A Thien Baffle tested on a shopvac

[Lee Schierer]

Phil,

Why don't YOU repeat my test as I described it above? If you do and find your baffle passes half the dust as the same rig without a baffle I will never mention it again. I will never post to a woodworking site again if that would satisfy you.
I only ask that you test it as I did and report the results. What can be more fair than that? In fact, I will make the same offer to anyone.

Since you haven't tested it, how can you be certain I am lying? Just to cover the one chance in a thousand that I am right, wouldn't a responsible person test it?

I don't see a need to repeat the test. I think this video tells it all. Note that in videos 1-4 he shows how he built the separator. Thein Separator in action The pile of chips is quite large, contains a lot of fines and none goes into his plastic bag.

[David Weaver]

For those of us who don't have many fines, is the slinging enough to keep plane shavings from making their way back to the center? So far, I haven't found anything that works well with them. Every time I ask that, someone says "use a dust pan". that's all fine and good, but a vacuum is faster when it's tied to a garbage can and I don't have to bend over and sweep around other benches near my bench.

At this point, I have a dust deputy on top of a 40 gallon can, but it doesn't work as normal - it was a waste of time that way. It's just a straight run-through to the hose now, and probably just because the outlet is smaller than the shop vac hole, I get probably 80-90% of the shavings in the can and the rest in the vac. No big deal, i guess, because what I'm shooting for is for the vac to fill up no faster than the can, which is what happens now.

But if I could get it so nothing was in the vac at all, that'd be great. The only sawdust I have is from actually using handsaws, so there is way more plane shavings by volume (and by weight) than dust.

Not impressed by Wade's behavior, what's the deal? Even if he could find a test where the baffle didn't work, it appears that several people were more than willing to show theirs working, but he's not willing to try what they did to see if there's a difference? If it works on 10 tests and you do an 11th and it doesn't, why would the results from the other 10 change to fit your opinion, wade? You need to cool down and let other people make their own decisions.

Why would someone use it on a cyclone, anyway, unless they didn't want any dust in the cyclone can? Might as well wear belt and suspenders at the same time.

I'm not surprised to hear WN allowed him to troll repeatedly, they're pretty troll friendly.

[Phil Thien]

For those of us who don't have many fines, is the slinging enough to keep plane shavings from making their way back to the center?

For plane shavings you can increase the size of the "drop zone" beyond the standard 1-1/8". I'd say to start at 1-1/2" and maybe even go to 1-3/4".

[Bruce Wrenn]

For plane shavings you can increase the size of the "drop zone" beyond the standard 1-1/8". I'd say to start at 1-1/2" and maybe even go to 1-3/4".

Thanks Phil, I plane a lot of cypress, and the shavings are long and stringy.

[Douglas Clark]

OK... so this is old now but I just read through the whole thing and was quite amused. First of all, member or not, Mr. Lippmann is clearly a troll, so why he kept getting fed is beyond me; although, it is heartening to me to see so many people defend Mr. Thien! For crying out loud, he eschews greed and gives away his idea and he's still hunted by that one unsatisfied "customer". What is this world coming too? I haven't built the baffle yet, but I'd been considering it which is why I even opened this thread to begin with. I'm definitely more likely to now. After all I love any project that can bring crazies out of the woodwork.

[John Poole]

... gives away his invention anyway.

http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/cy.htm has "patent applied for". I don't think applying for a patent is consistent with the concept of giving something away. If a patent is granted, it will be Phil's call as to what he does with the patent. With a patent, he would basically have a hunting license to prevent others from practicing his invention unless duly licensed. I'm wondering if he is granted a patent and then tries to exploit it, whether the industry will give him the cold shoulder as they did for the SawStop -- only to have the patent owner (who happens to be an attorney) vigorously pursue it to the point of cutting into market share.

[Douglas Clark]

Come on, John, you're nitpicking. I used the same phraseology Gary did and our point was to convey an basic idea, not engaging in legal discourse. I think what Gary's and my point is, is that up to this point he has shared his idea with others and even invited and encouraged them to employ his design. Whether he continues to do that if a patent is issued and what the consequences of that patent are is probably another discussion for another thread.

[Phil Thien]

Well of course, if my patent is granted, I will lobby the CSPC to require that all air-moving devices in your shop have a Thien baffle.

[Insert diabolical laughter here.]

[Brian Kent]

Thanks Phil. I needed a little insane laughter!

[Dan Hintz]

Well of course, if my patent is granted, I will lobby the CSPC to require that all air-moving devices in your shop have a Thien baffle.

[Insert diabolical laughter here.]

Well that put a grin on my face this early in the morning

[David Weaver]

http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/cy.htm has "patent applied for". I don't think applying for a patent is consistent with the concept of giving something away. If a patent is granted, it will be Phil's call as to what he does with the patent. With a patent, he would basically have a hunting license to prevent others from practicing his invention unless duly licensed. I'm wondering if he is granted a patent and then tries to exploit it, whether the industry will give him the cold shoulder as they did for the SawStop -- only to have the patent owner (who happens to be an attorney) vigorously pursue it to the point of cutting into market share.

If he didn't patent it and he put details all over the web, you can guess what would happen next...all of the plastic doodads made in china and designed for the top of a garbage can (and sold for goofy prices) at the woodworking retailers would suddenly look like thien baffles.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Well of course, if my patent is granted, I will lobby the CSPC to require that all air-moving devices in your shop have a Thien baffle.

[Insert diabolical laughter here.]

And - even better- since it effectively converts your single-stage DC or shop vac to a 2-stage, hot dogs are not harmed when they get accidentally sucked up. If you choose not to ground your PVC piping, then the electrical charge also will cook them on-the-fly.

[Phil Thien]

And - even better- since it effectively converts your single-stage DC or shop vac to a 2-stage, hot dogs are not harmed when they get accidentally sucked up. If you choose not to ground your PVC piping, then the electrical charge also will cook them on-the-fly.

Oh GREAT! Now I want apple pie.

You see... When I think of hot dogs, I think of hot dogs from the Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago WI. They have had (spotty availability) the best garlic dogs. Real natural casings, of course. The kind where you have to snap into them. The good stuff. Did I mention garlic? Yes, these things have enough garlic to cure a list of ailments.

But the Elegant Farmer is known, of course, for their "baked-in-the-[paper]-bag" apple pies. Bobby Flay even visited and had an apple pie throwdown. They KILLED Bobby. If you have never had a EF apple pie (or even if you HAVE had one), you should seek one out and consume a piece.

Which I intend to do now.

[Douglas Clark]

All air moving devices?! Great now I gotta start doing more reps on my neck workout. I don't know how most of us are gonna be able to wear our respirators anymore.

[Carl Babel]

Well played sir!

I don't know if it was intentional or not, but your post was certainly in the spirit of the childrens' book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie".

Of course, now I want Apple Pie!