# Dust collection hose adapters



## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

Tips and advice appreciated. Thanks in advance…

I have a small shop. Actually it is a one car garage with a lot of stuff in it. I am using s Shop Vac for my dust collection. It seems every tool has a different size dust port and almost nothing fits like it should. I am sure a lot of you have run across the same problem from time to time.

Lately I have been cutting up some pieces to make different connections. sometimes they don't fit (too loose) so I wrap the smaller piece with duct tape or even double sided tape to make the joint a tighter fit. I would really like to use PVC fittings but most of the time they are just a tad too big or too loose. That is where the problem lies - too big or too loose.

How would you go about trimming down a piece of PVC to fit into a connection? It is only a little oversize…maybe 1/8th or thereabouts. I don't have a lathe I could chuck it into or I would be on it like stink on …

The shop vac is 2 1/2 in dia. It hooks up to the band saw perfectly with a 4->2 1/2 reducer (see pic below). I wish everything else was that easy. Actually, I managed to cobble up a connection so I could use a spare vac accessory to collect dust from just underneath the table. Duct tape, double sided tape, pvc 90 deg elbow and some silicone did the trick…and it works! 

Like we all know 2 1/2 inch might be inside dia on somethings and outside dia on others. UGH.

Your thoughts appreciated.
Thanks
Mike


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## TerryV (Jun 30, 2012)

Could you use pvc approximately the right size and cut it so it can spring open a bit or squeeze down a bit to suit?

Terry
My website


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## pmayer (Jan 3, 2010)

I do it the way Terry describes and it works great. I run the end of the PVC pipe into my band saw, making slits about every half inch, running a few inches up the PVC. Then I put a band clamp around the PVC to shrink it, slide it into the coupler, and then duct tape around the PVC if necessary to prevent an air leak through the slits, but normally the slits are pulled shut from compression of sliding into the smaller coupler. The second picture in this article shows a piece of PVC that has been cut in this way for downsizing purposes: http://www.wwgoa.com/articles/projects/-d-o-g-simple-approach-for-dust-collection-ducting/


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

You can also heat PVC with a heat gun and force it open (or closed) enough to often fit something just a little under/over size. At Pentz's site they explain doing it with a propane torch as well, but I'm not brave enough to try that.


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

Sometimes when I look at my DC piping I see a reworked shoe, You know, cobbled?

Aluminum is real easy to work with. You can buy at the hardware store a length of 4" unclosed pipe. You can shape it into a cone, split it, do all kinds of stuff.

Lately I'm working on getting a vintage Craftsman 1/2" shaper hooked up, and the best way to come off the fence was with a plastic gutter downspout elbow, 135o. It's beautiful.

When you're doing these kinds of shoe repair, bear in mind that you're dealing with suction. You don't have to seal it like it's under pressure, which is quite a different thing. I have used plastic shrink wrap 3", which I always have around. A few turns and it's sealed tight and it comes apart clean.

Kindly,

Lee


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

Good advice. thanks all for the tips.


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