Modify my dust collector

[kelLOGg]

I have ideas for modifying my dust collector.

 

When I am planing I can fill the drum 2/3 full in about 20 min. (After that, turbulent flow dumps chips thru the exhaust.) I am planning to cut the bottom out of the drum and raise it about 40" and attach something removeable to the bottom. My choices, in order of preference, are:

1. a large easily removeable plastic bag to store the chips until I need them - but how do I keep the bag from collapsing due to the pressure drop and allow it to be easily removed?

2. a plastic garbage can sealed (somehow?) to the drum bottom. but I would need too many of them

3. another 55 gal drum but toooo heavy and I have only one more.

Whatever the solution is, I want to be able to collect the chips for various reasons: chicken bedding, mulching, etc. It really is a small operation - maybe a drum a week.

Bob

[trim4u2nv]

I have tried more than 1 way to use bags.  The two best are to find a hollow spiral duct pipe that will fit a 33 gallon bag (or 40-45) over it and still be short enough to fit in the 55 gallon drum.  Slip the bag over the piece of pipe, rivet 2 handles inside the pipe,  and rubber band the bag to the outside of the pipe (bicycle inner tubes work.)   When this fills up pull the pipe out of the bag and the bag will fill up with sawdust.  So you have a 55 gallon drum, then a 33 gallon bag, then a 30 gallon open ended tube from the outside to the inside to do this.  My next project is to put some barn door track over the barrel leading to the truck (with a block and tackle attached to the door roller.)

The other method is a wire frame that holds the bag open available commercially.
http://jdstools.com/jds3hpcyclonebaggripper.aspx

[Woodey]

I was also having a lot of chips and sawdust from planning. My solution was to take a 3 hp. dust collector remove all the bags and pipe it though a 4" hole outside my shop into a 4 yard garbage dumpster. When it gets full I take my tractor and dump in the garden or the field out back.   

[kelLOGg]

I like the wire frame idea. I could fabricate that and use it in the drum as is w/o cutting out the bottom. Could even expand later if needed. Thx,
Bob