How to make DC quick connectors

[Anthony Whitesell]

I currently have 4" ducting in the shop (I did it before I knew better). I'm looking to add on and move up. I think I'll be building my own blast gates and would also like to use quick connect fittings for the hose to ducting connections like I have now. I don't have room to move the DC from machine to machine. I also have to be able to move the machines around.

I found these a while back

http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=146-351&LARGEVIEW=ON

but opted for a less expensive local solution that has done me well for the 4" stuff. Neither option comes in 5 or 6 inch.

What I'm interested in knowing is if anyone has any ideas on how to make the Fazlok type connectors from PVC? I figure some type of jig would be needed to get the slots exactly 180 degrees apart. Any ideas?

[Burt Alcantara]

Why not just simple couplers? I've used that method for a couple of years because I couldn't make my mind up about ducting. Now, I reorg'd the shop and will do the same thing again.

I run a long length of flex to my lathe. When I need to cut on the bandsaw I detach the flex from the lathe and attach it to the PVC on the bandsaw that has two 4" ports. The flex has a coupler on one end. The other joins are just 6" PVC 2729.

My DC is a 5HP ClearVue so there is more then enough power to suck every little bit of dust up. One of these days I'll figure out how I want to duct and get everything fixed into place again.

Burt

[Anthony Whitesell]

All of my duct work is over head due to limited floor and wall space. I need to be able to place the machines tight to the wall when not in use. Therefore all of the DC ports are vertical. The "cutting area" in the shop is only 10'x12'. I share another section of the basement as the finishing room. Most of the the 4" Sch 40 PVC I have worked with in the past either did not provide enough friction to stay together to was too difficult to get apart. So I need couplers with a positive lock like the fazlok for the heavier hose. Right now I'm getting by with the 4" quick connectors from Woodcraft. Ironically, the same connectors from Rockler do not have a tight enough fit to provide enough friction to stay connected.

[Chris Padilla]

Try adding duct tape to fittings to get them to stay on better. Couplers are awfully cheap....

[Burt Alcantara]

I use thin wall ASTM2729 PVC. It's never very smooth so couplers, at least horizontally, stick like glue. If anything, once I slip them together I have to work to pry them apart.

Burt

[Jim Kountz]

Anthony you might want to take another look to be sure but I believe the Faslock only had the one slot and pin. I think this would be a very easy jig to setup for making them out of PVC.

[Anthony Whitesell]

In the left pciture, one could assume that there were two. But alas, you are correct, there is only one pin according to the picture on the right. Thanks.

[Joel Earl]

Spendy buggers they are ... wow.

Making up pvc with a pin seems easy enough(?). The pvc will fit over the 4" or 6" connection at the tool - but what do you use on the other side that will have the cutout slot that will fit inside the hose and over the pvc? I'm sure they sell this fitting but my mind is drawing a total blank.

If there's a cost effective way to do this I'm sure interested too

[Anthony Whitesell]

I think you may of the orientation backwards Joel. The blast gates and tool ports would be made with standard 6" couplings with the slot cut in them. The hose would be slid onto a short piece of 6" PVC pipe with the "pin" in it.

The trick (and the question I posed) is how to cut said slot. As Jim pointed out, there is only one slot to be cut which will make the process 4x easier.

[Joel Earl]

Help me - I just walked down and checked my 4" fittings. The 6" should be the same process.

I have black fittings on the base - the 4" from Rockler or someplace.
A piece of 2729 pvc will slip over that.

I add the pin to the black fitting at the tool. I cut a slot into the pvc. It fits over the tool port fine and locks.

But my 4" hose will not slip over that pvc.
I need to get the hose to fit over the pvc -- it'll go inside it but I need it to the outside. Making sense now?


Okay now --- where am i going astray here?

[Anthony Whitesell]

You're not going astray. We're just on different pages. I was using 6" for EVERYTHING, ports, gates, and hose.

I wasn't aware that 6" PVC fit will over the 4" ABS ports. I'm not sure how to reduce the OD of the 6" PVC to the ID of the 4" hose.

[Joel Earl]

No - it doesn't. I'm just using the 4" for sake of discussion since it's 4" I walked down to check on.
Let's try again - just assume that I was using all 6" where I said 4". I'll wager if I grab down a 6" section of 2729 and my 6" hose I'd have the same issue. Just adding the extra 2"s

I have both BTW - just trying to create a cheaper way of connecting them like you.
I think I know one way --- I could take and cut some kerfs in the pvc to allow some collapse of it and then maybe slip the hose over it. I'm just thinking a fitting must be around that's cleaner to use.

[Chris Padilla]

Joel,

You may need to get some 6" metal duct. I've found that it'll slip inside 6" PVC very snugly. Then you attached your 6" flex hose to the metal duct.

[Joel Earl]

Gotcha Chris - then it probably makes sense to also use a metal part on other side at tool I'd guess .... maybe a starter flange w/ a 6" round register or similar. That's be easy as heck to pop a rivet on and use that as my pin! Tin snips on the other side and pop. Or bingo.
Thanks so much - I don't always think outside the box and need to learn to do so more.

[Sonny Edmonds]

Don't make the task bigger than it has to be.
Use These
I do, and no hassels.
I just checked the pice and for $3.16 at one vendor, you'd be hard pressed to go wrong.