Mac McQuinn
10-07-2009, 8:43 PM
Over the weekend I discovered I had enough scraps and leftover parts to make up something that would act as a shop vac with cyclone action that was mobile. I dislike small casters and tippy machines so this is what I came up with.
http://www.esivart.com/pics/img_VAC1.jpg
http://www.esivart.com/pics/img_VAC2.jpg
http://www.esivart.com/pics/img_VAC3.jpg
http://www.esivart.com/pics/img_VAC4.jpg
The cart was an old Chinese made dolly that converts from horizontal to upright position with removable pins. I enlarged the holes and used bolts, nylocks and custom made fender washers to tighten things up. I made some L brackets to mount the scrap 1/2" plywood mounting surface to the dolly in order to accept the lower Dust Deputy bucket and VAC. The Vac is a 10 year old Craftsman 6HP unit w/ removable power head that had plenty of power but was not very portable due to small casters and no handle. I removed the caster base, retrofitted a Hepa filter along with a NIB muffler I found at a rummage sale for 50 cents. The muffler does help get rid of the high pitched whine these vacs usually have.
I picked the Dust Deputy up at nearby Woodcraft w/ a 15% off coupon. The DD holder bucket was mounted to the ply with a couple pieces of oak and Deck screws through the bottom I had laying around. It looks like it's falling off but is actually very secure and allows me to get closer to the area I'm working in. The blocks at edge of Vac are some cherry cut-offs that I hand planed at a 15 degree angle to squeeze the Vac against the uprights/Handle of the Dolly when tightened to ply. The Handle turned out to be a great cord holder. I spaced the bucket just close enough to the vac to still unhinge the top pf Vac for removal. I put a couple of coats of Rustoleum Gray(my favorite color) on it that was leftover from a workbench project.
Total investment was $120.00 along with scraps and cut-offs and it's very stable, easy to move and the cyclone action of the DD leaves no dust in the vac.
Mac
http://www.esivart.com/pics/img_VAC1.jpg
http://www.esivart.com/pics/img_VAC2.jpg
http://www.esivart.com/pics/img_VAC3.jpg
http://www.esivart.com/pics/img_VAC4.jpg
The cart was an old Chinese made dolly that converts from horizontal to upright position with removable pins. I enlarged the holes and used bolts, nylocks and custom made fender washers to tighten things up. I made some L brackets to mount the scrap 1/2" plywood mounting surface to the dolly in order to accept the lower Dust Deputy bucket and VAC. The Vac is a 10 year old Craftsman 6HP unit w/ removable power head that had plenty of power but was not very portable due to small casters and no handle. I removed the caster base, retrofitted a Hepa filter along with a NIB muffler I found at a rummage sale for 50 cents. The muffler does help get rid of the high pitched whine these vacs usually have.
I picked the Dust Deputy up at nearby Woodcraft w/ a 15% off coupon. The DD holder bucket was mounted to the ply with a couple pieces of oak and Deck screws through the bottom I had laying around. It looks like it's falling off but is actually very secure and allows me to get closer to the area I'm working in. The blocks at edge of Vac are some cherry cut-offs that I hand planed at a 15 degree angle to squeeze the Vac against the uprights/Handle of the Dolly when tightened to ply. The Handle turned out to be a great cord holder. I spaced the bucket just close enough to the vac to still unhinge the top pf Vac for removal. I put a couple of coats of Rustoleum Gray(my favorite color) on it that was leftover from a workbench project.
Total investment was $120.00 along with scraps and cut-offs and it's very stable, easy to move and the cyclone action of the DD leaves no dust in the vac.
Mac