Thien Internal Baffle -- thickness and dowel questions

[Danny Thompson]

The new HF DC is getting a Thien internal baffle, tomorrow. Two questions:

1. The FWW article on the subject shows the baffle attached to the DC using a single dowel and two screws through the DC's exterior. Most every posting I've seen shows the baffle attached using 3 dowels, instead. Which is the way to go?

2. Most every example I've seen uses 3/4" MDF for the baffle, but I've also seen hardboard and laminate/melamine mentioned, for slickness. So, does thickness matter? And, if so, does the thickness impact the attachment method?

Thanks,
Danny

[Curt Harms]

Due to a somewhat unique ramp in the funnel of my Penn State dust collector, I couldn't install mine like most do. I used 3/4" particle board and put 1/8" tempered hardboard on top for slickness. Because I was using 3/4", I used barrel nuts and bolts through the funnel sides. I think thinner would be better. I could have beveled at least one end of the drop slot to reduce turbulence, didn't think about it at the time. My baffle still works quite well though, a huge improvement over no baffle.
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[Danny Thompson]

I ended up going with 3/16 hardboard (smooth both sides), attached with L-brackets tied to the support post hex bolts. When the full-width portion is offset a bit in the direction of the airflow, two of the posts line up nicely. I just used some M8x1.25 nylon lock nuts on the HF hex bolts, and everything snugged up, nicely. The trickiest part was locating the screw-holes in the baffle to ensure a tight fit to the unit.

Given the relative stiffness and light weight of the hardboard, I passed on the dowel, althogether. The far end is floating. Has anyone tried this setup (two L-brackets no dowel)? With the bag off, the baffle stayed fairly stable. We'll see.