Rockler DC fittings 25% off worth it?

[davidtu]

Rockler Summer Clearance sale is giving 25% off DC fittings... are their prices in line for these to make it worthwhile?

If not, what is a better source?

Also, are elbows and T's acquired here or at HD/Lowes? In other words, does HD/Lowes have gradual enough elbows?

Thanks!

[ironhat]

Most of the fittings at Rockler or Woodcraft will go on sale three or four times a year for about that discount. Along with that they will usually offer clear 4" hose at 50% off. As far as the 'slow ells' go, you're better off not mixing types of pipe and fittings - they don't easy adapt, although it can be done. That was a surprise and a lot of disappointment when I started my dust control system. Once you decide on something it will be a matter of simply repeating the chosen inconvenience. OK, back to Lowe's... you can slow down your 90* bends by using two 45* fittings. It doubles your cost in that corner so you have to do some advanced planning if you want to minimize the number of turns. My mistake (er, one of them!) was not knowing enough and using PVC instead of S&D pipe which would have been lighter and cheaper. Also, do a search on setting up your system. A lot of knowledgeable people have done the ground work. I wish I had known about this great group when I was at your stage of planning. I would also suggest that you not glue up your joints for a while. Once you get to using the sysem you will inevitably find things that you want to improve.
Good luck, David,
Chiz

[davidtu]

Thanks for the info! Presently I am planning to use S&D tubing but is there an issue with that fitting the fittings at Rockler?

Btw, sort of to answer my own question... there are a bunch of Woodstock products online that are cheaper than Rockler... but not by much when you throw in shipping. Is Woodstock a good brand? They are the same as Shop Fox, whose book I am using to help design the DC system.... (I also should receive the one by Sandor Nagyazalanczy today).

[Tom Miller]

Rockler Summer Clearance sale is giving 25% off DC fittings... are their prices in line for these to make it worthwhile?

Are you using S&D PVC for your DC? If so, I'd use the S&D fittings wherever you can for two reasons: 1) they'll be less restrictive, since they're made to be the same ID as the pipe, and 2) they'll be less expensive.

I use Rockler's aluminum blast gates, though, so 25% on those would be nice. The only way to get a less restrictive blast gate is to make your own, which is not difficult.

The flexible hose is a great deal at 50% off, and can be made to mate with S&D.

Regards,
Tom
[Edit: I've purchased "long sweep" S&D elbows at home depot. Not sure how they compare to double 45's in terms of resistance. I don't use a lot of 90's though, since the S&D wye's have a 45 already built in, so another 45 is all I need in most cases.]

[davidtu]

Tom, that is what I am trying to understand... and I am taking this off track as far as Bargain Alert thread goes, sorry... sounds like S&D does not mate directly w/ the woodworking fittings (elbows, t's, etc)... so what are those woodworking fittings made to fit... only flex tubing? I don't see (haven't looked too hard I admit) rigid piping for woodworking (e.g. at Rockler).

Does regular PVC mate better to those fittings?

[ironhat]

Tom's right on all counts, so if you have time to make the gates go that route and save money. My inexperience had me buying the plastic ones, which were part of the kit, but they are pretty cheesy. My current improvement centers on how to get the gate more accessable for opening and closing.
Later,
Chiz

[Tom Miller]

...sounds like S&D does not mate directly w/ the woodworking fittings (elbows, t's, etc)... so what are those woodworking fittings made to fit... only flex tubing?

The woodworking fittings are made, at the least, to fit the hose. But, they will fit into the inside of S&D pipe, just like most 4" DC ports on tools will fit into S&D pipe. Doing the former is counter-productive, since those fittings are more expensive and more restrictive. The latter is kind of handy, since you can use S&D & flex hose to make quick-connect fittings to your tools.

Since I already had the aluminum blast gates (prior to switching to S&D) I used them with the S&D, since they fit snugly. But, again, they're more restrictive since they're going inside the S&D.

Hope I'm not being too confusing....

Also, there are plans out there for making your own blast gates for S&D. I think you can bang out a half dozen pretty quickly.

