Vacuum Cleaner Planters

Not long ago I was looking for an old vacuum cleaner bag to use in another project, and I came across an old Kirby vacuum at a yard sale for $5.  It had a good bag, so I bought it.  After salvaging the bag I was left with an old vacuum cleaner that wasn't worth fixing, but it sure had a lot of parts that looked like they were begging to become something else.

So, I decided to make three flower pots out of this old machine. 

In the first photo I mounted the main sweeper head upside down on a wooden base, then I removed the brush and belt.  I plugged the opening at what was now the bottom of the "flower pot" with a metal disk (you can't see it -- it's on the reverse side).

In the second photo, I mounted the main body onto a "L" shaped wooden base, leaving the open end at the top.  I glued some vulcanized fiber paper inside the body to block the vent holes.

The third photo is of the dust collector port (the part where the bag attaches).  Since the bottom of this part is already flat, all I had to do was plug the opening (the round thing on the left of the part) with another metal disk.

The fourth photo is of all the flower pots together.

In each case where a wood base was used, I stained and varnished the wood before I mounted the vacuum cleaner part.  I temporarily stuck a few artificial flowers in these pots, but my plan is to use them on the patio with real dirt & real plants. 

I think these make for interesting planters that are not available in any store!