and that should be plenty for a lathe if you have a hood positioned to catch the chips and dust. They cost less than $200. For around $300 you can get a 1.5 to 2 HP DC that will move 1000 - 1400 cfm. I have a 2 HP unit and it does my entire shop. Trying to build your own DC seems like a difficult proposition unless you already have a motor, fan, and housing, or can get them at very low cost.

The cheapest cyclone I know of is either a home built or a trash can that you can add a molded lid to that spins out the chips. Fine dust will still go through a cyclone, however; that's what the bags are for. I shake the bags on mine every day or two to clear them and that helps maintain good airflow.

No matter the system, the chips and dust are going to go somewhere and you still have to clean out whatever they go into.

John
Reply
#14
Probably the cheapest solution is Phil Thein's trash can baffle. You can build it yourself with very little cost ( a trash can two elbows and some scrap ply.

this is a video of one in Stumpy nubs not enough instructions but shows how it looks at least

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5ThuUzv1rE

and if you have not already figured it out already the Lathe is the worst tool to collect dust off of. Even this improvement ( or one that costs upward of 5K) is not going to do much to improve the DC
Let us not seek the Republican Answer , or the Democratic answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future  John F. Kennedy 



Reply
#15
Mark

I would need more info on that.


John

Right now I have a 1hp Penn State Ind DC with 5" inlet.

We also use the 15" Grizzly planner, 6" Grizzly Jointer, and the Cabinet saw the VA bought me along with a 17" 5hp bandsaw too they gave me.

If I had a little bigger maybe 2 or 3 hp motor I could make a good hood for the Lathe. But I was hopping that my 1hp motor could be hooked up to a larger fan blade to create more suction.

I will try anything with help.

Arlin
As of this time I am not teaching vets to turn. Also please do not send any items to me without prior notification.  Thank You Everyone.

It is always the right time, to do the right thing.
Reply
#16
Thanks for the link to Stumpys. I have not seen that one and I know he charges more $$$$'s then I can afford for his things although it is worth it.

Arlin
As of this time I am not teaching vets to turn. Also please do not send any items to me without prior notification.  Thank You Everyone.

It is always the right time, to do the right thing.
Reply
#17
search thein DC mod on google

You can make it all yourself.
Let us not seek the Republican Answer , or the Democratic answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future  John F. Kennedy 



Reply
#18
Arlin, you can't use a larger fan on your 1 HP motor, at least not one much larger. The more air you move the more amps (power) the motor draws. If you use too large a fan you will burn out the motor.

If you can't afford a larger DC, you should work to maximize the airflow through your current system (while staying within the amp. limits of your motor) and minimize the amount of air it needs to pull to do a good job. That means use filters that minimize the pressure drop. You can do that by using a much larger bag on it than the OE one. American Fabric Filter Co. can make you a custom sized bag that will give you maximum flow (cfm) while still collecting whatever size particle you want, 2 micron for example. OK, that's the best you can do on the flow side of things. On the other side, you want to minimize how much air you need to move. That means using as large a pipe and/or hose as possible while still moving the dust at about 3500 fpm (I think), and eliminating all the leaks in your piping, hoses, fittings, etc. For a 500 CFM DC that means your main pipe should be 5" in diameter. It also means using fittings that pull the chips and dust from as close as where they are produced as possible. You planer and jointer should have dust chutes available from Grizzly. If they have any leaks you should seal them up. If they are completely inadequate you would have to build something better or find someone who's already done so and copy what they did. Same thing for your cabinet saw and bandsaw. There are lots of poor DC concepts when it comes to both those pieces of equipment, but there are few good ones, too. The best advise I can give you is to collect the chips and dust as close as possible to where they are generated because it minimizes how much air is required to do it. A 4" hose in the back of a cabinet is about as poor as it gets, yet that's what you see on many old design saws. Look at the new saws how they use a shroud around the blade to capture the chips and dust and you'll see what I'm talking about. Same thing with bandsaws. A port in the back of the lower wheel housing is not going to be very efficient, although they do work if you have enough CFM which you don't. Dust collection fittings that fit right up under the lower wheel guides are what I'm talking about.

For your lathe you need to buy or build some kind of hood that is as small as possible and sits as close as possible to the work. This maximizes the velocity of the air and minimizes the amount of air that needs to be handled. A piece of 6" PVC pipe cut in half fit up almost around your stock, with one end blocked off and the other connected to your DC hose might be something along the right idea.

Your problems won't go away by installing a cyclone, although that will reduce the time interval for cleaning the bag. Spend you time and money on the things above first.

John
Reply
#19
just search Bill Pentz cyclone, there are lots of info out there on making it.

I had help from Bill himself, so it was proly a bit easier for me.

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. - Philip K. Dick

Mark

Reply
#20
I turned my crummy little DC into a cyclone using information from Bill Pence's site. It worked a lot better. In the end, a garbage can pre-seperator gives you almost all the benefit you are going to get unless you do a lot of work making a good cyclone.
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)

Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.