Website: www.FishersSho... Instagram: / fishersshop Store: www.Amazon.com... Plans: www.FishersSho... T-Shirts: www.FishersSho... How to make your own adapters for your dust collection host to attach to your power tools.
Dude. You're my hero. You've shown me a practical way to make adapters so I don't have to waste time shopping for them, especially when they probably don't even exist!
Thank you, been searching ebay for 2 days, scrutinizing every dust reducer, but every one of my tools requires a different size. I have lots of craftsman, yet none of them have the same port size. I have 9 gallon craftsman shop vacs, so tired of my duct tape ugly ass connections that eventually fall apart or collapse. You sir are a genius! Thanks!!!!!
When I grow up...ok, IF I grow up, I want to be smart like you Drew! Well done man, so simple and cost effective. Going to head to the shop to play with some PVC now...
Just came back here to see what you were like at first. Like a fine wine, your channel has truly matured! P.S. --- Have friends of mine raving over your flip-top cart and building it (with my mods of course)!!!
For making the flange, I was expecting you to take the hot floppy tube and manually bend the hot end out to make a flange. The way you actually did it, and the fact that it worked, was a pleasant surprise. Thanks for the demonstration.
This is genius. I've used a heat gun to adjust the angles on some PVC conduit I've installed around my house, but I never thought to use it to make custom adapters for dust collection. This is way cheaper than the flexible rubber couplers that I've been buying at HD.
I've done this before with the gray plastic electrical conduit , but haven't thought about doing it for dust collection. Thanks for jogging my memory !
Drew, your videos are great! I've noticed in a few of them you heat PVC to shape it for a specific use. Once you heat it up, have a wet rag or a spray bottle with water handy and wet the PVC with it. It will reduce the amount of time you have to maintain the shape you are trying to get to cool.
very useful technique. I have run into the same problem in my shop. Instead of making the flange connection, I use a 1 1/2 to 2" pvc fitting. To get the flair on the 1 1/2" pvc, I made a tapered mold from a piece of dowel. Works good, I can make fittings as needed.
That would work too! When I was filming this, all I had on hand was the 2 sizes that you see in the video. But if I had to go to the store to get materials, I probably would do what did.
So, I just made my first one using this trick. I came up with little bit of an enhancement to your idea, which is to reduce the diameter of the larger end where the small piece and the large piece meet in the middle. I was having trouble making the flange on the smaller piece large enough to mate to the larger end. So after I flared the end of the larger piece, I put a hose clamp around the the mating end and heated it. As it softened, I tighted the hose clamp. I got it so matched the diameter of the small pieces flange perfectly. i'm very pleased with your idea, thanks!
That is a handy tip and thanks for sharing. You can use a carbide deburring tool, typically used to deburr metal pipe, angle iron, etc. but it works well on plastic, too.
Nice. It looks like that will work. I think I'll use a chain-link fence post topper as a form though, instead if the table top. They come in domed or conical forms, and are only a couple bucks each. I just prefer a sloped transition to a stepped transition.
That’s great idea. I would use one of those to initially increase the size of the opening, making it easier to fit around the piece you are trying to make a fitting for.
Most people are saying why dont you buy premade coupling, but it's about creativity and making something out of nothing. It's a good feeling when make your own stuff.
Thanks for the clever solution! I've been messing around with adaptors for about two weeks returning all of them because they just didn't work out. Nice video also.
Hola! 🖐 Not only does look like a very efficient DIY solution to a unique problem, this looked like it was loads of fun!!! Thanks for sharing this video, this may come in handy for me some time in the future. Take care and have a good one, Adios! 👊
Thanks Stephen! So far they've worked out just fine. The one for my sander (the one that tucks inside the port instead of on the outside, has a tendency to slip out on occasion so I"ve had to use duct tape to hold it in place. Aside from that, this solution has really worked out well for me since I don't have a standard dust collection system.
Nice trick with the flared one. I have done the other molds often, but that was new to me. I find it useful to start with a longer a piece when heating the first end, then cut to size on the band saw, with a sled to help square the cut. Good idea to keep it on the black hose in when heating the other end, as PVC does have shape memory.
great video. thanks for sharing. this seems a good place to start shaming all the tool companies and governments for not standardising (if not all, at least some of) the outlets on the tools so that people don't have to resort to this kind of work-around. it would be more environmentally friendly as well as saving a lot of headaches.
