Venting outside and ducting - I am brand new to dust collection

[egbell]

Good morning:

Rushton: We have been reading the same posts, I'm sure.

I'll make a decision soon between the two switches. I read Rob's point somewhere about a fused switch having protected equipment in a situation... don't recall if it was a tool or an air conditioner. I like that aspect but I'm concerned about having to replace fuses that blow on initial draw of a motor, and I hope that does not make it sound like I know more than I do. I just worry a lot. It protects me but also makes me do things that are likely unnecessary or extreme. I'll take this information and make the decision soon. I believe you mentioned slow-blow fuses in the same post to which I refer. I have never heard of those but I have some time to do some research on them as well. My early experience with electric boxes was with the small screw-in glass fuses, which are also used in the switch I bought, and have had an aversion to them since I installed my first circuit-breaker box.

Thank you, Rob, for the information about the pull-out blocks. This is the kind of thing I am talking about when I say that gaps are often filled in when questions are answered. I see a piece of metal in an electrical enclosure and survival instinct kicks in. People who know these devices apparently know they are safe. It was unsaid anywhere I have been until you said it just above.

 

[Rushton]

We have ignition and liftoff here in Richmond! The cyclone started up for the first time and didn't go flying through the basement - hurray! I carefully closed off the bottom of the cyclone where it would attach to the dust bin to allow for this trial power-up. Everything seemed to be rotating in the correct direction and the stand didn't go dancing about, so Phase 1 of this installation is a "Pass". Now on to Phase 2 which will be to complete the dust bin lid and the filter stack manifold.

 

[egbell]

Congratulations Rushton:

I feel a twinge of envy and some frustration too at my progress and the state of my shop. Kind of like the feeling you get when the person in the next cubicle gets a promotion. Happy for that person. Ambivalent in your own situation. I believe I am going to request a vacation for next week and get this thing done.

I also got some bad news this morning. I had ordered the barrel from Zoro on 3/15. Have not received it so I contacted Zoro. The lady there was very cheerful and said she would follow up with the manufacturer who makes these barrels and drop-ships them to the customer. She was told that this company had an 'issue in transit' and that I had the option to wait or cancel and get a refund. I am not blaming Zoro, but they ARE the company I have to go through for that particular barrel. I cancelled and will find another supplier. There have certainly been many recommendations in this thread and my options have changed since I started looking for barrels.

 

[Rushton]

Ed, I understand the ambivalent feelings. Still, it's a mark of hope! I've felt like my progress has been at a snail's pace since starting down this path in December. I made some progress yesterday on building the plenum for the filters, but I have other tasks pulling me away today. Such is the zigzag path of this effort.

Sorry to hear about the "issue in transit" for the barrel. Good luck getting another choice ordered.

 

[egbell]

Good morning:

I have a couple questions with some small urgency about the impeller and housing. I did take vacation for next week and I'm hitting this project HARD! I expect to have the motor on the wall some time today, along with the cyclone. I have run into a problem that is quite distressing though. I thought I had read that the motor should spin counter-clockwise. That seems to be the way the motor is wired as I read the schematic on the back of the wiring box cover. However, the arrow on my impeller housing shows the expected rotation as clockwise. Is this correct? Is the motor supposed to spin clockwise?

And that brings up another question that is causing me some significant heartburn. The blades of the impeller are concave/convex. I would have thought that the concave side would have been facing in the direction of the motor rotation. That is kind of intuitive to me, but that is not what I believe I see if the rotation shown on the impeller housing is correct.. It seems to me like the convex side would be pushing the air if the motor would spin clockwise. This could just be a misconception, but this is the kind of thing that sends me off into a tizzy and I'm hoping to get a LOT done today. I'm kind of concerned about this. The only way this all makes sense is if :

1. the motor IS supposed to spin clockwise and
2. the convex side is the leading edge of the spin direction, if that makes sense. (If this is not correct, then I am going to have to ask about the configuration of the impeller housing because it SEEMS backward to me. I know people have been making/using these things for a long time, so I know this could be something I am really just off base about, but I'm stressing!)

Please help!​

I am also looking at the wiring and I want to thank McRabbet, Bababrown, Rushton, and Jsbrow.. probably some others I'm forgetting just now. I went back and found the messages in this forum that have to do with wiring. I frequently go off the rails a little when I first look at something and then calm down as I get the information all sorted. There are LOT of old posts out there with pictures, questions from people in much the same situation as me, etc. I'm good to go when I get to the point of wiring, which I'm hoping will be later today or tomorrow at latest.

