Cyclones
#21
(06-26-2020, 10:36 PM)lincmercguy Wrote: "However, you can find deals used. I picked up a used Oneida and ducting for MUCH less than it was new."

Yeah, if I found that deal I'd jump on it in a second.

Any opinions on the Clear Vue Cyclone - 5 hp and less money than Oneida?  Thanks.
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#22
I have an older (mid-'90s) Oneida and they had absolutely no idea what they were doing when they designed it. Their designs are totally different now. Given the timing of what I have observed in the home cyclone market, Bill Pence and Clearvue seem to have been very influential in what we can buy from other companies now.  I have thought about putting a ramp in mine to get the heavy stuff to separate better, but it seems to do the job now that I have removed the filter from inside the cyclone.  That modification to the laguna is really interesting, that's not the first thing I would think about doing to a cyclone.

eta: the laguna video made me worry about how much was getting past the cyclone bin, so I checked it for the first time since I did the modification. The answer is that almost nothing is going past the bin. I recently saw a cyclone like mine for sale for $150. I think the mods I did cost me $250, got a new filter from Penn State Industries and a bit of ducting from home depot. And then some scrap plywood to reduce the ridiculous tip clearances in the fan.
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#23
(06-27-2020, 07:42 AM)fptahoe Wrote: Any opinions on the Clear Vue Cyclone - 5 hp and less money than Oneida?  Thanks.

I’m a fan, though by proxie.  I built my own cyclone separator to the Pentz plans, and it works extremely well.  Wood flour from sanding ends up in the separator can, with no visible dust in the snow in the window well where I exhaust it (no filters).  

The Clear Vue is supposedly based on the Pentz design, so should work just as well.  They also now have a metal version, I believe, which is desirable if it’s outdoors.  

5 hp with a much larger impeller would result in improved air flow over my “2 hp HFDC” blower, which I opened up for increased flow and mounted on top of the cyclone unit.  And you can’t hurt the motor by choking down the air flow (increased restriction reduces both flow and motor load), so there’s no harm in having more motor than you can use, though larger hoses and ducts means you’d use more of what it can do.
Tom

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#24
(06-27-2020, 07:42 AM)fptahoe Wrote: Any opinions on the Clear Vue Cyclone - 5 hp and less money than Oneida?  Thanks.

I bought one about 3 years ago to replace my Oneida. I have the 16" impeller and it does deliver incredible air flow. Mine is the polycarbonate model, they introduced a steel one not long after I bought mine...had i known they were doing that I may have waited and bought the steel one. Not so much a durability thing, the PC one has done quite well...but it's loud. I would think the steel one would be just a little quieter. Anyway, mine is the 1800 since I figured it was way more than enough for a hobbyist shop. I'm really happy with it, other than the noise...it runs at 94 db by itself.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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#25
I built my cyclone from a kit that was based on plans from Pentz. I powered it with two of HF's famous dust collectors connected in parallel. I got rid of the filter after discovering that almost nothing made it past the cyclone. I exhaust directly outside with no problems at all. I made my ducts with 5" PVC. The system sucks really great and I'm super happy with it and would do it exactly the same if I ever needed another dust collector.
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#26
I also discovered today that my bin is more than half full.  Most of that came from my tablesaw, which I was using without dust collection because my cyclone wasn't working.  It wasn't working because it was full of sawdust.  Doh!

I have everything I need for a bin full warning system, just have to wire it up.

I would like to have a way of dropping the bin, preferably onto wheels.  The laguna looked like it had something like that.
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#27
(06-26-2020, 08:46 AM)lincmercguy Wrote: I've been thinking off and on about upgrading to a cyclone from my 2HP Grizzly DC since I'm not in my low-ceiling garage anymore. There's a used Jet cyclone not too far away, but I've read that they aren't the best design. I've also been looking at the Laguna C-flux.  They seem to get good reviews. I think the local Woodcraft has one in stock, but the site says call to verify. Thoughts on either?

I have the CFlux.  It works well at collecting all the dust chips.  The only thing I complain about is the dust barrel isn't big enough.  If I'm running a lot of lumber through my jointer and planer it seems like I'm emptying the dust bin every time I turn around.  Otherwise, this is a great machine.
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#28
I know that the Grizzly cyclones don't have a huge following but I have a Grizzly 2HP CYCLONE G0440 that is more than 10 years old. It's a beast for my small shop and the separation is excellent. I have zero regrets with the purchase as at it performs excellent with whatever ductwork my tools require at the time (there has been several changes over the years). I run 6" mains and 4" drops to my tools. IIRC the filters it comes with have improved over the years but even my old versions perform very very well at capturing even the finest dust according to my Dylos particle counter. It's hard to believe the list price is now $1325... I think I paid $750 for mine. LOL

IIRC there was a squabble with Pentz or maybe Oneida about the fact Grizzly reverse engineered their cyclone design from someone else's plans/models. I don't really remember all the details but someone was upset with how much Grizzly's design resembled their own.
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#29
I forgot about Grizzly. The price is good with the sale now.
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#30
(06-27-2020, 06:13 PM)Lumber Yard® Wrote: IIRC there was a squabble with Pentz or maybe Oneida about the fact Grizzly reverse engineered their cyclone design from someone else's plans/models. I don't really remember all the details but someone was upset with how much Grizzly's design resembled their own.

That's exactly what happened...Grizzly pretty much copied the Pentz design on some of the cyclone bodies with no recompense to Pentz. Not all of them follow the design but I'm pretty sure the 3 HP does, and maybe others. That includes the body dimensions, the internal air ramp and neutral vane along with the other details.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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