Jim Davidson194
01-29-2024, 3:16 PM
I made a list of the inside and outside diameters of all the dust ports I wanted to connect my new dust extractor to. What a mess. I've seen the postings about trying to buy reducers--they never tell you if the measurements are inside or outside. And yes, I've already been burned by that. I found those tapered ones, but you don't know if they'll stay put, I would need several and would still need adapters. That also means labelling which ones go to which tool. Not satisfied, I thought, "If I could just find a way to standardize on a dust port size"...
My solution was to make a reducer from wood. It's essentially a wood circle with a hole cut out of it--kinda like a wood doughnut. The hole matches the outside of my dust extractor hose end so it's stays put due to friction. I drilled some holes in side of the tool's dust port and used sheet metal screws to hold my reducer. I decided to use plywood because the humidity is pretty low in the basement right now and was worried if the reducer swelled in the spring, it might crack some of the plastic dust ports. So far, so good. I'm mildly concerned the outside ply might separate after repeated use, but if I see them deteriorating, I'll apply a film coat to protect them (probably paint).
My solution was to make a reducer from wood. It's essentially a wood circle with a hole cut out of it--kinda like a wood doughnut. The hole matches the outside of my dust extractor hose end so it's stays put due to friction. I drilled some holes in side of the tool's dust port and used sheet metal screws to hold my reducer. I decided to use plywood because the humidity is pretty low in the basement right now and was worried if the reducer swelled in the spring, it might crack some of the plastic dust ports. So far, so good. I'm mildly concerned the outside ply might separate after repeated use, but if I see them deteriorating, I'll apply a film coat to protect them (probably paint).