 

[egbell]

Good morning:

I have half of my question answered. This one is kind of funny in hindsight. I have the motor on my bench and set the impeller housing on it to get things in perspective. The impeller housing is at eye level and upside down and I'm mentally adjusting for it and it is clearly clockwise from that perspective. The manual on page 23 says 'counter-clockwise when viewing from below. (i.e. looking up at the motor and impeller from the floor). You would think that would be easy to understand but it has taken me a while to 'get' this... spinning my finger in the direction of the arrow and then moving that up and down to change my perspective from 'above' to 'below'. This might make me look really silly, but I'm just caught up in how clockwise and counter-clockwise can be seen in the same finger and same motion. I'm typing it and even still struggling with it.

My impeller SEEMS to be the same as in the pictures. I think I can assume that. The pictures are not good enough, at least as printed, for me to be sure of that. The manual says this: "A rotation sticker on the blower housing points in the direction the curved part of the impeller blades should be spinning". I'm sure this made sense to the person who wrote it. However, it is not clear at all to me. The impeller blades are curved. One side is concave, one is convex. Same curve. The lesson here has to do with making something idiot proof. There will always be a better idiot. I can prove it. So... is it REALLY the way this impeller works... the convex side of the blade is the leading surface? I don't mean this rhetorically. I would really like to understand this. My only point of reference is the angles of a ceiling fan... not perfect, but I get that and not this.

 

[egbell]

Good morning:

I have another question about the cyclone installation. It may SEEM obvious to everyone but me, but I don't want to make any presumptions.

On page 16 of my manual, item 9, the instruction says to

"use a level to ensure that the cyclone is level. Adjust the nuts up to the bushings on the the motor mounting rods, if necessary." ​

I am taking this to mean to put the level on the MDF. I cannot see any other way to do this. The pictures show the cyclone attached, but if the level is to be put on the MDF, it seems to me that the cyclone body does not have to be in place for the leveling. Does that make sense? Am I right or am I missing something here?

Also, how critical is leveling. I'm not asking if I can have it at 30 or 45 degrees. I will try to make it perfect but I don't want to get any crazier than I already feel sometimes. I also don't want to presume.

Thank you all for your continued help!

 

[McRabbet]

The leveling should be done when the cyclone body is attached. Earlier, when the motor is mounted, the hanger plate should be leveled both side to side and front to back to insure the motor shaft is vertical. At this stage, you level from the top of blower housing MDF. When the cyclone is attached, you should also double check vertical on the side of the main cyclone body. You might want to download the 2018 version of the Assembly Manual because it is more thorough.

 

[Rushton]

You would think that would be easy to understand but it has taken me a while to 'get' this... spinning my finger in the direction of the arrow and then moving that up and down to change my perspective from 'above' to 'below'. This might make me look really silly, but I'm just caught up in how clockwise and counter-clockwise can be seen in the same finger and same motion. I'm typing it and even still struggling with it.

Ah, we're in the same club on this one. I did the same finger motions trying to get this in my head as I looked at everything. When I had my electrician and his helper here, ALL THREE OF US stood looking at that motor and spinning our fingers to make sure we all agreed on which direction the motor should spin! I had the motor mounted on a board for wiring up the included power cord. This way we could briefly turn on the motor ALL BY ITSELF with no load to verify which way the shaft spun. Then we all spun and rotated our fingers to compare to the direction arrow label on the impeller housing. It must have been a riot to watch!

The DIRECTIONAL ARROW LABEL on the impeller housing really does show the rotation direction of the impeller when all is mounted. That label helped me finally get everything sorted in my head.

And, yes, the impeller vanes do have the CONVEX side of the blade leading into the rotation, it is the leading surface.

Looks like McRabbet has already provided a thorough summary of leveling the mounting plate to get the cyclone and motor shaft vertical. This does not have to be perfect, but try for within as narrow a margin as you can reasonably sight the bubble in your level.

 

[egbell]

Thank you Rushton, for seeing the same thing I saw. I probably spent a half hour thinking about it, walking back and forth from my office to my shop to compare pictures, arrows, etc, and going through the motions. And thanks for confirmation about the impeller blade.

Thank you, Rob, for pointing me at the 2018 version of the manual. This is NOT the one that was shipped with the unit or the one I first downloaded/printed from the assembly instructions. It really is much better and clearer. The pictures are excellent, the notation on the pictures are excellent, and the caveats/tips are excellent. It has already answered a question I was going to have to ask with its clear explanation (having to do with the clips that hold the impeller housing on and it not sitting flush). This is GREAT!

