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View Full Version : Woodcutter II, Cyclone DC in the works!!



dicklaxt
08-27-2002, 05:58 PM
I made the first step to the DC upgrade today. I placed the order, got to get that bad chit that keeps jacking with my lungs. I have known of this irritant for quite some time but have been turning my back on it. The question is often asked what is the #1 tool in your shop? Well you can't fool me any longer....ITS YOUR DUST COLLECTOR.

I have spoken with many people over the last ten days or so and have read numerous accounts of DC problems. I have read many ,many equipment specs and brochures. I have silently picked many of your brains by researching the archives of this and other forums. I have done many searches on the net search engines for medical and technological dos and don'ts.

I even got Sonny involved as my consultant..when I didn't understand something I had read or seen or heard , Sonny became the springboard for the explanation and/or answer. He jerked my chain a few times and challenged many findings a few times, leaving me to sort out the resultant hopefully correct answers. You all know Sonny, but he did not once attempt to sway my decision as to where I was headed. He does have a pretty strong guiding hand tho.

I could have saved a bit here and there by going with what I feel was lesser quality but feel I made the decisions that were right for me.Hell I even discussed this in depth with my wife and she doesn't even know what a DC is.When I told her it was to the point of either selling out and getting out of the business of wood play or an upgrade to the cleanup equipment. I have not heard one word about how much is this going to cost but I'm not finished yet either.hahaha

The next 2 to 4 weeks will be spent in preparation for the DC installation. Need a 220 volt circuit run, need to build an insulate a DC closet,need to make muffler, need to tear out all existing DC component pieces, need to start scrounging/buying pipe and fittings, I already have completed a pipe routing layout and have done a material take off.

I will be using 6" conveying pipe and fittings for every thing I can. This will guarantee me the least Static Pressure losses and will match Woodcutter design specifications for optimum performance. I will do design calcs for all runs to make sure I have a minimum of 450CFM and 4000FPM air movement from all pick up hoods and /or equipment connections back to the cyclone inlet when individual pieces of equipment are in use. I will use shutin /isolation gates to insure I am pulling a concentrated effort and route to the right machine at the right time.

I am certainly not an expert by any means but will share any and all past to present findings.Have a good day in your shops but most importantly keep your lungs happy.

You know I just thought of something .Marilyn is in the medical field but I have never heard her mention anything about dust collection.

hmmmmm who knows........whats the answer gal??? and the rest of you as well, who did or are doing as I did......turned my back on a very potentially dangerous situation.No more.........

I just reread all of this and didn't mean to sound like a school teacher but I'm concerned, let me get out of here for a while.


dick

Lou_williams
08-28-2002, 01:34 AM
The first big step is now done. keep us informed as you go along.

Keystone
08-28-2002, 04:58 AM
Dick

Can you provide a link to this D.C. system? I'd love to take a look at what you are putting in.


D.C. is next on my list of items for my shop...........

dicklaxt
08-28-2002, 06:14 AM
www.woodsucker.com

CnA
08-28-2002, 11:41 AM
Pictures please!!!

If you get around to popping open the WoodSucker cyclone could you post some pictures of the cyclone internals and their impeller?

If I was going to buy a cyclone, I give a thumbs up to your choice of the Woodsucker. It seems to be the most efficient unit around. They use a better impeller than the Oneida systems and I'm curious if they use any type of air ramp in the cyclone to further improve efficiency.

I'm running 6" ducting for my homebrew cyclone system now. Should have it operational soon. Here are pics of the cyclone construction, http://community.webshots.com/album/47594814LWellh

dicklaxt
08-28-2002, 04:28 PM
I am planning on doing a photostory of my rework and new installation but it is all going to take time. I've got to do a partial setup of system so I can get back on line with mt lathe play.

The Woodsucker cyclone is a Spiral Air Ramp,they have also increased impeller size by 1/8 inch(now 13 1/8")and increased the fan housing size for increased air flow. The units performance is also now tested/proven to operate about 10% higher than curve shown on the web site.

dick

BTW......your link is not working

CnA
08-28-2002, 05:57 PM
Thanks for the future photostory. It should be very interesting and enlightening.

I just tried the link. It works for me. Anyway, Here is my webshots home page. Just click on the cyclone album.

http://community.webshots.com/user/cna_cna

Limey
08-28-2002, 11:58 PM
Hey Cna,
That's a pretty neat set of photos, you may have seen that I have a huge impeller waiting to be set up and was looking around at different ideas for a cyclone... so did you follow a specific plan or amalgamate several ideas. Is it complete ? if so what have you found re. performance ?
Dickie,
Glad you are getting the dust sucker and I bet Glad,s glad as well..pretty powerful blackmail..buy me a dust sucker or I'll stay inside the house and keep you company all day :) :)

You don't come over like a schoolteacher, and in any event what's wrong with that, we are all here to learn so quit worrying that we might think you are turning into a dry old boring fart. Those of us who know you, know that it is serious issue for you and that you want to let others know how it has affected you etc. Health and Safety are areas you have to take seriously.
For those who don't know you ..screw'um.... their loss not being able to recognize a warm, fun, generous, knowledgeable, resourceful, (getting embarassed yet ?) humorous, cuddly (don't ask me how I know, I think it was Marilyn that told me), talented thoroughly "nice" human bean.

Glad to hear the condition is clearing up.. and turning your back on it doesn't stop the sub-micron particles getting drawn up your fundemental orifice on the vacuum created by breaking wind after one of your momentous chillis or should that be Chillies, got to be so careful about speling latelie, as you have born witness to..

(that last one was by far the best example I could come up with for the most fractured gramatically imperfect sentence)

Keep us all posted teach!

Limeballs

Randall
08-29-2002, 10:26 PM
.

dicklaxt
08-30-2002, 04:26 AM
Hey Randall, thanks for the info ,at a glance I have read most already but will follow up as well with further reading.

You stated about the very fine Talc like dust being the worst, I as well thought the same but in some of my discussions / readings this came to the forefront. I did some further looking and found several readings that say otherwise. It seems the worst are airborne particulates from .5 to 7 microns. The particals smaller than .5 are said to have such a slow terminal velocity they cannot land and are ultimately just exhaled back into the atmosphere. I'm not the doctor here but these are some of the things I found and considered in making my choices.

Things like this led me to manufacturers with claims of filtering down to this level.Woodsucker was on the list...............so thats my story and I'm sticking to it ...............hahaha. I can probably go back and find one of those statements if anyone would care to read further on it.

dick

aerowood
08-30-2002, 03:54 PM
Interesting project. I to have been researching cyclones and plan on building my own. I have access to a complete aircraft sheet metal shop. what plan are you using? That is the first one I have seen with square inlet ducts. What type, HP, size impeller, and supplier do you plan on using? I don't respond much to this forum but you really caught my interst with your project.

Randall
08-30-2002, 07:36 PM
.

dicklaxt
08-31-2002, 04:32 AM
I don't disagree with what you have said about the fines that will be recirculated from the system exhaust back into the shop,but supposedly these will be the fines of less than .5 microns in size thus the good fines, if we can call them that, or nuisance fines.