# Thien baffle dust seperator



## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

I am planning to improve my dust collection from my current shop vac to a modified HF dust collector.
What is the best solution for the Thien baffle? I don't care about buy vs build or what is the cheapest. I am more interested in what works the best and requires the least maintenance.

I am also wondering about pros / cons of a Rubbermaid 32 gallon Brute trash can vs a 30 gallon metal can.

Thanks


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## measure2wice (Mar 3, 2015)

I used this with the Thien internal baffle and you can visually see when it's time to empty.

Harry


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

> I used this with the Thien internal baffle and you can visually see when it s time to empty.
> 
> Harry
> 
> - measure2wice


That would be handy.

Thanks


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## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

I have had very good results with a metal trash can.

I have heard some people say that their attempts with rubber trash cans resulted in the can collapsing under the stress of the vacuum. Seems to depend on the brand/style/material of the non-metal ones as to whether or not they can handle the suction.

Thein is not necessary in my experience…just a simple PVC elbow carefully positioned to shoot the incoming air stream along the perimeter of the can does a good job of separating all of the visible dust/chips from the air before it gets to the DC.


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## Bill7255 (Feb 23, 2012)

If you want optimum performance a cyclone would be the best. Especially if you have it hooked up to sanders. I have a 3hp Jet DC hooked up to the large eBay cyclone and vent outside. I am very happy as there is nothing outside at the exhaust and I do run a drum sander. I don't know what cyclone would work with the HF DC.


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## mds2 (Jan 28, 2013)

I have my thein baffle on rubbermade trash can and I have not had any problems at all. In fact it works great. I only have a Jet DC650 though.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

I found on the CL in my area that 55 gallon plastic drums with lids can be had with some frequency and pretty cheap-they're going for $10 in Louisville right now. That's what I ended up using


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## HillbillyShooter (Feb 15, 2012)

This is my solution: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/102418

It has worked well with no problems. I've been pleased. The only drawback back is a noticeable loss of suction-I've seen estimates of up to 40%. However, I knew this going in and made a conscious decision to accept the drawback as being outweighed by the advantages.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

I didn't measure it, but I don't think I've suffered a substantial loss of suction with mine. I'm sure I've lost some, but I would think more like 10%


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## measure2wice (Mar 3, 2015)

I think the suction is better after my modification. I have an old Delta that is about the same as the HF unit that had 4" Y connected to a 6" inlet. There was also an internal reducer that I cut out so it was 6". That 6" inlet went to the can with a 4" going out. I also think the Wynn filter REALLY helps with air flow. I have emptied the can twice and only have a handful of very fine dust in the bag after the filter.


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

Would like to hear more details about the Thien baffle itself.
There are some plastic ones you can buy for around $30 but the reviews seem to indicate they need additional modifying to work well. So it seems building one would be best. I see lots of designs to do this, but wonder if some designs that are better than others. I guess the plastic ones would be lighter and easier to lift off if that is a good thing.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

Joel,

You can buy some plastic separators, but I don't think you can purchase a thien baffle. All of us have made them from the basic design you can find at: http://www.jpthien.com/cy.htm


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## WoodES (Oct 8, 2013)

Check out the Sketchup warehouse for plans. Scale to fit your application.

I used this a basis for a separator for 6" duct and large barrel.

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=b6e3c012f58403af64480d86c49e1de1

Mine works well but can bog down under the longer run and heavy chip load from the planner or joiner. I plan to test a smaller trash can separator at the tool in the future.


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## joey502 (Mar 30, 2014)

If you are willing to buy the super dust deputy works very well for me. I have it mounted on a 30 gallon plastic drum with removable top. The DC is wall mounted directly above the separator.

I have not built or used the Thein baffle linked above but i can not ever remember seeing a bad word about it. Everyone that has built one seems to be very happy with the results.


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## TTF (Sep 13, 2009)

I've benn running an HF dust collector with thien baffle for about 2 years and I love it. I will get some more detailed pictures of my set up over the next few days.

It was a very easy build. I took the collar and put the baffle plate below cone and put a plate on the top for the exit duct - that's about it.



















