Cyclone: Trash bags in the drum?
Hi Everyone…
I know you’ll be reading knots today, just so you can escape the bedlam of family holidays!
Anyway… What do you guys & girls do for dust collection solutions for your cyclones?
Specifically, is it possible to use a trash bag inside of the collection drum? Or will it just suck right up into the cyclone? It really is a pain in the back to try and empty those drums(i use fiber drums) into a trash bag. I was even considering trying to raise my DC up to the ceiling and building a box of some sort to collect the shavings. I know that the shavings don’t suck up into the cylinder, but was unsure how a plastic bag would behave. I’d hate to try it and then have to dissassemble the DC to get all the plastic bag bits out of the fan blades!
Happy Thanksgiving…. I’ll be out in the shop cutting birch for kitchen cabinets – The perfect excuse for avoiding the holiday craziness!
Replies
It can be done. You need to put a flexible form inside the plastic bag to keep it from collapsing. Some use formica that you roll up and let expand inside the the bag when it is inside the drum. Other softer sheet plastics can be used. Just need to be sure that the insert does not puncture the plastic bag.
Thanks for the formica idea. Just what I needed...and I got a bunch of formica scraps laying about...
I have an Oneida system that came with a 30 gal. fiber drum. drum filled up to fast. Went to a local drum supplier and bought a reconditioned drum that is used to hold 55 gal. drums that are leaking. must be 65 gal. or more. Large plastic lawn & leaf bags work perfectly. You must make sure the bag is fully open at the bottom of the drum because when you put the bag top over the drum rim and seal with the drum top it acts like a balloon and you will only get 1/2 a bag full. I never had any trouble with the bag getting sucked into the cyclone.
trying to get the bag out is a pain..unless air can get in..remember, VACUUM...
Gather the top of the bag together & hold it with one hand. Tip the drum on it's side & roll it back & forth a bit while pulling the bag out. If you don't have the bag gathered too tightly, the dust will settle & release the vacuum in the drum.
Paul
Thank you Paul..
I saw a tip posted in a magazine recently that might work but haven't tried it: get a section of wire fencing (believe it's still called Field and Farm fence, the type with wire spaced a couple of inches apart) and cut it to length and height so that it will fit inside your drum. Bend the wire ends over so they don't puncture anything, and fasten the ends together so it forms a circle. Put a plastic yard bag inside the drum and the fence assembly inside the plastic bag. The rigidity of the fence keeps the bag from collapsing.
Come to think of it, I bet a section of snow fence (woven wire and wood slat fence) would work even better: less chance of puncture and easier to insert and remove before disposing of the bag when it's full. GP
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled