Connecting 4" hose fittings and 4" hoses

[Jonathan Price]

So I have what seems like a stupid question. I'm trying to run a "Y" adapter from my dust collection to my cabinet saw and planer with blast gates on each line. Problem is, the "Y" adapter and blast gates are the same size as the dust ports on my dust collector and tools. I'm in a one car garage so I will be using flexible hose for these very short runs. Is there an "official" way to connect these parts? I'd really like to avoid super short pieces of hose going from the DC to the "Y" piece, then more short pieces hose from the "Y" to the blast gates but I haven't found anything on the Internets explaining this. What am I missing?

[Anthony Whitesell]

What type of 4" fittings are you using? Metal, PVC, or black ABS?

Assuming black ABS (from Woodcraft, Rockler, etc.), I have a blast gate with one side labelled "QUICK DISCONNECT". The ID of this side of the fitting accepts the elbow and Y fittings directly. The other side is taper and accepts the threaded x tapered fitting on the end of the hose.

Here is a link to the hose fitting.
http://www.woodcraft.com/product/140...n-fitting.aspx

A link to the blast gate.
http://www.ptreeusa.com/blastgates.htm (first on the page, item 398)

[Mike Heidrick]

They make a plastic tool end that screws on to the 4" flex but I would make my own coupler from PVC on the lathe or just clamp on the hose directly to the blast gate (short hose idea).

[Jonathan Price]

They are plastic; it's the kit from Harbor Freight. Sounds like I may need to take it back and buy all the parts piecemeal.

[glenn bradley]

I just used pieces of hose just long enough to clamp on. These came in handy when I rearranged (which is a given as far as I am concerned) and worked well while it lasted.

[Marty Tippin]

So I have what seems like a stupid question. I'm trying to run a "Y" adapter from my dust collection to my cabinet saw and planer with blast gates on each line. Problem is, the "Y" adapter and blast gates are the same size as the dust ports on my dust collector and tools. I'm in a one car garage so I will be using flexible hose for these very short runs. Is there an "official" way to connect these parts? I'd really like to avoid super short pieces of hose going from the DC to the "Y" piece, then more short pieces hose from the "Y" to the blast gates but I haven't found anything on the Internets explaining this. What am I missing?

Take one of your blast gates with you to Lowes and find the 4" green-color Sewer & Drain PVC pipe (usually sold in 10' sticks but probably also available in very over-priced 2' sections). Money says that the blast gate will fit snugly inside the pipe. If that's the case, buy a section of pipe and use it in place of the short runs of flex hose between blast gate and Y adapter. Use some short self-tapping screws (#8 x 1/2" will work) to attach the PVC to the blast gate.

If it doesn't fit the Sewer & Drain pipe, check the other types of PVC pipe and fittings they sell - something will fit, I'm sure. Get creative and buy the pieces you need to connect it all.

[Jonathan Price]

I've been looking at the Peachtree WW site to which Anthony linked and might have a whole better solution. If I start with the rubber union fitting to connect my DC to the Y coupler, then the two blast gates to the Y (the same one in Anthony's post), and finally the blast gates to hoses to the machines. That's less money and I don't have to go Frankenstein more pieces to get it to work. Does that seem like it will work?

[Anthony Whitesell]

Work, work well enough, and work right are three different categories.

The first two are pretty close, the third is much further down the line. I have a 1HP DC with a 4" inlet and the 4" pipe like you have, Jonathan. It is definitely somewhere in the work well enough category. 4" ducting and ports will never work right. The physics won't allow it.

My dust collection should be better. I have an Oneida C950 with a 2HP motor and 13" impeller still to be setup. With 1000+ CFM in 6" duct, that should get me closer to working right, .

[John K Jordan]

I use 4 and 6" S&D pipe plus a variety of gates and fittings and hoses. I made adapters for all of mine that didn't slide together. It was very simple.

What I did was cut an inch or two length of S&D pipe which was usually too big a diameter to slide into the fitting(s). I laid this flat on the bandsaw table and cut a little slice out of the pipe. The slice removed reduced the diameter just enough so the pipe fit exactly when squeezed and inserted into the fitting. Then I either glued or, more often, used sheet metal screws to hold things together. The screws let me take it apart if needed.

Where I wanted strength I did this twice and glued a smaller one into a larger one or vice-versa to make a strong ring.

Note that you can also heat S&D pipe with a heat gun or torch and you can stretch or shrink the diameter significantly. I believe Pentz describes this method in his documents.

JKJ

[Jonathan Price]

Work, work well enough, and work right are three different categories.

The first two are pretty close, the third is much further down the line. I have a 1HP DC with a 4" inlet and the 4" pipe like you have, Jonathan. It is definitely somewhere in the work well enough category. 4" ducting and ports will never work right. The physics won't allow it.

My dust collection should be better. I have an Oneida C950 with a 2HP motor and 13" impeller still to be setup. With 1000+ CFM in 6" duct, that should get me closer to working right, .

Right, Anthony, I'm going for work well enough. Anything would be an upgrade at this point. As far as the physics, I'm not following. The rubber union fitting can join two 4" pipes (if I'm reading the description correctly) and the blast gates you linked can fit a 4" pipe on one end (the Y splitter) and hose on the other. Or am I missing something here?

[Jim Dwight]

I also form plumbing pipe and fittings with a heat gun. Works well. I also made my own blast gates which worked MUCH better than the plastic ones. The plastic ones liked to clog with sawdust and become immovable. Mine are just sliders of plywood scraps in a plywood scrap frame with half a pipe union on each side to mate to the pipe. You can make a bunch for almost nothing. You can also make smaller diameter pipe by splitting short sections and taking a piece out and then gluing it back together with plumbing glue. I got frustrated with the quality and the price of the DC fittings and just made what I needed out of stuff on the plumbing aisle of the home center.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I am speaking to the physics of dust collection. 4" duct work is only good for the smallest of tools. Generally speaking, the dust ports on most tools are at least one size too small. Check out Bill Pentz' website http://billpentz.com//woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm for more background on dust collection. I regret spending all of the money I did on the 4" parts I have. I thought since it was available it was right. I should have known it what was on sale was what would sell the best; not work the best.

It sounds like you are keeping the distance REALLY short, so you may be in the well enough category. But from personal experience, I can say there isn't much room to grow with a DC unit with a 4" inlet.