A minor rant about dust collection

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  • Cochese
    Veteran Member
    • Jun 2010
    • 1988

    A minor rant about dust collection

    They say that one of the big appeals to higher-end tools, specifically Festool, is the dust collection. Frankly, I'm bound to agree, but for a specific reason: the dust collection ports, at least on the portable tools. One hose will hook up to all of the tools.

    I bought a smaller diameter Bosch hose to not only hook up to the track saw, but for the other tools I have as well that make a mess. Fits the saw as intended, so I check on other items. The crappy HF plate joiner? Check. Perfect fit. No doubt whatever tool they copied off of is compatible as well. Check it on my jigsaw. Nope, right at about the same diameter as the hose end. So, I see Bosch also sells an adapter so I order it.

    The jigsaw is a Craftsman, and I really like it. One of their better thought out tools, being able to be used as both handle or barrel grip. Try the adapter: nope, too small. Try it on my Craftsman multitool (which was made right at about the same time) and it fits perfectly. The ****?

    This is what happens when you buy tools from companies that outsource their production, I suppose.

    While I'm on the subject of dust collection, I am finding a rough time finding cheap components to fit a 2.5" system. Everything I see is geared toward 4" and above, including the tutorials on how to match up cheaper PVC pieces like wyes. I'm trying to piece together a better DC system for my vac and it isn't easy.
    I have a little blog about my shop
  • cwsmith
    Veteran Member
    • Dec 2005
    • 2737
    • NY Southern Tier, USA.
    • BT3100-1

    #2
    I understand your plight.

    I only have an older 12-gal Ridgid shop vac at this point, but it fits my BT3100, as well as the Rockler dust fittings on my DP and router table. I made my own hood for the RAS, so that was just a matter of drilling the hole correctly.

    Ridgid did have a automobile accessory kit, which consists of a good length of flex hose fitted with an adapter for my shop vac. That hose is smaller and it fits all of my Ryobi tools (band saw, belt/disc sander, scroll saw) and all the hand-held tools, both Ryobi and Ridgid.

    CWS
    Think it Through Before You Do!

    Comment

    • capncarl
      Veteran Member
      • Jan 2007
      • 3564
      • Leesburg Georgia USA
      • SawStop CTS

      #3
      I recieved a gift from a friend that was cleaning out his fathers shop, a "Rigid shop dust collections system". It consists of about 150 lf of 2" clear tube and all kinds of ell's and Y's, about 15 feet of 1 1/4" vac hose and roll of tape. This stuff does not fit anything I own and is way too small to use even if I wanted to. The only thing I can use is the tape. I think that I will install it in my house garage for the wife to use for a car vac sys. Like you said, what were they thinking. That is probably the reason it has never been used!
      capncarl

      Comment

      • JR
        The Full Monte
        • Feb 2004
        • 5633
        • Eugene, OR
        • BT3000

        #4
        The corollary to the "nothing fits nothing" dust collection hypothesis is that "everything fits something".

        Don't throw any fittings away. They will all eventually work on something.
        JR

        Comment

        • JimD
          Veteran Member
          • Feb 2003
          • 4187
          • Lexington, SC.

          #5
          Rockler at least used to sell a bunch of 2.5 inch DC fittings. It may be worth looking there.

          For the DC that I don't think will make the move to the new house (it is a 1hp Delta and doesn't really provide enough suction for a plumbed system but does take up a significant amount of space) I used plastic drain plumbing from the big box store. Not the thick wall, the very thin wall stuff. If they make it in about a 3 inch diameter, I would try and make it work. The problem I have with the DC parts is cost. I could afford them, I guess, but they are pricey. Plastic drain pipe and homemade fittings are at the other end of the cost scale. And my home made blast gates work better than the plastic store bought ones too.

          Comment

          • dbhost
            Slow and steady
            • Apr 2008
            • 9209
            • League City, Texas
            • Ryobi BT3100

            #6
            Isn't mismatched dust ports why they make duct tape?
            Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

            Comment

            • LCHIEN
              Internet Fact Checker
              • Dec 2002
              • 20914
              • Katy, TX, USA.
              • BT3000 vintage 1999

              #7
              god how I hate the mismatched dustports and fittings, no standards. The fittings for sale, they give a inch measure but never tell you what they are ID or OD, and whether its straight or tapered and your chances of hooking anything together successfully is nil.

              That 2" piping and fittings, I had to spend $20 at a central vacuum supplier to get some that fit my hitachi miter saw.
              Loring in Katy, TX USA
              If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
              BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

              Comment

              • wardprobst
                Senior Member
                • Jan 2006
                • 681
                • Wichita Falls, TX, USA.
                • Craftsman 22811

                #8
                Lee Valley has a good selection of 2.5 inch dust collection items also.
                DP
                www.wardprobst.com

                Comment

                • eccentrictinkerer
                  Senior Member
                  • Aug 2007
                  • 669
                  • Minneapolis, MN
                  • BT-3000, 21829

                  #9
                  I look under tables at garage tables. There's often an orphan vac or appliance hose that you can get for little or nothing.

