LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Project Information

After buying the Harbor Freight 2hp dust collector right after Christmas, I knew I was going to be making some changes to it. First, I dumped the upper bag and added a Wynn 35a filter. Second, I really wanted to put a pre-separator on the unit to keep from having to change the lower bags as often. But, I didn't really have a lot of room in my shop/garage for the can. The Delta 50-760 seemed like a good set up with the can/separator underneath the blower, so I set out to imitate that set up. That led me to build a frame to mount the HFDC motor/blower and raise it up so I can get a can under it. I used 2x material and plywood with a healthy dose of glue and screws for the frame. After some trial and error, I got the unit mounted directly in line with the donut ring. The flex hose is a piece that was cut off of the original 5" hose that came with the unit. The two sides are actually touching, it's just there to ensure a good seal.

Next came the Thien lid on a 30 gallon galvanized trash can. I used the lid that came with the can and just cut holes in it with my dremel. I did add some weather stripping around the edge to get a good seal. The piece in the middle is a Delta 5" to 4" reducer that leads from the 5" outlet on the blower to the can. Again, the flex hose is a piece I cut off from the original that came with the unit. I need to get some hose clamps to fit that connection. Right now I'm using zip ties and it's not air tight. The inlet port is a simple 90 degree black plastic piece. Everything is held in place with hot glue/caulk.

I did a couple of tests on the unit to see how much was staying in the can and it's working quite well. I did see a reduction in air flow with the addition of the pre-separator, but that's to be expected. At least now I'll preserve my filter and won't have to hassle with the lower bag for a while.

BTW: I added weather stripping on the area where the lower bag connects to the donut ring. It made an airtight seal and I don't get ANY leakage now.

I hope this helps you guys. Any questions please feel free to ask. Thanks for looking.

Cory

Gallery

Comments

· Registered
Joined
·
64 Posts
Well if you don't mind, can you keep us in the loop to how the configuration continues to perform.

Also what do you think about adding the Thein baffle and a neutral vein to the interior of the collector. Several posts on other website suggests doing this to prevent chips from hitting the filter.

Also Wynn shows adding filter paddles to the interior of their filter. Has anyone found these to not be necessary?
 

· Registered
Joined
·
457 Posts
You got it, Lee. I'll keep you posted.

I think that with the Lid and raising it up you don't need the neutral vane mod. I've actually heard it hurts more than helps. I cleaned my filter pretty good when I did this mod and I just used a leaf blower. It was very dusty, so make sure to have a mask on! I rolled the unit outside and took off the bottom bag, then let the blower go full blast on the outside and inside of the filter. I followed that up with some compressed air and it's clean as a whistle.

Good luck.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
64 Posts
Do you have the washable version of the wynn 35a, the one that only filters down to 1 micron. Or do you have the more stringent, unwashable 35a that filters down to .5 microns?
 

· Registered
Joined
·
457 Posts
I've got the 80/20 blend filter.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
64 Posts
Cory, just out of curiosity do you know where on Thein's website that he posts how to design the baffle. The 90 Degree elbow and outlet vein seem simple enough, but I don't see where the information is as to how to design the actual baffle. I understand that the outer circle matches that of the can, but what about the inner circle? Do you put some kind of weather stripping to seal the outer part of the ring up against the can wall?

And am I to understand correctly that you are using 5" hose, or are you using 4" hose to connect the separator to your tools?

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
4,467 Posts
Lee,

I wrote up a simple HOWTO on building the whole shebang.

I have run into some clogging problems recently with mine, and am considering adjusting up my drop slot width per Phil's suggestion on the site… My problem is exactly what he is talking about, LOTS of long stringy shavings from the planer when planing pine and / or cedar.

