# Dust Collector Cart



## timbertailor (Oct 4, 2009)

This project has kept me from completing my router table but has been a long overdue project.

I have a two car garage that I must share with one of our vehicles, so everything is on wheels to make moving things easier. This dust collector is no different, with locking caster, as well. I have very little space for more tools until I move so everything must make the best use of the square footage a tool must take up on my shop floor. And since it is on wheels, I can keep the hose runs to a bare minimum length for even better performance.

After reviewing many designs on the internet, I have tried to incorporate all the things that people wished they had changed or addressed.

I added a wooden rod under the filter and attached the filter to the rod. Many complained that attaching the turn buckles directly to the filter inlet housing caused distortions of the flimsy sheet metal it was meant to attach to. I also added a piece of plywood under the filter to provide a flat surface for the filter to seal against. I then took silicone to every crack and crevice, and bolt hole to prevent fine dust from escaping.

I completely eliminated the plastic catch bag and made room for my Rigid shop vac. I bought a second hose and now I can run the exhaust of the shop vac back into the Thien Cyclone\Separator.

I made a drawer for all the extra vac accessories and clamps. If dust build up become a problem, I designed the drawer to act as a dust collector in the future, should the space provided for fines is not adequate. So far, the cyclone removes 99% with little or nothing gathering below the filter.

This is my first pocket hole project and scrap wood project. Something that is very difficult for me, if you knew my personality. I am moving so using up a bunch of scrap was a good thing.

I also recycled parts from the Central Machinery DC Kit. The handle for the drawer came in the kit, and I used one of the metal support bars to make a mechanism to prevent the clamps from getting knocked off the cart.

The cart houses all my vacuum hoses, electrical cords, compressor air hoses, shop drop lights, and various straight edges and squares.

I added a power strip outlet for convenience.

To improve performance, I have removed almost 3 feet of 5” hose from the system, and ran a 5” outlet straight out into the Thien Cyclone. I used four inch hose everywhere else. I also added the Wynn Environmental 0.5 micron filter and removed the screen inlet to the blower.

Over 100 pocket screws later and a tube of silicone, she runs great and holds a bunch of things that never really had a proper home.

Comments and suggestions are welcome. Thanks for your interest Gave my router circle cutting jig a good work out. LOTS of circles.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Looks like a great way to incorporate some different projects together to save space. In a few ways I can see that being handier than a fixed DC even if you have the room.


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

Very nice job, great design


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

...and you're moving, just when you had it under control?!
Glutton for punishment comes to mind.


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## timbertailor (Oct 4, 2009)

DaninVan said:


> ...and you're moving, just when you had it under control?!
> Glutton for punishment comes to mind.


All this work is in preparation for the move to a 5 acre piece of property that will be my retirement nirvana.

I am building a 1600 square foot shop with A\C, heat, sanding room, stain\finishing room, air compressor room, and a bathroom with shower and a sink.

I am so excited, I can barely concentrate on my work. To finely have a dedicated space with everything I always wanted in a shop.

A\C is the big one. I can work year round with A\C and it should make my wood working projects easier and suffer fewer effects caused by humidity.

I am glad you like my design. I tried to maximize space usage while improving or, at least, maintaining, some performance. Since I can roll it up to any tool, the runs are short and should greatly preserve the efficiency of the design, prevent clogging, and save me a lot of plumbing headaches.


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## timbertailor (Oct 4, 2009)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Looks like a great way to incorporate some different projects together to save space. In a few ways I can see that being handier than a fixed DC even if you have the room.


Thanks Charles. I think the design helps eliminate a lot of the lost efficiency of a plumbed shop. I knew that this unit was under powered and was not really suitable to support a complete shop hose job. I also knew that I was moving, so plumbing the shop just did not make any sense.

But, I figure that if I keep the runs short and run one machine at a time, as is typical, it should do a more than adequate job.

Thanks for your input.


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## timbertailor (Oct 4, 2009)

Semipro said:


> Very nice job, great design


Thanks John. It took a little head scratching, but most of the ideas for improving the performance of the DC came from others before me who were willing to share their ideas.

