Dust collection adapters shop vac to PVC made fast on the table saw

How to make adapters from 2" PVC pipe. These are great for shop vac dust collection or anything else. If you've ever wanted to use 2" PVC with your shop vac you will probably have to make your own adapters because there isn't one to purchase that I know of. If there is one it will most likely cost an arm and maybe a leg too. There are many ways to integrate PVC into your wet dry shop vac setup such as using a heat gun to manipulate some PVC into an adapter or even just simply using tape or something more primitive to attach the different fittings. The method I share in this video is nice because you can repeatedly make a perfect adapters in a short time and dry fit the parts to build a system that can be changed and reconfigured at will.

There are a few precautions that must be taken in order to do this operation safely. You must be fully aware of the blade height at all times. I do this by counting the revolutions and this will vary depending on your saw. You must also apply downward pressure on the pipe as the blade furthers the cut or the pipe could possibly move in an unwanted direction. You need to dial in the amount to remove and be sure to lower the blade before moving the fence for adjustments. It works best to only remove 1/8" of material at a time. If you try to remove more than this the blade may bind and not only will the cut not be smooth or straight but also some bad sh*t could happen. This operation is not recommended for beginners on the table saw. If you are not comfortable with this operation it would be best to have someone who is to make these adapters for you. This operation is probably not going to get approval by the safety police and I fully expect a few of them to dislike this video and red flag the concept.

Making the plug with the carriage bolt to spin the piece of pipe with the cordless drill definitely sped up the process and keeps your hands further from the blade. I recommend this method but it is "critical" that the bolt is centered when attached to the plug so the pipe spins properly balanced.

I also wanted to mention the easiest way to cut the hole of coarse would be with a big drill bit or a hole saw. Possibly a 2 3/8" if the pipe fit's tightly. I didn't have a 2 3/8" hole saw and my largest Forstner bit is 2 1/8". It is much easier to sneak up on the circle with a spindle sander and that is how I would prefer to have done it but I thought it would be more helpful to show that it could be done with only a jigsaw. That hole took a few minutes to make!

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This is the first video in the RIG I DID dust collection series.

ADAPTERS NOW AVAILABLE!

Thanks for watching!
More on the way!

[SlowandExpensive]

Let me know if you liked the dolly zoom shot at the end? First time doing one. It took several tries but I thought it turned out pretty cool. :)

[pwknight]

What a great way to solve our perennial problem of pipes never quite matching with dust collection. Your method is SAFE, accurate and repeatable. Great problem solving.

[delsmithfishing]

Sir, you make the best videos ever . You talk at a great pace and show your work with detailed video and pictures .

[patrickl]

Definitely agree with the use of PVC fittings as alternative to the over priced vacuum fitting. I have to say though that this is the most intricate alternative to a lathe I've ever seen. The PVC turns/machines very nicely with basic tools.

[coryhalvorson]

Now that is an outside the box way of turning a cylinder without a lathe, thanks for innovating!

[mywallyandme]

Another option for pvc is a heat gun. Heat up the pvc until it is soft, then you can push it into the shop vac fitting. Once it cools, you can pull it back out and it will stay conformed to the shop vac fitting.

[brucekuyava]

Brilliant! An innovative way to solve an annoying lack of product (or at least replace an unreasonably expensive product)!

[teejay]

This is a great tip video!
While watching this video I was already seeing a "better way" by cutting them to 5" and doing both ends and then cutting them in half to length. This way I'd have more to grip (above the fence) while turning.
But then... you whipped out the cordless drill idea and BOOM! Mind blown! Clearly, I didn't know who I was dealing with - lol. What a game changer. Genius idea brother!

[philgoulding]

Good morning again. As a quick follow up to my comments yesterday, I found that my hand held jig saw didn’t quite get the desired true hole I had hoped for. I don’t have a spindle sander but plan to pick up a 2 1/4 hole saw today then “ sneak” up on the perfect 2 3/8 hole I need. Though my first attempt wasn’t as neat, the outcome still yielded 4 usable adapters. Many thanks again

[johnrodebaugh]

Very precise and safe way to mill your own reducers out of PVC, Thanks for Sharing 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿

[crossgrainwoodproductsltd]

Ingenious! I like how you think! A very creative and easy solution to a problem we all face with any dust collection system. The tool manufacturers really need to get on the same page and make tool ports all the same. It's just another way they force us to either buy adapters like Rockler's tool adaption hose kit or go to the drawing board and create our own adapters. In this case, your solution which I just may have to try myself! I currently use a big garage wall type of vac for all my tools and it works great for my handheld power tools, but not so much for my larger tools. I have a large Rigid shop vac in my basement that is practically brand new that may get added to the system until I can get a 2 or 3 hp DC. My only dislike of using either is the noise they make. The spring project of 2021 is to build a DC "closet" off the back of the shop. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[philgoulding]

Absolute genius!! I’m redoing some of my sawdust collection and this is perfect for my needs. I really appreciate such a down to earth way of making these adaptors. Heading to the shop soon to make your jig.
Many thanks

[harryshaw]

This was a great video when I first saw it, some years ago. It's still a great video because I can't find my adaptor for my Ridgid 12" sliding compound miter saw. So glad I found it again!!

[randelljones]

Shop Vac fittings are tapered to give a seal when they are seated. Tilt the blade 1* and do everything else the same. They won't pull out or vibrate out when in use and the little twist at the end makes it secure.Good video and Good Luck!

[kevinarnold]

Pure Genius. Thank you. I never thought to use my table saw like this. I made drill rig like yours, thinking i was original and really making an annoying dusty mess because I would use sand paper for the adjustment. Now I know better, thanks again.

[jimweisgram]

Very clever and worth it if you are running a lot of shop vacs as you do.

One suggestion: sharp 90 degree bends cut airflow by some amount. I would try a longer radius 90 degree sweep elbow and see what effect it has.

[lynardburt]

I like your method, better than heating, or spindle and turning on sandpaper. I'm going to try this. This was great.

[simonrickard]

Great idea, well presented, thank you. My suggestion to make it a little easier to do by hand is to machine the recess in the end of a longer tube then cut it off to required length.

[lanzer]

Half way through the video I realized that I have a lathe and I don't need to build this jig, but never the less I'm impressed with the idea! :)

[akbychoice]

Such a Great idea on making the fittings. A slight degree of tilt in the table saw blade and you can make tapered fitting connections for a snug fit with some range.
Now I’m thinking this could be useful for tapering round wooden legs to be but into holes for chair leg joinery.