I will be using this going forward because it answers a lot of the questions I have asked to this point. I'm glad I have been here getting the information from actual people, but a lot of questions would not have been necessary. They should add the bit about the impeller rotation with the convex side of the blades leading to the next iteration. Other than that, so far, except for a couple misspellings, it is perfect! This is much appreciated!

My wife is looking for barrels. She will get it done. She is SO much better at that stuff than me! She also ordered me one more blast gate. I had to go out for hardware today (screws, etc.) so I did not get the motor hung, but tomorrow it is going up! It is going to be a bit of heartburn because the space I have in which to work is pretty tight. I'm even contemplating cutting a hole in the floor above to tighten some of the screws... not a big deal because that floor has to be redone eventually anyway, but whatever it takes, it is getting done!

 

[egbell]

Good morning:

I've run into something else now. My motor is on the wall and I started to connect the plug. (I bought the ClearVue electrical equipment) and there is a discrepancy. I *think* I understand what to do but I do not presume and especially not about this. The following are the ClearVue instructions:



There is no wire labelled P3 in my motor wires. I have all of the others. I have one labelled T1 and one labelled T5 and one that is not labelled at all, and they are in a wire nut that came already in the box on the motor. The label on the inside of the plate cover for this box on the motor does not even mention P3. I read things VERY literally and this is going to stop me until I'm sure I'm ok. I have to raise the motor about another 14 inches or so into its final position and once it is there, I cannot really get at the wire box without a lot of heavy work. I don't want to do this lifting twice so I'm going to wait to hear from someone here. I went back to a thread elsewhere in the forum, and had even printed that out, but there is nothing in it sufficient to let me proceed. I also checked the manuals I now have.. .the one I originally got from the site, the one that came with the unit, and the 2018 version Rob recommended. They are all the same as far as these connections. Can someone confirm that the unlabelled wire on the motor is what the manual is calling P3?

Thank you!

 

[Rushton]

Ed, my motor connections are no longer easily accessible, so I can't make a visual check for you. Have you tried calling Cathy Currier at Clear Vue? She is likely able to confirm the wires for you so you can move ahead.

 

[McRabbet]

Here is an old thread that discussed connecting 240 lines to the motor. First, check the inside of the junction box cover for the wiring diagram once you verify the rotation direction from Cathy Currier. This thread shows some good information, but Leeson may have changed how they wire their motors (Mine is 11 years old)..

 

[egbell]

Hi Rushton: That is what I was planning on doing if I did not hear today. I'm going to busy myself with other parts of the job.... assembly, caulking, mounting the electrical boxes, etc. I was hoping someone would have seen the same thing and wondered the same thing. Thanks for following up!

The new manual has been very helpful. I found good information on leveling there that gives me some perspective. This bit was not in the manual I have been working with. Note also the item about the hole in the cyclone that is by design and not to be plugged (you may have already noted it). I had not looked close enough at the cyclone to even notice that. This is another frantic moment I will have avoided! I am really pleased with this newer version.

 

[egbell]

Hi Rob:

The thread you pointed me at is the one I had read and printed. The reason I'm stopped is that the ClearVue manual references a wire P3 which is not labelled in my wire box and it does not appear on the inside cover of the electric box of the motor either. I believe I'm ok... there is one wire in there that is not labelled at all and it is wire-nutted together with the wires I would expect the P3 to be connected with. As I said earlier on, I *think* I'm right. It is just that manual and this discrepancy is a LOT of juice for me to move without confirmation. I spent the last hour or two assembling my transition, caulking the blower housing and transition and clean out. I'm going to call ClearVue tomorrow and make sure I'm doing what is right. I appreciate and respect everyone here. You are one of the people involved in that thread those years ago. I'm thinking the same thing you said... that the thread is old, though I have to say the inside of that box is the same as it was in that thread. Everything else is stamped right on the wire. Just that one. I have the week off, so I don't have to hurry this. I'll report back when I get the information. I'm sure I'm not the only person who gets tripped up on that.

Thanks for the link!

 

[egbell]

Good morning:

Cathy confirmed yesterday that the wire on which I could find no 'p3' label was the one in question. That is some comfort. I am hoping to get back to the wiring either later today or tomorrow.

