Andrew Pritchard Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 My previous ShopVac system had a trashcan separator which would collect dust and so on, but the hand plane shavings were too big for the 2.5" pipe and would quickly clog the system up. I recently added a small 1HP DC to my shop which has a completely different problem. The handplane shavings now get sucked up, and either wrap themselves round the impeller which reduces it's effectiveness, or they float up into the filter bag and get trapped there instead. I added a trashcan separator to the DC, but it hasn't cure my handplane shaving problem. Worse, the new DC is so much more effective at sucking than my ShopVac system, even chips from my jointer end up in the dust collector not the trashcan. At least old nails, screws and off cuts of wood are ending up in the trashcan rather than dinging the impeller. Would adding a cyclone help with my handplane shaving problem? I will probably build one anyway, but it's a case of prioritization of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post T-astragal Posted August 6, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 I want to see your hand plane with a dust collector hose fit up. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Problem solved! http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=69302&cat=1,42401 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-astragal Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 I was joking! Holy cow I've seen it all now. Half the fun of hand planing is sweeping up piles of shavings. Why on earth would you want to inhibit a hand plane with a hose? I think it's a way to extract $$ out of your pocket not dust from your plane. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted August 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Sadly the NFTS is an April Fools joke from a 2012. I am surprised they've not actually marketed it though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 If your current seperator is one of those 'elbow in, straight out' trash can lid things, then a cyclone will surely be an improvement. However, hand plane shavings are light enough in relation to their surface area that they will still be pulled through fairly often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 My dust deputy filters out 99% of the dust and 5% of plane shavings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted August 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 If your current seperator is one of those 'elbow in, straight out' trash can lid things, then a cyclone will surely be an improvement. However, hand plane shavings are light enough in relation to their surface area that they will still be pulled through fairly often. That's what I'd figured. Surface area to volume ratio is huge for these damn things. I wouldn't mind so much except cleaning out the impeller is a pain. It's a a 2nd hand DC, and the previous owner had already removed the grate over the impeller opening, though that's probably something I'd do anyway. I need to file off the remaining stubs of metal on the inside of the impeller housing as I invariably scratch my wrist when I reach inside. My dust deputy filters out 99% of the dust and 5% of plane shavings. ok - so this is probably not a problem that's going to be fixed by a cyclone then. As previously mentioned, a cyclone will be an improvement anyway, but this is not the solution to fix this particular problem. I'm wondering if there's a way to put a course cloth bag - perhaps burlap - inline with the floor sweep I'm planning on putting into the DC system. That way the big shavings will get caught in the bag before they reach the trash collector/cyclone. Alternatively, go old school and use a dustpan and brush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TerryMcK Posted August 7, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 http://www.harrisvictory.com/pa3002-lily-brown-dustpan-brush-set/ 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Honestly, i would just pick up the heavy stuff by hand and then vacuum the rest. I've clogged the dc a few times and it sucks having to fix it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 For hand planing, I like to just put a trash can at the end of the bench. Shavings mostly fall in at the end of each stroke. Reduces dependency on the dustpan by maybe 80%. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Tarbell Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 I have built and used two different thien dust separators. One was in a metal trashcan and the other was in a 55gal plastic drum. The trash can had a problem with shavings whereas the larger 55gal model handles them wonderfully. Since the 55gal is significantly taller and wider, i decided to scale the baffle to match. I specifically mean that i made the cutout around the edge of the baffle have a wider gap between the baffle and the wall of the drum (about 2.5 inches). This allows those larger shavings to fall down below the baffle without a problem. I kept the baffle as close to the top of the drum as possible (about 4 inches). This allows for a ton of centrifugal force for the shavings and i've yet to have any pass through to the shopvac. It even tolerates that I always let the shavings pile up on the floor and then vacuum them all at once. Due to shavings being so long and whispy, I don't recommend using a dust deputy (or any other smaller cyclone) to collect them. It seems too probable that the wavy nature of the shaving will cause some piece of it to bend inward toward the outlet and thus get sucked back out of the cyclone before it reached the bottom. Cyclones do best with things that have lower air resistance to mass ratio. I'd imagine that if you sucked up a pile of feathers that you'd end up with most of them in your vac. Shavings are similar in that they have a low mass due to being so thin, but high air resistance due to their wide, flat surface. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richimage Posted September 4, 2014 Report Share Posted September 4, 2014 Agree with Bill, I posted some info on the dust collection forum on what I did to change my HF collector from one stage (debris hitting the impeller) to Thein separator. I'll post one picture here so you get the overall idea, it seems to be quite efficient, my barrel filled up in one weekend of my brother-in-law and I doing a bit of jointing and thickness planing! I still need to get the output up to a pipe going out (I live in a rural area so can exhaust outside) and seal the joints for more suction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgaron Posted September 8, 2014 Report Share Posted September 8, 2014 For hand planing, I like to just put a trash can at the end of the bench. Shavings mostly fall in at the end of each stroke. Reduces dependency on the dustpan by maybe 80%. Any other solution is overkill. Clog your hose once and you've already spent more time with the vacuum than if you used the broom... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Don't have room for the can at the end of the bench. I just sweep it into the yard. (neighbors still know it was me, though.) Don't have many shavings, so it doesn't bug them much, but it drives the geese nuts. (Probably why the neighbors haven't complained about the shavings...) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Geese can be mean and nasty to have around. A big aggressive bird that leaves large slippery droppings everywhere! No thank you . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DaveT Posted September 16, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 Geese can be mean and nasty to have around. A big aggressive bird that leaves large slippery droppings everywhere! No thank you . But they taste nice and the fat is excellent for roast potatoes... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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