Frankenvac (tiny shop dust collection)

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Frankenvac is my solution to dust collection for my tiny shop. Made from about $35 worth of parts, it combines a chip separator with a tool selector. More information here:

[Andy]

Interesting idea - did you do anything to help seal the lid to the rubbermaid container? It seems like the lids to those generally aren't airtight. Glad it's working for you - I'll definitely have to keep that in mind. Andy

[cgallery]

That is a good Q. I shopped-around for a container where the top sealed to the bottom. Some other brands and some Rubbermaid models actually have tops that provide some level of venting. While you can probably use some sort of weatherstripping, I suggest you just avoid those designs altogether and opt for an air-tight design.

Thanks, Phil

Andy wrote:

[RayV]

Nice job. Looks like the perfect solution for home shop on a budget, I may upgrade my trash can cyclone using some of your ideas. Too bad I can't sell it since you have reserved your commercial rights.

Thanks for posting this.

[Owamanga]

I would imagine the negative pressure would suck the lid into place. A small amount of leakage here wouldn't be a problem.

[Larry Spitz]

Very interesting!

I have looked at your web page and everything is clear except the snorkel. Could you either give me a more detailed explanation of its construction and location or some more pictures of it from different aspects?

I would really appreciate it.

Larry

[cgallery]

Sorry about that. The snorkel is simply a piece of 3/4" plywood that is the same length and width as the flange of the "universal dust port." I used a straight router bit to create a slot in it that is

5/8" deep by maybe 2" wide (leaving 1/8" on the face and perhaps 3/4" of material around the sides and bottom). I left enough material on each side to pass the machine screws that hold both it and the universal dust port on the container. The slot is only open on the top. The bottom and both sides are closed.

If that isn't good enough I can try to make a drawing or something.

The idea is that the snorkel keeps the vac sucking from the very top of the container. Nothing fancy going on here.

Thanks, Phil

Larry Spitz wrote:

[Oleg Lego]

The Larry Spitz entity posted thusly:

You do see it in the picture directly to the right of the closeup of the snorkel, yes? It's on the inside of the container, top left in the picture.