February 17, 201115 yr  Went to Rockler last week to use my 20% off coupon and while I was there I saw a package of fittingshttp://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=25225 for building a separator for $19.00. I have seen all of the home built and store bought separators so I figured I’d try making one myself to go along with my dust collector.  The drum is a recycled 40 gallon fiber shipping container with lid and V band clamp that I purchased from a shipping company for $11.00, the hose I already had on my dust collector. So for $30.00 I now have a separator.   Earlier in the week I’d been cutting some wood on the table saw but hadn’t hooked up the dust collector since I was only gonna make a few cuts (yea right) and when I opened it up to clean it out it was full so I figured now was the time to finish the separator and test it out. I emptied out the collectors bag, hooked up the hoses to the separator and began sucking out all the sawdust. After cleaning out all the sawdust I opened the drum and it looked like all the dust from the saw was in the separator so I inspected the bag from the dust collector and there was less than 1 cup of very fine sawdust in the bag. Next I tested it on small chunks of wood and carving shavings, then inspected the drum and the bag. None of the material made it to the bag.  This thing works great. I highly recommend this product from Rockler and the system, especially if your working on a tight budget. The fittings come with a set of plans for building a drum type as well as a mobile cabinet type with drawers for easy emptying of sawdust for a planner or other power tools. The kit comes with all the fittings you need to build the drum separator minus the drum of course. The fittings on top have wide flanges and have threads that mate with the internal fittings which also have wide flanges. No need for sealant or gaskets, once you snug up the fittings there’s no leakage.  Thanks for looking.
February 17, 201115 yr John like you I have the separator in line. I got the lid type several years ago and use a metal garbage can. It catches so much of the stuff I don't have to empty the bag on the dust collector very often. I do however have to empty the can fairly regular. Thanks for sharing your with us.
February 17, 201115 yr Author Yea John I realy like it. I was very impressed with the performance. Before I built this I was very carefull not to vacum any large shavings for fear of damaging the impeller on my collector but now I can use the collector for all my sawdust managment.
February 27, 201115 yr Hey guys... I do not have a dust collection system other than my mask and nose, I have about had it, so looking around came across the Vortex Right Dust collector from Rockler, there are others like the dust deputy and more, they of coarse alll work with shop vacs of some sort. comments on these if you can. Just can't afford the $800-900 canadian for a Delta 1.5 canister collector.
February 28, 201115 yr Author Greg save the $69.00 and get this from Rockler for $20.00 U.S.:  http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=25225 then locate a recycled fiber 40 gal drum with lid and V band clamp. There is probably somewhere near you that sells recycled shipping drums. A plastic drum with lid and clamp will also work. I found mine at this location for $11.00 U.S.http://www.cartononline.com/ it works great.They may be able to help you locate a dealer in your area. Good luck!
February 28, 201115 yr John, I did see that one, guess it's pretty much the same thing, now the deal is will it work well enough through a shop vac.
February 28, 201115 yr Author Greg I'm not sure a shop vac has enough suction for that size container but I do know a lot of folks have adapted that same system but in a smaller scale using small fittings and a 10 or 15 gallon bucket and had great success. I think you can build one for a lot less than the price of the Dust Deputy or similar retail versions. All thats needed is to have the elbows arranged in a way to promote the cyclonic action and a container thats large enough to allow the larger material to drop out of the cyclone. I've seen some home made ones with a metal trash can and a flat piece of plywood for the lid and a refrigerator door gasket for the seal and the builders say they work great.
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