Dust bin emptying setup

[Bob Riefer]

I've filled (and overfilled!! ugh!!) my 30 gal dust barrel about 10 times over the holidays, and while that pace is higher due to vacation time, I'm simply overwhelming my mulch pile on the back corner of the property (I think my one neighbor is starting to get annoyed by it too).


In short: I need to start bagging and throwing away my dust and chips.


I've read that some put a bag liner in their barrel and use a sleeve of some sort to ensure the bag doesn't get sucked up into the cyclone. I'm open to considering that approach here too, but I dislike that this would block my visibility through my window in the side of my barrel, so I have another idea.

My thought is that I separately already own a 50 gallon blue plastic barrel that has holes cut in various locations.. rendering it useless for many other tasks, but maybe I can salvage for this.

I would cut a large access cavity along the entire front side of the 50 gal barrel. The top "locking ring" (normally used to ensure the lid doesn't come off) would be used to hold a bag in place (e.g. large contractor bag). I would dump my 30 gal dust big into the suspended bag until full... remove the bag through front cavity.. tie and discard with my usual trash collection.


Considerations that come to mind so far are...
- The 50 gal barrel may want to hold standing water... will drill some relief holes in bottom
- The 50 gal barrel may be "tippy", so I plan to add some gravel as weight (that will drain) at the bottom
- The 30 gal barrel is kind of hard to grip... will add some handles
- Dumping this much into a big bag may create a vacuum effect... maybe punch a small hole in bottom of collection bag
- Dumping creates a lot of air born dust... this will all occur outside, while wearing a dust mask


Feasible idea? Or totally not worth the effort?

[james manutes]

Bag liner doesn't need to go all 360 deg. arounrd the barrel . Make it 350 deg. and leave the void in front of the window . You'll want clear bags if possible .

[ChrisA Edwards]

I initially used a 30 gallon bin, but, like you, found I was emptying it too often.

So I switched to a 55G drum and use Home Depot Contractor trash bags inside the bin.

My only regret, I went cheap on the bin, which meant plastic and this usually means the top of the bin tapers in.

If I really fill the bin up, getting my bag out is a bit of a struggle.

I found a lady who keeps horses and she loves my shaving for her stable. I wait until I have 3 or 4 bags and let her know to come pick them up. She brings back the empty nags.

[Michael W. Clark]

Will a large trash bag fit over the top of your current bin? If so, when it needs emptying, put the trash bag over top of full bin and turn them upside down to dump dust into the bag. Re-install empty bin and tie up trash bag.

This is what I do with dust from my bagger unit as I don’t want to throw away the thick plastic bag if still in good shape.

[Bob Riefer]

I cranked it out and it works great. From the street it looks like a whole barrel because the cutout is hidden on barn side.

[George Yetka]

If your getting rid of domestic dust(no walnut) I think alot of farms will take it. I alternate with trash can and dumping in the woods. Usually dump every other 40 gallon

[Jim Becker]

Preferred farm bedding material is more chips than fine dust.