Yesterday I spent the day working on my duct work. I had roughed it all in over the weekend and yesterday I taped. I got everything done above the ceiling. The tape was not what I expected, and I am sure that is why I was so apprehensive when some/all of you were so comfortable. Jsbrow's method (post #83 on page 6 of this thread) was MOST helpful. (THANK YOU Jsbrow, for the detailed explanation!!) It did take a long time but I just nibbled away at it. I was not able to get the neat, perfectly smooth application I had hoped for, but I can learn to love it. It was apparently not a reasonable hope. At least not for me. I tested regularly with a continuity checker.

The only part that was tricky was the longest straight, probably 3.5 or 4 feet. Is there a trick to running the tape inside long stretches? Pulling off the paper was the part that most stymied me because the only thing I could figure out was to push it down (I used a tube extension from my shop vac) while peeling the paper backing from the same end of the pipe. That last section (5+ foot) is going to tax this approach. I'm hoping I was doing something dumb on the first long straight that I can avoid on that last, longest continuous run in my shop.

I probably did not explain my concern at Wyes very well, but Jsbrow's method did the trick there too helping me deal with both runs and maintaining continuity with the whole. Getting my hands on the actual fitting also helped me see the silly in what I was worried about initially.

For the vast majority of the run, the thickness of the tape had no effect on the fittings of the joints, even the Wyes where I had two wraps and one 'bridge' between the two.

For most of my ductwork, if not all, I expect my blast gates to immediately precede the last short bit of flex tube attaching the tools. Do I need to do something on these to bridge the blast gate, and do I need to concern myself with a ground in/on the flex tubing. If I need to deal with that, I presume it is not going to be with foil tape. These runs should be pretty short, and mostly only used to allow me to move my tools when/if necessary for longer pieces, etc.

Thanks again for all the help to this point. I can see a glimmer at the weekend!

 

[Rushton]

The only part that was tricky was the longest straight, probably 3.5 or 4 feet. Is there a trick to running the tape inside long stretches? Pulling off the paper was the part that most stymied me because the only thing I could figure out was to push it down (I used a tube extension from my shop vac) while peeling the paper backing from the same end of the pipe. That last section (5+ foot) is going to tax this approach. I'm hoping I was doing something dumb on the first long straight that I can avoid on that last, longest continuous run in my shop.

Ed, it sounds to me like you've got the process. For some reassurance and possibly some additional ideas on this, here are two comments from Bill Pentz's website on how to adhere the aluminum tape to the inside of a PVC pipe - they don't differ from jsbrow's process or yours except perhaps in nuance, but they may give you some additional ideas or assurance.

[Quoting Brent Dugan] "Putting the tape on the inside was an interesting challenge. I wanted my tape inside and tape outside to end up right next to each other with just the PVC in between so I could use a screw and nut to ground the two layers together. I was only able to make the aluminum tape with a backing like double-sided tape work on the inside. To do so I started by sticking the aluminum tape to the bottom edge of the PVC pipe. Slightly peel the backing and adhere the aluminum tape to the end of a piece of 1/2" EMT, conduit pipe, or other long rod. Feed the aluminum tape through the pipe as you unroll it from the roll. When you have the tape through the PVC, stick the aluminum tape to the end of the PVC pipe. Now 'tape' the backing to the rod then stretch the aluminum tape tightly angling it towards the top of the PVC piping (12 o'clock position). This keeps it from sticking prematurely. Now gently pull the rod out of the PVC that also removes the 'backing strip' off as you go. Keeping the aluminum tape stretched tightly lower it to the bottom side of the PVC pipe. To smooth it onto the inside I slipped in a longer piece of PVC and simply rolled that pipe inside to "iron" the aluminum tape down."

[Bill Pentz's comment on Dugan's process] "Some have had problems with this technique. Here is what I did and it worked well to help me install my aluminum duct tape inside my duct. I put my pipe on my workbench oriented with where I want the tape on top. I then attach the tape end sticky side up to a long 2x2 and feed that board through the pipe while unwinding the tape. When it is all the way through stick the tape to the inside top of the pipe using a tennis ball to smooth it down as far as I can reach. From the other end pull the tape fairly tight without tearing. Now take a tight ball of rags and push it through the pipe from that well secured end. This will get the tape stuck. To smooth the tape and stick it well, rotate the pipe down then using a tennis ball on the end of the 2x2 smooth and press the tape down well."

http://www.billpentz.com/woodworking...ic_electricity​

Blast gates: Some users report success by attaching a jumper wire to the wire coil at each end of the flex hose (assuming your hose uses metal wire for its coil, which may be coated but is metal inside the coating - this would be typical for the kind of hose we're using for dust collection). At the end of the coil that connects to the blast gate, take your jumper wire over the blast gate to the aluminum tape you've run along you PVC pipe connecting with a screw or bolt through the tape; the end of the coil that connects to you machine is wired to a ground point on the machine. You now have continuity from the machine all the way back along your ducting.

