# Homemade cyclone separator



## RetiredLE

After reading various posts and articles on factory and homemade units I decided to cobble together my own version using a Home Depot five gallon bucket, three six inch lengths of threaded rod, and some plumbing fittings. For the baffle I used an extra lid which I cut and trimmed to fit down inside the bucket.


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## RetiredLE

The next step will be to hook it up and see how it functions.


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## Jeff Shafer

Looks good. This may be a dumb question but do you need to use a specific size shop vac with a set up like that?


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## johnnie52

I have just finished making something very similar to yours.

I found that without the baffle it worked fine on large particles but the smaller stuff went right into the vac. Also, if I allowed the hose to loose a free flow of air, it would suck in the bucket along with every bit of saw dust in the bucket.

I'll be testing mine tomorrow and will post the results along with pictures if it actually works.

Main difference is that I placed the incoming elbow below the baffle as I'd read elsewhere that the hoses tended to be too close together for it to work using a 5 gallon bucket. So I used the baffle as a separator between the vacuum line and the tool line.


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## BassBlaster

Have you tested it out yet? Just wondering how much debris is making it to your shop vac? Looks like you didnt leave much room for debris to fall from the baffle. The original Thien design calls for the opening to be 240 degrees and the closed portion to be 120 degrees. Looks like yours is the oppisite. If your getting debris into your vac, Id remove some more material. Either way, I havnt seen one made from bucket lids, looks good!!

Heres mine. You can see how much further the opening goes.

www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/thien-cyclone-22851/


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## RetiredLE

Jeff Shafer said:


> Looks good. This may be a dumb question but do you need to use a specific size shop vac with a set up like that?


I am not sure if the size of the vacuum is going to be an issue but I am using a 16 gallon Craftsman with the two inch hose for general cleanup and dust collection.


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## RetiredLE

BassBlaster said:


> Have you tested it out yet? Just wondering how much debris is making it to your shop vac? Looks like you didnt leave much room for debris to fall from the baffle. The original Thien design calls for the opening to be 240 degrees and the closed portion to be 120 degrees. Looks like yours is the oppisite. If your getting debris into your vac, Id remove some more material. Either way, I havnt seen one made from bucket lids, looks good!!
> 
> Heres mine. You can see how much further the opening goes.
> 
> www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/thien-cyclone-22851/


You have sharp eyes. I thought I would start with a shorter opening at first and see how it goes. I also goofed and installed the baffle upside down. I have since reversed it to allow for a smoother transition of material to the bottom of the bucket. It'll be interesting to see how it works.


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## RetiredLE

johnnie52 said:


> Main difference is that I placed the incoming elbow below the baffle as I'd read elsewhere that the hoses tended to be too close together for it to work using a 5 gallon bucket. So I used the baffle as a separator between the vacuum line and the tool line.


I had considered installing the ports at opposite sides (instead of the outlet in the center) to increase distance - which is something I can still do if it becomes an issue.


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