Cordless Dust Collector Cart

I really like this Dewalt cordless vacuum. Now with bigger batteries the runtime is really great so i can use it for bigger tasks, but there is still one problem, the container and the filter are really small so the filter clogs easily and you lose all the suction.

That's why I'm adding a bigger container and a dust separator to my cordless vacuum. The goal here is to make all the dust go in this bigger container instead of the small vacuum container and all this with the help of my dust separator.

Material, tools and accessories ( affiliate links ) :

- Dewalt DCV517 ( Bare ) : https://amzn.to/3vGS8tD

- Dewalt DCV517 KIT : https://amzn.to/377uyMD

- Dust Cyclone Separator : https://amzn.to/377uyMD

- Toggle clamps : https://amzn.to/377uyMD

- Casters 4x [2"] : https://amzn.to/377uyMD

- 2" Rubber coupling : https://amzn.to/377uyMD

- 90º ABS F to M Elbow

- 1½ to 1¼ ABS Reducer

Let's start with some 5/8 thick plywood. I need to build a frame to hold all my components in place. I start by assembling the back supports of the plywood cart, and for that i start by glueing two pairs of plywood strips together to form a corner.

I glue those two back support to the bottom plank of my dust collector cart. And I hold the pieces in place with a clamp until the glue dries. I then move to the front where i glue in place the last two plywood strips.

Once the glue has dried, i flip my frame and i insert what will be the top plank inside my frame to give some support to the plywood strips. i then i drill some holes and i put some screws to fix that bottom plank in place.

I put two screws for each front strip and three screws for each back corners.

I then assemble the top plank the same way i did with the bottom plank. First with some wood glue and then with screws all around the frame. This will make the outer frame for my dust collector cart.

I'm using a 3 inches hole saw to drill a hole on the top plank. This hole is where I will install the dust separator.

And to bring the hose of the vacuum to the dust separator, I drill another hole using a 2"½ inches hole saw.

There will be a middle shelf to hold the dust container in place, but that dust container need a seal all around the top. And to make that seal, i'm using a piece of under carpet foam.

When i put some pressure over the bucket, it make a tight seal all around the top.

The piece that i cut using an utility knife is about half an inch wider than the top of my container.

I also need to cut an opening in the middle of it to allow dust to fall from the dust separator into the container. This hole won't affect the seal so the shape of it doesn't matter. That's i cut a square opening because it will be easier for the next step. And the next step consist of taping the foam side of the under carpet to make a better seal on each side.

One side of the under carper already have a spill barrier that make a great seal but the tape will make a tougher one for the seal of the container.

The seal is mounted in a fix position so you never have to deal with the seal itself, that way it's easier to empty the bucket. but i have to find a way to mount the seal under the top plank of my dust collector cart.

I'm using some two way tape that I put all around the seal before i firmly press the seal against the plywood

Next step is to work on the middle shelf that will pivot to create some pressure over the top of the container to make a tight seal.

The shelf will be mount to a back support using two hinges, but because the hose of the vacuum will reach the dust separator on the top, i've made a notch into the plywood to let the hose pass through the shelf.

Once it's done, i'm adding some hinges to the rear of the plywood so it can pivot from the rear. I fix my middle shelf to a plywood strip so i can fix the shelf to the back of the cart.

I put the shelf in place temporarily using some woodworking clamps, for now the container only touch the seal but now pressure is applied on it.

I still need to find a way to put some pressure on the front of the container to make a tight seal around the bucket and to do so I'm adding a plywood brace in the front.

On that brace, I screw two toggle clamps that will allow me to clamp the container into the seal by pushing the shelf up. I glue both toggle clamps using super glue so they don't move when I pre-drill the holes. Then i secure them in place with small screws.

I also need to fix that plywood brace to my cart.

I insert the container so I can see at what height I need to put the brace. At this point, the container doesn't make a tight seal but that's ok because I will adjust the toggle clamps later to get the right pressure on the seal to make a tight one.

