How is my Homemade Cyclone Holding Up 2 Years Later? 

1) Saw a really nice dust collector. 2) Learned about Sikasil for future projects. Thank you very much!

I think this is the nicest cleanest, no pun intended, build I've seen on utube. Good job!

This is the best homemade system I've seen yet. Well done.

Your homemade cyclone is one of my favorite DIY videos and I actually built mine base on your design! Great follow up on your built! Good job!

It’s very helpful to show what went right as well as what went wrong. Thank you for being so forthcoming. Most you tubers only show the highlights. It helps to see all sides good and bad so we don’t have to waste time and money going back to make corrections. Thnx again!

Justin, Can't thank you enough for sharing your discoveries for this build. I plan to modify my shop-vac base on your design. Great space saver that not only looks good but works good. Thanks again.

Good to see you back. I'm liking the small shop space.

Thanks for the heads up on the sealant

I need to make something like this for my shop. Looks good, really like the videos.

Thanks for the video and the 2 year follow up. Yours is a really nice build and your original video was very clear about the steps. What I like most about your build is the compact end result. That said, re-consider making the bucket taller. It is not about capacity. It is that you need enough space to allow the dust to settle rather than be agitated by the vortex. It will also make the vortex more efficient.

Fantastic job on the project and the video! Thank you for sharing!

in so many videos you see people hastily do stuff the first time to make a video deadline. this is the opposite, lovely content! subbed

if you use washing up liquid on your finger when smoothing the Sikaflex, it leaves a very nice finish, been using Sika for nigh on 20 years great product, great video, thanks

Thank you for doing the follow-up and for telling it like it actually is.

Nice fix Justin! Thank you for sharing the video with us.👌😎👍JP

Thanks for the update

Great follow up video!!! Thank you.

Your videos are very inspiring and I love what you have built in your videos. Thank you.

Glad to know your dust collector is still going. Congrats man.. 🙂👍

Awesome job thank you for the great video!!!

Great work Justin and a lesson learned as I to thought regular silicon would stick. I’ll file that away for future reference. Cheers mate, Stuart 🇦🇺

just commented the first video :) Just made a month ago my cyclon-add-on for a normal vacuum cleaner, using China cyclon from ebay. Works awesome! Stones, sand, dust - all comes inside. Changed the VC bag only once, because it was full of tiny dust particles. So cool to see what is really happening inside! Awesome design, although there are some problems I saw discussed on forums - static electricity!!!! because of plastic chamber and that VC can collapse it if the input will be suddenly closed.. Tried with mine - the plastic colour bin, which I use as a collector, start to collaps at half a speed of VC :) So one need a safety valve and metal chamber for a dust.. However, as I see, you did not catch any of these problems or at least they are not pronounced.

Nice to see an update

Sorry I posted on build video before seeing this. I knew you were a smart guy before I seen this. You posted exactly what I asked for. Thanks again!

I learned a lot about Polycarbonate adhesive! This is perfect, and so useful :D I have had good luck with DAP Kwik Seal Ultra, it has Acrylic and Silicone in it, so it might also be a good budget solution to bond to the paint and the polycarbonate.

Thx for sharing the info on the sealant for a polycarbonate.

this is one of the must beautiful job ever seen

Great video

Nice work, chuckling about the bit needing another Vac to clean the other Vac :)

This is a fantastic design! I've been trying to figure out what to do for dust collection and shop cleanup, and trying to find a way to avoid having to buy lots of short pieces of hose. This looks like a pretty good option. I'll want a bigger collection space and a slightly different baffle, since a lot of what I vacuum up is shavings from hand planes rather than dust, but it looks like an excellent starting point. Thanks for the video! Also, if you put some sealant around the top of the baffle (where you forgot to put it originally) it won't be as good as on the lower edge, but it should still help some.

Nice job on that unit Sir.

Well done Justin. The best lessons are learned from the mistakes we make.

Very good info - thanks. I was expecting you to do the noise test after you applied the Sika Sikasil.

