In Tricks of the Trade

We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. However, this does not impact our recommendations.

Hoses and dustports come in so many different diameters that you can go crazy trying to match them up.

Sometimes, you can find a hose or adapter that will fit inside a dustport, but its smaller diameter reduces airflow. To maximize airflow, it’s better to fit a hose to the outside of the dustport. For that hookup, you’ll have to customize. Here’s an example.

My shop vacuum’s hose is about 1/4″ larger than my miter saw’s dust port. To make an adapter, I measured the inside diameter of the hose, set a compass to this size and drew a circle on a 3/4″ piece of plywood. Next, I measured the outside diameter of the dustport. Using a Forstner bit about this size, I drilled a hole in the center of the circle. Then I cut out the circle on the bandsaw, making a ring.

Well, the ring didn’t quite fit the dustport. Its hole was a bit too large, so I cut the ring in half and sanded a little off the ends of each piece. I also wrapped a layer or two of duct tape around the dustport to slightly increase its diameter. Eventually, I got a tight fit, with hairline spaces between the ends of the ring segments.

Next, I made the ring fit tight inside the vac hose. It was close, but a bit too small. To reduce the hose’s diameter, I cut two slots in it on the bandsaw. Compressing the hose and ring with a hose clamp produced a perfectly tight fit. Unlike a taped connection, this one won’t come loose! –Tom Caspar


Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.

Recommended Posts
Comments
  • chopper Harrison

    Not really sure why people post instructions on how to make something without diagrams or photos to assist understanding. Not really helpful. People learn in different ways .

Start typing and press Enter to search