 

[jsbrow]

egbell,

Affixing foil tape inside a longer pipe. Since you have discovered my earlier post (my method for installing foil tape inside a longer length of pipe) and given Rushton’s post, there is little more I can add.

Flex Hose “Grounding”. I do not recall whether you stated that you already had or will purchase flex hose. If it is yet another purchase looming in your future, then there are some options that may be worth considering. Flex hose can either feature corrugated interior walls or smooth walls and can be made of a static dissipative material.

Option 1. The corrugated walls are a feature of the least expensive flex hose. These rough walls can increase static pressure; adding up to 50% of static pressure over that of metal pipe of the same length. Increased static pressure reduces air flow. It is generally nonconductive.

Option 2. The smooth walled flex hose features an interior surface which, while not perfectly smooth at bends, is far smoother than corrugated flex hose. It is more expensive than the corrugated flex hose. It is nonconductive.

Option 3. The most expensive option is static dissipating smooth walled flex hose. I assume is that a conductive material is added to the wall of the flex hose. If I am correct, then static charge can be conducted to ground through the foil tape system applied to the PVC piping.

I elected to go with Option 2. For drops requiring 6” flex hose, I purchased Polyurethane 6" diameter x .030 mil steel wire reinforced, smooth wall Flexible Hose 25 ft @ $12.39/ft. It is flexible, but the reinforcing wire is difficult to cut. I bought mine from http://www.blastgateco.com/Drop-Box-Flex-Hose.php, although I am sure other sources sell a comparable product. I believe the 6” flex hose is made by Flexaust but I am not sure.

Where I had drops requiring 4” flex hose, I used two different smooth-walled flex hose neither of which are metal reinforced or electrically conductive:

Flex-Tube PU Polyurethane Duct Hose, which is quite stiff and which has a memory if left in the same position over a period of time. Purchased at:
https://www.amazon.com/Flex-Tube-Po...ane+Duct+Hose,+Clear,+4"+ID,+0.033"+Wall,+25'

and

Flex-Tube PV PVC Duct Hose, Clear, 4" ID, 0.032" smooth wall, which was less expensive than the 4” Flex-Tube PU Polyurethane Duct Hose, far more flexible, and lacked the memory of the Polyurethane Duct Hose. This was purchased at:

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...+PV+PVC+Duct+Hose,+Clear,+4"+ID,+0.032"+Wall,

I recommend the Flex-Tube PV PVC Duct Hose, Clear, 4" ID, 0.032" smooth wall flex hose because it is much easier to use.

I made no effort to collect static charge from any of these flex hoses until yesterday. Although I never received a static shock, I grew tired of collecting lumber from the outfeed table of the planer and feeling the pull on what little hair I still have due to the static charge build-up on the pair of 4” Polyurethane Duct Hose running to the planer.

I wrapped bare copper 14 gauge stranded wire around each 4” Polyurethane Duct Hose and tied the copper wire to the foil tape grounding system on the 6” PVC duct work. This greatly reduced the static charge build up and, even though I can still sense some static charge, I will not make any additional changes.

I encircled the 14” lengths of flex hose 4 times. I suspect that more wraps of the 14 gauge stranded bare copper wire around the flex hose would have further reduced static charge. I would think this approach would work equally well no matter the type of non-static dissipative flex hose.

None of the other lengths of flex hose in my shop are wrapped with copper wire and I have had no issues. If I ever encounter a problem, I will wrap the flex hose with 14 gauge stranded bare copper wire; like was done to solve the planer problem.

Blast Gates. If the blast gates you intend to use are metal, the some sheet metal screws that penetrate the foil tape grounding strip(s) on the pipe would extend electrical continuity to the blast gates. If the blast gates are non-conductive and electrical continuity of ducting on each side of the blast gate is desired, the jumper (a short length of copper wire) mentioned by Rushton, would be the method I would consider.

 

[egbell]

Good afternoon:

I have been pretty busy. Week is winding down. I will use one of the techniques above for that last stretch of duct, which is the longest in my whole system. Thanks for the extensive details on the duct work.

