Replies

1. 
   AlanWS | Feb 04, 2005 01:21am | #1

   I don't have one, but these are the Bill Pentz design, simply made of a strong transparent plastic. I think many can vouch for the design, and the question would be price and durability of the plastic. They haven't been around long enough for any to wear out yet, but from what I can gather, PETG, the plastic used, is very strong. There is no question they are the coolest cyclones going, but I don't know how much that's worth.
   http://www.clearvuecyclones.com/

1. 
   macalex | Feb 04, 2005 06:21am | #2

   Hi guys

   These two posts got me thinking, and I emailed Ed at clearviewcyclones.com to ask whether he'd deliver international. Freight would cost more then the unit, he says, but why not build your own? So I'm going to give it a try.

   Ed has volunteered to send me a cutting list and some illustrations. I'm off to the internet now to see if I can source the 'plastic'. Sounds like a fun project, and I need a better approach to dust collection!

   Malcolm New Zealand | New Thinking

1. 
   laserfrog | Mar 02, 2006 01:05am | #3

   According to Ed's website, FWW has one of these units and is going to evaluate its performance.  The results are to be included in a future issue.  It would also be nice if they included the performance on the FWW website.

1. 
   DonStephan | Mar 02, 2006 03:01am | #4

   I'm going to order one first of the week, despite the approaching review, because of his movie showing fine dust going into the cyclone bin instead of the cartridge filter.I strongly hope the FWW review addresses where the fine dust is collected. My concern is that, if a cyclone passes a lot of the fine dust to the cartridge, more frequent cleaning will shorten the life of the cartridge, take more time for routine maintenance, and decrease the CFM and FPM at the machines as the cartridge back pressure increases.I plan to continue this thread in a few weeks after getting the cyclone and piping installed, and report experience.

1. 
   BilljustBill | Mar 02, 2006 05:14am | #5

      Don,

       I have clear flex hose between my tools and the overhead duct.  When I bought this clear hose, I thought that seeing the chips going upward would be helpful and visually interesting.  However, the clear flex hose get coated with superfine dust, and after a few weeks, it might as well be as opaque as Blue or Black flex hose...

      I was wondering if that perspective was covered on this clear cyclone?  Will it "cloud over" with dust and somewhat defeat the uniqueness of this design?

      Thanks,

    Bill

2. 
   AntzyClancy | Mar 04, 2006 12:13am | #14

   My clear flex hose is as clear as the first day I used it.  I have know idea why your experience is different.Todd

3. 
   laserfrog | Mar 02, 2006 05:10pm | #6

   I look forward to your review.  What is the current delivery time for the cyclone and the filters from Wynn?

    

   Keith

4. 
   mysticgoldtoy | Mar 02, 2006 09:49pm | #8

   I received my filters in five business days.

2. 
   CharlieP | Mar 02, 2006 06:16pm | #7

   I looked at them as a possible way to upgrade my bag system (use the motor, impeller, fine bags as filter, etc.   Bottom line, he recommended buying the complete system. 

   By the time I added the cost of the things not included, such as remote switch, filter, chip bin, etc., and considered that many of the pieces would be MDF rather than metal or the special plastic, the Grizzly units turned out cheaper.  Thus the cyclone idea went on the back burner until I hear more user reports on the Grizzly - see how their design performs compared to the master (Bill Pentz) 

   ________________________
   Charlie Plesums  Austin, Texas
   http://www.plesums.com/wood

1. 
   mysticgoldtoy | Mar 02, 2006 10:33pm | #9

   I have owned and used the Bill Pentz designed Clear Vue Cyclone for a couple months now.  I have an out of pocket expense of under $1,000 for the cyclone, filters from Wynn Environmental & trash can under the cyclone.  Grizzly's 5 hp system is $2334.25 and Oneida is higher yet than that.  Of course I have another $500 in 2729 S & D pipe, Wey's & long radius 90's + three or four feet of 6" flex to my cabinet saw, jointer, planer & lathe.

1. 
   CharlieP | Mar 02, 2006 11:43pm | #10

   I am comparing the ClearVue to the 3 hp Grizzly, delivered for $1284.25 complete.  They both appear to have ample capacity for my shop, both have 15 inch impeller, handle similar size ducting, etc.   ClearVue has the advantage of Bill Pentz's expertise, but the engineers at Grizzly are no dummies either. 