Justin, Thank you for this demonstration of the two types of silicone. I need to buy some adhesive myself to seal the gaps between the dust collection piping and a wood wall where the pipe enters my shop from a separate "dust collection closet" that I built onto the back of my shop. I wanted the DC outside of the shop, but also accessible for cleaning the barrel out dust barrel out when full. I also place my compressor from California Air Tools in the closet. The model I have is the California Air Tools 4710SQ Ultra Quiet & Oil-Free Air Compressor is designed to be one of the quietest air compressors in the industry having only 65 decibels of sound. The powerful 1.0 HP motor operates at only 1680 RPM creating less noise and less wear. The Oil-Free Dual Piston Pump System is engineered for high performance and durability and suites my needs as a hobby shop just fine. The CAT-4710SQ Air Compressor has an Oil-Free Dual Piston pump designed to have a life cycle before wear of 1000 Plus hours compared to other comparable air compressors with life cycles of 500 hours or less. so it's in the closet only to save some room in my 10x16 shop. By the way, If you are looking for a quiet compressor I highly recommend this brand to you and your viewers. It's not expensive ($140.00) and it is of high quality as well. I purchased mine from VW Express who offers free shipping which is a big saving because it weighs 43 lbs. Other places such as the big box stores run specials on their air compressors every once in a while.

9:28 mix water and dishwashing soap in a spray bottle.. spray over the bead and the seam will only stick to where you want it to stick. But if all you want is a good, solid bead and spill is no issue just go for it! :) Great vid buddy!

Thank you for your easily followed descriptions of the making of the HM Cyclone and dust collector. Your voice is very clear and I understood it all. Often the accent has me a bit confused.. Cheers Regards Barry

Excellent

I put a filter bag in the chamber that has the filter. That way all the very fine dust that escapes the cyclone chamber goes into the bag. The filter never needs cleaning then and you never lose suction strength.

top stuff!

I see you finally got a tablesaw. Good for you they come in handy.

You can increase the efficiency by making 3 major upgrades... 1. make it taller 2. make the diameter smaller 3. make it tapered towards the bottom This way the dust will spin faster and therefore less will go through the top.

Nice work. To prevent a bit more the fine dust. You can calm down the turbulence in the lower with a vertical cross...

nice bro :)

Dear Justin, I think that your cyclone vacuum system is the best I have seen on RU-vid. What sold me was you actually came back after two years, made some critical observations and where you could fixed the problems. It’s rare to make something perfect on the first go and yours is a reminder of that. Thomas Edison took about 40,000 goes before he made a successful light globe. Well done.

Nice vid, after I apply silicone I spray it with a solution of washing liquid and water, it means when I run my finger the silicone is less likely to stick and so I get a better finish.

I'm surprised the loose silicone didn't seal itself with the suction. My cyclone uses regular vacuum unit and a soft-ish plastic bin and I had to reinforce the bin so it would not collapse.

Sheesh!! I can't even make a square wooden box, LOL!!!, and you scratch build a dust collector?!? Excellent work!

Justin I saw another video about shop vacs and he used simple off the roll hand towel with couple rubber bands to hold it over the filter like a safe and only had to shake or replace towel occasionally.

Add some weight such as concrete to reduce cyclone tip over when hose is dragged also the added weight keeps tool from drifting everywhere while tool is running.

If you add some riffles like in a gold sluice to the wall of the chamber it will make areas where the dust can settle out and increase efficiency.

Great update. Thanks. But I think your peel test had to be done on a thin layer of silicone that has been removed from red paint with a razor blade. I know silicone does not stick to old silicone, but I don't know if this SIkasil does. I hope it holds up.

I just finished watching the original build and was happy to see the update. You mentioned the fine dust and I'm wondering if that might have something to do with static electricity and the plastic? I have no idea how to eliminate it and I love the clarity of both chambers. GREAT JOB!

Very nice job! I was wondering if you would use this VC to clean that other VC you used to clean this one and so on!😅

a very compact and sleak design. i like it. if you whould aero-dynamicly-improve the cyclone filter, you whould see a dramatic reduction of dust in the vac filter. i‘ve printed a large cyclone filter, and have not a bit of dust in the vac filter.

Blonde Sheldon, I've just subscribed to your channel!

I'm diggin' the sliding french doors to the garage...

Peeling Sika adhesives off anything- yea good luck!! That shit is da bomb!! Developed and used OEM in many industrial applications, and some automotive.

A minor overhaul after two years of hard use isn't all that bad. Seems to have cleaned up nicely. Good recommendation on the sealant. A CA glue (superglue) would probably seal the paint to the poly and a bead of caulk on top of that to complete the seal. A bag on the filter or a foam ring around the filter will catch that very fine dust and it's easy to remove from the filter and wash it under the tap. A red racing stripe tape around the visible baffle area will hide the collecting sawdust -- it will still be there, but you won't see it to bug you.

Looks like your out of your apartment and in a proper shop!!!

