- Joined
- Jun 3, 2019
- Messages
- 2,714
Perhaps this has been covered before here ... but I had not seen it here, and for me this was such a "Duh" moment that I wanted to post this. As (I have little doubt) we have all struggled with the non-standard connection dimensions between different shop vacs and dust collection systems (as I certainly have!) ... it always seems that PVC (and other) connections (compared to shop vac fittings or other connectors on equipment are close, but just not quite there - either just a little too big or small (so the fit is too loose), or the sidewall dimensions compared to the inner or outer dimensions of the other piece just simply do not allow them to mate at all. Well, doing a totally unrelated search, I found the below video (and now see there are quite a few others saying basically the same thing. PVC tubing is easily available - but just does not quite fit. However, is a plastic, more specifically it is a thermoplastic - meaning that parts are made from it by heating the plastic, molding in a mold, then allowing the stuff to cool so that it retains the molded shape. Duh - if the PVC part just by a little bit does not fit the connector on your shop vac or piece of equipment, you can heat it up, change its dimensions, then let it cool and it will keep that shape. Get yourself a heat gun and you are set to go. See the below video:
Basic idea: heat the tubing up, stretch onto the piece it otherwise will not fit on, then let it cool. Duh. I just did this on a takeoff for my bandsaw to dust deputy that I have been struggling to put together:
The top piece (inserted into the bandsaw) I actually shrunk in diameter by compressing the tube inside a couple hose clamps while screwing the clamps down when the plastic was soft. The fitting (1 1/2 inch female connector) on the dust deputy inlet originally just butted up against the dust deputy connection, but once softened, easily slipped around the outside of that connector. So cool. Like I said, maybe this has been presented here before - but just in case not I wanted to share.
(btw _ I also came across a video speaking about the risk of static discharge and fire in pvc based dust collection systems (which it seems to me could be a real risk). I also came across this video
which describes another really cool idea (and easy to implement) to eliminate that potential static build up in those flowing systems.
FWIW to the group...
Basic idea: heat the tubing up, stretch onto the piece it otherwise will not fit on, then let it cool. Duh. I just did this on a takeoff for my bandsaw to dust deputy that I have been struggling to put together:
The top piece (inserted into the bandsaw) I actually shrunk in diameter by compressing the tube inside a couple hose clamps while screwing the clamps down when the plastic was soft. The fitting (1 1/2 inch female connector) on the dust deputy inlet originally just butted up against the dust deputy connection, but once softened, easily slipped around the outside of that connector. So cool. Like I said, maybe this has been presented here before - but just in case not I wanted to share.
(btw _ I also came across a video speaking about the risk of static discharge and fire in pvc based dust collection systems (which it seems to me could be a real risk). I also came across this video
FWIW to the group...