   I'm glad that the ClearVue is working well for you.  I take yours as a very positive vote for ClearVue as I watch the various forums to see how it compares to the new Grizzly line.  ________________________Charlie Plesums  Austin, Texashttp://www.plesums.com/wood

1. 
   AntzyClancy | Mar 04, 2006 12:19am | #16

   If you want to compare the Grizzly to the ClearVue, you better upgrade the filters.ClearVue (Wynn): 600 sqft  99.99 % efficient at 0.5 micronGrizzly (3 hp):  108 sqft 99.9% efficiency 0.2-2 micronHardly a contest!Todd

2. 
   laserfrog | Mar 03, 2006 04:55pm | #11

   Where did you get your wyes and long radius 90 elbows?  I am looking at McMaster Carr and their fittings are labeled "ASTM D3033 and ASTM D3034".  Are these the correct tight fittings for the ASTM D2729 pipe that you used?

    

   Thanks,

   Keith

1. 
   mysticgoldtoy | Mar 03, 2006 05:34pm | #12

   Bill Pentz refers to S&D 2729 as if if were available from most any plumbing shop.  As you probably know by now it is amazingly hard to find.  I spent a whole lot of time on the internet and called absolutely every plumbing shop in my town and the next.  As luck would have it my brother-in-law is in heating & cooling and suggested I call one of his suppliers in Salina, Ks and they carried it.  Salina Supply, 300 N. Santa Fe., Salina, Ks 67401.  phone # 785-823-2221.  (45 miles from me)  Their supplier is in Nebraska but I'll not bother hunting up that phone number for you because when you order from the factory you have to be ready to take a pallet full.  From Salina Supply I got the pipe, Wey's (the right kind) and a cap.  They only carried standard 90's so I said thanks but no thanks, that I would call and ask them to see if they could get the long radius variety if the one other source I had didn't have them.  I had discovered these next folks on the form you and I are using.  I don't know how long these messages are available on line. 

   Anyway I called: Johnson-Burks, 518 Lamar, Sherman, Tx 75090  (phone number 903-892-6148) and asked about long radius 90's for S&D 2729 and I was also short one Wey.  Gave him a credit card number and in four days I had the fittings.  $17.16 @ for the 90's and $20.09 for the Wey.  $12.44 shipping on the six pieces.  Those prices are about $5 per piece higher than I was paying at Salina Supply. 

    

    

    

    

    

2. 
   AntzyClancy | Mar 04, 2006 12:07am | #13

   I searched for D2729 a very long time.  Then I stumbled across them at a John Deere Landscaping Supply a few blocks from my work.  Call every plumbing, landscaping, and arrogation supply in your area, and maybe you get lucky.  Also look for something called styrene and PVC thin wall conduit.  SDR35 will work as well, and can usually be had for about 30-40% more.

   Todd

    

    

3. 
   cob | Mar 04, 2006 01:49am | #17

   I installed a Onieda 2 hp external filter system in my basement shop with 4 drops

   and all the piping for about 1400.00 not for over two thousand or more as you

   suggested that it would be. I'm very satisfied with the performance of this unit

   and after 3 of 4 barrels of chips ther is very little dust in the catch pan of the

   filter

1. 
   Ricks503 | Mar 04, 2006 07:34am | #18

   I have had a crazy idea floating around and would like some input from anyone willing.  I have been toying with the idea of a 2 stage DC, where the first stage is a sort of cyclone to collect the larger chips and dust, and then a second stage functioning like hooka - run the pipe into/thru  a water bath to remove the fine particles.

   If I do this, I figure that nothing would past stage 2 to the actual DC1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go        4 - get a new board and go back to step 1

1. 
   CharlieP | Mar 05, 2006 07:53am | #19

   The good cyclone designs drop the chips and practically all the dust in the cyclone stage, with very little getting through the fan to the filter.  Some of the early reviews for Grizzly units joked about why the large bag below the filter... Answer:  Because those were standard size bags, rather than inventing a special bag.  Some apparently just have a tray, but cleaning even the small amount of fine dust out of the tray sort of defeats the idea of getting it out without a chance to get back into the air. 

