Does anyone use a cyclone with HL850 Planer and CT unit / Shopvac?

[oilburnerfixer]

I use a similar cyclone that I built with a Makita vac for almost everything. If I was going to run a planer I would use a larger container under the cyclone. You can't fit a quart into a pint pot.

 

[Les]

Question on the mini cyclones;

What happens when the chip container becomes full? Do you notice a drop in suction or do the chips go to the vac directly? ???

 

[oilburnerfixer]

The chips will collect in the bottom of the cyclone which will fill until ithe chips get sucked into the vac. Sometime later you notice a loss of suction when the vac is full.

 

[SteveD]

My ClearVue Cyclone arrived last week and I got to use it this past weekend on a temporary collector with my HL850, TS55 and a plague of ants.

I used a 10 gallon metal trash can (the strongest I could find) for a temporary collector. It makes an interesting thump as the vacuum sucks in the sides slightly. My next project is to find a replacement that is stronger before the metal one collapses in on itself. However I did fill it twice over and nothing to speak of got into the bag.
It sucked up the planer shavings and saw dust smoothly using the 36mm hose. As I was cleaning the floor of my work area (and out onto the porch) it got the chips, the screws, the small pieces of debris and the ants, no problem. Interesting 'clangs' as heavier pieces hit the collector though!  I did try the 27 mm hose and it did not seem to pull as well. However this is probably more a function of the hose rather than the cyclone. I find myself using the bigger hoses more and more. It does seem to put less strain on things (apart from me).

Overall I am impressed with the ClearVue. I know I need a better/stronger collector and several ideas come to mind. However let me ask the question. What is large enough and yet small enough but 'strong enough' for a collector but easy to obtain? (Also it has to be easy to take on and off). I have already collapsed a 5 gallon plastic paint bucket in a previous experiment with the useless 'bucket top' collector.

Hopefully the dust collector bags I just bought will be the last for a while longer than the previous batch.

SteveD

 

[Les]

SteveD,

Not sure this meets your easy to acquire needs but see reply #26 in this thread. It's a link to a Penn State barrel.

 

[Dan Clark]

Steve,

I have the Clearvue CV06 attached to my CT22.  (see attached picture).  I got the CV06 last week so I can't really speak to the performance.  I'm hoping that everything winds up in the barrel versus the Festool bag.  So far I'm very impressed.  I dont have a hand planer to test, but I think it should work fine.  Why dont you give Ed at Clearvue a call to see if he has any experience with planer shavings and the CV06.

~mark

Mark

I see that you have the CV06 base attached to a hexagonally-shaped piece of MDF or plywood (I'm not sure which).  Why not attach that directly to the barrel?  Also, did you add a gasket or glue anywhere to seal the connection between the CV06 and the barrel?

Thanks,

Dan.

 

[Brice Burrell]

   Also, did you add a gasket or glue anywhere to seal the connection between the CV06 and the barrel?

Thanks,

Dan.

Dan,
Yes, you need a gasket.

 

[Mark Carlson]

Steve,

I have the Clearvue CV06 attached to my CT22.  (see attached picture).  I got the CV06 last week so I can't really speak to the performance.  I'm hoping that everything winds up in the barrel versus the Festool bag.  So far I'm very impressed.  I dont have a hand planer to test, but I think it should work fine.  Why dont you give Ed at Clearvue a call to see if he has any experience with planer shavings and the CV06.

~mark

Mark

I see that you have the CV06 base attached to a hexagonally-shaped piece of MDF or plywood (I'm not sure which).  Why not attach that directly to the barrel?  Also, did you add a gasket or glue anywhere to seal the connection between the CV06 and the barrel?

Thanks,

Dan.

Dan,

I could have mounted the clearvue directly to the drum lid but decided to mount a spare piece of mdf to the lid with silicone and then bolted the CVO6 to that assembly.  I had my router out to make a circle and then just cut off the corners of a square piece of mdf.  The extra piece of mdf makes the barrel lid a little more rigid (the steel lid isn't very thick) and I didn't want to silicone the CV06 directly to the lid if I changed my mine and went with a different drum.  I also put a small bead of silicone around the outside where the CV06 mdf meets the lid mdf. 

~mark

 

[SteveD]

Les,
Thank you. I did note the Penn State option(s). However to get it here would cost me in the region, get this, of $80. That is US$100 for a $19.95 item. That is the cost of living on an Island! The ClearVue Cyclone last week was in the same box as shown above (Mine survived). It cost me US$165 for the unit and US82.00 for forwarding, customs duty, wharfage, documentation, etc. I laugh when I read some of the complaints about cost of stuff! However, I have often found that the least expensive solution in the long run was not the cheapest solution in the short term.

I was looking for a possible 5 - 10 gallon alternative, such as a paint can that could survive the crush factors. However, as mentioned, I have crushed a 5 gallon plastic paint bucket already. Amazing shapes they can go into as well! I also found out that if the can is almost full when it crushes the value of the cyclone is, er, somewhat diminished.

(The only way I can get something like that in here in at a reasonable cost is by consolidation with a heavy order. However, that is not easy).

SteveD

 

[Les]

SteveD,

Are you the Steve from Bermuda?

 

[SteveD]

Yes, for my sins...

