Where to buy sheet metal for cyclone?

[Dave Miller]

I'm having trouble finding dealers for sheet metal in my area. I am hoping there is someone near me than can help.

I'm planning on building a cyclone DC based on Bill Pentz's plans (thanks Bill!). I've been searching my area for 24 guage sheet metal. Tried looking up sheet metal in the phone book with no luck. Got a number from a friend at work and the place does not carry anything lighter than 20 guage.

Any suggestions on what type of business to look for? Or better yet, does anyone live near me that knows of a place to contact?

Thanks,
Dave

[Steve King]

Dave,
I found my sheet metal from a company that makes chimney covers. I found them in the Yellow Pages, called all of them till I found the best price. I think I paid about $25.00 for a 4’ x 10’ sheet.
Steve

[Carl Eyman]

Another source is "mechanical contractors"

[Jamie Buxton]

I don't have an answer for your question, but I have one to ask of you folks who build cyclones. Why do you make them from metal? After all, you know lots about making things from wood. You have lots of tools that work wood. Compared to sheet metal, wood is a nice friendly material. So why not make your cyclone from wood?

[Rick Haigh]

My first cyclone was made from flashing, that I purchased at home depot. That was a mistake, it collapsed the first time I turned it on. After that I started calling mechanical contractors and any vendor that may be able to tell me where to buy sheet metal. I finally found a place that did sheet metal fabrication. They were so nice that they even rolled the cylinder for me and helped me cutout the cone. It only cost me $24 and they ended up doing most of the hard work!

My best suggestion is to start calling people who use sheet metal and they will be able to point you in the correct direction.

Good Luck,
Rick

[Jay Albrandt]

Look under HVAC companies. The ones that do a lot of commericial work will have it on hand.

Good Luck

[Dave Miller]

Thanks to all of you for your replies. I called a HVAC place, then a supplier, then a fab shop.... Finally found a place nearby that has the sheet metal. $20 for a 4x8 sheet and for another $5 he is going to deliver it! Had to get two sheets since Bill Pentz's plans call for a 4x10 sheet. It's good to have a little extra around anyway.


-Dave

[Dan Stuewe]

I don't have an answer for your question, but I have one to ask of you folks who build cyclones. Why do you make them from metal? After all, you know lots about making things from wood. You have lots of tools that work wood. Compared to sheet metal, wood is a nice friendly material. So why not make your cyclone from wood?

Just off the top of my head...

wood:
moves more
isn't as strong
harder to bend
even harder to turn a 30" cylinder with a cone on it
lower strength to weight ratio
costs more

[Jamie Buxton]

Dan ---
Let me take your points one by one..
Jamie



wood:

moves more
Plywood doesn't.

isn't as strong
The cone of a cyclone doesn't see much stress. People use 24 gauge sheet metal. 1/4" plywood has got to be as strong. Maybe 1/8" ply is as strong.

harder to bend
Thin plywood bends pretty easily. Of course, it doesn't stay bent when you let go of it like metal. But it can be bent. For instance, I buy bending plywood, and roll it up into a cylinder to carry home.

even harder to turn a 30" cylinder with a cone on it
<G> That's true. But I'd think of making the cone of bent thin plywood. Or maybe coopering it -- that'd be fun, wouldn't it?

lower strength to weight ratio
This cyclone sits on a nice strong shop floor. It probably never moves. Why is weight an issue? Heck, maybe more mass will help reduce the noise.

costs more
Maybe -- once you figure out where and how to purchase exactly what you need, and if you have all the fabrication tools, and if you don't need to invest any time learning how to work with the stuff. In contrast, wood presents none of the these issues. And besides, wood is so much nicer stuff!

[Dan Stuewe]

Wow, didn't even think of plywood. There might be some issues with the smoothness of the wood, but it might not be that bad of an idea! The wieght issue I was just thinking about solid wood might be kinda heavy to lift when setting up. I don't know what type of pressures is seen inside a cyclone and what the burst/crush capabilities of wood are though.

Just like my wife keeps telling me...think outside the box!

[Bill Pentz]

Dave,

Lots of good information, but a few more points that might make life easier for you on this project.