   Breaking the airflow into fine bubbles, and pumping it through water, would take a lot of energy, so I expect there would be a large back pressure, thus requiring a much larger fan to solve a problem that doesn't exist.  ________________________Charlie Plesums  Austin, Texashttp://www.plesums.com/wood

2. 
   BigK | Mar 10, 2006 08:27pm | #20

   I think that I smell a Jay Leno joke about how lazy we are getting ( to lazy to smoke our own personal stash thru a hoohah, need a machine to suck it thru for us ). Seriously, kill that idea right now.
   I have an older Onieda 1 1/2 hp cyclone. When it still had the original internal filter it had to be removed and blown out every other time that I emptied the 35 gal. bin ( a real pain in the butt proccess ), but it worked okay. Since upgrading to the external filter setup I have yet to find anything to empty out of the dust bin after 5 or 6 bins of chips; and the system is working a whole lot better than the 10% improvement that Onieda suggested. In other words, hookah not needed.

3. 
   BigK | Mar 10, 2006 08:36pm | #21

   Rick,
   One other thought about your hokah idea. One time had a heating/air contractor tell me that he could set up a swamp cooler,run it backwards to filter out all of my ambient airborne wood dust, and cool the shop as well. But the negatives were too numerous to make it worthwhile. Things like all of that moisture would make my shop an artificial environment and raise hell with regards to wood movement here in Denver. And can you imagine all of the tool rust? No thank you.

4. 
   Ricks503 | Mar 10, 2006 09:07pm | #22

   I guess my concern is more for the ultra fine dust that can remain in the air for days to weeks and that we would otherwise breathe in. I understand that even the best of the bag filters will release the superfine stuff.  I do not have the luxuray of being able to have an exterior site available for the DC.

   I live in a tight development with 7ft between houses and a 17ft deep back yard. My shop is in the double car garage, along with some garden equipment, a frezer and extra refrigerator and the occasional car.

   DO I ignore the super fine dust and risk eventual lung problems, or do I maybe try the hooka idea and deal with possible rust issues?  I am on a tight budget and will have to save up for a year to get even $400- $500 to spend on a DC.  I was considering getting a DC with 2 ports, running one thru a semi cyclone then the hooka, and running the other to box on the cieling that has a couple of furnace filters in it to help filter the air.

    1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go        4 - get a new board and go back to step 1

5. 
   QCInspector | Mar 10, 2006 10:10pm | #23

   The particles coming through a submicron cartridge filter are getting into the range of pollen and spores that you get to breath lots of all the time. Which I'm by no means trying to trivialize. If your doing lots of work with the doors closed or with toxic woods (Cedar, Sumac, etc.) then the issue becomes more important.The easiest solution might be to box in the cartridge/bag section of filters and have all the exhausting air go through an Electronic Furnace Filter. They are designed to grab the wee beasties that are of concern to you and are not going to take up the space that the water system will require. Nor will it add any moisture to the shop. The heating people in your area might have a used one.

6. 
   mikegagne | Mar 11, 2006 08:15pm | #24

   Ricks, some years ago I did what you are thinking about using a 55 gallon drum with an intake pipe of pvc perforated below the water line. I used a powerful shop vac hooked on the out take side of the plywood lid on the drum. It worked until the water got thick with suspended dust and also didnt handle large chips well. The chip laden water became quite heavy also and was hard to move for disposal which I did in my orchard. The concept does work however and leaves you with really clean air. aloha, mike

7. 
   Ricks503 | Mar 11, 2006 09:54pm | #25

   What my plan is, is to run a line to an empty drum fitted one of the lids that puts the air in at an angle to create a pseudo cyclone, to catch the chips and much of the sawdust, then run the outfeed from that to the hooka drum to get the finer stuff in a second stage and from there to the DC.   Given what you had done, and with my modifications to that idea, do you think this might work?

    

   Thanks for the feedback mike.1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go        4 - get a new board and go back to step 1

8. 
   mikegagne | Mar 12, 2006 07:41am | #26

   It definitely works......getting rid of the barrel full of wet dust is the only issue. Quite heavy! aloha, mike

9. 
   Ricks503 | Mar 12, 2006 03:37pm | #27

   That is why god made dollys1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go        4 - get a new board and go back to step 1

10. 
    mikegagne | Mar 12, 2006 08:14pm | #28

    make sure you tell god to put the "good" wheels on those dollies....... aloha,mike

3. 
   AntzyClancy | Mar 04, 2006 12:14am | #15

   I am building my system now.  It is taking a while to get the ducting done.

   Todd