The Bucket Vac...

My wife loves those little, lightweight vacuums that can be had for around 25 bucks at the big box stores....we've tossed a half-dozen of them over the years when they simply stop coping with the pooch hair.

Today i had a revelation...time to stop tossing the money down the drain and make use of the little 'suckers'.

I'm going to show you how to turn a mini-vac into a bucket-vac in a few simple steps, save about $50 versus a 5 gallon portable shop vac, and have some fun tinkering, to-boot.

Step 1 Materials...

Some things you might need are:

*compact vacuum cleaner with working motor...
*5 gallon bucket w/lid...
*basic set of hand tools (wrenches, screwdrivers, etc.)...
*rotary tool (Dremel, etc.)...
*silicone caulk...
*adhesive caulk...
*various fasteners (nuts & bolts)...
*2" swivel caster wheels...
*patience...
*time...
*beer...

Comments

[HTWTUSA]

What a great idea, $ saver too. I've seen this, it's so cool.
You must have a cool Mom.
Great job. Keep them coming.

[yoyology]

I have a dumpster-rescued vacuum, and I've been wondering if it would be possible to make it into a shop-type vac. Lo and behold, here it is! You are my hero today.

[HTWTUSA]

That's why I love this site...it keeps me learning and innovating, just like everyone else...xD

[Foxtrot70]

NOW !!! That is a Swiss Army Knife!

[RangerJ]

Cool idea, but looks a bit tippy. How about making a slightly larger base of sandwiched pieces of 5/8 or 3/4 plywood, bolting it to the bucket, and adding the wheels on that?

[HTWTUSA]

For sure, it's a bit top-heavy...and an added base would make for a more stable ride, but I actually ended up deleting the wheels altogether, in favor of stability.

I wont be adding a base because I need the unit as compact and light as possible, but if size isn't a limitation, I'd definitely recommend your idea.

Thanks for the input!

[mpilchfamily]

Excellent project. Great way to reuse an old vac with broken housing. But Home Depot sells a bucket vac for about $20. Works really well and saved me from spending $60 on a wet/dry vac. All i need to do is take your lead and add casters to one of my buckets.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=202017218&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=202017218&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googlebase-_-D25X-_-202017218&locStoreNum=2583

[HTWTUSA]

This was actually inspired by the Home Depot model...but I figured why toss 20 bucks in the garbage, just to spend another 20, and miss out on some wholesome, mad scientist time?...

Word of wisdom: Add 4 casters...I soon discovered that three aren't stable enough on the small base of the bucket...kept tipping over.

Thanks for the comment, and CHEERS!