Bill Pentz
03-01-2003, 12:41 PM
Checking in and saying hello. Seems a few were wondering if I am still kicking!
Ok ok.. Manged to get together with the guys for the first time in way too long to play a little poker last night. Nickel, dime, quarter and you loose over $20 better go sit in the corner and watch the basketball games. Don't want any real losers, just a good time for all. Had to leave before Cinderella as that group goes way past my new bedtime and I kind of ran out of air needing my oxygen hose, particularly after a long week. It was nice seeing my friends and celebrating 19 years with the same group, two of whom have been friends 35+ years.
Here's the latest:
My dust collection basics and cyclone web sites: http://cnets.net/~eclectic/woodworking/dc4dummies.html have been pretty much of an overwhelm as of late. Yesterday generated 131 emails plus untold garbage emails from those firms who harvest emails. Today I've already got 61 emails and still have not finished my morning coffee. My two junk email blockers are not getting the job done at all, plus clobbering a few too many individual emails. Here's my latest projects and a request for a little help from my expert friends.
Kit cyclone: Helping Terry Hatfield shake out his new cyclone kit www.dusteliminator.com has been an interesting project. Like most birthing experiences, it is a much bigger challenge than you would think when first getting involved, even with my only agreeing to help a little as just don't have enough body to get into another business.
Lots of great people who are net friends of mine are helping Terry with the first round of kits. They are helping to debug the instructions, make sure all fits just right, and add their suggestions. The air ramp continues to be very fussy as the difference between a really good fit and only a so-so fit is less than the amount of difference that each introduces in building the upper cylinder. Finally decided to recommend a different approach that fixes the air ramp permanently to the outer cylinder, then installs the inner ramp and trims during installation to make a "perfect fit"
New friend: Got to finally meet Dan Moening this week after trading emails for over a year. A real quality gentleman for sure. My plan was to give a little Soldering 101 course before he solders up his cyclone kit from Terry this weekend. I instead showed him how not to solder! He had lots of patience with me and my mess I call a shop. *Smile*
Budget Cyclone: As you may know, I accepted an email challenge to develop a cyclone plan that was cost competitive with an import 2 hp blower. My son and I are about done with our prototype and just now putting on the final touches. All that is left is installing the air ramp, mating the two cyclone halves and getting back the arbor I'm having machined to mate the motor and impeller.
Like Terry's www.DustEliminator.com kit, this cyclone design uses HVAC fitting sizes to make getting it connected with transitions, etc. a piece of cake. As anyone who has been to my "shop" will tell you I must have some Scottish in my Austrian-English-Cherokee ancestry, because I never throw anything away. I guess that is why you have to know the secret code of when to turn and bend to get through my shop. Anyhow, this created a little problem that I need some help with.
It seems that for my last few cyclones I've been lucky enough to have a few rolls of old real lead based solder and acid flux. Well, I finally ran out and made the normal mad dash to my box store and they only had this Oatey silver solder stuff with an Oatey water based #5 flux. Dang! This stuff is worse than terrible when it comes to soldering galvanized sheet metal. It tends to flow under the galvanizing and will not bond the two pieces. When I sand off the galvanizing, it does not flow hardly at all. Even with tinning both pieces in advance, it still does not like to flow worth a darn. I used a third of a one pound spool on just two parts and the joints frankly stink. Any of you experts able to tell me how to solder galvanized with the current generation of solders and flux cleanly? Recommendations?
Web pages: I added another page that documents how to build the budget blower using the still on sale ($69) Harbor Freight 5 hp compressor motor (Part #7570) and the Jet DC-1900 14" diameter impeller(800-274-6848 part#431006 $57.76+~$15 S&H).
Made many changes to the dust collection web pages based on input from Robert Witter (Oneida-Air founder and chief engineer, plus feedback from a number of others to try and more accurately help fellow woodworkers). My thanks again to Robert and his crew for keeping me on track and their dedicated help.
