Can I use a "cardboard" barrel as a chip collector?

Tom Baugues

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Lafayette, Indiana
Well my plans to do more woodworking have not been going my way. My work schedule just has not left much time or energy for this but I really really want to so I make the time whenever I can. Anyway.....I bought the 2 HP HF dust collector but still have not run any piping to it yet. I cut and sanded a few things in the shop a few weeks ago and the dust is VERY bad in such a small shop so I really want to get it up and working. I also did a lot of reading about dust collection and several of you have offered good advise to me as well. One thing that I read about was adding a "chip" collector to the system. The main reason I want to do this is so I dont have to empty my DC bags. I would like for most of it to go to another container that will be easier to empty. I found this "cardboard" barrel at work and wondered about using it. The inside of the barrel is coated in a wax type coating. Has anyone used a barrel like this or should I just get a trash can and a lid from Rockler?
 

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tom some have used that type of barrel for the chips.. and i think you can make a top with some pvc fittings to get the separator to work, and save you some cash as well loo for some plans on chip separator..what happens is the big stuff stops at the card board barrel and the dust continues on to the filter bags..
 
That's the kind of barrel that came with my Onieda system, with one exception. Mine has a hole and flange in the lid to accept the ducting.

I don't see any problem using that as long as you can figure a way to get the ducting into the barrel.
 
That type of barrel will work very well. Use two PVC or ABS toilet flanges from the hardware store, and a couple of pipe elbows, and you're in business.
 
Wow. This is good to know. These barrels get thrown out all the time at work. I grabbed an extra lid the other day as well so I can screw one up.
Does there need to be a baffle on the inside or is it just an inlet and outlet?

A thein-type baffle would probably be the most efficient, but just having elbows on both the inlet and the outlet - facing in opposite directions - will work quite well.
 
The idea of the chip separator is to make the input spin around the barrel, and as it slows down, the heavier chips drop. The lighter dust is then pulled from the slower part of the stream. In a cyclone the diameter is made progressively smaller, to keep the speed up and carry the chips down, then the air is pulled out of the center where it has practically stopped rotating. With a simple chip separator, it may only get a 1/2 revolution before it is pulled out, but if I were building one, I would look at an inlet that aimed the chips around the outside, and outlet in the center, with a tube that stuck down into the bin a few inches.

I only use my chip separator on the jointer/planer where I make a large volume of chips. Since the chip separator reduces the effectiveness of the suction, I do not use it on the sander, saw, or other devices that make find ugly dust.

Be sure you do not have an air leak in the separator. Not only will it reduce suction from your machine, but it disturbs the airflow, and messes up the dropping process.
 
I have the hf 2hp collector (Love it so far after 2 years) and I was using the bag system that came with mine just like the dust collector I used before. That was a real pain. I have recently rigged something up so I can collect the chips in a regular garbage can with a normal lawn and leaf bag in it. the bag is only to tie up so dust doesn't blow around when I move it or when the trash guys come. I just pull out the full can and put in the spare I have. Its basically a ledge and a riser that the collector body sits on. I have foam rubber in between the collector and the ledge that keeps the air and dust inside the can where it belongs.
 
Be sure you do not have an air leak in the separator. Not only will it reduce suction from your machine, but it disturbs the airflow, and messes up the dropping process.

+100 on this. Every time I get bypass on my Thien setup its because I have a leak in the barrel/connector assembly. Even though my build was fraught with invented-here-isms (I did it my way - which wasn't necessarily the best way..) I get almost zero bypass even with really fine dust - its amazing!
 
My Oneida 3HP Super Dust Gorilla system, I bought with a shorter cardboard barrel and it works well. After emptying the barrel, it's interesting to watch the barrel get lifted off the floor until enough chips fill it to weight it down......
 
Wish I could find one for free or almost free around here.

Check the local recycling center. I picked up a 30g plastic drum (used to hold 6% sodium hypochlorite - aka bleach so it was safe after I flushed it thoroughly with water and washed it out - not with ammonia :thumb:) for free. Its major heavy duty and works fantastically as a chip collector drum. Actually the price was "If you take one, you gotta take two" (the second one is waiting for me to convert it into a composter). Later I snagged an even nicer clear 50g drum (used to hold brewery sanitizer) also free.

Carefully check the label on the side if you do this and if you don't recognize the chemical either give it a pass or carefully look it up. A lot of them are used for cleaners, sanitizers, food products, etc.. but some have held some pretty gnarly chemicals and I'd just avoid those.
 
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