kirkpoore1
Old Oak
I have a 5 hp Oneida cyclone dust collector in my shop. To save space, I mounted it up in the clerestory and ran all my piping along the walls and up to it. This has worked great for well over a decade. The only problem is that I have to get up there once or twice a year and clean the filter using my shop vac. This means standing with one foot on a ladder and one on my big band saw, taking the bin off the bottom, and vacuuming each pleat. This takes a good 45 minutes and isn't exactly safe.
Last week I ran across a solution to this. Meyer Woodworks of Cincinnati OH (https://meyerwoodworks.com/) has a device to shake the cyclone filter and knock the excess dust down into the bin at the bottom. I'd never heard of this sort of thing before but their videos looks good and I decided to give it a shot. You get a kit with a vibration device, mounting bracket, and straps.
Because of the high mount, I added an extension to the provided electrical cord. I got up on my ladder and band saw in the usual way and attached the shaker, tightening the straps as much as possible.
I did a quick test run to make sure it wouldn't fall off. After tightening the straps some more, I plugged it in and let it run for maybe 5 minutes. It's not loud and the shaking is barely visible on the filter. After climbing back up and removing the bin, I had a lot of flour-like dust in the bin. Now, this was after at least a year of not cleaning my filter, so I was overdue. But I was really surprised with sheer volume recovered--my best guess is about a liter.
The directions say to run it for 1-3 minutes at the end of each work day. I probably won't run it quite that often, but I'm already sold on it. Cost including tax & shipping was $213. Oneida now sells exactly the same thing for $350 plus tax & shipping. Theirs adds an on/off switch, vibration speed control, and a longer cord for the extra money.
For me and my unusual installation, this is really worth it. I won't have to get up there more than once a year, and after I check it next year, I may make that once every two or three years depending on how full the bin is. I realize that most of you won't need this, but as far as woodworking gadgets go I've spent money much less wisely many times.
Kirk
Last week I ran across a solution to this. Meyer Woodworks of Cincinnati OH (https://meyerwoodworks.com/) has a device to shake the cyclone filter and knock the excess dust down into the bin at the bottom. I'd never heard of this sort of thing before but their videos looks good and I decided to give it a shot. You get a kit with a vibration device, mounting bracket, and straps.
Because of the high mount, I added an extension to the provided electrical cord. I got up on my ladder and band saw in the usual way and attached the shaker, tightening the straps as much as possible.
I did a quick test run to make sure it wouldn't fall off. After tightening the straps some more, I plugged it in and let it run for maybe 5 minutes. It's not loud and the shaking is barely visible on the filter. After climbing back up and removing the bin, I had a lot of flour-like dust in the bin. Now, this was after at least a year of not cleaning my filter, so I was overdue. But I was really surprised with sheer volume recovered--my best guess is about a liter.
The directions say to run it for 1-3 minutes at the end of each work day. I probably won't run it quite that often, but I'm already sold on it. Cost including tax & shipping was $213. Oneida now sells exactly the same thing for $350 plus tax & shipping. Theirs adds an on/off switch, vibration speed control, and a longer cord for the extra money.
For me and my unusual installation, this is really worth it. I won't have to get up there more than once a year, and after I check it next year, I may make that once every two or three years depending on how full the bin is. I realize that most of you won't need this, but as far as woodworking gadgets go I've spent money much less wisely many times.
Kirk
