Random orbit sanders and dust collection

[Mike Kees]

I need help with options for connecting a random orbit sander to a shop vac,does anyone make fittings for this ? I currently have a Porter cable model 390 sander. It was one of the first brushless units (I think). Basically i need a 11/2" o.d. to 2 1/2" o.d. adapter. this will help for now. I am considering longer term solutions for the sanding dust issue as well. Has anyone built a down draft table ? What cfm would be required for this ? Also other vac/sander combo options. My current shop vac is a craftsman with a cleanstream filter. The filter is great,I run two of them and clean one and let dry while other is in vac.

[Doug Dawson]

I need help with options for connecting a random orbit sander to a shop vac,does anyone make fittings for this ? I currently have a Porter cable model 390 sander. It was one of the first brushless units (I think). Basically i need a 11/2" o.d. to 2 1/2" o.d. adapter. this will help for now.

Rockler sells an inexpensive "Universal Small Port Hose Kit" that is handy for stuff like this. Like everyone else I have a random perversity of hose connector needs, and that and duct tape have met all of them.

[Lee Schierer]

I have a PC ROS sander and I found that I could connect it to my vacuum or DC system using the 1-1/2" hose, which conveniently has a 2-1/2" connection on one end. Two or three wraps of electrical tape around the sander outlet port made a press fit into the inside of the 1-1/2" vacuum nozzle.

I would think a 2-1/2" hose would be cumbersome to have connected to a sander during use.

[Nick Shattuck]

I think there is a natural law of the universe that states that all power tool dust ports must be a unique size and must never fit your existing hoses.

At least that has been my experience. I've had to cobble together adapters for my dewalt miter saw, an old bosch ros, a makita track saw, a bosch router vacuum attachment, a bosch jigsaw vacuum attachment, and one for my festool tools. I really wish there were just a couple of standard sizes that every manufacturer would use.

So good luck.

If you have the funds, you could buy a festool sander. They don't expel any dust in my experience.

[justin sherriff]

I too have the rockler small port hose kit and it is on sale now for $30. I use just the hose with the kit not the stock vac hose.
https://www.rockler.com/dust-right-universal-small-port-hose-kit

[Steve Eure]

I ended up cobbling together an old hose from my bi-pap machine. I get a new hose every few months and took the old one and believe it or not, it fit my Bosch ros perfectly. I then used the Rockler small port connector to fit my 2 1/2" dc hose. It is super light and I don't have to fight a larger heavier hose while sanding.
Someone once asked me if the smaller size hose restricted the air flow. I told them I have not had a problem with it. It is no worse than using a small detail vacuum attachment and hose sold by most every shop vac out there.

[lowell holmes]

I like the looks of that kit. I will have to go get one.

[Prashun Patel]

Look at the porter cable 39780 hose kit. Might work for u.

[Mike Kees]

Thanks for the replies. That rockler kit sounds like what I need to have something anyway.Have any of you heard of pulsebac brand shop vacs ?

[Ellen Benkin]

I also use the Rockler kit. It works with a variety of ROSes and has saved my poor lungs from a lot of dust.

[Tim M Tuttle]

I guess I am the lone dissenter on the Rockler hose kit. I bought one and hated it. Used for about a month and ended up getting a Bosch hose that fits my tools and shop vac nicely. The Rockler kit is very heavy which made it incredibly cumbersome when using it with a ROS.

[Mark Bolton]

Most small RO's have a standard 1.5" nipple on the end when you remove the bag. I would never attach a 2.5" hose directly to the sander as it would render it pretty much unusable. As mentioned you generally would use a standard 1.5" hose connected to the sander and the other end to the VAC. We run our RO's through a dust deputy cyclone because if you dont you'll spend more time cleaning the vac filter than you do sanding. The dust deputy doesnt get it all but it gets all but the super fines which still make it to the filter but that will give you a week or so of sanding if your not talking 8hrs a day.

Down draft tables are nice to an extent but if you can create a nice bubble of fast moving air around your sander you shouldnt need one.

[Peter Christensen]

Have any of you heard of pulsebac brand shop vacs ?

I looked into them when I found out there was a dealer here. I wanted the one with a 3” hose. Dealer said it was about $6,000Can. I passed. They are true HEPA industrial machines rated for asbestos and lead abatement. Check into them if you can afford the best or need it for business.