                  Unfortunately my stash of hoses has taken over a whole corner of shop. As for mis-matches, isn't that what 'the handyman's secret weapon' is for?
                  You might think I haven't contributed much to the world, but a large number
                  of the warning labels on tools can be traced back to things I've done...

                  Comment

                  • dbhost
                    Slow and steady
                    • Apr 2008
                    • 9209
                    • League City, Texas
                    • Ryobi BT3100

                    #10


                    'nuff said.
                    Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

                    Comment

                    • Cochese
                      Veteran Member
                      • Jun 2010
                      • 1988

                      #11
                      Originally posted by dbhost


                      'nuff said.
                      I tried that on my new Bosch hose and it just fell off. Unfortunately I need another route.

                      I stopped by Lowe's and picked up a couple of things to try out. My calipers had no juice, so I had to just guess. I picked up a flexible 1.5" to 2" PVC fitting and had success with it a couple of places - on the end of the Bosch hose to the separator fitting (2" 45º), and in the Shark Guard port. It unfortunately wouldn't work on the miter saw port or the table saw port. Right at about the same diameter on the 2" side. The 2" to 1.5" hard plastic wye wouldn't fit anywhere, although the 1.5" branch did fit inside the table saw port.

                      I'm headed to the grocery store now to pick up a new battery for my calipers and I'll be writing all my various port sizes down. One positive I can take away from my trip is that I think I'll be moving to the black 1.5" PVC for my overarm dust setup for the table saw. The 2.5" doesn't move enough air to really be effective and is a bit cumbersome.

                      To be continued...
                      I have a little blog about my shop

                      Comment

                      • dbhost
                        Slow and steady
                        • Apr 2008
                        • 9209
                        • League City, Texas
                        • Ryobi BT3100

                        #12
                        In all seriousness, this has been something that has annoyed me for a LONG time. I personally think all tools fitted with dust ports, whether there is a factory fitted bag or not, should feature a port that will accept one of three fittings.

                        #1. The 1.25" vacuum hose port.
                        #2. The 2.5" vacuum hose port.
                        #4. The 4" DC port.

                        I have a "Dustl free drywall sander" that came with a small hose with this array of adapter fittings, I had to, for example wrap the male end of the dust port on my Harbor Freight 4x24 belt sander to get a tight, sealed fit to the hose, but I can connect that hose, and in turn connect that hose to my shop vac.

                        I have been wanting to wander through the shop to see what all else if fits. I think the hose is just a standard shop vac size, the small one that is, I would be happy if I could just get everything hooked up and working. I hate that they make it so hard. And yes I have used duct tape to make connections. Never had a problem other than it is stinking ugly...
                        Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

                        Comment

                        • Cochese
                          Veteran Member
                          • Jun 2010
                          • 1988

                          #13
                          The table saw port is really starting to tick me off. There's not really enough clearance between the saw body to use a rubber adapter I am so sick of these little things, I have enough big things to worry about.
                          I have a little blog about my shop

                          Comment

                          • jdon
                            Established Member
                            • Feb 2010
                            • 401
                            • Snoqualmie, Wash.
                            • BT3100

                            #14
                            I've scrounged through the plumbing and electrical plastic conduit aisles at both Home Depot and Lowes for fittings/adapters, without success. Their shop vac "universal" adapter kits are a joke. I finally resorted to getting plumbing fittings that were close, and turning them to size on my wood lathe. Not a lot of fun- for me, PVC catches really easily, turnings are rats nests of fine thread, and tools dulled quickly, but I ended up with adapters that fit.

                            Comment

                            • Cochese
                              Veteran Member
                              • Jun 2010
                              • 1988

                              #15
                              I forgot to follow up to this.

                              I solved the table saw problem, or at least made a slight improvement for a minor amount of cost. It turns out that the collar on a 1.5" ABS fitting fits perfectly inside the rear port. I took a collection of 1.5" black ABS and various fittings and made a smaller diameter and a bit more rigid version of the overarm collection.

                              At the rear port, I have a 2"x1.5" wye (link with the 1.5" curve inserted in the rear port. My Ridgid hose friction fits inside the end opposite the wye, and on the other side I have a bushing that reduces the 2" side to 1.5". From there I have 1.5" ABS and long-sweep 90º fittings to the top of the table. I have a 1.5" to 2" adapter at the end of this run, and a short length of Ridgid vac hose that friction fits inside the Shark Guard.

                              I've seen minor improvement on the collection at the blade, but I wasn't expecting a world-changer. Going from 2.5" to 1.5" does help the velocity. I used some J-hooks to keep it where it needs to be.

                              Now that I've moved the separator and vac to that side of the shop though, I will be making a few changes to cut out a few feet of travel. I will be putting the wye at the far end of the saw. It will increase the distance from the wye to the rear port, but hopefully that will be offset by the decrease in distance from the separator to the saw itself.

                              I have about $25 in this, it will probably be about $15 more or so to make the revision to account for the new separator location.

                              I have a little blog about my shop

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