I started with a rubbermaid can and then got rid of it. I couldn't get it to seal well. I cut the top off a metal can and use sheet metal screws to mount it. There is a 1/4" weatherstrip on top of the can.

This thing pulls almost all the dust, all the time. I have no filter. I duct the air out from the motor to outside my shop. I think there is a cup-full of dust on the gravel below the exit vent after emptying the full can a couple dozen times.

For my set-up - 600 SF shop with 4" under-floor ducting, located in Portland Oregon (mild cold in the winter), and a wood-stove heated shop with replacement air intake that comes up right behind the stove - there is zero need or motivation to have a filter. Just more money and maintenance. Also, my exit duct is 15 ft of 5" mylar coil heating duct with a fiberglass insulation sleeve - it acts a good sound muffler. My neighbors are about 50 ft away, and never any complaints about noise.

One day when the 2HP HF motor dies, I'll just go buy a new one. Or maybe find some big blower motor on CL - it doesn't really matter as long as I get the CFM I need.


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

I have been waffling on this after looking at using an Oneida Dust Deputy and a 5 gallon bucket with my Rigid shop vac. But when I look at the specs on the Rigid shop vac it says it is 6HP and 168 cfm. Compared the HF DC which is 2HP and 1550 cfm. Why does the HF DC have much higher CFM at lower HP? I am guessing its just the way each one is designed and the HF has larger spaces so less restriction. The Rigid does seem to pick up dust pretty well but HF must be much better with the cfm being much higher?

After looking more at the Rigid specs it says 11 Amps which would be 1.75 HP assuming 100% efficiency. So I am not sure what they mean by "6HP peak"


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

Joel,

Two answers: 
1) shop vac makers lie. If it was a true 6 hp, it would have a 3 phase 220v motor that weighed 5 times more than it does now. They use peak hp measurements-the initial drain when the tool is turned on. My craftsman table saw is supposedly 3 hp, but it is really about 1.5.

2) in terms of cfm, think of volume. My office overlooks the Ohio River. It moves more slowly than does the water coming out of my water hose at home-but the volume is way higher. A DC doesn't move air faster than a vac, but it does move a much bigger volume-that volume is especially helpful on jointers and planers that throw out a large volume of chips.


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

Mostly I will be using it with my router (table mount and Leigh FMT jig), bandsaw, oscillating sander and table saw.
I have an old Craftsman TS that I am installing a DC shroud underneath. Planar and jointer are at a different location so I don't need to worry about those. All of these have shop vac size fittings on them so I am not sure they would benefit from the extra CFM of the HF DC. My biggest concern is the filter, the Wynn 35a is a really good filter but they do have HEPA filters for shop vac and with the Dust Deputy it should not get too clogged up. The HF DC with Wynn filter is going cost around $500 vs $100 for the Shop Vac route. If I eventually am going need / want a real DC I should just do it now, otherwise it would be nice to save some money have adequate DC. Also space is an issue, if I go the Shop Vac route I would build a cart and stack everything vertically.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

When I used a shop vac with a Dust Deputy, it couldn't keep up with my planer and it's 2.5" duct. When I was able to use the 4" duct with HF DC, it does just fine.

Hopefully someone with that Shop Vac can answer your questions from their experience.


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

> When I used a shop vac with a Dust Deputy, it couldn t keep up with my planer and it s 2.5" duct. When I was able to use the 4" duct with HF DC, it does just fine.
> 
> Hopefully someone with that Shop Vac can answer your questions from their experience.
> 
> - CharlesA


How about a router? I think that is the biggest dust generator I have.


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## Notw (Aug 7, 2013)

Here is how i did mine. I used a harbor freight dust collector motor, made my own thein baffle and used a Brute trash can from Home Depot. Been using it for a while, trash can has never sucked in or anything like that. Sucks a lot of dust at the tool, the only sanders I have are powered hand sanders and I still use the shop vac with the dust deputy for those (don't see the reason to turn on the big dust collector to run through a 1-7'8 hose). 
http://lumberjocks.com/Notw/blog/series/9226


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

I use my shop vac for hand held router and sander. I use DC for router table.


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