DC Question. Generic & Applicable to Dust Gorrila.

[Dev Emch]

I have a question for you DC owners. How big a barrel is big enough? I see the Dust Gorrilla equiped with what appears to be a 30 gallon trash can. How often does one need to empty this thing? Anyone got a solution to the dust barrel that does not need emptying all the time? I guess if you park a trailer under it and use an air lock, you would solve this problem. Buts lets be realistic here. The gorrilla is pretty cool looking and I may be able to squeeze it into the back of my power house shed. If the emptying of the barrel is not that much of an issue, this may be a good idea.

[Roy Wall]

My 2hp "super gorilla" came with a 35 gal drum standard. You can upgrade to a 55 gal drum.

I believe guys that spend a day J/P ing their stock will fill several of those 55 gal drums!!!

Now, for me........the little guy (has and) will do me just fine. But, I did raise my gorilla up high enough that I built a little platform 2' off the garage floor - to hold the 35 gal drum. If I feel like I need the 55, I'll just tear out the platform because I've got the room below:cool:

The neighbors certainly think it's quite a machine!!!:)

[Norman Hitt]

I have a question for you DC owners. How big a barrel is big enough? I see the Dust Gorrilla equiped with what appears to be a 30 gallon trash can. How often does one need to empty this thing? Anyone got a solution to the dust barrel that does not need emptying all the time? I guess if you park a trailer under it and use an air lock, you would solve this problem. Buts lets be realistic here. The gorrilla is pretty cool looking and I may be able to squeeze it into the back of my power house shed. If the emptying of the barrel is not that much of an issue, this may be a good idea.

Dev, as you, of all people know already, the Big Contributors to the Dust Bin are the Jointer, Planer, Shaper, Router, etc, and on down the line, so how often it fills would depend on what YOU are doing most of the time, But another BIG, BIG item in deciding what size Barrel is big enough, will mostly depend on just how Strong you're feeling when it comes time to dump that thing.;) 'Course, since you're accustomed to moving large power generators already,;) it might not be a factor at all for you.:D

[Dev Emch]

Thats true Norman. A planer can make a huge mess in no time flat. But its one thing to rig in or rig out a planer.... its another thing when you need to rig out a huge can stuffed full of shavings.

I wish there was a miniture briketeer (sp?) that was both small and affordable that can crank out those duraflame crackling fireplace logs. Then we could just burn the waste or sell the logs to tourists for ombiance (sp?).:D

I know Felder has a brickateer but it costs a bunch of money and its huge. Anybody know about any other smaller brickateers on the market? Maybe one the size of a unisaw?

[tod evans]

dev, i currently shovel out my bin, 5-6 trashcans. i have augers that i hope to find time to install this summer.i have never liked the small recovery bins provided by the system manufacturers, when doing a moulding run i`ll fill my hopper in 2-3 hours can you immagine a 30gal bin? just not practical in a production enviorment......02 tod

[Matt Meiser]

I have a large fiber drum, probably close to 55 gallon. I bought them from a local farm for $5 each. I actually have 2 matching drums so I can switch out without having to empty. I bought one of those drum dollies on ebay which makes it much easier to get the drum out of the corner where the cyclone is. The jointer and planer do fill them up quick and I'm still looking for a good, inexpensive solution for a level indicator.

[tod evans]

matt, i`ve seen plexiglass windows let in to the sides....02 tod

[Philip Glover]

Dev,

Your 24" Oliver will fill a 55 gal drum so fast you won't believe it.
A system with two 55's or a rolling bin is probably what you will need.
Look at Belfab or Donaldson-Torit on the used market. Were I work we have a lot D-T collectors and they are a very good company to work with when you need parts or service.

Phil Glover

[Chris Rosenberger]

Dev there are days when I have filled 4 55 gallon drums working by myself using a planer & jointer. If you are starting with rough lumber it does not take long to fill a drum.


I have a large fiber drum, probably close to 55 gallon. I bought them from a local farm for $5 each. I actually have 2 matching drums so I can switch out without having to empty. I bought one of those drum dollies on ebay which makes it much easier to get the drum out of the corner where the cyclone is. The jointer and planer do fill them up quick and I'm still looking for a good, inexpensive solution for a level indicator.

