Re-gasketing the Dust Collector

[Majones1]

I think early purchasers were the Beta testers.

That’s what I was thinking. I almost added to my last post that ShopSmith seemed to be taking lessons from Microsoft!

[dusty]

Beta Test: a trial of machinery, software, or other products, in the final stages of its development, carried out by a party unconnected with its development.

The definition could fit my experience with the DC-6000 but that means that an impending production run will include changes made as a result of lessons learned. What lessons have been learned? Has anyone been asked by Shopsmith for comments on their experience. Not I. But if they did, I have about three suggestions that I would make.

1) Get a different kind of foam tape. I used a product from ACE Hardware (Sponge Window Seal by MD).

2) Apply foam tape to the 4" coupler. Apply that tape to the Main Housing where the 4" coupler ultimately resides.

3) Doing #2 allows the 4" coupler to be mated with the 3-way manifold and installed AFTER the Fan Housing and Motor Housing have been installed. It also provides a seal between the Fan Housing and the Manifold.

4) Apply the foam tape that seals the gap between the upper edge of the Motor Housing and the Main Housing. Apply in a manner that is certain to seal the gap. This is a significant potential leak of dust ridden air back into the motor housing, the motor and out into the work area.

5) Get rid of the dainty plastic cable restraint and use one that will prevent the cable from moving. This cable passes very, very close to the fan on the rear of the motor. As it currently is it will certainly become an issue where the fan blades and the cable interfere with one another.

6) Consider making the power cable about two inches longer so that it need not be tugged upon to plug it in.

7) Use some method other than two sided tape to secure the "start capacitor".

8) Evaluate the mechanic design of the overall dust collector to determine why the large gap at the motor housing now exists when it did not with a standard DC-3300. I think I know but a mechanical engineer should really look at it. A proper fix will not be easy.

[DLB]

Beta Test: a trial of machinery, software, or other products, in the final stages of its development, carried out by a party unconnected with its development.

The definition could fit my experience with the DC-6000 but that means that an impending production run will include changes made as a result of lessons learned. What lessons have been learned? Has anyone been asked by Shopsmith for comments on their experience. Not I. But if they did, I have about three suggestions that I would make.

1) Get a different kind of foam tape. I used a product from ACE Hardware (Sponge Window Seal by MD).

2) Apply foam tape to the 4" coupler. Apply that tape to the Main Housing where the 4" coupler ultimately resides.

3) Doing #2 allows the 4" coupler to be mated with the 3-way manifold and installed AFTER the Fan Housing and Motor Housing have been installed. It also provides a seal between the Fan Housing and the Manifold.

4) Apply the foam tape that seals the gap between the upper edge of the Motor Housing and the Main Housing. Apply in a manner that is certain to seal the gap. This is a significant potential leak of dust ridden air back into the motor housing, the motor and out into the work area.

5) Get rid of the dainty plastic cable restraint and use one that will prevent the cable from moving. This cable passes very, very close to the fan on the rear of the motor. As it currently is it will certainly become an issue where the fan blades and the cable interfere with one another.

6) Consider making the power cable about two inches longer so that it need not be tugged upon to plug it in.

7) Use some method other than two sided tape to secure the "start capacitor".

8) Evaluate the mechanic design of the overall dust collector to determine why the large gap at the motor housing now exists when it did not with a standard DC-3300. I think I know but a mechanical engineer should really look at it. A proper fix will not be easy.

You must have got on a roll, that looks like eight suggestions. I agree with all of them and would add "two" more. These don't address my two primary concerns.

It looks like one could effectively lengthen the power cable by clocking the motor 180 degrees in rotation. I have not tried it and recognize their could be interference between the motor end cap and housing, neither of which is symmetrical. I'm okay with the length now but don't like the curve around the exposed cooling fan.

- David

[JPG]

I am beginning to think first responders(initial purchasers) are actually alpha testers.

[dusty]

I gave some thought to rotating the motor and I tried to rotate the motor housing to seen if it might work. I don't think it will. Another factor, obviously, would be the bolt hole pattern but I could not confirm that. I too do not like either the routing of the power wires over the top of the motor. or in close proximity to the fan blades.

This was an indication to me that the motor housing was not designed to accept this motor and probably an indicator the the mold used was a modified version of the DC-3300.

I gave that list along with a couple more comments to Engineering and offered an invitation for them to call me if they wanted to discuss it further.

As for this early production quantity being a "test run" - I don't think so. I have seen too many comments on the others sites from users who have done the upgrade. I missed out on the first production run and had to wait nearly a month to get mine.

[BuckeyeDennis]

I think early purchasers were the Beta testers.

If not the Alpha testers. IMO, the proper purpose of Beta testing is to reveal problems arising from unanticipated use cases. Anticipated use cases should be thoroughly tested during Alpha (in-house) testing.

[dusty]

I think early purchasers were the Beta testers.

If not the Alpha testers. IMO, the proper purpose of Beta testing is to reveal problems arising from unanticipated use cases. Anticipated use cases should be thoroughly tested during Alpha (in-house) testing.

Agreed and I believe that Alpha testing was conducted: at least a minimum amount of it. We are now on the front end of the early production runs and I would accept that to mean today's users are part of a Beta test.

As an early user, I have sent my observations/opinions to Shopsmith. Now we wait to see if this results in any sort of change. I don't expect any.

Fortunately, my DC-6000 is now performing according to my expectations. Proper installation was more difficult (for me) than I had expected but I resolved that by employing my own assembly/installation procedures and assembly aids.