J. Phil Thien's Projects

Today I added the extension to the center port of the lid.  I used a PVC union because it has a larger OD and required less caulking to fill the hole I sawed in the MDF.  My hole saw set didn't have a size closer to the size I needed.  I also copied the idea for a stand that billw submitted recently.  I've uploaded some pictures to a Picasa web site and included pictures of the circle jig I made for my router.  For the adjustable pivot point, I used 5/16" hex head bolt and wing nut in a block of plywood to make the adjustment.  I laminated another piece of plywood to cover the hex head and drilled through the plywood into the head of the bolt.  I then epoxied the tip of a nail  through the plywood into the head of the bolt.  Sorry, but if I knew how to use Sketchup, I'd include a drawing.  I also glued a couple of pieces to the block to make a saddle.  I hope you can tell from the pictures how it was done.  The site lets you zoom in on a picture and pan around.  Here is the link to the pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wjburl/DustCollector#

I put some painter's tape around the rim of the garbage can and some clear silicon sealant on the rim of the lid.  I had to pry the lid off after the sealant dried, but now I have a very tight sealing lid.  It may have been easier to remove the lid after the sealant dried had I coated the tape with a some lubricant.  I also removed the painters tape from the garbage can afterwards.  I did notice that I had to get the lid in the correct orientation to avoid leaks.  I marked the lid and the garbage can with a magic marker. Now I can pick up the whole unit by the lid when the shop vac is on.  I covered the in port with my hand one time and it started to collapse the garbage can.  I have a 31 gal. garbage can.   I was having a problem with getting enough air flow at first, but it turns out that the filter in the shop vac was clogged before I started.  Now it works fine with my little 2.5 gal Rigid Shop Vac. 

Have you considered making a baffle slightly larger than the diameter of the container, cutting it along the radius just behind the input port so you could create a ramp? I think 1/4" hard board is flexible enough to permit it to fold in a little underneath itself.  I just ordered my dust ports from Rockler and now I need to make a circle jig for my router.  I couldn't find masonite with two smooth sides at HD.  I haven't tried Lowes yet.  Where did you find a source or