SteveD

 

[Eli]

I feel you Steve. The CV06 is $210 shipped to Melbourne.
I bought a set of Freud 1/2" shank bits and had them sent to my mom's in Boston, she sent them on to me here. Total savings? Almost $300. You read it right.
Our stuff arrived from U.S. this week and I've got my eyes on frankensteining a 110v Dyson Vacuum we have. I'm just figuring out where to make the cuts.......

 

[Ned]

SteveD,

I'd think your best bet would be a used fiberboard drum, found locally.

The fiberboard drums are more rigid than the steel drums, and less subject to collapse.  Of course, if they do they're shot.  Try to get one with the lid and strap clamp--the easiest way to mount the cyclone.

All sorts of goods are shipped that way--try a chemical or food company that repackages or a commercial bakery.  Ask at the port who receives such drums.  They may have empties you can get.

Ned

 

[SteveD]

I am now looking for a fibreboard drum - locally as a 'cast off'. However despite the thump each time I start up, the 10 gallon metal trash can has not collapsed yet. Yet.
I have now emptied the trash can about 5 times. I figure that each emptying is about a bag and a half. Each bag costs me about US$8.00. The CV unit landed (not including the trash can 'collector') was about US$200. Ergo I have (hopefully) saved myself 17.5 % of the cost of the cyclone so far (not bad for 2 weeks of part time).  I checked the bag yesterday which was empty, except for a fine dust. So why the dust in the bag I asked myself?
  Now here is what I found. When I shut off the dust collector there is a film of fine dust left clinging to the surface inside the cyclone (static?). When I start up I can sometimes see particles of this dust being sucked up into the hose - before the 'cyclonic effect' starts up. Ergo when I do a lot of quick runs, starting and stopping, the problem appears magnified. This is not a problem, just a statement. However it is something to bear in mind. I am also getting into the habit of running the tool (and therefore the extractor) a few seconds longer to allow all the dust and chips to go through the cyclone. If I shut off immediately the chips sometimes are still going into the cyclone itself. The time delay on the CT units might work for the direct attached hose, but appears (I may be wrong) to be a too short by a second or so for the cyclones. Also I have not yet got to wrapping any bare wire between the input and output hoses and around the cyclone. I do notice the static difference between the cyclone and direct connections, even with the humidity we have. After I saw/felt the difference between the AS (Anti-Static) and non-AS hoses I only buy AS. I do notice that the cleanup tools are non-AS.

One other thing that I nearly did an 'oopsy' on. The CV05 supports and base are made of MDF. Do NOT attempt to suck up liquids!

I have another sort of related question - but I will start a new thread for that.

SteveD

 

[3mbjts]

Are there any clear advantages of either the Clearvue CV06 or the Dust Deputy? I would like to add one to my CT22 and have not made up my mind on which one to purchase.

Mike

 

[SteveD]

There are several people with or have used both units and no doubt will comment. The clearvue needs to be mounted on something to collect the chips - a challenge I have as the only items available are really not strong enough. The Clearvue units appear to be individually hand made and some of the gluing on mine is coming apart after a couple of weeks. Also the clearvue is not anti-static. I believe the dust deputy is metal and therefore should be antistatic if grounded.
However you can see when the clearvue is working! This is a great advantage (helps convince the management and yourself that the investment is worthwhile). However the proof is what is not in the bag at the end of the day. There is currently a separate discussion on a plate that will fasten to the top of the CT22 so that one can mount a cyclone (or other items) on top using the systainer connections. 

SteveD

 

[greg mann]

Steve,

Regarding a suitable container for a collection drum for the ClearVue: I was casting about for someting and happened upon a cardboard form for pouring concrete footings to support posts commonly called builder's tubes. I can't post a picture just yet but envision a heavy duty cardboard tube just slightly smaller in diameter than the ClearVue MDF base and 48 inches long, $4.10 at Home Depot and slightly higher in the Bahamas for sure. I cut an MDF disk to fit the inside dia. and added another just slightly larger to create a bottom. It was epoxied in place. I wrapped the outside with stretch wrap to help eliminate any leaks and cut another inside disk with a three inch hole to screw to the bottom of the ClearVue base, which sits perfectly on the top. I bungee it to a basement column and it takes about 1 square foot of real estate. I estimate volume at about 10 gallons. To empty, I just slip off the ClearVue, detach the bungees and dump it wherever I want the chips. It pours remarkably dust free. The downside is that it could be a little tippy if not properly attached to something and will prbably not last forever. I have blinded off the pickup and it shows no sign of wanting to collapse. It will last until I finalize my shop plans and install a full blown dust collector and could still provide a semi-portable solution to DC.

Added note: I now understand builder's tubes are available up to 14 inches in diameter. This would make for a lot of capacity.

 

[Bluenose]

Well I jumped on the clearview bandwagon and I was as happy as can be. Until today that is. Without any warning my Penn State drum collapsed. Any ideas? I really liked how this system worked with the Penn State drum. Fun to watch the clearview and nice not collecting all this dust into the C22.

At the time of the failure I was vacuuming up a bunch of router debris  from edge trimming a skylight opening. I checked all the hose connection and there weren't any clogs. Curious.

 

[Brice Burrell]

You could try plywood circles with the centers cut out (donut shaped), glue them in and see if that helps. BTW, great pictures.

 

[Dan Clark]

Bluenose,

That is disturbing to see.  I haven't put it together, but that is my exact configuration.  I'll be watching this thread closely.

Thanks for posting,

Dan.