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Thread: How Good is a Thien Baffle?

  1. #1

    How Good is a Thien Baffle?

    This past Saturday, Triangle Woodworkers held their annual Toys for Tots workshop. In the process, they drilled 500 one inch holes in car bodies made from 2 X 4 stock. That's the same as a 1 inch by 62.5 foot hole. Using my Top Hat Thien Baffle, connected to Delta AP-400 dust collector. The lower bag on DC contained less than a half gallon of fines, while Thien Baffle caught the rest. Pretty good for a shop made baffle, IMHO. To see baffle, search "Another Vote for Phil Thien's Baffle."

  2. #2
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    How Good is a Thien Baffle

    I have had a Thien Baffle in my 3HP DC for several years. It does a pretty good job of collecting chips and larger sawdust. However, it allows a high percentage of fine dust from tools like a drum sander to bypass into my Wynn filters. This is a known issue with the Thien Baffle.

    Tired of cleaning my Wynn filters, I installed one of the steel cyclone separators from Ebay (East caroga cyclones) to service my drum sander. It collects about 90% of the drum sanding dust. The steel cyclone is installed in series with the Thien Baffle/Wynn filters.
    Last edited by Paul Stoops; 12-12-2019 at 11:36 PM. Reason: Additional information

  3. #3
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    One of the woodworking magazines (maybe FWW?) did testing comparing cyclones to the Thien baffle. The Thien did not do as well with the finer dust.

  4. #4
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    I added one to my Delta DC and it helps but as others have stated the really fine dust goes on through to the filter.

  5. #5
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    I thought a Thein Baffle was just a modified drop box. So I think they create a good amount of suction loss. Both air flow and pressure loss.
    Bill D

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    I thought a Thein Baffle was just a modified drop box. So I think they create a good amount of suction loss. Both air flow and pressure loss.
    Bill D
    I know mine does a good job of removing most of the debris, both small and large. Cyclone and filter socks get the rest.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Wrenn View Post
    I know mine does a good job of removing most of the debris, both small and large. Cyclone and filter socks get the rest.
    You have a Thein baffle and a cyclone? Why? That adds a lot of flow restriction. Why not just go with a cyclone only, as it is the superior separator.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Pratt View Post
    You have a Thein baffle and a cyclone? Why? That adds a lot of flow restriction. Why not just go with a cyclone only, as it is the superior separator.
    I use my baffle when running planer, or jointer, both of which are used on slab in front of shop. Catch the debris at source, instead of sending it to back of shop, and then dragging full can to front.

  9. #9
    I used to have a Delta AP 400 and used a thien baffle with it. It did well on chips but didn't do great on fine dust so the filter needed cleaning a lot. I use cyclones now and my DC discharges outside - so no filter. My shop vac has a filter but only needs cleaned after several 5 gallon buckets under the cyclone are emptied.

  10. #10
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    A Thien baffle can trap larger chucks where as the cyclone's exit is larger than the inlet so nothing gets trapped. To me it's an important difference.

    I looked at making a Thien baffle but the cost and engineering/design effort made the Oneida 4" system look cheap. Then they put it on sale at my local Woodcraft....

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eric Danstrom View Post
    I looked at making a Thien baffle but the cost and engineering/design effort made the Oneida 4" system look cheap. Then they put it on sale at my local Woodcraft....
    I believe the Oneida dust deputies are a good value as well. There are also knock offs that are so inexpensive that I can't understand why anyone would mess around building a Thein baffle.

  12. #12
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    I built my Thien from left over scraps for just little over a dollar for the Ell

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerome Stanek View Post
    I built my Thien from left over scraps for just little over a dollar for the Ell
    My statement was poorly worded and insulting to those who have build their own. I do understand the reasons why someone would build their own, be it to save money or just for the challenge & fun of it.

    The reason I don't want to mess around with it is that I've so far behind on stuff to build for the shop that I have to be selective about which things will be DIY.

    Apologies to all.

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