I gathered up posts from three different sites and merged that information with advice from a long time friend who owns an air compressor shop for help in choosing my own big shop air compressor a couple of years ago. I reorganized and rewrote that information to help with readability and flow. Unfortunately, I was unaware that I was stepping on Forrest Addy's toes hard. It turns out that most of the posts I used were from him indirectly from his already published and copyrighted "The Practical Machinist". Now that I know there is such a source, I've pulled down that air compressor advice page and am rewriting it with direct quotes where applicable to ensure Forrest gets credit for his good work. He has been an incredible help to me and so many others, I sincerely regret having used his material without giving due credit, even if unaware I was doing so.
Have three other new web pages in progress that for a change I'm going to keep as a surprise. That's really my saying I have to get the bugs worked out before embarrassing myself!
Cyclone Plan: Micheal Howell Worthan, (X2WORTHA@southernco.com) another of our fellow woodworkers decided to build a cyclone from the free plans on my Cyclone Plans (http://cnets.net/~eclectic/woodworking/cyclone) web page. Like most good engineers Micheal is a perfectionist and unlike most of us he has a huge flatbed plotter. One of the biggest complaints I've heard about my plans is getting them transferred to metal accurately. There is just so much, and in working with metal often for the first time on a totally new kind of project, many (including me still) will make copying errors, saying nothing of having problems drawing arcs far bigger than my tools will go. In fact, I think Dan was smiling over my patch that I had to make because I cut off the soldering tab for my little 6" dust chute band that goes at the bottom of the cone. Anyhow, what Micheal did was use a good CAD program to take out the problems and came up with a full sized color template. For those who want something between my rough drawings and Terry's kit, this is an excellent option. Please email him directly, my role is just to help him debug that draft. I really do much appreciate his efforts and all the time he put in.
Articles: It seems that dust collection is getting lots more attention with the formal announcement that fine wood dust causes everthing from allergies, to polyps, to cancer. As a result a few editiors have been searching the web for more information and apparently tripped over my web site. Like the fool I tend to be, I volunteered to write up a couple of articles on dust collection basics and appropriate protections for hobbyist woodworkers (same stuff as is on my Dust Collection Basics (http://cnets.net/~eclectic/woodworking/cyclone/Dc4Dummies.html) web pages).
Another Design: I just confirmed yesterday that my new cyclone and budget blower design were accepted and will be the basis for a new kit design to replace a popular home-made cyclone design being sold by a few different vendors. This one is on the other end from Terry's DustEliminator. It targets those with very small shops, who have minimal or no ducting, or who want to use smaller blowers. It is ample for a mostly bench-top shop, but too light-weight for those with the heavier 2-3 hp bigger hobbyist and professional woodworking power tools, cabinet saws, etc.
Spyware Off Topic, but important! In my real world job I am the senior information security analyst for a large government organization. Besides being overwhelmed having been made acting manager as my boss got drafted to help with another emergency, I've been battling a few new problems. Here's a little advanced heads-up for you all. Early on web makers began using cookies to track web visits and keep your personal information related to their web page in your cookies files. A few specialty firms went a step further and began droping little hidden program on your computer to report back which sites you visit, which emails you open, and who you trade emails with. These little hidden programs are called Sypware.
At first Spyware was only a pain because too many of them resulted an ever worsening computer slow down, but things recently got much worse. Some of the "wise" crackers have managed to modify these hidden programs to not only record all the prior stuff, but also your every keystroke. We used to use the free Adaware program from www.lavasoftusa.com to get rid of these critters and just do a weekly cleanout or whenever a PC began running too slow. That is no longer good enough. I've recently been very pleased by using the free (voluntary donation) Spybot (http://spybot.safer-networking.de/) program.
Unlike Adaware, this not only cleans, but can and should be setup to get automatic definition updates, to automatically run, and to protect your PC against known Spyware problem programs.
Whew.. That's more than enough for my first post here.
