Before I go any further, I have read Bill Pentz's website.
This has not so much to do with how to build a cyclone or which cyclone to
buy, but with the operation of the cyclone.
A few years ago I had a local sheet metal fabricate a cyclone for me and I
powered it with the blower and motor from the large HF dust collector, set
off to one side and above the cyclone. For quite awhile things were good.
Now I am having a problem with clogging.
Today, I was planing out a couple of ash boards and noticed a bit of debris
coming back out the infeed slot (always a clue the cyclone is plugged). I
checked the chip bucket and it was about 3/4 full. I knocked some more out
of the cyclone and dumped the bucket (33 gallon metal trash can). I then
put the can back under the cyclone and proceeded to get another can full out
of the cyclone (long stick and poke and prod)
Does anyone know why I am getting the clog? The only reason I can think of
is humidity, of which we have a lot here in central Alabama.
When the cyclone is clear, it works like a champ and the dust bucket,
located in an outhouse (it really looks like a miniature outhouse, half moon
and all) just gets some dust. When it plugs, the dust bucket starts to fill
up with chips - not surprisingly.
Thanks
Deb
On 2010-06-14 20:25:16 -0400, "Dr.Deb" <[email protected]> said:
> Today, I was planing out a couple of ash boards and noticed a bit of
> debris coming back out the infeed slot (always a clue the cyclone is
> plugged).
This seems -- in my limited experience -- to be characteristic of ash.
The wood doesn't chip, but produces fibrous strands. And if you think
of a hair clog in a drain, that's the same sort of mess. Humidity or
wet wood makes the problem worse.
Dr.Deb wrote:
Steve, that makes sense (ash being more problematic). I ran a bunch of
sycamore through it and did not have a problem
DPB, the air leak could be a problem also. I will check.
Deb
>
> Before I go any further, I have read Bill Pentz's website.
>
> This has not so much to do with how to build a cyclone or which cyclone to
> buy, but with the operation of the cyclone.
>
> A few years ago I had a local sheet metal fabricate a cyclone for me and I
> powered it with the blower and motor from the large HF dust collector, set
> off to one side and above the cyclone. For quite awhile things were good.
> Now I am having a problem with clogging.
>
> Today, I was planing out a couple of ash boards and noticed a bit of
> debris
> coming back out the infeed slot (always a clue the cyclone is plugged). I
> checked the chip bucket and it was about 3/4 full. I knocked some more
> out
> of the cyclone and dumped the bucket (33 gallon metal trash can). I then
> put the can back under the cyclone and proceeded to get another can full
> out of the cyclone (long stick and poke and prod)
>
> Does anyone know why I am getting the clog? The only reason I can think
> of is humidity, of which we have a lot here in central Alabama.
>
> When the cyclone is clear, it works like a champ and the dust bucket,
> located in an outhouse (it really looks like a miniature outhouse, half
> moon
> and all) just gets some dust. When it plugs, the dust bucket starts to
> fill up with chips - not surprisingly.
>
> Thanks
>
> Deb
Dr.Deb wrote:
> Before I go any further, I have read Bill Pentz's website.
>
> This has not so much to do with how to build a cyclone or which cyclone to
> buy, but with the operation of the cyclone.
>
> A few years ago I had a local sheet metal fabricate a cyclone for me and I
> powered it with the blower and motor from the large HF dust collector, set
> off to one side and above the cyclone. For quite awhile things were good.
> Now I am having a problem with clogging.
>
> Today, I was planing out a couple of ash boards and noticed a bit of debris
> coming back out the infeed slot (always a clue the cyclone is plugged). I
> checked the chip bucket and it was about 3/4 full. I knocked some more out
> of the cyclone and dumped the bucket (33 gallon metal trash can). I then
> put the can back under the cyclone and proceeded to get another can full out
> of the cyclone (long stick and poke and prod)
>
> Does anyone know why I am getting the clog? The only reason I can think of
> is humidity, of which we have a lot here in central Alabama.
>
> When the cyclone is clear, it works like a champ and the dust bucket,
> located in an outhouse (it really looks like a miniature outhouse, half moon
> and all) just gets some dust. When it plugs, the dust bucket starts to fill
> up with chips - not surprisingly.
...
I've not used enough ash as cabinet wood to know about the other
poster's comment; I've only dealt with it in small enough chunks at a
time that wouldn't have been an issue.
So, I'll say "I don't know" but ask some questions instead...
You say this was fine for a quite a while but now having problems. Is
the problem now of some standing or does it indeed seem to correlate w/
using ash as the other responder notes?
If it is a more general problem now than used to be, I'd first suspect
air flow problems. Any chance you have an infiltration problem (leaks
developed iow) that's cutting down the velocity hence clogging is
result? Or, is there some other obstruction somewhere. Or, possibly is
there some obstruction in the collector inlet itself like a screw
loosened and let a flap or something into the air flow (not knowing how
it's constructed, just a wag)? Or, w/ time has the air collector itself
lost some of its power (I once't upon a time had a very cheap DC that
had plastic impellers and they did, in fact, wear noticeably. That we
used it as an air source in an experimental setup sucking pulverized
coal through it during early stages of a research project on developing
a PC flow instrument just _might_ have had a little something to do w/
how fast it occurred, but hey... :) ).
--