Want to save money on your dust collection system? Try using discarded cardboard tubes from rolls of carpet or linoleum. They come in 12″ lengths and usually have a 4-1/2″ outside diameter and 1/4”-thick walls. Cut the tubes to length and join them together (and to your machines) using plastic T and elbow connectors.
To reduce the o.d. of the cardboard tube ends to fit inside the plastic parts, install a dado blade and set up a stopblock on the radial-arm saw. Lower the blade until it barely touches the tube. Next, start the saw and rotate the tube by hand. Repeat, lowering the blade gradually and test-fitting until you achieve a snug fit in the plastic connectors.
-Phil Williams
Port Elgin, Ontario