Thanks Keith and all for putting this together.
bill pentz
Ok ok.. Manged to get together with the guys for the first time in way too long to play a little poker last night. Nickel, dime, quarter and you loose over $20 better go sit in the corner and watch the basketball games. Don't want any real losers, just a good time for all. Had to leave before Cinderella as that group goes way past my new bedtime and I kind of ran out of air needing my oxygen hose, particularly after a long week. It was nice seeing my friends and celebrating 19 years with the same group, two of whom have been friends 35+ years.
Here's the latest:
My dust collection basics and cyclone web sites: http://cnets.net/~eclectic/woodworking/dc4dummies.html have been pretty much of an overwhelm as of late. Yesterday generated 131 emails plus untold garbage emails from those firms who harvest emails. Today I've already got 61 emails and still have not finished my morning coffee. My two junk email blockers are not getting the job done at all, plus clobbering a few too many individual emails. Here's my latest projects and a request for a little help from my expert friends.
Kit cyclone: Helping Terry Hatfield shake out his new cyclone kit www.dusteliminator.com has been an interesting project. Like most birthing experiences, it is a much bigger challenge than you would think when first getting involved, even with my only agreeing to help a little as just don't have enough body to get into another business.
Lots of great people who are net friends of mine are helping Terry with the first round of kits. They are helping to debug the instructions, make sure all fits just right, and add their suggestions. The air ramp continues to be very fussy as the difference between a really good fit and only a so-so fit is less than the amount of difference that each introduces in building the upper cylinder. Finally decided to recommend a different approach that fixes the air ramp permanently to the outer cylinder, then installs the inner ramp and trims during installation to make a "perfect fit"
New friend: Got to finally meet Dan Moening this week after trading emails for over a year. A real quality gentleman for sure. My plan was to give a little Soldering 101 course before he solders up his cyclone kit from Terry this weekend. I instead showed him how not to solder! He had lots of patience with me and my mess I call a shop. *Smile*
Budget Cyclone: As you may know, I accepted an email challenge to develop a cyclone plan that was cost competitive with an import 2 hp blower. My son and I are about done with our prototype and just now putting on the final touches. All that is left is installing the air ramp, mating the two cyclone halves and getting back the arbor I'm having machined to mate the motor and impeller.
Like Terry's www.DustEliminator.com kit, this cyclone design uses HVAC fitting sizes to make getting it connected with transitions, etc. a piece of cake. As anyone who has been to my "shop" will tell you I must have some Scottish in my Austrian-English-Cherokee ancestry, because I never throw anything away. I guess that is why you have to know the secret code of when to turn and bend to get through my shop. Anyhow, this created a little problem that I need some help with.
It seems that for my last few cyclones I've been lucky enough to have a few rolls of old real lead based solder and acid flux. Well, I finally ran out and made the normal mad dash to my box store and they only had this Oatey silver solder stuff with an Oatey water based #5 flux. Dang! This stuff is worse than terrible when it comes to soldering galvanized sheet metal. It tends to flow under the galvanizing and will not bond the two pieces. When I sand off the galvanizing, it does not flow hardly at all. Even with tinning both pieces in advance, it still does not like to flow worth a darn. I used a third of a one pound spool on just two parts and the joints frankly stink. Any of you experts able to tell me how to solder galvanized with the current generation of solders and flux cleanly? Recommendations?
Web pages: I added another page that documents how to build the budget blower using the still on sale ($69) Harbor Freight 5 hp compressor motor (Part #7570) and the Jet DC-1900 14" diameter impeller(800-274-6848 part#431006 $57.76+~$15 S&H).
Made many changes to the dust collection web pages based on input from Robert Witter (Oneida-Air founder and chief engineer, plus feedback from a number of others to try and more accurately help fellow woodworkers). My thanks again to Robert and his crew for keeping me on track and their dedicated help.
