Top hat separator usage comment

pop-pop

Man with many vises
Corporate Member
This thread on my top hat separator from nearly three years ago is closed for comments.

It has worked quite nicely except it does not play well with handplane shavings (not even gossamer ones:)).
C54B9F0F-3CBF-442E-9000-B4B9474FC5AE.jpeg
 

Michael Mathews

Michael
Corporate Member
Yup, I sometimes have the same situation with mine! I have mine setup so I can lift it and hook it about 1" above the drum so I can easily change drums. I just tilt it one way and reach under and pull them out. It's a PIA but I love how well the thing works!
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
I wonder how my new small cyclone will do with such shavings. I suspect not well. But, planes make shavings we can sweep up, where I want my vac for dust, mostly dust that could be in the air.
 

NOTW

Notw
Senior User
i have a Thein top hat for my larger dust collector and a dust deputy on my shop vac and neither one of them like hand plane shavings.
 

junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
Because mine is larger (it fits a 30 gallon metal trash can.) The shavings from my planer and jointer do just fine. It also does drill press cuttings, when using a Forestener bit, very well. TWA uses it at their Toys For Tots workshop each year. Still want to build a more compact version with side inlet. One day, maybe!
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
I use the old fashioned straw broom for the hand plane shavings. If its too bad, or when they start getting under stuff, its time for opening the doors and breaking out the leaf blower.
 

striker

New User
Stephen
what do you use to create the suction if you use the then top hat collector? trying to do dust collection on the cheap for the moment and thinking of top hat separator / vacuum / hose out the door for now.
 

pop-pop

Man with many vises
Corporate Member
what do you use to create the suction if you use the then top hat collector? trying to do dust collection on the cheap for the moment and thinking of top hat separator / vacuum / hose out the door for now.

Mine is “sucked” by a Ridgid 14 gallon shop with a cartridge filter. Also, added a bag in the vacuum to protect the cartridge when the top hat bucket fills. Note that I wrote “when” not “if”, it will happen.

IMO, the vacuum having a 2-1/2“ hose is more important than either the gallonage or horsepower.
 
Last edited:

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
I use the old fashioned straw broom for the hand plane shavings. If its too bad, or when they start getting under stuff, its time for opening the doors and breaking out the leaf blower.
" If you've ever cleaned your car or truck out with a leaf blower...." Jeff Foxworthy :cool: :rolleyes: :p
 

junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
what do you use to create the suction if you use the then top hat collector? trying to do dust collection on the cheap for the moment and thinking of top hat separator / vacuum / hose out the door for now.
I use a Delta AP-400 for Toys for Tots workshop. Here at the shop, I run my 15" Delta 380, and my 6" jointer out on the slab in front of shop. Connect machines thru "Top Hat" to DC in shop. This way I don't send shavings to back corner of shop, and then have to haul them back out again. Empty can directly into garbage cans.
 

Michael Mathews

Michael
Corporate Member
what do you use to create the suction if you use the then top hat collector? trying to do dust collection on the cheap for the moment and thinking of top hat separator / vacuum / hose out the door for now.
I disassembled my Grizzly single stage dust collector and mounted the blower on the wall. It now discharges through the wall into the great outdoors! It pulls air through the separator (Thien Separator) and that does about a 99% job of pulling everything out! I rarely see anything outside in the grass, unless I fail to catch when the drum is full and it just can't hold anything more :(:(:(
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
So, solid can on your fine dust re-circulator? Chips you can sweep. The fine dust that goes right through your bag is what kills you. You can DIY a canister or duct it outside.

I wish there was an air to air exchanger that would not load up so one could pipe outside without losing too much HVAC. However, it is probably illegal as particulate emission pollution.
 

pop-pop

Man with many vises
Corporate Member
It has worked quite nicely except it does not play well with handplane shavings (not even gossamer ones:)).
View attachment 199507

Thls discussion has prompted a “what if” experiment. Since the shavings are catching on 3/4” or so vertical surface, would a ramp at that point help? I chopped about a 45 degree ramp (probably angled the wrong way) where the shavings were catching.
EA8C1F91-2504-43AE-AC7D-E62243FAD308.jpeg


Here is what happened with a couple of handfuls of handplane shavings:
3F9A8C5A-B1EB-45A7-A982-1AAD2F3C28C7.jpeg

Note that the single shaving was at the other end of the drop slot near the inlet.

FA0EDE58-F72B-4706-8592-30E7BE130D84.jpeg


Next I will bevel the other end of the drop slot. Stay tuned.
 

NOTW

Notw
Senior User
You may want to think about putting in some split spiral plywood reinforcing rings on that Brute trash can. We had a member here several years ago that collapsed a metal trash can with a setup like this, and they were using a shop vac.

Been running it for 2 years and so far have not had an issue with the can sucking in. Would like to upgrade the filter as some point but have to wrap my head around the design first since all I have off the original HF dust collector is the motor and not the collector
 

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