"Fat" drums/barrels for dust collectors?

[Yuri Sadykov]

Guys,
I have standard 8ft + little bit ceiling height in my shop and fitting a cyclone dust collector such as Clearvue or Grizzly G0441 imposes some challenges. Basically one has to settle for small dust bin. Because of the height limitation, I tried to find "fat" drum/barrel to increase the volume, but all I can find just some kind of standard ones and no wides. Anybody has an idea where to look for one?

[Mark Bolton]

Im not sure that you will find many oversized (diameter) short drums if thats what your looking for. How about building a light box/hopper setup with some casters on it if your looking for some additional volume? Either that or look into a dual drum setup for standard diameter drums and run a second short drum?

Just an idea.

[Yuri Sadykov]

Mark,
yes I was thinking to build the box, though hoped to find ready made barrel for cleaner look.

[Jamie Buxton]

Mark,
yes I was thinking to build the box, though hoped to find ready made barrel for cleaner look.

If you're really concerned with the looks of your debris bin, making your own gives you all sorts of options. You could make it from fine hardwood with fancy joinery.

[Mark Bolton]

Mark,
yes I was thinking to build the box, though hoped to find ready made barrel for cleaner look.

Then I would just look into a dual drum setup where you can have two drums as opposed to one.

[james manutes]

Try to find a clean 55 gal. blue plastic barrel , then determine its "max" height . From the mid-point of the barrel , mark half of the waste above , half of the waste below the centerline . Remove the mid-section , then the challenge is to re-attach the two halves . Maybe a wooden ring w/slots on both sides . Get creative , you'll probably still have a 35 or 40 gal. bin .

[Mark Bolton]

Try to find a clean 55 gal. blue plastic barrel , then determine its "max" height . From the mid-point of the barrel , mark half of the waste above , half of the waste below the centerline . Remove the mid-section , then the challenge is to re-attach the two halves . Maybe a wooden ring w/slots on both sides . Get creative , you'll probably still have a 35 or 40 gal. bin .

I think the OP is trying to find a larger diameter drum not a shorter drum (shorter 30-35 gallon drums are readily available off the shelf). Assume he wants the shorter height but trying to not lose all the chip capacity.

[Patrick McCarthy]

if you have room for two side-by-side ( 2 smaller equal 1 big?) i think Oneida or one of the usual sources has an inverted "Y" adapter/connector that allows the cyclone discharge to fill two containers .

[Ron Selzer]

will fit more into a custom built box than any combinations of drums that fit in same space
Ron

[Matt Day]

Seems pretty obvious here that the OP needs to build a custom bin. I’ll never quite understand the emphasis on looks in a shop.

[Yuri Sadykov]

Matt, it is not emphasis on a look. I am able to build the custom box for dust collection and probably will do it, no problem with that. I just thought if there is ready made something I'd rather buy it.
As for look. I agree, that whatever we have in our shops has to serve utilities purposes, but it does not mean it has to be ugly. I and many others spend noticeable time in our shops, besides for me it's a hobby, so I want that time to be enjoyable. I am far from making my shop a museum or art exhibition. I still want make things in it, but everybody has some own minimal standards on environment he/she working in.

[Jim Dwight]

My shop also has a 8 foot ceiling. I use a 2hp HF motor/blower mounted a couple of inches off the ceiling with a super dust deputy below it and a wooden dust bin I made below that. The cyclone has a 3/4 plywood piece about 18 inches square bolted to it and the top of the dust box is another piece of 3/4 plywood. There is about 1/4 clearance and a gasket between the plywood pieces. Bolts into t nuts connect things until it is tile to empty. The top 6 or 8 inches of one side is plexiglass so I can see when it gets near full.

Most of the box is 6mm plywood. Top and bottom is 3/4 plywood. There are casters that help me move the container when it is full. I put 3/4 softwood blocking in the corners and also braced it about halfway up with some softwood pieces about 2 inches wide. That might have been a mistake. It is a bit hard to empty. I was worried about it imploding but it seems to be plenty sturdy enough. I calculated the volume at about 70 gallons.