I simply add some wood glue, I pre-drill again each holes then i screw the brace in place. Oh and if you are looking to buy those toggle clamps check here on amazon ( affiliate link ) : https://amzn.to/377uyMD

Now i can fit my container but it still move all around so to get the perfect placement for a perfect seal each time i insert the container, i glue in place some 1 inch wide plywood stripes on each side and one in the back.

I will ajust the front toggle clamps later but for now i need to screw in place the back plywood brace, i remove the woodworking clamps so I can push down on the shelf brace to put some pressure with the container over the seal to make it air tight. I put back the woodworking clamps in place then i add two screw to fix the brace in the right position.

Now that the toggle clamps are ajusted, the seal is airtight all around the top of the container. I will cover the hole in the top plywood later with the dust separator.

The vacuum will stand on the bottom shelf and the vacuum pipe will reach the top. But the vacuum wobble all around and the battery sit directly on the plywood, so i need to build a plywood stand to secure the vacuum in place

The stand will raise the vacuum so it will be easy to remove and change the battery.

Using some wood glue and some woodworking clamp I assemble my stand. I make a test fit with the vacuum inside my dust separator cart and as you can see the fit and the access to the battery is perfect.

I screw my plywood vacuum stand from under my cart.

But one thing tho is that the vacuum is only secured from moving from left to right.

So to keep the vacuum secure inside the plywood channel, i will install a toggle clamp.

I made a plywood bracket to hold the toggle clamp, and i fix that bracket inside the back plywood corner of my dust separator cart.

What I like about this idea is that you don't sacrifice your vacuum, you can take out if you need. And it's quick and easy to do so.

Time to bring in the dust separator, this is the main component of the cart. Then i add a 1inch and a half to 1inch and 1quarter adapter and a 1inch and a half 90 degree elbow. I also need a 2 inch rubber coupling. This coupling will connect the elbow and the separator together. I tighten both screws on the coupling to make it air tight.

And to install it on my cart i need to place the seal around the hole then i can screw the dust separator in place.

I now have a seal under my dust separator and also around the top of the container. So we can finally connect the system together by putting the hose of the vacuum inside the abs reducer.

One last step before we test it out, i'm adding 4 casters under the cart so it will be easy to move it in my workshop!

Alright, let me show you how easy it is to setup the dust collector cart.

I simply insert my vacuum and secure it using the toggle clamp.

Next, I insert the container and i raise the two toggle clamps to create an airtight seal around the container then I insert the battery in the vacuum

I connect the vacuum hose to the dust separator elbow then i insert an 8 feets vacuum hose in the other end of the dust separator.

So, will all the dust and debris go into the container instead of the vacuum? Let's find out!

I made two tests, one with larger debris and another one using fine dust.

In both tests, all the dust and debris goes in the clear container instead of the dewalt vacuum.

There is probably really find dust that will go in the vacuum but I assume by my tests that more than 99% of the dust will go in the clear container.

I'm really happy about the tests results!

Here's some close-up pictures to show you more details of my dust collector cart.

Here all the measurements I used to build my dust separator cart using the Dewalt DCV517 vacuum.

I also included the clear container size I used,

First, a big thanks for watching my instructables.

This is one of my favorite project I made, because it is really useful and it is something that I will use everyday in my workshop. I have a basement workshop in my house, but my breaker is not able to take a miter saw and a shopvac at the same time, even with a delay switch. So that's where came my idea to build a cordless one using my dewalt vacuum.

And even if this idea of using a cyclone separator is not new, I really like how those two small toggle clamps that I added to the front make the clean up of the container so easier. Just lower the toggle clamps, remove the bucket, empty it outside to avoid further dust inside, then put the container back in place and continue your work.

I know it's not as strong as a full shopvac but still really efficient for a small vacuum. You can adapt this build to any cordless vacuum, but it will be up to you to make some changes in the plans to do so.

Don't forget to watch my video on youtube here : https://youtu.be/s0eVz0FF8Nw

Thank you! See you for the next project!