Matt I installed clear hose between the cyclone & the drum. I know the barrels are full when there is a continous swirl of chips in the hose. This only helps if the cyclone is in an area were you can see it. My units are in the shop.

[Jim Becker]

I found the 30 gallon bin to be too small for my needs when I'm using the jointer and planer, so I have the larger 55 gallon under my Oneida system. The reason that you see the 30 gallon bin in most of the illustrations and on many sales is headroom, frankly. Many folks can't install a cyclone in their shops with the larger bin due to height restrictions.

[lou sansone]

55 gal drum on my unit and like other have said it should be 4 times that size.

lou

[Larry Browning]

The jointer and planer do fill them up quick and I'm still looking for a good, inexpensive solution for a level indicator.
Matt,
Have you looked at Bill Pentz's site lately? He has added a plan for a dust bin sensor that looks pretty easy (and cheap) to build.

[Dev Emch]

Thanks for the replys. This is what I figured and I dont like it. The advantage of a 35 or 55 gal drum is minimal space use but you empty it several times a day. The large dumpster takes up to much space.

What I think we all need is a briketting press the size of say a unisaw. Not a full fledged industrial machine but one that can squeeze out a few fire place logs or other shapes. This compacts the waste massively and produces a useful side product.

I think I am going to begin research on building one of these as this sounds like a more practical solution. I like felders version but its too large for a one man shop.

[tod evans]

dev, start you`re design using a common log splitter......02 tod

[Jim Becker]

Dev...a lot of this has to do with practicality and space. But no matter what gets used at the butt end of the cyclone, it has to be a completely sealed environment. Even a tiny leak will cause blow-by through the cyclone blower impeller and on to the filters. You really DO NOT want to have to "unpack" a big cartridge filter stuffed with dust and chips from that kind of happy event! (DAMHIKT!!)

[Steve Clardy]

Whew. I couldn't imagine me having to dump barrels. That'd be an everyday occurance around here.
Mine is all blown outside. Collector sits outside also, very little noise in shop.
But I don't have a cyclone. Just a 3500 cfm blower.

[Jamie Buxton]

What I think we all need is a briketting press

Maybe you don't need to go all the way to a briketting press. Maybe all you do is squeeze most of the air out the bin full of planer shavings. That means you get to empty the bin less often, and there's less volume to dispose of.

A conceptual starting point is a kitchen trash compactor. There, a motor squeezes the trash. You could do a similar thing with shavings, or you might get by with muscle power -- a lever and the weight of a human body exerts lots of force. A related machine is the garbage truck which services my neighborhood. The garbage man throws in a few containers full of garbage, and then a big blade compresses the new loose trash into the old compacted trash. I could imagine running a chip collector for a while, stopping for a moment to compact the chips, then collecting more chips, then compacting them, and so on.

A even wilder version could take off from those vacuum-bagging systems intended for storing sweaters and the like. You somehow put all the shavings in a plastic bag, and suck all the air out. After all, you do have right at hand a free vacuum source -- the chip collector. Maybe all you need is some clever re-piping.

[Frank Chaffee]

Dev,
I think you are really onto something here with your idea of briquette production from wood chips and dust. Using the wheels already chipped out in the log splitter (as tod has suggested), and trash compaction industries, combined with material level sensors that Larry Browning points to on Bill Pentz’s site, I imagine that you could design a system that produces sized/shaped/req’d density “fuel units” (how’s that for newspeak?), that could be easily transferred from your collection system to your burner. Domestic Hot Water is a gimme, and air and hydronic distribution possibilities abound.

As you seem to be in the design stage of a new shop, this could certainly be a good time for you to consider efficient and integrated heating of your shop and home.

I heated solely with wood for many years here in Wisconsin. Until the early eighties I was involved in the design and production of woodburners. By that time the wood heat industry had evolved to the point where water, a byproduct of combustion, could be drained as a liquid after heat was extracted from flue gasses, and flue gasses could be vented thru PVC pipe (latent heat of vaporization, recovered as latent heat of condensation). From what I have seen of your abilities, I am sure you could not only produce such a system for yourself, but also create a valuable manufacturing concern (in your spare time, of course).

I have not kept up on the woodburning industry since then, but I watch your posts closely, and will chime in on this interesting thread when I feel I have something to contribute.

Frank