Little suggestion from an old NBS Lab Rat. If you put a 7 to 10 degree downward angle on the dust inlet, it will improve your separation efficiency as it diminishes the planer flow and instead augments the cyclonic effect. Also, if you have a larger diameter catch chamber below the cyclone chamber (a larger catch bucket under the bottom clear chamber) it will increase the drop out ratio of debris and capture more of the super fine particles.

I built a similar dust separator & tested it with drywall dust. It failed. I was able to determine the failure point was the design of the baffle. The baffle needs a disruption section to prevent the vortex from continuing into the storage area. Without the disruption, the vortex will lift the ultra fine particles out & because of the size, they can't be seen. If you replace your baffle with a Thien Baffle, your separation will improve. Drywall dust is the ultimate testing media ! BTW: you should avoid vacuuming the inside of the filter. It only draws in the particles that plug the filter. Insted, take it outside & use compressed air to the inside diameter area to clean the filter. Make sure the windows are closed & the wind is in your favor or your partner will be as mad as a kcked hornets nest ! Cheers !

While you had the cyclone apart, did you go ahead and seal the upper chamber that you did not seal last time? If so did it help stop the ultra fine dust that gathered in the filter area ? thankx i did enjoy the build!!

Great project. Great video. a couple of tip's. Tip One, when you cut the end of the Silicone tube, cut it at a 45 degree (approx) to help force the Silicone into the joint(s). Tip Two, If your going to use your finger (without gloves) to smooth out the Silicone, put some Baby oil on your finger, to prevent the Silicone from sticking to your finger. As you do different joint's, you'll need to clean off finger, and then reapply the Baby oil, i.e. rinse & repeat.👌 Another way to smooth out the Silicone is to use the back end / handle of a spoon / fork. You will just have to find one that make's you feel warm & fuzzy with the size of the bead. For a smaller bead, use a baby spoon / fork's, or what ever else you may have @ hand.

I made this dust collector after seeing the original video but I put a foam filter between the vacuum chamber and collection chamber it keeps the main filter clean, I just wash it when I empty the tank and instead of putting the poly on the inside of the rings I inset it into a Grove with epoxy to seal it.

Also maybe scratch the plastic sheet with sandpaper at the bottom where the new silicone goes and that should make the silicone be absorbed into the scratch markings making the seal even better 😁

Irony; Having to clean the cyclone unit, with another shop vac lol. Great project and review, but I wonder if a used central vac system, from a garage sale?, would be cheaper; especially if one didn't already own a shop vac.

Don't most cyclone vacs also have a diffuser screen to drop the speed of the air in the center? Doesn't fully eliminate the fines, but still seems to reduce the amount that gets pulled through since they settle more. Not sure if that piece you have in the middle does the same thing.

You should use adhesive window type gasket and insert it beetwen wood ring and plastic.Screws would do the rest of it. It would be better and looks nicely. Great job. I will make one for me. Thank you Justin for a great idea.

When the internet aligns: I built my version after watching your video and I used the same shopvac as a base you use to clean your cyclone at around 2 minutes. :-D

I wonder if you would have less dust in the filter if the inlet was below the cyclone separator plate. Maybe topic for another followup one day. :-)

I thought I was the only one who used a vacuum to clean my vacuum. 😁

Once you added the sikasil to the seam around the top of the cyclone disc, was there any reduction of the ultrafine dust that would gather in the top section?

First rate job!

It seems to me that polycarbonate introduces certain problems. First it requires you to bend it into a cylinder which is not the best form to resist outside pressure ; make it too thin and the cylinder is in danger of collapse. I would imagine too that there is a tendency to generate static electricity ? The use of a circular cylinder also complicates the configuration of the inlet hose. Use of all wood to construct a polygonal structure [ optimally an octagon ] has a number of advantages. It is a better form to resist external pressure, and if one employs square ports wherever possible structural problems are made easier. Construction with square corners is a natural way to work in wood. Not being transparent of course will probably require a glass window. Sealing wood joints is also a simple matter, and allows use of cheap sealing material such as wax. As to the rest of the designI I would say it's very well done, and painting the wood is a nice touch. I note that have elected NOT to use a cone. I have never been convinced that a cone is necessary. One fallacy often encountered when layman design air-moving systems is that we assume that the air will flow in a particular way - the way we want it to. In reality air is going to flow how IT wants to, and knowledge, experience and experiment is usually required to get it right. The only thing we can be sure to rely on is that mass flow remains constant through the system; therefore the air will flow faster through restrictions, and slower as it moves through wider pipes and chambers. It is the conversion from a fast flow with entrained dust to a slow flow which causes the dust to fall - which is the effect we are trying to create. As a general principle it is advisable to avoid bends in the flow, because each one causes a pressure drop, and secondly to minimize the length of the total for system, since length too causes a pressure drop.

