Dan’s Hobbies

I recently picked up a jointer, and after a few minutes of use I realized it was time to get a dust collector. I don’t have space for a commercial collector, so as usual I turned to the net to look for alternatives. After a few hours of searching I came across Phil Thein’s website, and quickly realized I had found the solution I was looking for.

I constructed my dust collector from the following materials.

1. The motor of a Harbor Freight Mini Dust Collector
2. quarter sheet of 3/4″ MDF
3. quarter sheet of 1/4″ Hardboard
4. 4″ elbow
5. 30 gallon garbage can

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Eventually I plan to build a workbench with a hard maple top. I only have a 13″ planer, so I thought I would have to wait till i got a bigger planer, or pay someone else to plane the top. One night while surfing SawmillCreek, I stumbled across a post that referenced a simple shop made tool called a router sled that wold let me flatten a bench top or any other large wood surface with tools I already have. Since I have never used a router sled before, I decided to make a small one and use it to make some tops for my role-away tool chests.

The base is made out of 3/4″ MDF. The bottom is a single layer and the sides are two layers screwed together, & to the base with drywall screws. The slides are dual purpose, they insure the base is flat and they provide an elevated surface for the bridge to rest on.

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