# Thein Top Hat



## jg2259 (Oct 28, 2011)

Years ago (2009-2010) I made a Thein Top Hat for my Harbor Freight 2hp dust collector. I made it to spec and it took me forever to make it perfect. However, I used a 21 gallon galvanized garbage can to collect the chips, etc and vented the fine dust outside. It works like a dream, but
I am getting tired of continually emptying the can, and I’m thinking about converting it to a 55 gallon drum. 
I was thinking of just cutting out a circle of 1/2” mdf and extending the slot into it. 
Are there any concerns that you all would have about doing this. I was just planning on screwing it to the existing bottom, in case it doesn’t work, I can unscrew it and the seal for the 21gallon can would stay intact. 
Please give me some guidance or direction if this seems doable, or just forget about it. 
TIA
Jim










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## jg2259 (Oct 28, 2011)

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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

55 gallons will be a LOT heavier than the current container. Do you have a suitable and safe way to empty that?


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## jg2259 (Oct 28, 2011)

Yes. I have it in the area above my shop. I just dump it into a 55 gal trash bag, but I might try to line the drum with the bag and see if that works


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

difalkner said:


> 55 gallons will be a LOT heavier than the current container. Do you have a suitable and safe way to empty that?


That is for certain!
I only use a 30 gal drum and when it's full it's plenty heavy.
I have 15 steps to get it down from the shop to empty it, and that's always a bit scary.
I need to put handles of some sort on the drums.



jg2259 said:


> Yes. I have it in the area above my shop. I just dump it into a 55 gal trash bag, but I might try to line the drum with the bag and see if that works
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


A trash bag that size will also be quite heavy, but it will provide an "air bag" if you carry it and miss a step on the way down.....


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## jdonhowe (Jul 25, 2014)

In my understanding (such as it is) of optimizing Thien separator design, you want the trailing edge of the slot (the end next to your intake port) to be as thin and sharp as possible, including chamfering the bottom side. I think the ideal adapter would be a ring (picture a router plate insert ring on steroids), with the inner diameter larger than the slot radius. If just making a disc, at least make the slot cutout larger than the one in your existing base, extending farther around (i.e., directly below your intake) to minimize turbulence in the "splitting" of airflow at the slot trailing edge. BTW, nice workmanship!


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