Shop vacuum cabinet

Its a Craftsman wall mount unit, 5 gallon, 5HP remote controlled with 21' of 1 7/8" hose. I don't know who makes it-though China made. Almost identical vacuum is the Vacmaster VWM510. Other than blue, it comes with a washable filter, storage config a little different. Went with the craftsman because available locally/had a credit and was on sale so got for bout half of what we could find online.

Also really considering the Shop vac brand 5gal wall mount (yellow). Appears it would protrude from wall less, just better design for a wall mount, USA made, but the height of unit would be difficult to find a place to mount in our small shop. options

Primary reason for vac just general cleanup in shop, replacing recycled house vacuum, but the option to use for tools a really big plus. Especially after acquiring belt sander. Most of my hand tools, jig saw, miter saw, router, belt/ disk & orbital sanders, etc all have option to connect vacuum. But it was the stationary belt/disk sander that really needs vacuum. My tool use limited so a small portable sufficient for my needs.

I ended up, outlined below, reworking an existing cabinet to store vacuum. Got to use most of my wood working tools & utilizing vacuum- WOW! Adapting to the various outlet sizes a challenge but new vac surprisingly fit a lot of them without too much cobbling. Simply stoked. I've jury rigged vacuum before, say doing stuff in the house or under car dash, to minimize the mess, but never actually used a tool with vacuum attached. Again WOW, even on some tools where only 50% of dust/debris is captured that's 50% less on the floor or in the air. Wasn't sure about the remote control feature-it just came with it-kinda nice though when standing at machine-starting/stopping vacuum. Anyway Just cool, cant believe I hadn't done this years ago.




To be done -find and or make adapters for various tools. Elbow/tees would be nice. Looks like standard ABS etc might be close. hardware run...I also want to make something that will attach to drill press. As (if) I come up with stuff Ill add to this, documenting sizes & fit. At this point I haven't found much available. Also Ill be making a pre-filter bucket. Currently I'm emptying nightly-kind of a pain, I may switch to the bags as the filter clogs with a lot of wood dust use. The pre filter is just another bucket inline of hose, most of debris will fall in it before it reaches main bucket. Lot of options on line for making them.

After assembling, checked the couple of places in shop I thought I might mount- nope. Wont fit or be way too inconvenient. Other option I was leaning toward was there's a lean-to attached to side of shop-be really nice & easy to put in there virtually taking up no shop space. Use a thru the wall fitting for hose attachment. But it really needs to reach out in front of shop and would require an extension (to the 21' hose) hose. It didn't take long to realize the restriction longer hose induces. IE mine came with 2 hoses, one short & one long. The difference between the short, the long and combined for 21' is a lot. So unless I hard plumb a longer/larger diameter smooth wall extension-not really an option for now.

Setting trying to figure where I'm going to mount my new vac-decided that the 2 drawers I've been contemplating modifying would be a good location.



Directly next to door for getting outside & reach everything in shop. These 2' deep by 4' wide drawers were built years ago for specific storage of colored glass pieces. They both have flat open trays that are divided up into various smaller sizes. Actually old greeting card display rack. It worked well but I haven't use in years though they are both still FULL of glass. My thought has been to rebuild this removing the drawers, opening under bench to store gas torch. It has a place to live-so though more convenient no real motivation. However as the vacuum would only take up half this space-I could add some more/smaller drawers for usable storage. DING DING. Plus I can reclaim some storage from the tall skinny cabinet at end of bench-throwing away the old house vacuum cleaner.



So I pulled the drawers and sat outside. Eyeballing space. Removing middle shelf I could add another leg to divided space in half. One side for drawers and other open for vac. For vacuum Ill hang the shelf at bottom of 2x4 for needed height. Its couple of inches taller than opening so Ill have to lift in. Add sides for drawer cleat attachment.



Removed the middle shelf and cross 2x4. Used 4x4 (on hand) for center leg. It lines up with the one above for old drill press, there are (2) 2x4 stringers underneath that capture bottom of existing post, new post fits between. Notched to set flush to outside 2x4s.

Couple of issues arising-one leg on left I need to splice in block where shelf support 2x4 was. The leg on right though I need to replace. Open now the receptacles and whatever is plugged in need more space, If I use a door will interfere.