I gathered up posts from three different sites and merged that information with advice from a long time friend who owns an air compressor shop for help in choosing my own big shop air compressor a couple of years ago. I reorganized and rewrote that information to help with readability and flow. Unfortunately, I was unaware that I was stepping on Forrest Addy's toes hard. It turns out that most of the posts I used were from him indirectly from his already published and copyrighted "The Practical Machinist". Now that I know there is such a source, I've pulled down that air compressor advice page and am rewriting it with direct quotes where applicable to ensure Forrest gets credit for his good work. He has been an incredible help to me and so many others, I sincerely regret having used his material without giving due credit, even if unaware I was doing so.
Have three other new web pages in progress that for a change I'm going to keep as a surprise. That's really my saying I have to get the bugs worked out before embarrassing myself!
Cyclone Plan: Micheal Howell Worthan, (X2WORTHA@southernco.com) another of our fellow woodworkers decided to build a cyclone from the free plans on my Cyclone Plans (http://cnets.net/~eclectic/woodworking/cyclone) web page. Like most good engineers Micheal is a perfectionist and unlike most of us he has a huge flatbed plotter. One of the biggest complaints I've heard about my plans is getting them transferred to metal accurately. There is just so much, and in working with metal often for the first time on a totally new kind of project, many (including me still) will make copying errors, saying nothing of having problems drawing arcs far bigger than my tools will go. In fact, I think Dan was smiling over my patch that I had to make because I cut off the soldering tab for my little 6" dust chute band that goes at the bottom of the cone. Anyhow, what Micheal did was use a good CAD program to take out the problems and came up with a full sized color template. For those who want something between my rough drawings and Terry's kit, this is an excellent option. Please email him directly, my role is just to help him debug that draft. I really do much appreciate his efforts and all the time he put in.
Articles: It seems that dust collection is getting lots more attention with the formal announcement that fine wood dust causes everthing from allergies, to polyps, to cancer. As a result a few editiors have been searching the web for more information and apparently tripped over my web site. Like the fool I tend to be, I volunteered to write up a couple of articles on dust collection basics and appropriate protections for hobbyist woodworkers (same stuff as is on my Dust Collection Basics (http://cnets.net/~eclectic/woodworking/cyclone/Dc4Dummies.html) web pages).
Another Design: I just confirmed yesterday that my new cyclone and budget blower design were accepted and will be the basis for a new kit design to replace a popular home-made cyclone design being sold by a few different vendors. This one is on the other end from Terry's DustEliminator. It targets those with very small shops, who have minimal or no ducting, or who want to use smaller blowers. It is ample for a mostly bench-top shop, but too light-weight for those with the heavier 2-3 hp bigger hobbyist and professional woodworking power tools, cabinet saws, etc.
Spyware Off Topic, but important! In my real world job I am the senior information security analyst for a large government organization. Besides being overwhelmed having been made acting manager as my boss got drafted to help with another emergency, I've been battling a few new problems. Here's a little advanced heads-up for you all. Early on web makers began using cookies to track web visits and keep your personal information related to their web page in your cookies files. A few specialty firms went a step further and began droping little hidden program on your computer to report back which sites you visit, which emails you open, and who you trade emails with. These little hidden programs are called Sypware.
At first Spyware was only a pain because too many of them resulted an ever worsening computer slow down, but things recently got much worse. Some of the "wise" crackers have managed to modify these hidden programs to not only record all the prior stuff, but also your every keystroke. We used to use the free Adaware program from www.lavasoftusa.com to get rid of these critters and just do a weekly cleanout or whenever a PC began running too slow. That is no longer good enough. I've recently been very pleased by using the free (voluntary donation) Spybot (http://spybot.safer-networking.de/) program.
Unlike Adaware, this not only cleans, but can and should be setup to get automatic definition updates, to automatically run, and to protect your PC against known Spyware problem programs.
Whew.. That's more than enough for my first post here.
Thanks Keith and all for putting this together.
bill pentz