# Dust collector problème - Need help! - pictures inside



## Paqu1n (Nov 12, 2015)

Hi guys!

I made a Dust collector from this vidéo on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hOEDQmH43Y

But mine doesn't work as perfect as the one on video.

my dust collector collects 60% of dust and leave the 40% left in my king canada 5hp peak/8 gallons vaccum

why?

here is some pictures so you can help me out


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## jdonhowe (Jul 25, 2014)

A couple of things- first, this design was developed by Phil Thien, who should really get credit; the guy in the YouTube video doesn't even mention that. For a lot of great information on dust separator design, check out jpthien.com. 

There are several things you can do to improve separation. First, the baffle (the plywood plate with the cutout) should be thinner. You want a sharp edge between the top part- where the dust enters- and the bottom- where dust collects. You especially want a smooth thin edge at the leading edge of the solid section (about 1 o'clock position on your bottom view picture. If you can't make a new thinner plate, at least bevel the edge from the bottom (the top should remain flat), and by all means get rid of that mounting block sitting at about 2 o'clock. It's got to create a lot of turbulence, which kills good separation.

Second, make the cutout gap narrower. The guy in the video made a 1-1/2" gap; a 1-1/8" gap will give better separation.

Third, you can reduce bypass- air (and dust)- going directly from the inlet port on the side to the exit port on the top, without the benefit of cyclonic action. The simplest way to do that with you current setup is to extend a pipe straight downward from the exit port so the gap between the exit opening (the bottom of the pipe) and the top of the baffle is about equal to the pipe diameter. In other words, if the baffle sits 10 inches below your top lid, with a 2 inch exit pipe, it should extend 8 inches down from the top lit (2 inches above the baffle.

Third, you're really hurting air flow by using such narrow hose- it looks like about 1" or 1-1/4" with adapters to fit 2 inch openings. Larger diameter hoses will decrease resistance to air flow, and improve overall performance.

Fourth, the inlet port is located directly above the baffle with a lot of dead space above the port, which is doing nothing to contribute to cyclonic air flow. In the "standard" Thien design the distance between the top lid and the baffle is as close to the diameter of the inlet port as is practical. A fix for your current design is to make a disk that would fit in the bucket just above the inlet port; it would need a hole in the center for the outlet pipe to go through. An alternative would be to relocate the inlet port just below the top lid. There is some evidence that a high inlet can improve dust separation by allowing more cyclonic action as the air stream spirals down the side of the bucket before it reaches the baffle.

I'm afraid you picked a really crude version of the Thien separator to use as a model. There are a lot better videos and posts out there. It does show, though, how robust the Thien design is, in that you can get reasonable dust separation even with a less than optimal design.

Good luck.


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## Paqu1n (Nov 12, 2015)

Wow didnt expect that much!

hahha THANKS A LOT

ill be working on it

:thumbsup:


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## Dan3103 (Mar 24, 2015)

Great explanation, JDONHOWE. I would add that having the inlet nearer to the top will also give you more capacity in your bucket so you don't have to empty as often.


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