I've nearly finished a Pentz cyclone for our local makerspace and am getting ready to install it.
One thing I haven't tackled yet is the bin. Due to space, a 55 gallon drum won't fit, so I'm planning on using a galvanized trash can. I'll add supports on the outside to keep it from collapsing, but I want to get advice on sealing it and what to do for the lid. I suspect the stock lid will be more frustrating than useful.
I've seen people using an mdf or ply lid with a circular recess that mates with the top of the can. What is the best thing to use to seal that seam, yet allow removing the lid? Should I just fill it with silicone?
I've got to do this on a tiny budget, can't get too fancy. We've got a large CNC router, making big circles with any profile easy, but I want to avoid the cost of a bunch of attempts as I find what works.
Similarly, what is good to use to seal the can seams? Duct mastic?
A bit of background, if you are interested:
A few years ago I had to put my woodworking on hold after turning a just-fallen cedar tree into a bowl - like an idiot, I didn't wear a mask or use dust collection and got very sensitized. Shows it can happen to anyone, since I'd mostly been a neander and hate sanding, always used card scrapers and made little actual dust. After months of pain my lungs calmed down and I got a Delta DC 50-850 and a giant window fan. I could tell it wasn't enough (only place for the shop is inside the house), and I was about to make a Pentz cyclone when I saw mention of a local makerspace with a woodshop. The dust situation there is as bad as you can imagine: a windowless shop behind multiple doors that must remain closed and no other source of air, deep inside a building. The tools lack proper hoods, and to date it's all about constant sweeping, emptying the plugged ducts, vacuuming the rafters, etc. See photo of my dylos on a recent really bad day (I was ripping all the lumber for the stand while someone else was using the miter and panel saws, but it shows the need for COLLECTING AT THE SOURCE.)
High shop readings.jpg
It will coexist with the current Thien baffle-based system for a bit, and initially I have to use my own woefully underpowered Delta 50-850 blower. We do have a beautiful newly rebuilt 5hp TEFC motor - quite a beast out of a local refinery - but after the local deadly fire that made nationwide news, we decided to upgrade the wiring this summer before that. (Wiring is sufficient as is, but nominally, and additional 3ph will be good to have.
It will be much less than what's needed, but moves the project forward. Current Thien baffle system has 9 1/2 hard right elbows, 15 feet of 4" flex, 3 T's between table saw and DC, powered only by a twin to my delta. It also takes two people about an hour to empty and clean due to design issues. I don't know who built it, but I don't fault them... it's a hard natural law that every dust collection system must go through many iterations of not really working well before you break down and do it right.
We can't mount it to the wall or ceiling, so I built a stand. Will build a set of walls around it for sound mitigation as a later step. Current system is located under the stairs to the upper floor, but as that's the only egress from up there I was not willing to put the cyclone there - tiny chance of fire, but after the local giant loss of life from a fire, and knowing there is no way to predict how well the thing will be cared for way down the road, I asked to put it in the shop proper away from all exits, close to code as possible.