Thien separator build finished

[Gary Liming]

Well, my Thien top hat project is up and running, shown below. It seems to work quite well. A description of the build, toward the bottom of the page, is given at:

http://www.liming.org/dustcollection/ if you would like to see more.

So far, so good. Next is a simple lifting device to make emptying the can easier.

ThienTopHat.jpg

[Bruce Wrenn]

Nice build! I like using speaker port for bell outlet. Congrats on using "Top Hat" design. When I built the first many years back I called it a top hat because that's what it looked like. Google "Another Vote for Phil Thien's Baffle" to see pictures of the original top hat. I keep saying, I'm going to build another, with side inlet, but never seem to have the time..

[Gary Liming]

Well, thanks Bruce, for the idea of getting the baffle out of the can! I edited the webpage to reflect your contribution.

How high would you make yours now?

[Robert Delhommer Sr]

How far below the top layer is the bottom layer? I am assuming about 4 1/2"?

[Gary Liming]

Some of the earlier ones were much taller, but mine is 4.75, since I am using 4 inch hose, but this dimension is not critical. The wider the separation, the farther the chips have to fall, although some are made taller to accommodate a round-to-square transition fixture which can be shown to cause less turbulence.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Mine is about ten inches tall, as the 4" elbow had to fit inside. The baffle is what's important, not my top hat. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Phil for his baffle design. Thanks again, Phil.

[Michael Kuzian]

there is a wealth of information on Phil's site. JPThien.com i think it is and follow the link to the forum. there are a few mods that have been made that seem to help cfm and reduce noise, such as an air straightener. the transitions cause less turbulence as mentioned and early tests on the taller units are seeming to have better "fines" separation...

[Gary Liming]

[QUOTE=Bruce Wrenn;2137756The baffle is what's important, not my top hat.[/QUOTE]

Agreed, the baffle is the heart of the design,and thanks to Phil for that, but your top hat idea provides 2 new things to the picture: 1. it allows for the sides to seal to the baffle much better (it is very hard to get a good fit of the baffle where it is fitted by lowering into the bin) and 2. the side inlet removes the need for a 90 elbow, which I believe helps a lot.

[marty shultz]

An option to lifting the top hat to get the barrel out is to fix the top hat to the wall and use 3 wedges to lift the barrel up to the top hat.

[Gary Liming]

I added a video of some oak and MDF being cut at the bottom of the webpage at
www.liming.org/dustcollection