cyclone dust collector drum size?

[abram godshall]

i have a penn state cyclone dust collector which works great except when i use my jointer or planer the 35 gallon drum fills up very quickly. i am thinking about getting a molder and was told it too creates a lot of chips. has anyone expanded the collection capacity of their system by building an oversized box? i do not want a double drum setup. if you have done this what do you need to take into consideration? i have a leaf vac that can be used to empty this box directly into one of my trucks. :confused: thank you in advance for helping me out. i am new to this blogging stuff and so far everyone has been real nice and helpful.

[Jim O'Dell]

Abram, first and foremost, it has to be sealed. No air leaks. Beyond that, anything you build will be heavy, but if you have a way to empty it via power, then it would be worth a try. I've read where a former member here built a box on a small tilt trailer, hooks up to it with the tractor or truck and drives it out into the field to dump it. His collector sits in a shed attached to his shop, it's not a cyclone. Any way to get a bigger barrel under the cyclone? I use a plastic 55 gallon barrel that chemicals came in at a dealership I worked at. It was free and they begged me to take more of them. Jim.

[Jim Becker]

I use a 55 gallon drum under my cyclone and can still fill it very fast when surfacing lumber, especially the wide stock I prefer to work with!

[Joe Meazle]

Mine is 64 gallon Heavy duty wheeled trash can with a homemade lid w/weather stripping. I am about to move up to a 96 gallon I just have to make the new lid for the bigger can. They can be foud at Lowes but are kinda of pricey. I got a good deal on mine. These are easy to empty and hold lots. Height is not an issue as I have the cyclone in an aux shed (thanks Dennis Peacock & Mark Cothren).

[Fred Floyd]

I still use the Oneida 35 gallon. One good session with the planer or moulder will fill the can. A full can goes neatly into a large trash bag which then is easily lifted and taken to one of my friends who is a gardener.

I'm not sure that bigger is always better.