A portable dust collector comprises a rectangular box-shaped housing containing a rectangular box shaped filter chamber having a dust collection volume in a lower portion thereof and providing plenums for operative gas circulation in a compact environment. The filter chamber shares a portion of the floor with the housing and has a pair of internal parallel sidewalls spaced inwardly from the outside sidewalls of the housing. The internal sidewalls define a plurality of filter chamber dirty gas inlets located just under an apertured cell plate from which the filters hang. The system is provided with a pulse jet cleaning system located in the clean air plenum above the cell plate.