DIY Work bench w/ dust collection

Figured I'd share this little project. I've been getting into woodworking over the past couple years and have realized how important safety is. Along with that comes dust collection. I do most of my woodworking on the back patio so all of my tools need to be portable, including the work bench. A stationary dust collection system won't do any good, so I had to get creative. Picked up a Dust Deputy cyclone on Amazon (more expensive than you would expect for a piece of plastic). Most people use a 5gallon bucket for them which work great, but I wanted to streamline my "operation" and have as few pieces of equipment to move around as possible. Instead of a 5gal bucket I made a sealed "dust collection box" with a removable plastic bin to easily discard the sawdust with.

I still have some more work to do--building storage cubbies for screws, glue, etc, but the project is basically complete. I used paste wax on the top to help reduce friction. The top is only screwed down so that I can replace it as it gets drilled on, hammered into, and generally abused . There are french cleats on the side for storage.


The table also needed to function as an outfeed table for my table saw, so that limited my height options. Here is the result:

Looks good.

I've never brought myself to build in dedicated dust collection. There's only a few places I would really like it, the router table, planer, and shaper. The planer doesn't get in the way, it just makes such a massive pile of shavings. I grew up with saw dust on the floor in the shop, so the dustless shop thing hasn't appealed to me...but my wife thinks I should.

I recently downsized from a small shop to half of a garage. Tool storage and organization has been overwhelming. I need to put everything on wheels to allow for more working area and ease of use. Been in the thought/planning stage for a while.

What type of woodwork are you interested in?

Thanks. The dust issue was more for health than anything, but the miter saw and table saw really produce a ton of dust. A little too much to blow into the yard and too much to pick up with a regular vacuum.

I am into woodworking for practical solutions around the house. I have been working on tool storage/french cleats in the garage along with things for the house (plant holders, shelving, etc). My first larger project was building a storage bed for our master bedroom. I haven't experimented with any hardwoods or anything "nicer" than birch plywood. I am slowly acquiring and upgrading my tools as I go along. I had never really messed with woodworking other than little odd jobs here and there until recently, so I have been going to "Youtube University" for the most part.

I wear my dust mask when I'm sanding...should probably use it more, like you said with the saws.

I prefer building tables, desks, and those sorts of things, but the large stuff takes a lot more space than I have now. So right now I'm mostly just making frames, stools, cutting boards, plaques, and other little knick knack stuff that my wife can do stuff with and sell.

We finally got the house fixed up, so I'm done with trim carpentry for a long time. I did some of that in college and it was the only time I ever hated woodwork. Well I also did some detailed engraving gunstock once.

Hardwoods are so much nicer to work with compared to the cheap old pine planks, but learning with soft wood helps in the long run. Soft woods are not very forgiving. Your mistakes are much more noticeable/easier to make with things chip out, and the boards move/behave much more dramatically when you don't do everything correctly. But for most small projects it will work just as well at a fraction of the cost.

The tricky part is finding things you enjoy making and can also sell, so that your hobby doesn't turn into a massive collection of stuff around the house and in the shed. Go to local stores that sell the sort of things you make and talk to them. Usually a good way to unload batch items of decorative stuff you can make from scrap/extra material and get a little profit...pays for next projects/tools.

Great tips, thanks.

I joked with my wife that most of my wood projects so far have been building things out of wood to store the tools I bought...for wood working. Something is not right with this picture .

I will have to tinker with some hard woods and take on a small project to get a feel for it. Thanks for the info!

haha...everyone does the excessive storage building stuff...always looking for something better/more convenient. It's a good time to try new techniques.

metal guys do the same thing...they generally have some pretty cool storage methods.

Good job

i've got a couple of youtube channels you should watch if you are into wood working.

Ron Paulk

Jon Peters

matt Cremona

All are really good.

Ron Paulk addresses storage and organization.

Jon Peters just does great cabinetry and frames. he is both an artist and a wood worker.

Matt Cremona saws his own lumber and builds super nice furniture. There are others but I highly recommend these to start.

Will check those out. Thanks.

Nicely done!

Nicely done!