Thanks. Very simple idea after someone shows it! Just after to watch this video I went to workshop to construct a pair of adaptors. It works! I have two adaptors now made of 3-in sewage PVC pipes. They are not so professional in appearance like yours but they are functional. If you are using an adjustable temperature gun, 330 degrees Celsius looks good for sewage PVC pipes.
I’ve been trying to come up with an idea for all my tools and the vacuum for a month now I’ve been racking my brain. I’m so glad I’ve seen your video what a great idea so simple yet genius! Keep up the great work thanks.
That was a great idea!! It seems like I only have a couple of tools that have the same size dust port. Now I'll be able to collect dust from EVERY tool that spews sawdust!
In the future, you can use an empty champagne bottle for starting/creating flanges and coves with hot PVC. The bottom of the bottle creates coves, the neck creates flanges. Just slide PVC down the neck or press firmly into the bottom of the bottle for a cove.
Sweet idea! I have multiple brands in my shop and every brand has its own port size... Previously i tried with duct tape but the dust was piling up on it's sticky part and it was anoying. With this trick it will be awesome. Thanks!
Thanks Drew. Finally getting to some stationary dust collection and these are exactly the solutions I need. Once again, thank you so much for the time and effort you put into creating your content, outstanding job on this one; easy, not overenginered and efficient for sure. Thanks again. God Bless.
I used your method with some 4-inch PVC. Worked great. I also did this with some 2-inch to use as a coupler between a 2-inch and 1.5” hose extension I had for my orbital palm sanders. I found that the PVC was a lot heavier than any of the hoses I was using, and it was a bit of a pain holding up that extra weight all the time. I think I’ll look for some thin-walled PVC, see if that works better than the thick-walled stuff.
The thick ones are schedule 40, they get heavy for sure. Use schedule 20 that are thin. Howeve when heating them up you have to be careful, they bend and melt easier.
Uh, Drew, I hate to tell you this, but there are already reducing connectors in PVC that would’ve made your transition work much easier. PVC is great to work with, isn’t it? Cool stuff. Nice job!
thoughtful ! very nice job.. you have a cnc and no bench vice ! might ought to go back to the beginning. but, if you got by this long without one you just don't know what you are missing. one gets used to what one has..
Thanks for the video,what a great idea, I’m going to get started n that first thing tomorrow, sure beats buying that high price stuff from the wood shop store, thanks again
Great video and idea, i tend to buy my adapters on-line for my tools and they can cost a bit as well, but this is a way better idea and it could have saved me a few quid as well. Thanks for the Video. Barry (ENG)
I've used the heat method to make adapters that were just a little different on each end, but the joining different sizes with the flange method is genius. I'll never buy a $10 adapter at Rockler's again.
Am not going to lie ... mid way through the video I was thinking “what the hell was he thinking”... but I like what you did simply because I would’ve never thought to join the two pieces like that, I would’ve paid for the adapter thinking it’s the only way
I had to run right down stairs and try this. I can get 2 inch pvc over my shop vac connector, but I couldn't get it over a (full) pop can. I also did one where it shrank slightly to make it into my radial arm saw hood. It seemed to rebound to its original size on the other side, which is good, since it won't fall out. I recommend wearing some work gloves while doing this.
Try using a can of compressed air (used for blowing dust off computers) held upside down to cool the PVC instantly. Just hold it in position and shoot it with the air for about 5 seconds. Good video.
LOL! It's actually the shopvac attached to the sander. As soon as I clicked on your link and listened to it, I busted out laughing. "OOoooOOoOOooOOooo!"
Speed up the cooling period by misting water on the heated pipe that way you don't have to hold it until that magic temp is reached where it will not move.
GREAT adapter, I will definitely use this idea around the shop. Question: At about 3:28+-, why can't you 1. cut the smaller piece about 1/2" past the expanded coupler 2.make the 2" piece a couple of inches longer 3. sand a taper on the coupling side of the 2" piece and then simply glue them together, rather than doing the next "mushroom" step?? Just a thought to cut out a step. Again GREAT idea for both male and female connections.
That would probably work too. I only had the 2 sizes of PVC lying around. But yes, if you're looking to make a bunch and you're hitting up the store to get your PVC, then you can probably step it up with varying sizes instead of mushrooming out a smaller one like I did. Might cost more in the end having to get more sizes of pipe, but the trade-off might be easier assembly. Thanks for the comment.
Two types of people in the world: those who think “why doesn’t he just go and buy the connectors” and those who think “why would anyone go and buy special connectors”... I’m defo in the latter camp!
