Getting rid of plastic bag. Adding vacuum cleanout.

[RBOETTCHER]

Hi all, I am reworking my Thien setup (built in 2009) and would like some feedback on how to get rid of the plastic bag to collect the dust.
My system is based on an old PSI DC-2 DC, with a top hat on a metal garbage can. the flow goes to the former bag ring, which has a helix in it to direct the flow downward. Wynn filter on top (new 35BA222NANO) and a 12" to 8" metal reducer in the donut to direct dust that is dislodged from the filter, say by compressed air ( 60 psi) will not land on the helix but go straight into the dust container. I have a second Their baffle at the bottom of the ring to further enhance separation of the fines.
My next desire is to direct the dust downward into a small container with a shop vac fitting to clean out the fines periodically. I found a monster flower pot at Home Depot that gives a smooth transition from the 20" bag ring down to about 12". My thought is to connect a 3 gallon pail using a gamma seal lid, and affix the vacuum port to that. (see photos)
I welcome any opinions, thoughts, suggestions you may have. Perhaps someone has gone this route in some fashion. If so I would like to hear how it works. I thought about using the short circuit or recycle approach, but I am not sure how that would work. Thanks much.