When you overfill your dust bin

[Frank Pratt]

Just out of curiousity, those of you that have become "filter cleaning experts" , do you have bin level sensors of any kind and are they failing or not working for you?

And if you dont have one, check out my thread on settting an inexpensive option one up. Its the same as the Oneida-Air one. LINK

I have the one that Oneida sold me when I got the DC & it's never been reliable. I've seen your thread; does it use the same sensor as Oneida? I think that's the weak link in their system. I know Banner makes better ones.

[Jim Becker]

Been there....done that...too many times and too many bad words resulting. I do pull the filter completely once or twice a year regardless and go to town on it outside, but sometimes it's more if I happen to "impact it" with stuff due to not paying attention. One can fill up a 55 gallon bin REALLY fast when processing lumber on the J/P...

I did build the bin sensor, but have been totally remiss for a long time in getting it actually installed and working. My bad...

[Mark Bolton]

All that would take is a diverting damper, which could be shop built, or get an HVAC contractor to install one, & an actuator. I've been mulling over doing that as well. It would be great to have that option.

I kinda figured it would be more involved than that to be sealed tight in general and damper wise

[Ben Rivel]

I have the one that Oneida sold me when I got the DC & it's never been reliable. I've seen your thread; does it use the same sensor as Oneida? I think that's the weak link in their system. I know Banner makes better ones.

Yes the one in my thread is the exact same setup Onieda uses. I think the best options are a combination of a window in the bin and one of the rotating "blade" type sensors (Dwyer DBLM), but those are a LOT more money.

[Andrew Seemann]

One can fill up a 55 gallon bin REALLY fast when processing lumber on the J/P...

That is part of the reason I have gone to buying S2S about 1/16" - 1/8" oversized when I get more than a few dozen board feet at one thickness.

I've jammed my 3hp Dust Gorilla to the point of losing suction once. That was miserable beyond belief. I think I nearly seized the fan. I'm a lot better about checking it now, but I have run it into the cone a couple times. I try to remember to test it by rapping the side of the drum to see where it stops sounding hollow, but since it is in a closet, it tends to be out of sight and out of mind.

I tend to fill a 55 gallon drum 3 - 5 times a year depending on how much planing I do. I blow the filter out whenever I empty the drum. I think I sometimes starve it for air a little bit, and the fines don't drop out as well as they should/could. I blow out the filter with compressed air, probably 80psi. I usually have to drag the nozzle across the pleats to get all the fines out. I'm pretty sure my filter is washable, but I have never done it. Spraying it with a garden hose would probably work best, but it tends to be winter when I clean the filter and the hoses are in hibernation for the winter.

My filter might be getting towards the end of its life. I think I might have a slight tear and the glue no longer holds the metal ends on, so I have to have threaded rod and a piece of plywood to hold the filter and dust cup on.

[Bernie Kopfer]

I have used my leaf blower with what I consider to be excellent results. When I start I make sure the wind is blowing but it does leave a slight dusting on the adjacent trees and bushes. Haven’t asked the neighbors what they think. When the air blows clear when I fan the fins while blowing i think the filter is clean. Air at 40mph really picks up the dust!

[Ole Anderson]

Never packed my filter tight, but caught it just after the bin filled up a few times. I tap the big stuff out after removing the filter, then take it outside and blow it out (inside the filter) with a leaf blower. Hopefully when the neighbors aren't looking. Sure makes a cloud of dust.

[Alan Lightstone]

Oneida on their website says you can use compressed air up to 90 psi.

I've gotta try that leaf blower trick. Although, I guess, you need a leaf blower for that....

[Jim Becker]

Now that I have a battery powered leaf blower, I'll likely try that next time there's a cleanin'....but honestly, I've been using compressed air for years. Outside, of course. And then I take the necessary shower afterward.

[Mark Bolton]

Just out of curiousity, those of you that have become "filter cleaning experts" , do you have bin level sensors of any kind and are they failing or not working for you?

And if you dont have one, check out my thread on settting an inexpensive option one up. Its the same as the Oneida-Air one. LINK

If we had it happen more often we would likely look into some solution as long as it was dead on consistent. As I mentioned, if you do it more than a couple times you fall into the slow learner camp lol. Ive done it personally once and had help do it a couple times even though being warned. My collectors are not in sight from the shop so any type of window in the bin would be pointless. We generally just walk out to that bay and give it a glance (clear flex between the cone and the drum) or a bit of a lift for weight but once your out there whether its half full or not you just empty it. Ive often wished I mounted the cyclones higher so there would be more flex between the cone and the drum for a bit more warning rarely working from rough sawn anymore its a rare worry.

[Matthew Hills]

Is weight a viable estimate, or too much variability based on what is generating the waste?

Matt

[Mark Bolton]

Is weight a viable estimate, or too much variability based on what is generating the waste?

Matt

Its by no means dead reliable. Small chips - heavy, big light fluffy planer chips, not so much. But the weight of the barrel when the DC is running gives you a reasonable gauge. These hang 4-5" off the floor with DC running when empty.

[Paul F Franklin]

Not to hijack this thread...I wonder if some kind of vibrating base for the bin would help settle the chips/dust more, essentially increasing the capacity of the drum? I've noticed that I could compact the contents when full to about 1/2 the volume or less, but that requires opening the bin and at that point, one might as well empty it. I may rig something up some day when bored and give it a try. My bin already sets on a castered base, so it would be pretty simple to rig up an eccentric to just shake the bin back and forth a bit. There's already flex in the connection to the cyclone, so no issue there.

[Frank Pratt]

Not to hijack this thread...I wonder if some kind of vibrating base for the bin would help settle the chips/dust more, essentially increasing the capacity of the drum? I've noticed that I could compact the contents when full to about 1/2 the volume or less, but that requires opening the bin and at that point, one might as well empty it. I may rig something up some day when bored and give it a try. My bin already sets on a castered base, so it would be pretty simple to rig up an eccentric to just shake the bin back and forth a bit. There's already flex in the connection to the cyclone, so no issue there.

That's an interesting idea. If you try it, let us know if it works.

[Mark Bolton]

Not to hijack this thread...I wonder if some kind of vibrating base for the bin would help settle the chips/dust more, essentially increasing the capacity of the drum? I've noticed that I could compact the contents when full to about 1/2 the volume or less, but that requires opening the bin and at that point, one might as well empty it. I may rig something up some day when bored and give it a try. My bin already sets on a castered base, so it would be pretty simple to rig up an eccentric to just shake the bin back and forth a bit. There's already flex in the connection to the cyclone, so no issue there.

For me personally I would guess there would be little benefit. We had filled the dumpster with fluffy maple chips and tried to mash it down with little worthwhile gain. Then you have I have the issue that I can simply no longer lift a densely packed 55 gallon fiber drum when full. Getting older is a bear. The CNC for instance always makes small densely packed chips in the drum and if it fills on the weekend when Im here alone Im porked. Ive threatened to swap it to a smaller drum but never bothered.

I think your better option for more capacity in your drums is in your tooling. About the only thing that wastefully fills the DC (in my opinon) is straight knife planer, jointer, shaper heads, and the worst of the worst, the Williams & Hussey. Shaper hogging off massive fluffy chips is right there with the W&H.

Get your chips as small as possible off the machine and the cyclone will pack the drum so full no one other than Thor or the Incredible Hulk will be able to get it into the dumpster by hand.