I'm going to try to post questions that I have received that I think will help others. If you have any questions or suggestions please send me an e-mail. This site is for fellow woodworkers.

Thanks,
Ed

1)  How has the plastic material handled the point where the dust and chips hit it coming into the cyclone?  I know Mr. Pentz says to spray some automotive undercoating at this spot to reduce metal fatigue on the unit he and his son build.

I really have two answers to this question. First, I've been running PVC ductwork for about 12 years. On occasion I have taken some of it apart and it has shown no signs of wear. PETG plastic is harder and tougher than PVC so I think it will hold up just fine. It hasn't stood the test of time, but I really do feel confident about it's abrasion resistance. Second answer is that I have been running my cyclone for about 8 months now and it hasn't shown any signs of wear.

2) Other than the 5hp Leeson motor, Sheldon impeller, Wynn filter(s), and the normal electrical hook up, what else is needed? I can see that a metal trash can, with a short section of flex hose is needed, then the ductwork to get the dust from the machines, various clamps, etc. Is there anything else? Is there a fitting that should be used on the trash can lid, and if so, where can it be purchased from? Or is this just a hole that is a firm fit for the flex hose? Flex hose is the right thing here.

 I recommend that you buy a tube of clear silicone. For the trash can lid you can mark out and cut a circle about 1/2" smaller than the hose using some tin snips. Using a pliers, bend up about a 1/4" lip all the way around till the hose will screw in to the lid. Then simply run a bead of silicone around the inside and outside of the lid. When the silicone dries it will make a good bond and seal. You can also use silicone and clear tape to attach the flex hose to the bottom of the cyclone. While I'm on this subject, you need to install a 1/2" thick by about 1" wide weather strip on the inside of the lid where it fits on the can. This will insure that the lid doesn't leak. Keep in mind that any leaks from the can will cause an up-flow of air and really mess up the flow of sawdust into the can.

3)  What is the best method for mounting the unit? The shop building I am rehabbing has low ceilings (7' 8"), and a low pitched roof. I plan to open the roof and put a fake chimney in to gain some headroom to mount the cyclone up high so I can get the duct work up in the attic.

As to mounting the unit you can either wall mount the motor or hang it from the ceiling. Either way, you should build the brackets so they have some type of shock mounts in them. Bill has some plans on his site about this. The cyclone will produce a low pitch sound that will be transmitted through your walls if it isn't isolated with rubber mounts. It's not real bad, but I think it's worth doing at the start rather than living with the noise for 20 or so years.....

4)  Do you have a dimension sheet or information on your web site that shows where the ducts are in relation to total height of the unit? This info will help me as I rebuild the interior. 

I have added a drawings and specs page that I will finish soon or keep adding to as the situation requires. 

Also, are the inlet and outlet angles fixed, or can they be rotated to be pointed the direction I need them to go?

The cyclone can be rotated 360 degrees so the intake can point in any direction, but it's upward angle is fixed. The longer of a straight run coming into the cyclone that you have, the better the separation. If you check the photo gallery and look at Matt's pictures, you will see that we ran the pipe from the cyclone up the wall on an angle. You don't want any sharp bends right at the intake. The blower housing can be rotated 360 deg on the motor plate, so you can also get it to face any direction that you need.

5)  Which Sheldon impeller is the best to use. There are 3 on the page referenced on Bill Pentz's site. Is it the first one? 

I have to recommend the first one.....the Sheldon's 14" material handling impeller. While the air foil impellers are more efficient at low static pressures (up to 8") they are sort of high maintenance and I don't feel they are that much better to justify the trouble.

Also which rotation direction is correct?

Our blower housing is made for the standard (clockwise from the motor side) impeller. 

Thank you for any help you can supply on the above questions. As you can see, I'm quite new to all of this. Please don't feel that you have to immediately stop what you are doing and get this info for me...I work slow and have a long way to go before I will be able to act on it. I have been so confused looking at all the commercial units that are available, and not knowing what to believe. I honestly think that the information from Bill Pentz is the only reliable information available, since he supplies it without asking for anything in return. Thank you for developing a good working relationship with Mr. Pentz. I can see from his site that he has had some bad dealings with others that have used his design. Thanks again...Jim.

Very nice design! I notice you have a RH and LH model. Does the blower have to match the "handedness" of the cyclone? i.e. CCW blower with LH cyclone and CW blower with RH cyclone

The answer is no. The blower can be of either rotation. While it's true that the air is swirling up the discharge tube, it's resistance to change of direction would be minimal at that point. Also, it is about to undergo a VERY rapid change in direction when it hits the impeller no matter which way it's swirling up the tube.

I'm trying to understand the difference between the left-hand and right-hand cyclones. Why wouldn't I just turn the cyclone one way or another? Does it have to do with how the blower housing gets mounted? I feel like this is a stupid question, as I feel there is something obvious I'm missing.

No such thing as a stupid question. The difference between the right-hand and left-hand is where the intake chute comes in. If you put the cyclone in a corner on the left hand side of your shop and run pipe on the back wall, then you would want the intake chute to come in from the right hand side of the cyclone. It's true that you can rotate the cyclone, but the chute would be away from the wall and need extra elbows to get back to the wall. Does that make sense?