DIY
WORKSHOP
Hovercraft Shop Vac
Mod your vacuum to float obediently behind you
on a cushion of air.
By Bill Wells
I HAVE OWNED SEVERAL SHOP VACUUM
cleaners, but regardless of the make, I never
liked the way the casters worked. They never
rolled where I wanted them to.
When I recently had to replace a worn-out
shop vacuum, I looked for a way to improve
the mobility of the new machine. That’s when
I realized that the vacuum’s discharge air
might be a way to do this.
I decided to make the vacuum self-levitating,
to turn it into a hovercraft. Then it would just
obediently float along the floor behind me.
Here’s how I did it.
2. Install the hover hose.
I used a hole saw to cut a 2"-diameter hole
in the disk, and used more wood screws to
attach a 2½" universal dust port fitting for
connecting a hose.
I had kept the hose from my old vacuum,
so I used it to connect the air discharge
on the new vacuum to the new fitting on
disk at a local home center, and attached my
new vacuum, without wheels, to the center
of the disk with a few ½" wood screws.
1. Mount the vacuum to the
hovercraft deck.
First I bought a ¾"-thick × 24"-diameter MDF
Bill Wells
138 Make: makezine.com/29