First, a 4' x 8' sheet is enough metal to make a cyclone if you leave out the air ramp. It is tight but will work. I recommend the larger piece as the air ramp really does help. I prefer making the 18" diameter cyclone with the real 4.5" x 9" inlet and then making or choping down an HVAC transition to connect my 6" ducting to the cyclone. A 4" x 10" inlet will work and let you use an off-the-shelf HVAC transition, but the size is off just enough to cause problems when used with an air ramp in the form of a little compression that kills performance.

Second, not all galvanized steel is the same. The "tin" coatings contain zinc, but also may contain a variety of other metals. Some of the sheet I bought at a gutter supply facility used a type of galvanizing that proved impossible to solder with non-lead, lead, and even silver solder until I used a wire brush and acid to get through the coating. I like to test a little bit with a good flux and 50-50 lead solder. If it does not stick well, then I go to poly caulking and pop-rivets forgetting the solder because it will only be a problem.

For my latest, I have one of Clarke's snap together kits. It sure is nice, but there is no reason you can't build your own as well. Got a great letter from a fellow today who used one of those 2 hp Delta surplus motors from eBay with a Sheldon's 14" impeller and made all himself. He even used a few of those large truck filters. Cost was a serious concern for him and he managed to do it all for under what I paid for my Jet 1.5 old dust collector. I'll be adding more on my pages as soon as he gets me some more details.

If you have not looked at my web pages lately, lots of changes and updates. Hope this helps.

bill

[Dave Miller]

Bill,

First off, thank you so much for your web pages/information. I know a lot of us owe you a bunch for your time and effort in researching and solving a major woodworking issue.

I purchased two 4x8 sheets, so I should have plenty to include the air ramp. I'll have to test solder a piece of scrap to see what type of galvanizing it has.

I plan to purchase the 2hp Delta motor from ebay and the Sheldon airfoil.

One question: I have 9' ceilings and floorspace is not a problem. I want to build the most efficent cyclone I can (looking for the best filtration). Do you recommend going with a larger diameter cyclone and/or cone length?

Thanks,
Dave

[Bill Pentz]

Dave, you are most welcome.

With your 9' ceilings and floorspace not being a problem, I would recommend you go for the most efficiency that you can. The smaller the diameter, the better the separation and the higher resistance. With a 3 hp or greater motor plus 14" impeller, I think your best separation will be with the use of a cone multiplier of 1.64 with a cyclone upper cylinder diameter of 18". For the inlet, go with a 9" x 4.5" as that will work best with an air ramp. The 4" x 10" inlet that I setup to let folks use a standard register vent, saves having to make a transition, but causes pressure waves with an air ramp that kills fine dust separation. By using the 9" x 4.5" you will not have those waves. For the filters, I continue to recommend using two of the Wynn Environmental Farr compatible 300 square foot filters with a cleanout similar to the one that Dizzy built (see my links page for more information). You can get by with one, but I have never supported that because it greatly increases how often you must clean the filters. The more you clean, the shorter those filters will last.

Hope this covers it.

bill

[Dave Miller]

Bill, one more question,

You mentioned that someone used a Sheldon's non-airfoil impeller with one of the 2hp Delta motors. Do you think 2hp is enough to drive a 14" impeller? I'm leaning towards a standard (non-airfoil) impeller because I don't want to fool with keeping it clean. But cost is also a driving issue. It's a major increase in price and power usage to step up to a 5hp leeson motor. I would like to stick with a setup that uses one of the 2hp deltas.

Any advice?

Based on your suggestions, I think I will go with a 18" diameter cyclone in order to achieve the best seperation. I will also make the 9"x4.5" inlet.

Regards,
Dave

[George Skinner]

Bill,

I have been reading your dust collection site and learning alot.
I am going to build a cyclone dust collector but am a little more then a one man shop and would like to get your thoughts on a larger blower and cyclone. I was thinking maybe 16" impeller with 5hp or 7 /12 hp motor. I need to be able to run at least a couple of machines at once. What are your suggestions as to blower size and cyclone size? Also what would be a good source for an impeller that would be able to ship quickly?

Thanks for all your knowledge

George Skinner

[Bill Pentz]

George,

This was a 200+ email day for me. Would you please email me all the specifics and I'll try to email you tomorrow evening.

bill
eclectic@spyderwebb.com