Yesterday I ran the wire through the ceiling from my shop to the box and installed the circuit breaker. Damaged one ceiling tile but otherwise, it was not fun but I got it done.

I did not take video of my installation. I have only one of me carrying the motor assembly over and putting it on the mount. I am a large person and I did a lot of weight-lifting when I was young. This motor was really not a big deal as far as weight and the mounting assembly was done much lower than the final location. I am truly not saying that to brag or encourage anyone else to do this. I am by myself here and that was how I had to do it, and fortunately it was not that bad. It was just the only thing I recorded because my wife was available to do the camera work but to record everything else would have just added a lot to the job because it was done over the course of 2 days.

Today, I got my unit raised into final position (using a hydraulic jack and a channel system I devised to guide things safely), connected the cyclone to it, and also my filter stack. Is there a rule of thumb for how tight to make the 6 blocks that hold the blower housing to the motor mount? I am a big guy and I have broken a lot of things over the years by over tightening. I was careful today, but I'd like to hear how others determined this. The biggest issue I had was getting my arms between the top and bottom plates to tighten the back bolts. I got it done.

I did run into a panic moment. When I put the filters on the clean out box, the assembly was too high to fit under the transition. This was something I just took for granted would be fine. I measured everything and found that it was only off a very little bit. The fix was simple though. I removed the bolts that adjust the height. That was enough. The whole assembly fits as though I took a set of inside calipers and made them just for that space.

Since I always double check things, I went back and looked again at the wiring on the motor before I raised it into position. You may remember that I said I did not have a wire labelled P3. Well.... I was wrong. I pulled things out and twisted them, etc. and found the P3 on the wire. Not sure how I missed it the first time because I spent quite a bit of time looking with my wife reading the manual and helping look. We both missed it. However, I found it on the second look.

My barrel came yesterday. It is a 41 gallon barrel 26 inches high, fiber with a steel top and locking ring. With shipping it was just over $100. At this point I just want to be done!!! And as the fates would have it, the company I ordered from first called and wanted to deliver. I told them I had cancelled the order (after waiting 10 days for them to ship.. yesterday made 14 business days.). As it turned out it would have been on time but I had no way of knowing that and they were supposed to ship within 5 to 10 business days. The second company I ordered from got the thing here within 3 days of the order. I'm going to cut the hole after lunch. I may call that the day.

What I have left is to connect the disconnect switch. I went back and exchanged the one I had for the 60 amp non-fused box. I will then connect that to the Clear Vue electric box. I have to close the last 'mile' between my ductwork and the dust collector and put blast gates on all of the drops, then run the first powered test. If that all works, I will spend the rest of the year modifying my tools to use my dust collector.

I have a question. I am sure I read somewhere that the remote control should be wired into the shop light circuit to prevent something from triggering the unit to start by itself, even with no one in the shop. I don't for the life of me remember where I read that.. most likely on this forum. Does anyone recall seeing that, and can you point me to the procedure to do that, if it is appropriate? I have junction boxes in my lighting circuit so I believe this will be easy. I just need to know how/where in the dust collection connection.

It is my intention for most, if not all, of my tools to be connected with dual 4 inch flex hose. I am thinking of 2 lines to each tool. From what I've read that is very nearly the same as the 6 inch and I believe it will be easier to modify my tools to use that than to use the 6 inch hose. I also suspect it will be more flexible when I have to move my tools out for long material, etc., but I'd like to hear other opinions if anyone has them. It is all just theory for me. I'd like to hear from those who have put things into practice.

 

[egbell]

Good afternoon:

I have a question on barrels and something that I have never seen suggested or attempted. The barrel I have fits under my cyclone, but it is not low enough to accommodate the 6 inches of flex hose. If I cut the top as suggested and bend it up, I don't believe I could get the top off to empty the barrel. I'm fully prepared to cut it down. I have gotten suggestions on that already here, but I thought of something. I was concerned about my ability to make a straight cut, reinforcing the lip with aluminum strip as someone has done, cutting an MDF top and using weatherstripping, etc. etc. etc. It occurred to me that I could cut the BOTTOM of the barrel, make a new one from MDF with a lip, just as for the top, attach it with glue, screws, and caulk, and keep the top with the locking ring and already-finished edge so that the seal would be the original barrel seal. Has anyone considered/done that before? Is there something I'm not considering here... some reason this is a bad idea? Thank you for any insight!