The drop slot is 240 degrees around, and 1-1/8" deep, I am considering taking mine to 1-1/2" deep to eliminate the clogging issue when planing, but I expect that will cause some bypass of the fines that I don't really want…

I've been banging around the design for my build of your stand / mod for the 55 gallon drum. I think I am going to side inlet my pre separator while I am at it, might as well squeeze as much as I can from the system right? I will probably upsize to 5" from the impeller housing to the separator, and then upsize the inlet to the separator to 5" and THEN put he Y fitting on to branch out…
 

· Registered
Joined
·
335 Posts


thanks for the idea on mounting the blower motor, my HFDC set up looks very similar to yours now. even used zip ties on the 5" hose to the trash can!
 

Attachments

· Registered
Joined
·
457 Posts
Nice work, Mike. Get yourself a Wynn cartridge and you'll be all set. I also grabbed a remote starter. Those improvements make using the HFDC really easy.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
335 Posts
i have mine set up on a circuit that has 2 3 way switches and 1 4 way switch going to the outlet. they are all mounted in the ceiling right near each of my major tools. i just reach up and flip the closest switch and the dust collector comes on, it works really well
 

· Registered
Joined
·
98 Posts
I've emptied my Thien style hillbilly-engineered (out of an old freezer) separator half a dozen times and my catch bag never. It has about 6" of dust in it.

Granted I mostly use my DC for lathe work (lots of shavings, minor sanding dust) but even the worst chip separator (like mine) should be standard. Thein's baffle idea is awesome.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
0 Posts
Would you mind posting or sending me some of the measurements of the cart that the dust collector is sitting on? Ive got my own HF collector sitting in the garage waiting for the Wynn Filter and a weekend to assemble it.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
46 Posts
Cory,

I know this is two years old..

Are you still using this like it was orginally built? Now that you've been with this for two years what changes would you make now that you've been using it for a while..

I am just setting up my HF DC.. and I really like your setup..

As I look at this I think it looks great.. But.. How hard is it to empty the can? Is the CFM increase that much to justify having a hard time with emptying the can..

Do you have the blower set up on some kind of cleat that you can raise it up? What about hooks to hold up the lid while the trashcan is being emptyed? Do y
 

· Registered
Joined
·
457 Posts
6t5Goat: My HFDC is still going strong and I wouldn't change a thing.

I empty the can about twice a month. It's really not that big of a deal. I've got a flex hose running from the impeller to the lid. I unscrew the hose clamp and just slide the can out. The motor is screwed to the upright and doesn't move. You can see what I mean here:



With my set up, the CFM seems about the same as it was before my mods. I think I gained quite a bit when I moved the blower and lost quite a bit when I added the separator lid.

Good luck with your build.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3 Posts
Do you know what the overall dimensions are for your setup? I'm planning to buy the same DC soon and I'm trying to plan how I am going to position it in my garage
 

· Registered
Joined
·
457 Posts
my cart is about 23" x 46". that was as small as I could make it.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
876 Posts
Very practical modification, you would think the manufactureres would make it that way from the get go.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
33 Posts
Cory,

Great idea as I hope to borrow it! My only question is about the dust/chip separator… Is that all it is as shown, or do you have a baffle under the metal lid? If so how did you attach the baffle to the underside of the lid?

I guess if there is no baffle the set up you have works just fine. IF that is the case is the vortex achieved with the motor hose going straight down into the can, or under the can does it have a right angle?

Very new to all this! Have found out dust collection and all of the components can be quite the headache! I guess there is no way avoiding getting the 5 inch to 4 inch reducer for the top…. Figures I was just at Rockler tonight, 40 miles away….

Thanks for posting this!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
33 Posts
I see your baffle now, I apologize. When you connected the wooden dowels to the baffle to bottom of lid did you need to angle the dowels? Did you glue them to the bottom or screw them from the top?
Also how difficult is it to change the trashcan? What all do you normally have to disconnect?

Thanks!!!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
457 Posts
Brandon: I just screwed the dowels to both the baffle and the lid. I did use a little bit of silicone caulk on the lid connection, but I didn't glue anything.

Emptying the can is really very easy. I unhook the can from the flexible hose and slide it out. I've been emptying the can about once every other week or so for about two years with no troubles.

Good luck on the build!

Cory
 
Top