I just wanted to maximize the utilization of the space required by a DC system, at the same time.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Nice job! Is that a grizzly DC you have? I have one that I'm considering doing something similar to. In particular, turning the motor/impeller unit the way you have it. I'm a bit worried about the motor bearings not being able to to take the vertical orientation. 

I'm keen on this for three reasons - the footprint issue, removing 2 90 degree bends for increased efficiency and I want to put a dust deputy into the mix. I have a thien baffle set up but think a cyclone will do a lot better.


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Very impressive Brad.


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## timbertailor (Oct 4, 2009)

PhilBa said:


> Nice job! Is that a grizzly DC you have? I have one that I'm considering doing something similar to. In particular, turning the motor/impeller unit the way you have it. I'm a bit worried about the motor bearings not being able to to take the vertical orientation.
> 
> I'm keen on this for three reasons - the footprint issue, removing 2 90 degree bends for increased efficiency and I want to put a dust deputy into the mix. I have a thien baffle set up but think a cyclone will do a lot better.


This is a Central Machinery unit from Harbor Freight.
I paid so little for it that if the bearings were to go out, I would just replace the motor or get some ceramic bearings for it that can take the vertical load better.

I am sure you are right about the dust deputy, but I can not imagine a unit being much more efficient. I have run several pounds of sawdust through the system and there was only a fine film of dust in the filter bin when I took it apart. I could not believe it. The rest was in the separator.

Thanks for taking time to comment and I hope your upgrade meets with your satisfaction. Keep us posted on your progress.


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## Salty Dawg (Jan 24, 2014)

Nice & organized.


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## timbertailor (Oct 4, 2009)

Salty Dawg said:


> Nice & organized.


Thanks Don.

I am getting ready to move to my dream shop in a few months and this project was to help me get organized for the move and for when I am in my new shop.


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## timbertailor (Oct 4, 2009)

*Table Saw DC Solution*

So, now that I have my DC system squared away, I am slowly converting all my power tools to 4" service.

Here is the table saw. It had no dust collection before this, at all.


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## timbertailor (Oct 4, 2009)

*RAS DC Solution*

So the Radial Arm Saw was the next tool to get dust collection addressed. Here is what I came up with. A HUGE improvement and I am really happy with its performance. It is removable so I can do dado or miter work.


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## RJM (Apr 11, 2010)

Very nice. One thing though, by rotating your impeller/motor assy so thast the shaft is now vertical, rather than horizontal, you introduce the possibility of the impeller slipping on the shaft. This could lead to impact with the housing with all kinds of bad results. Bill Pentz solves this issue with a compression coupling. Read about it here (go down to #4).

Dust Collection Research - Blower


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## pgwisn (Oct 31, 2014)

I have the same DC -not the strongest unit,but adequate for one tool at a time.
Wow! 1600 sq ft shop Brad... how very nice!


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

RJM60 said:


> Very nice. One thing though, by rotating your impeller/motor assy so thast the shaft is now vertical, rather than horizontal, you introduce the possibility of the impeller slipping on the shaft. This could lead to impact with the housing with all kinds of bad results. Bill Pentz solves this issue with a compression coupling. Read about it here (go down to #4).
> 
> Dust Collection Research - Blower


As I read it, those were custom made. Probably cost more than the original DC.


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## timbertailor (Oct 4, 2009)

pgwisn said:


> I have the same DC -not the strongest unit,but adequate for one tool at a time.
> Wow! 1600 sq ft shop Brad... how very nice!


Exactly! One tool at a time with minimal plumbing and it works great.

I would never try plumbing an entire shop with this unit.

As far as a blade sliding on a shaft, that can happen whether the motor is horizontal or vertical. Just use LocTite and keep them serviced and you should not have any problems.

P.S. I am so looking forward to moving. Having more space really had motivated me to get organized before the move so that I can find everything afterwards. Thanks for the kind words.


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## RJM (Apr 11, 2010)

PhilBa said:


> As I read it, those were custom made. Probably cost more than the original DC.


 
That may be but the issue is still there for this unit.


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