[Todd Mason-Darnell]

If all else fails, get close with your existing fittings and get the duct tape out

[Mike Cutler]

Go to Home Depot and buy a 1-1/4" to 2" Fernco, or Plum-Quik, coupling adapter

[Mike Kees]

Peter was that the dealer in Edmonton ? 6K is way to rich for me. I did probably spend that on my entire dust collection setup, but do not intend to for a shop vac. I bought one of the "dustopper" separators at Home depot somewhere in Montana this summer. My plan is to try out this with my old craftsman shop vac and the cleanstream filter. Once I find a suitable hose and connectors (Rockler). I was thinking about a better shop vac until I tried out the cleanstream filter,they work real well. It is made of tyvek and you wash it gently with a wand then air dry it and go. Now when I vacuum dust it stays in the vac. I may in time upgrade but will see if this combo does what I need first.

[Peter Christensen]

Mike they are here in Saskatoon. The one I called about was their biggest and most expensive. A 220 volt, 3” hose machine. The smaller machine s would be less. I don’t know how much though as I didn’t ask.

[glenn bradley]

I guess I am the lone dissenter on the Rockler hose kit. I bought one and hated it. Used for about a month and ended up getting a Bosch hose that fits my tools and shop vac nicely. The Rockler kit is very heavy which made it incredibly cumbersome when using it with a ROS.

You're not alone. The hose is too heavy and pulls itself right off the bench. Their design in having it contract so much makes it a bit unwieldy. The ends work fine in some ports but, slip off others under the weight/drag of the hose. An overhead support is almost a requirement.

There is always a trade-off between durability and lightness, flexibility and shape retention, purpose and cost. Mine went back and I ended up happier with a less flexible but lightweight and tough hose from Ridgid. It came in a kit focused on using your shop vac to clean you car interior for about $15. I no longer find that particular kit (glad I bought a couple of spares) but it is a lot like this (https://www.thinkcrucial.com/products/shopvac-hose-10ft). The small end is flexible and fits my BOSCH ROS perfectly.

401250

It fits my Domino with one wrap of hockey tape around the port that I expected to replace often; the first wrap is still on there :confused:.

I made it a habit for awhile to pick up every random shop vac end and adapter I came across in the clearance bin. A typical 2-1/4" cuff adapts the large end of this small hose to the standard end of my larger shop vac hose. I use a shop made regulator cuff to back the suck off a bit.

401249 . 401248 . 401251

Otherwise the vac labors and the sander pics up my sander-sitter when I grab the ROS.

[Tim M Tuttle]

You're not alone. The hose is too heavy and pulls itself right off the bench. Their design in having it contract so much makes it a bit unwieldy. The ends work fine in some ports but, slip off others under the weight/drag of the hose. An overhead support is almost a requirement.

There is always a trade-off between durability and lightness, flexibility and shape retention, purpose and cost. Mine went back and I ended up happier with a less flexible but lightweight and tough hose from Ridgid. It came in a kit focused on using your shop vac to clean you car interior for about $15. I no longer find that particular kit (glad I bought a couple of spares) but it is a lot like this (https://www.thinkcrucial.com/products/shopvac-hose-10ft). The small end is flexible and fits my BOSCH ROS perfectly.

401250

It fits my Domino with one wrap of hockey tape around the port that I expected to replace often; the first wrap is still on there :confused:.

I made it a habit for awhile to pick up every random shop vac end and adapter I came across in the clearance bin. A typical 2-1/4" cuff adapts the large end of this small hose to the standard end of my larger shop vac hose. I use a shop made regulator cuff to back the suck off a bit.

401249 . 401248 . 401251

Otherwise the vac labors and the sander pics up my sander-sitter when I grab the ROS.

I ended up with this Bosch hose: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AV78B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's light and flexible. I step on it at least once a day and there are zero signs of wear or kinking. I dig it.

[Bill Dempsey]

Not the only dissenter, I also have the rockler kit and find the hose to be heavy and clumsy. I got involved with Cen-Tec, they market hoses and such for central vac systems and commercial applications. I've settled on their 1 1/4 lightweight hose and cuffs for point of use dust collection on small tools, and 1 1/2 hose and cuffs for cleanup and general shop vac use. If you choose to look, search the site for "cuffs" and you'll get many options. Their stuff is relatively cheap and very effective.