I think making what fits your space is a great idea. The only thing I would change about mine is to make it easier to empty. But it works well. It fills up fast when I use the jointer or planner but I only have to empty it a few times a year.

[Alan Lightstone]

I was also thinking about ease of cleaning out the bin.

My cyclone closet is also height challenged, so I use the Oneida 35gal bin with a 55gal black garbage bag in it.

Emptying the bin is never a fun chore, but it's far easier to just lift out the garbage bag, and throw it out. Or if your landscaping needs it, use it as mulch.

Yes, I'd like a larger bin, but this is what I've always had to deal with.

I can't conceive how I could empty out a large box without making a wood dust nightmare in the shop.

[Jim Dwight]

The hole in the top of my home made box is about 12 inches in diameter. My two ways of emptying it both start with wheeling it out of the shop and putting it into the bed of my truck. It's tall enough I can tilt it in and not pick it up totally. The first few times I emptied it I just added a temporary cover over the hole in the top and took it to the collection center to empty. But the problem with that is first I have to pick it up and tilt it into the bin, then start digging the dust out because it doesn't empty near completely. Then tilt it back and then forward again and repeat the digging. Makes a mess and it's pretty heavy when full. So the last time I did it, I just dug the dust out into two large trash cans and took those to the collection center. I think I will do that again. It still makes a mess but I never have to lift the full bin and at the collection center the trash cans dump easily. The mess is also outside my shop in the driveway. If it's bad, I can sweep it up.

[John Goodin]

Plasticmart.com has all kinds and sizes of storage tanks. They are reasonably priced but the shipping from Austin could sting pretty bad.

[Bill Dufour]

30 gallons seems to be standard for short fat barrels.
Bill D.

No idea if the links below will hold up to vacuum pressure. But free shipping!

https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-1654-Blow-Molded-Lever-Lock-Capacity/dp/B000LDEP0C/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=30+Gallon+Drum&qid=1600662341&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-1601MB-Polyethylene-Lever-lock-Capacity/dp/B0025QI4XC/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=30+Gallon+Drum&qid=1600662541&sr=8-5

check the reviews for the above . some are using them for dust collectors
(https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-1601MB-Polyethylene-Lever-lock-Capacity/dp/B0025QI4XC/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=30+Gallon+Drum&qid=1600662541&sr=8-5)

[John Stankus]

What about a small stock tank. Here’s one 3 ft dia 2 ft high. 110 gallons

https://www.tankandbarrel.com/stock-tanks-round-stock-tanks-c-280_281.html

[Brian Backner]

Can you cut a hole in the ceiling for the cyclone's motor or cut a hole in the floor for the collection barrel? I've seen the latter done even in garages with the shop sitting on a concrete slab.

[ChrisA Edwards]

30 gallons seems to be standard for short fat barrels.
Bill D.

No idea if the links below will hold up to vacuum pressure. But free shipping!

https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-1654-Blow-Molded-Lever-Lock-Capacity/dp/B000LDEP0C/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=30+Gallon+Drum&qid=1600662341&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-1601MB-Polyethylene-Lever-lock-Capacity/dp/B0025QI4XC/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=30+Gallon+Drum&qid=1600662541&sr=8-5

check the reviews for the above . some are using them for dust collectors
(https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-1601MB-Polyethylene-Lever-lock-Capacity/dp/B0025QI4XC/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=30+Gallon+Drum&qid=1600662541&sr=8-5)

I had the small yellow bin (Eagle 1654) on my system when I first converted it to two stage. Worked fine, but I got fed up with emptying it, so I went for a larger one when I moved.

You can see it here on the right.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/i452/cedwards874/Woodworking/.highres/DSC_9803_zpsxlxajzoe.jpg