Introduction: Cheap & Easy DIY Dust Collector

About: I love coming up with cool ways of using wood! Furniture is my specialty. Getting ideas from all my fellow wood lovers out there. Wood is Good!

Watch the video to see how I did it!

This is a fantastic, cheap, and extremely easy way to minimize dust in your shop while saving the filter on your existing shop vac! Very cheap to build as it only requires your existing shop vac hose, one more hose, a bucket, and two PVC elbows. Make sure to pick a strong and rigid bucket that won't implode while using your dust collector!

Enjoy!

Step 1: Get Your Supplies

  • Get a STRONG bucket with a good lid (this bucket is actually a little weaker then I'd like)
  • If your bucket is too thin/weak, the bucket will start to implode as you use your shop vac
  • I used a 5 gallon with a tight lid
  • 2.5" 45-degree PVC pipe
  • 2.5" 90-degree PVC pipe
  • 2.5" to 1.75" coupler
  • Two hoses
  • I used the existing hose from my shop vac and another spare
  • 4 little screws
  • Industrial Adhesive
  • Hot Glue

Step 2: Attach 45-degree PVC to Hose

  • pre-drill 4 holes around 45-degree PVC
  • set 4 small screws long enough to thread into PVC and hose
  • apply industrial adhesive in the PVC
  • set the hose inside the PVC
  • screw the screws into the hose for a snug and strong fit

Step 3: Assemble Lid

This is the portion that plugs into your shop vac. It "powers" the dust collector!
  • Trace top hole using 45-degree PVC
  • Cut a hole with a drill
  • Finish cut using a knife or a tool of your choice
  • Make sure it's snug
  • Glue in place with hot glue
  • Apply glue to both sides of lid
  • Make it airtight!

Step 4: Attach Hose to Coupler

This is your intake hose. You will use this portion to plug into your dust collector and use it to suck the sawdust!
  • Grab your step down coupler
  • I had to use a 2.5" to 1.75" coupler for my second hose
  • Measure your existing hose to make sure you get what works for you!
  • Cut hose to fit inside coupler
  • Clean cut with knife
  • Heat up hose to make it easier to stuff into coupler
  • Glue prior to pushing hose into PVC coupler
  • Make sure the coupler is facing the right way
  • You want the coupler to be a tight fit into your 90-degree PVC elbow!

Step 5: Side Hole Intake

  • Measure your elbow diameter near the top of the bucket as seen
  • Cut the hole just like your previous cut on the lid
  • Set the 90-degree elbow as seen in the photo to create the cyclone effect
  • Hot glue in place on inside/outside of bucket
  • Let it dry

Step 6: Put It Together and Test It!

  • Empty and clean out your shop vac
  • As you can see mine's filthy!
  • Attach shop vac hose to the lid of the dust collector
  • Attach the suction hose/coupler to the side 90-degree intake
  • Test it out and see how it does!