In Tricks of the Trade

We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. However, this does not impact our recommendations.

Emptying my dust collector has never been something I looked forward to. For years I wrestled with the unit to empty the contents. First, I’d remove the bag and empty it into a plastic garbage bag. Then I’d lift the blower off the barrel cover, and then empty the drum, a bucket full at a time, into the garbage bag.

I have a friend with a cutting torch, and one day we put our heads together to solve the problem. First, he cut an 8″ x 12″ hole in the side of the drum, about 2″ above the bottom. We drilled a hole in the center of each side of the cut-out for stud bolts and then tack welded a 5/16″ bolt sticking out of each hole.

We made a 9″ x 14″ steel door with a notch cut midway on each side for the stud bolts. Then, we bent a curve into the door to match the drum and added weather stripping around the door’s edges.

To use the door, I slide the notches over the stud bolts, and secure it with washers and wing nuts. The vacuum pulls the door tight and maintains a good seal. Now, it’s a simple task to empty the drum using a small fireplace shovel, and there’s no heavy lifting. –Fred Burne


Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.

Recommended Posts

Start typing and press Enter to search