MIMF

Are the cheap ($15-$25) plastic cyclones on ebay OK? I was thinking of putting one in front of a shopvac type vacuum.
Thanks.

I bought an Oneida Dust Deputy years ago and used it with my shop vacuum. It worked wonderfully, but the combination of the Dust Deputy, its collection bucket, and the vacuum was cumbersome and difficult to move around the shop. I retired it and use a bag inside the vacuum with a cleanable HEPA vacuum filter. The bags aren’t cheap, but each lasts several months. And, the vacuum is a lot easier to use.

Simon, I made my own mini-cyclone separator after looking through Bill Pentz' site, and I installed it as a fixed wall unit. I've made another for a location where several tools are grouped. The construction method is the same as I developed for a large 16" dia separator that I made many years ago, but this one works with a shop vac. Maybe you can adapt some of the ideas if you have the time and interest.

http://www.mimf.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php ... one#p33108

Thanks guys. I was thinking of making something like the dust deputy using one of the chinese components, a bucket and a vacuum of some kind.

@Bob. In the other thread you mentioned planning to make a new version of the tool stand in the picture. Did you ever get round to it?

Simon Magennis wrote:Thanks guys. I was thinking of making something like the dust deputy using one of the chinese components, a bucket and a vacuum of some kind.

@Bob. In the other thread you mentioned planning to make a new version of the tool stand in the picture. Did you ever get round to it?

Simon, the vac on mine was designed to be used with a 5 gallon bucket but I'm not sure if they're still available. My thought in stacking the assembly, aside from minimizing space, was to reduce airflow losses in the plumbing between the cyclone and vac unit. Also a diffuser/muffler for the blower output would be nice.

About the tool cart, that one is still in use because it's a good place to keep tools off the benchtop. Now it seems that they've become popular, and I did build another for a friend. The construction is quite straightforward and adaptable, and an excellent version was built by Adam Savage of the Myth Busters TV show. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWQAYfGxsPE ) Such a cart can also be fitted with a bank of drawers using inexpensive glides. One thing that is important is the location and choice of casters. In my pictured one, the base is a piece of 3/4 plywood (18"x24") screwed to 2x4s (24" long), with the casters placed outboard to maximize stability. About the casters, I'd use rubber or polyurethane locking casters (2 fixed and 2 swivel ) at least 3-4" diameter, or larger if it is to be used on rough surfaces (such as my garage floor). A pegboard or thin plywood panel adds rigidity. Also, if I build another, I'm going to place a swivel/lazy susan between the castered base and the main structure, just so I can spin it without maneuvering the entire unit around. The swivel bearing would have a lock of some sort for moving the cart from place to place.

I have a Dust Deputy. I assume the Chinese copies are just that, copies. The physics isn't that complicated. Should work fine.

Yes, they are not inherently stable. The best setup I've seen has it and the vacuum on a trolly tied together. Otherwise you should probably find something vertical to tie it to. It has a tendency to want to topple over. If it isn't standing upright, it isn't working.

Randolph Rhett wrote:
Yes, they are not inherently stable. The best setup I've seen has it and the vacuum on a trolly tied together. Otherwise you should probably find something vertical to tie it to. It has a tendency to want to topple over. If it isn't standing upright, it isn't working.

Good point there - that's why I fastened my shopbuilt unit to the wall - it's both stable and plumb. The 12' hose is slinky too - it's not like wrestling a python.