Other issue is vice. Plan is on new drawers instead of flush is to make them with false fronts to have full 24" inside depth. Means anything in vice will hit drawers face...hmmm. Lastly somehow during reconstruction the phone wire is wrapped around the back 2x4?-hard to see-these shelves (and entire bottom shelf of both workbenches) is the top to old pool table. In bottom shelf at back leg are 2 of the ball pocket holes, anyway phone wire got routed thru one.



Added the bottom 2x4 stringer, and divider wall for new drawers. The phone cord short of cutting I just notch back board. Removed and replaced right leg. I did spend a little time cleaning up back leg. Many- many years ago when workbench was in original garage I had a fire. There's a lot of char, now exposed. I had also forgotten, that's where all the staining on face boards came from, fire department water hoses. Well at least consciously, because it when I mounted fire extinguisher this corner seemed like a good location?



Progress: got the 1x2 drawer cleats in. Made new drawers using wood from old drawers. Just a side note, the wood was originally 1x6s salvaged from pallets. Actually most of the 2x4s were from pallets. Had a really hard time cannibalizing the old drawers I made 40+ years ago, using new would have been easier-but compelled to reuse-least there .

Hung the shelf for vacuum using 1x2s on edge, Vacuum fit but I ended up notching the top & bottom faces to make access easier. Not using supplied wall mount bracket, thought I might use for hose & extension storage but I could make something better suited for space. So it just lives in the back case I ever decide to wall mount.



A lot of back & forth on making doors. I kinda like the way the cut out looked, & doors would be problematic. Hose would be hitting-doors would be in the way/hitting cords etc. However didn't like looking at vacuum and accessories. If I made a large door instead of 2 small doors, it could swing to other side hose wouldn't hit it-though then its sticking inside.. hmmm. Then the idea of a bi-fold door. Never made a bi-fold but it would allow swing to left, folding in half door wouldn't be hanging out in floor. -



Simple, made 2 small doors, instead of hinging right to bench used piece of leftover piano hinge from overhead cabinet attaching doors together.



Cool-When false drawer fronts are installed- door will still fold over pretty much out of the way. Used self closing hinges at bench side attachment. They close nice. Bi-folds, On to drawers...



Drawers faced-stained & knobbed, Got, as usual, a little more involved than I planned but nice. Actual useable drawers and place for new vacuum.



Used a coffee can for hose storage. Think Ill add another can below it, good for small items. Bag, instructions and foam filter are inside top one



Scabbed together a simple tray to store tools.



Tacked 3/8" ply to an old very heavy piece of 2x4 (to align holes). Used 2" hole saw thru 3/8" ply and into lower 2x4, then recut 2x4 with 1 3/4" so tools are captured both by O.D./I.D. . Elevated the ply a bit, attach handles, reminds me of something I made back in Jr high school shop-I should sign it -label 6th period Shop. Shellac the crap out of it.



Now to address the vice. I almost made the drawers flush mount as I knew this was issue.



Was quite hesitant removing the old drawers, but I'm liking this a lot. I removed vice. I was going to attach a length of 2"x3" to face of bench over drawers to end wall, give me both a way to remount vice out to clear and keep debris from falling on/into face drawers below. But I'm really liking the vice not mounted-having the surface of top unbroken. As nice as this small vice is, as often as not, working on long stuff its in the way. Plus I'm seeing a piece of 1/4" angle mounted to bench face over drawers and new doors. Would give me a bit more depth but mostly a way to easily clamp items...Looking around for options seen where folks are mounting receiver tubes to their benches. Whoa...

so another project. Mounting a clamping ledge to face of work bench which will be very handy and make a receiver mount for vice (or what ever else I might plug in). Pretty sure at this stage it will be a drop in-to be done but opens back up my bench top. Wow.

All in all the new vacuum is amazing, used it quite a bit with various tools on this bench rework. Can't believe I hadn't done this years ago-shop vac. Plus gained some needed useable storage, new vacuum has a place without using up space by reworking existing obsolete/unused drawers. I can reclaim some more from cabinet that old house vacuum is in. Clear bench top.

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