Official Luthiers Forum!

Are they any good?

OK....I'll bite.
What's a trashcan separator and is it good for what??

If you mean for dust collection, I think ther are to get the coarse particles out. I don't think they remove the very fine particles that clog your lungs.

Yes, they are very good.

They work very well to remove the coarse chips. The collector bag will not need to be dumped nearly as often.
If all you produce is fine particles like from sanding it won't help much. But if you use a planer it will be really good.

_________________
Lance Peck

Sometimes mine works really well, and sometimes it does nothing. I'm sure it has all to do with the angle that the internal 90 degree angle is set at relative to the tangent, but I haven't figured out exactly what the right angle is.

_________________
Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Thanks all...

When we used one we had to use a hold down strap to tighten the seal of the lid on the can. Once we did that it always worked.

_________________
Lance Peck

Check out the DIY Thien Separator:
http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/cy.htm
Much better results than the off the shelf versions. These can get close to a good cyclone design as far as scrubbing fine dust.

There is actually a brand that makes a molded can lid that angles in just like a cyclone. I don't have a pic or the name... how lame. It works great for the heavier particles but not too much for sanding dust. I only break it out when making moldings. So depending on your use, yes they are good and sometimes not so much.

_________________
Chris Oliver
Infinity Luthiers
...in the shop.

live every minute...