I wonder if you could fix your other leak issue with the sikasil.

Nice job on the video and the dust collector. Btw, a $20 lapel mic would really improve your vid. Check out the BOYA BY-M1 on amazon. If you want to be wireless you can use your phone to record the audio and then import it to your video editing software.

Great videos! Inspiring work! From what kind of shop vac did you get the head for your integrated dust separator? Have not seen one resembling that.

Did you re-seal the interior bead inside the top chamber? Some of your fine dust might have been sifting through the failed silicon seal.

i made a thein cyclone a few years ago , i still got fine dust on the shop vac filter , so i added a dyson cyclone between the thein and shop vac (off one of the stand and push vacs) that gave amazing results, there is a vid on here of me doing this on my old channel. THE DYSON WAS UN-POWERED

if you added a collection bag to the bottom chamber would it get moved around to much by the swirling air?

I also learned the hard way that silicon doesnt stick to plastic materials at all. i would recommend wurth polymer glue/fillermass

When applying silicon to get a neat finish - first apply the silicon, then spray it with soapy water - then scrape/wipe the excess. You'll get a perfect looking bead with no thinly smeared bits. It's how we do it in the glass design business. More silicon isn't better either, you just need a small amount to create a nice little neat bevel. Otherwise it spoils the look of whatever you're making.

just a suggestion to get a mic you can clip to your shirt or a behind the ear boom style mic. when you're in front of the camera it's hard to hear, when you're near it/behind it your volume is fine.

Good review Justin...nice to see that the ‘Sikaseal’ works... Womder if it’s available (or a similar product) in the UK?

I use polyurethane caulk on mine. That stuff sticks to almost everything!

I use Pattex-Power Fix-Polymer for everything.And it doesn't let go (rain, cold, heat) It always stays put.

Does adhesive not follow the same rule of thumb where an abraded surface makes for a better bond?

It looks like a Dalek. Just give it a toilet plunger in the top and the universe is yours to command!

to help with the finer dust, you can put a blue shop towel around the middle pipe or just on the top seperator to cover the hole.. its a lot cheaper plus it will hel ot...

Why not wrap whole thing with sound deadening blanket. Or do you have to watch dust inside? Leave a covered window to check when it’s full.

Hmm... Wouldn't a light sanding on the polycarbonate provide a rougher surface for the normal silicone to grab onto?

silicone acrylic compound sealant is transparent like silicone, or you may use plain acrylic when you want it to stick to plastic.

If you scuff the polycarbonate with 100 or 120 sandpaper, the silicone should adhere to the surface. Try testing .

Choode a trash barrel, take the casters off and mount them on the bottom of the trash barrel, mount the polycarbonate collector barrel and mount the to the trash barrel, so now you have a lot more room for saw dust, with a large fill window at the top. If the trash barrel is a little larger than the polycarbonate cylinder you made, the difference in diameter will will obviously result in a lip, that lip will possibly reduce the amount of dust going back up unti the vacuum filter. You'll have to let us know if that actually works if you decide to this. It might be worth a try, at least you'll triple the collection area. I haven't built mine yet, so this is just speculation. Cheers

I know this video is very old but I just found it and your channel. Great work by the way not just with this project. I wondered if you had thought to recess the poly on top of the ring in a groove rather than attach on the inner diameter and then put the sealant on both sides? It would still be screwed in place but also wonder if recessing it in the ring would hold a better seal with the sealant on both sides in the well. And I see you love the color red ;-).

Hi, I was thinking would be possible to instal cyclone filter like yours inside Nilfisk Multi II 30 T Inox 30L stainless steel tank? without external bin? (put divider inside 30l tank, cyclone at the bottom and filter at the top)

If you made yet more ply rings you could put them inside the polycarb as a brace at the top and bottom. Don't forget there is low pressure inside, that flexes the joins between polycarb and ply. Alternatively fit the polycarb into slots, but that would require thicker ply.

Really interesting content! Only thing I'd complain about is the sound levels. The volume of your voice fluctuates, but the main problem for me was the *really* loud "ping" and error sounds. Listening to this with cheapo earbuds was right on the edge of hurting my ears when I had the volume high enough to hear your voice in the parts with lower volume.

1:19 right. people bash Dyson's vacuums but don't know hard it is to filter the finest of dusts thus requiring a hepa filter

can you explain me, why the in tube have to be placed in that position? They can't be placed under? over the container...