Building a cyclone to fit my needs

Alan Bienlein

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I finally made the decision to replace the so called dust collector in my shop with something that actually works. The current project I've been working on has alot of mdf in it and I would be wondering why I was always waking up in the morning all stuffed up. In my research on this I found out my current dc wasn't getting the job done.

When I joined this forum I came across Stu's website and clicked on his cyclone build which really got me interested. I followed the link to Bill Pentz's websit http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm and what I read there made alot of sense. On that website is a link to Clearvue cyclones and I was all set to buy one a week ago. But as luck would have it my central a/c went up and it had to be replaced so the cyclone was on hold again.

I did a little more research and found out if I build it myself I could have the CV1800 max for about 2/3's the cost of the CV1800. I e-mailed Bill with some questions and in a very timely manner he replied back. I ordered the 5 hp Leeson motor from the link in his website along with the 16" impeller and relay from Clearvue.

I spent $353 on the motor,$319 for the impeller and relay and $86 for 2 4' x 10' sheets of 24 ga sheetmetal. You only need one sheet but I have some other projects on my todo list. I figure I can build the cyclone for under $1000 and get a product that works and fits in the space I have. Whenthe motor and Impeller arrive I will be posting pictures of my build for anyone interested.
 
Way to go Alan!

I'm sure you can do this, heck if I can do it down in a hole in the ground in Tokyo, anyone can :D

A couple things I'll suggest right from the start, good heavy leather gloves, get a good pair and use them, the steel is sharp! :eek:

Buy one of these......

makita_MK-JS1300_L.jpg
Makita MK-JS1300

You should be able to find one for less than $200, but buy a good one, as the cheap ones do not last, they wear out.

Look used too, there are lots of other good brands, Milwaukee makes a nice one, IIRC.

Trust me, one of these will save your hands!

Best of luck, take pics, I'll be watching this one Alan! :thumb: :wave:
 
Thanks Stu. I thought i hit the jackpot yesterday when one of my subcontractors said he had some 5 hp 3 phase motors I could have for free. It would have been worth to try and build a rotary phase converter and I even looked into the static phase converters but all the motors were only 1740 rpm:(. Thats when I made up my mind just to order the correct motor.
 
Well The motor will arrive on tuesday the 26 and clearvue just shipped out the impeller and relay today. Iunrolled the metal and started to do a rough layout with a black sharpie to make sure it all fits where I layed the parts out
5-20-09 006 (800 x 600).jpg5-20-09 007 (800 x 600).jpg
In the second drawing is a 8.5 x 11 drawing of the parts with dimensions. Bill has a link on his website so you can download a copy to microsoft excel and he provides certain areas you can change to fit the size of your motor.

This picture is a full scale drawing also made available on Bill's website and is sized for a 14" impeller. Since I'm using a 16" impeller I have to increase the dimensions by14% to get the correct size housing.
5-20-09 008 (800 x 600).jpg

Now I'm off to do the actual layout. I used the black marker as a layout dye to scribe my actual layout lines on. Any suggestions or Ideas would be appreciated.
 
Alan nothing against doing this but when I look at the great work you do and think of the value of your time and see the money you already have sunk into this just for material then you only have $550 dollars and 3 hours left to complete it and you could have had one of these.:D

http://www.oneida-air.com/gorilla_3hp.php

Only $1550.

But I can understand the enjoyment of making your own tools. :)

Hey what about the filter costs. This one includes a good filter.
 
Thats including tha cost of both filters plus this will fit in a smaller space. I never did mind making my own stuff if I could and save me money also. Look at it this way, the other $550 that cyclone would cost me I can put that money into my ductwork.:thumb:

I just reread your post Rob and I figured I could build the complete cyclone Including the filters for under a $1000.
 
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I know I could start a lively discussion here, but that Oneida unit is just simply not work as well as a Pentz designed unit, just not going to happen, sorry :D :wave:
 
the absolute best practice to remove dust is a large impeller that exhausts outdoors;)
(even bill pentz agrees)
 
the absolute best practice to remove dust is a large impeller that exhausts outdoors;)
(even bill pentz agrees)


Hey Todd

I am sure my NN next door would love to see me do that.:D He has already had the Ministry of Enviroment knocking at my door.:rofl::rofl:.
They were looking for the bag house he reported.:dunno: Left when they saw my small setup and no bag house.
 
This picture is a full scale drawing also made available on Bill's website and is sized for a 14" impeller. Since I'm using a 16" impeller I have to increase the dimensions by14% to get the correct size housing.
View attachment 32607

Hmmm, that drawing looks somewhat familiar, probably because I drew it a long time ago (Aug '03 thru Oct '04). ;) IIRC it is drawn for a 5.625Hx7W exhaust. Really, it would be better to redraw the spiral for the 16" to match your exhaust.

I also have the drawings for a 6 or 8" dia to 4.5x9 transition (this is the incoming to the cyclone, round to rectangle).

I know I could start a lively discussion here, but that Oneida unit is just simply not work as well as a Pentz designed unit, just not going to happen, sorry :D :wave:

Agreed
 
Hmmm, that drawing looks somewhat familiar, probably because I drew it a long time ago (Aug '03 thru Oct '04). ;) IIRC it is drawn for a 5.625Hx7W exhaust. Really, it would be better to redraw the spiral for the 16" to match your exhaust.

I also have the drawings for a 6 or 8" dia to 4.5x9 transition (this is the incoming to the cyclone, round to rectangle).

Ed I planned on increasing the dimensions of this drawing by 14% to accept the 16" impeller. Bill said in an e-mail that for the 15" impeller you increaseit by 7% so I did a little math and came up with 14% for the 16" impeller.
 
Yes you can do that ... but then the exhaust will no longer be sized to accept a squished 8" dia duct (5.625x7"). ;)

Edit: it's not really a big deal. My airfoil has a 10" exhaust. You'll just need to make 1 more transition. :)
 
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The circumference of an 8" duct, from 2r x pi, is ~25.132. Measuring "around" the 5.625 x 7 outlet is 25.25. So if one were to "fold & mutilate" one end of an 8" duct it is possible to make it fit the outlet.
 
Originally Posted by tod evans
the absolute best practice to remove dust is a large impeller that exhausts outdoors
(even bill pentz agrees)
That is what I do. I have a 8' square box that it blows into. It also has two 8" Air ports.;)

I would do that if it wern't for the fact that my shop has heat and a/c. I'd be sucking all that money out the exhaust.
 
Well the motor, impeller and relay are here at the ups in houston but they won't let me go and pick it up. What a bummer. Oh well I guess I'll just be content working on the cyclone itself. Will be posting more pictures shortly.

Here are some pictures of the build. The first I'm starting to cut out the pieces
5-22-09 015 (800 x 600).jpg
I did the layout by making a wide line with a sharpie in the area I wanted and used a scribe to make a line to cut to.
5-22-09 016 (450 x 600).jpg
I ended up using a angle grinder with a thin metal cutting blade to cut out the pieces. I tried the snips but this was far easier and way faster. I used the welders helmet for a face sheild.
5-22-09 017 (800 x 600).jpg
Formed the lower cone. It took about 30 minutes and I temporarily screwed it together so I could finish forming it with a hammer and dolly.
5-22-09 018 (800 x 600).jpg5-22-09 019 (800 x 600).jpg
Here are 3 more pieces cut to size. I still have to cut out the inlet in the upper cylinder.
5-22-09 020 (800 x 600).jpg
And here is the air ramp rough cut for right now. This was the first piece I tried to cut out with the snips and gave up and switched to the angle grinder.
5-22-09 021 (800 x 600).jpg
 
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