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8K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  bushmaster 
#1 ·
Design and Adapting the Air Filter

Since we're replacing our well pump this week, I won't be buying that spiffy new dust collector this fall that I've been eyeballing. Instead, I opted to modify my current DC, a very humble, very 1-horsepower-ish Shop Fox W1727. The plan is to replace the filter bag with a more efficient pleated canister filter, equip it with a Super Dust Deputy separator, incorporate my iVac remote switch, and build a new base to hold it all. Here's what points A and B look like:



Over the last couple-three weeks, I purchased the 4-inch SDD kit and a Donaldson-equivalent P190818 air filter. I got started this past Sunday with the first phase: adapting the air filter.

The filter is open at both ends, so I made a cap of ¾-inch MDF. The filter is sized to fit nicely in the DC orifice pan but the seal doesn't…seal. So I built an MDF 'donut' on which to mount the filter and equipped it with a bracket and threaded rod to retain the filter/cap. I adhered a ring of thick foam weatherstripping tape in the pan, pressed the donut onto it, and screwed it in place through the sidewalls.



And that's where it stands right now. Next…and I'm not sure how soon I'll get to it…I'll start work on the base.
 
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#4 ·
Minor Update

I took yesterday off to be home for the replacement of my well pump and took some of that time to tinker with the dust collector. I added some foam tape the filter cap and to the outside bottom of the tub, where the clamp secures the dust bag. Much better seal there, now.

While I was emptying the dust bag, I tossed a few handfuls on the floor for an impromptu test. This thing sucks more than it ever has. My guess is the old filter bag had about 25 ft² of surface area. With about 10 times that (254 ft²) I knew, conceptually, that the cartridge filter should dramatically improve performance but I was still surprised with the actually air flow. It's better than brand new.
 
#5 ·
Pieces Parts

I spent part of my Saturday laying out cut lines and making the straight cuts on the table saw. Sunday, I did my bandsaw work, gave the edges a first smoothing, rounded over most of the edges, and did some more work on the caster base. This included trying out my new corner radius jig from Rockler.

Musical instrument Table String instrument Wood Automotive design
 

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#6 ·
A little paint, a few screws...

Progress has been slow thanks to various distractions but I now have the caster base painted with Krylon "Hammered" spray paint, in black to give it a textured, industrial look.

Table Wood Rectangle Wood stain Gas


I also got the initial assembly of the chassis done:

Furniture Wood Wood stain Hardwood Gas


Assembly was good ol' glue and pocket screws. Once the paint on the base has cured completely, I'll set the chassis and dust separator in place to dial in where to mount the cone support. A complication with that is that cones are round in cross section, right? Not this one. My Super Dust Deputy's cone is oval…ish. I may gently take the heat gun to it and try to coax it into shape but worse come to worse, I'll line the cone support with thick foam tape.
 

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#7 ·
Final paint

Finally, some real progress with the tedious finishing process. I put the last coat of paint on the new dust collector chassis:

Automotive design Shelf Wood Engineering Machine


I abandoned my plan for the cone support. It was proving just too finicky. I'll come up with another means of securing the barrel/separator.

The "hammered" spray paint (dark bronze, here) was kind of tricky to apply. It likes a moderately heavy and very wet coat to develop the texture, rather than several thin coats as recommended for other sprays. I made that mistake with the caster base, so it came out with more of a fine orange peal texture but that's okay. I also installed the casters on the base…cuz that's how I roll.

After the paint fully cures, I'll mount it to the base and begin installing the electrical accessories.
 

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#8 ·
Final paint

Finally, some real progress with the tedious finishing process. I put the last coat of paint on the new dust collector chassis:

Automotive design Shelf Wood Engineering Machine


I abandoned my plan for the cone support. It was proving just too finicky. I'll come up with another means of securing the barrel/separator.

The "hammered" spray paint (dark bronze, here) was kind of tricky to apply. It likes a moderately heavy and very wet coat to develop the texture, rather than several thin coats as recommended for other sprays. I made that mistake with the caster base, so it came out with more of a fine orange peal texture but that's okay. I also installed the casters on the base…cuz that's how I roll.

After the paint fully cures, I'll mount it to the base and begin installing the electrical accessories.
Looks good. The hammered stuff really likes a good primed surface to get the hammered look with less coats. That's been my experience with the stuff anyways. Looking forward to your next entry.
 

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#9 ·
Overdue Update - Pretty Much Done

I've been remiss in keeping the blog up to date. I did finally get the chassis primed and painted:



I then mounted it to the base; installed the iVac remote switch and an electrical box; and tried the Super Dust Deputy on for size:





A story about that electrical box: the home centers didn't have a single-receptacle cover for that box, so I bought a blank cover to to modify. I measured the receptacle diameter as 1-3/8", precisely drew my layout lines, chucked up a Forstner bit, and drilled a perfectly centered hole…a 1-5/8" hole. Dangit. I knew I should have bought two. The second attempt came out just fine.

And finally, I disassembled the old dust collector and mounted the corpus and canister filter to the chassis:



I have just one more thing to do: make and install a support for the rear of the filter tub. Other than that, this thing is operational. The towering beastie comes in at 7' 1/8" to the top of the filter cap, not including the screw knob. Still, it doesn't seem the least bit tippy in normal use so far. Even though my "shop" (read, garage) isn't large, the iVac remote gizmo is a welcome convenience.
 

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#10 ·
Overdue Update - Pretty Much Done

I've been remiss in keeping the blog up to date. I did finally get the chassis primed and painted:

Automotive design Shelf Wood Engineering Machine


I then mounted it to the base; installed the iVac remote switch and an electrical box; and tried the Super Dust Deputy on for size:

Audio equipment Gas Cylinder Home theater system Composite material


Wood Gas Circle Machine Metal


A story about that electrical box: the home centers didn't have a single-receptacle cover for that box, so I bought a blank cover to to modify. I measured the receptacle diameter as 1-3/8", precisely drew my layout lines, chucked up a Forstner bit, and drilled a perfectly centered hole…a 1-5/8" hole. Dangit. I knew I should have bought two. The second attempt came out just fine.

And finally, I disassembled the old dust collector and mounted the corpus and canister filter to the chassis:

Engineering Gas Cylinder Nozzle Machine


I have just one more thing to do: make and install a support for the rear of the filter tub. Other than that, this thing is operational. The towering beastie comes in at 7' 1/8" to the top of the filter cap, not including the screw knob. Still, it doesn't seem the least bit tippy in normal use so far. Even though my "shop" (read, garage) isn't large, the iVac remote gizmo is a welcome convenience.
very cool … and also neat garage door LOL GREAT JOB :<))
 

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