Shop Vac & Dust Deputy - Bucketless Dust Collection Cart

I built a shop-vac cyclone cart a while ago with the idea of eliminating the 5-gallon bucket and it's finicky lid from the equation. Now its time to make some small tweaks and upgrades.

With this design I was able to cut the footprint my cart took up in half. It has proven to be a huge improvement over the last year!

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[IsaKocoglu]

After admiring every woodworking YouTube channel I could watch over the last couple of years, I'm all new to getting my hands on to the more serious side of woodworking. I have been looking at ways to build a dust extraction system after cleaning up the workshop more times than I care to admit, in my short period of time in the still to be completed workshop. After viewing many different ways of building such dust extraction systems here on YouTube, your new and improved design is by far the best design, hands down!

I'd explain more about how my current design with a vacuum cleaner failed me, but will spare everyone the details.

Now to return my new vacuum cleaner, and to buy a ShopVac, to be able to implement your design into my workshop's dust extraction system.

Thank you so much, Gunflint Designs!

[GeahkBurchill]

This is my favorite version I’ve seen. I think I’ll do this with mine.

[DURTHumor]

After forty years of woodworking, nearly twenty professionally, I see nothing wrong with the idea. Mark is not a professional woodworker, but I subscribed to his channel because he has some very sound ideas. Both Laguna and Delta use this idea on their professional dust collection systems. It's all the same concept with different execution. They use a rolling square cart to take the cyclone material away. Mark, you gave me a great idea here, so again, thank you for some thinking outside the box!

[timpgod]

Thanks for the reminder to re-watch this, Mark.
I need to build something similar, as portability is key for me right now.
I have the cyclone, but need a smaller shop AC than my giant 25gallon beast...and then I just need to take out a loan for some lumber.

[nelsonhochberg]

You can lower the center of gravity and reduce the height more by drilling a hole in the bottom of the vacuum. Lowering it down onto the cyclone and run a pipe up from the cyclone inside the vacuum with a pair of elbows on the top of the pipe to create a swirl.

[rickprice]

Try adding the lid on the bin and letting the output of the cyclone extend through a bit. This will cut down on dust getting outside the bin, that super fine stuff is the worst to breathe. Good design though. I have a double 5 gallon jug setup for my router table and my tools that move around the shop or that are in places where a piping run would be difficult and a 4" input/output in front of my 2 HP Grizzly with a 55 gallon plastic barrel for my dust collector.. Got it when I bought this house and the old owners left it, brand new, in the barn. Gotta make that expensive filter last a long time. Still, I always wear a respirator regardless of what I'm working with. The tiny stuff can be deadly, even on non-irritant woods.

[priayief]

Well done! I especially like your idea of using pvc to connect the Shop Vac to the cyclone. Thanks for positing.

[danhobbs]

Great idea using the plastic bin instead of a 5 gallon bucket. Good design!

[kenerickson]

I originally used the 2-bucket style in my home-made cyclone. However, removing the bottom bucket lid was a pain. I found an old shop vacuum that someone was throwing away and used that as the bottom collector instead of stacking 2 the buckets. I removed the old motor, screwed the upper bucket (with large hole) onto the shop vac lid, & plugged the shop vac inlet. The 3 clips on the shop vac lid open quickly and easily.

[jerrynpatti]

I still use a five gallon bucket, but the 8 tabs that hold the top on i cut every other one off and shortened the ones that are still on to about 2 inches. Makes taking the lid off very easy. Works great!

[thegreenman]

i like the simplicity of the box dust catchment.
another idea would be to enclose the dust vac in a ply box lined with foam, inlets cut for airflow, it cuts down on shop vac noise dramatically.
there are several examples on youtube.
cheers

[ididbadthings]

could try using the lid for the plastic bin and just cut a hole in it the size of the hose. Then use some sort of flexible material attached to the hose so when you pull the bin out the soft/flexible material pops out of the hole and when you slide it in the soft/ flexible material pops back in the hole.

[fredbrinker]

I came across a central vac and hooked it to my dust deputy. It works so much better than a shop vac. Next item to build is a box like you have for the dust.

[ifitaintbrokefixit]

Really awesome to see a different kind of design

[rfox]

"You need the shop vac to clean up after the shop vac". Ha ha! I can totally relate to this! Great idea!

[jimschoenwalder]

I am happy to have come across your design, and at just the right time. Hated the bucket. I will do a similar project starting tomorrow morning. Thanks a tote full. Jim

[johnlawrence]

Seems well thought-out and well built. Good job.

[jdmznet]

I like this design, and I thank you for sharing it. The small footprint and added capacity really sell it. The only thing I would change is to add strain relief for the hose as it comes out the side of the dust deputy. A 1x4 or 1x6 with a 2.5"(-ish) hole between two shop vac supports would probably do the job.

[mikewinslow]

I liked your design. Gave me a new outlook on my project. Thanks

[Husky.Dude.]

Nice upgrade mate! If you would upgrade the rig again, i would suggest to use a smaller shop vac with the same peak HP. You don’t need a huge vacuum bucket with the dust deputy around. Then it would be smaller and you also lower the center of gravity.