That Giant Sucking Crushing Sound Part I

Hi. My name is Dyami and Im a Vacuumaholic. While Ive previously confessed my obsession with routers (Im now up to 9) I must also confess a somewhat smaller obsession with vacuums and dust collectors.

I have two (2) Dust Boy style dust collectors I picked up off Craigs list. Theyre both in the attic now, but an extension to the woodshop is planned to help fit them in. I also have a Ridgid portable "suitcase" style vacuum, a Shop Vac, a Ridgid Blower/Vac with Clear Vue Cyclone attachment and the requisite Festool CT22. Based on my current quasi completed shop setup, the Ridgid Blower/Vac with Clear Vue cyclone serves as the dust collection for my table saw, jointer & planer. It has a 16 gallon capacity, and I often fill it. Like you, I hate emptying it.

I hate emptying it so much that it got me thinking. While it would be much work to re-purpose the Clear Vue cyclone to fit a bigger container (and for what I paid for it, I dont think I could bring myself to modify it), Dust Deputy cyclones come as a kit and can be attached to any container. I ordered one and set to work.

My Ridgid blower/vac
ClearVue Cyclone

My elbow assembly to prevent kinking the vacuum hose.

Never one to shy achoice from over complicating a project, I decided that I needed to make some improvements on the suggest Dust Deputy set up. I began by picking up some schedule 40 PVC pipe and a few Ferncos. I wasnt happy with the idea of a vacuum hose kinking as it exists vertically from the top of the Dust Deputy. With the big elbow assembly I made, the hose now hangs from the PVC, eliminating the possibility of kinking.

My completed initial setup.

I then had to decide on a container. As I own a full complement of sheet metal tools (I used to be a sheet metal mechanic at work) I began with a simple metal garbage can. I had Tom Iovinos tale of the metal garbage can dust collection in my head as I cut the top and fit the Dust Deputy, yet I failed to pay it any heed.

When I finished the metal bodied Dust Deputy setup I connected it to my CT22 and began to vacuum. Instantly I realized than on all but the weakest settings the CT22 would deform the metal can. At this point I scrapped the metal can installation and went looking for a more rigid dust collection bin.

We’ll reveal what I came up with in the exiciting conclusion of That Giant Sucking (and Crushing) Sound. Until then, what sucks so badly in your shop that you had to scrap it?

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