Regards,
Tom

[TKsDust]

David,
You will find 80% of the black plastic DC fittings are all the same from different suppliers. Don't buy them randomly(I did this mistake), make sure of what you really need first. Mostly you might use them to adapt a tool or a vacuum hose=very few places. There is a chain of Cascade Contractor Supply stores in our area that sell the hose and black fittings extremely cheap from the Jet catalogue line (if Amazon sells it for $6-7, they have it for $2-3). Only a few fitting prices are on par with typical prices. This is what I found in thier Redmond store.

Also echo what others have said.The metal or plastic gates restrict the internal size of the S&D so it is beneficial to make your own or buy/adapt 5inch blast gates that a few savvy suppliers are now carrying(I think Lee Valley, Penn state, etc.).
As you can tell, if you have a planned out system, you will save yourself some money by buying only what you really need. If you are trying to optimize a system, it's a good chance there is very little that Rockler sells that is useful to you(the flex hose might be useful though).

[davidtu]

Thanks much for the advice.. I was going to try to figure out what I needed and then do a bulk order, but it sounds like even there I might have trouble when I have to actually place things in 3-space in my shop.

I will definitely look at the make-your-own gates... sounds like a popular choice. Thanks!

I went to HD today and saw what I think everyone is talking about as far as S&D PVC... though all they had were ones that were perferated with holes (for septic tank I presume?)... these were much lighter AND a different size!

They did not seem to have any rigid elbows or T's that matched the S&D stuff... is that the case? ... I'll have to check some of the older threads, I know a lot of info is already out there... but if someone could just tell me what works best w/ the S&D stuff as far as elbows & fittings go....

a) there ARE special elbows made for S&D that are rigid (I just missed them @ HD)
b) use the regular pvc elbows and adapt the sizes (details in other threads)
c) use "workworker" elbows (e.g. Jet, Woodstock, PSI, etc) and adapt the size (again details elsewhere).

(Of course if anyone WANTS to retype details here, that'd suit me just fine! )

Many thanks!!

[THyman]

They did not seem to have any rigid elbows or T's that matched the S&D stuff... is that the case? ...

David,

I think you must have missed them. Each store is a little different as far as where they store them, but they tend to have the S&D fittings next to the drainage pipe. The fittings are different then sch 40 and a lot cheaper (about $3 each). They have elbows, 45s, wye, and t's but I would not use a t. To make the turn more gradual you can use two 45s. They also have the solid pipe as well I believe it is about $8 for 10ft. Lowes also carries this as well but is a little higher $.

Todd

[Tom Miller]

Yep, what Todd said -- HD should have the stuff. Then again, they should have had the S&D pipe. Make sure the stuff is ~1/8" wall thickness. The thinner (solid and/or perforated) stuff is ~1/16", and is too thin, IMO.

I mostly use wyes (for branching), 45's for use with the wyes to complete a 90 degree turn, long sweep elbows (may not be available), and sometimes short elbows. They also have couplers, which sometimes come in handy.

Also, I don't use any adhesives. I find the fittings are air tight enough, and I know I'll be re-arranging on a fairly regular basis. If you need the rigidity, you can run a few 3/8" screws into a joint.

Regards,
Tom

[TKsDust]

Also forgot a few things.
If you ever get down to the Sumner woodworking store by Puyallup, they have the best selection of DC fitttings I have found in the Seattle area. http://www.sumnerwoodworkerstore.com It's a huge store and worth the trip anyway, especially if you are into shop equipment, turning, or carving. Bring your problem hoses and machine port sizes and you can solve most DC fittting problems in one trip.

As you may have found already, Rockler has about the least DC fitting selection!?!?!

Other rare fittings
I think Woodcraft now has some S&D pipe adapters and PVC adapters, I bought some to try but have not had the occasion to yet http://www.woodcraft.com/depts.aspx?DeptID=1199

Penn State, Woodworkers Supply, and now Lee Valley have some fittings to adapt machines and vac connections I have not seen other places. You can usually spot them pretty quick. The rest of distributors pretty much carry the Woodstock International line of connectors, many of which Jet sell under their label.

If you realize you need a lot of DC flex hose you may want to do some price comparison with at http://www.valleypacifichose.com/. They had some of the cheapest prices in the Kent/Auburn area I found. They carry many different levels of DC hose(like the black and yellow heavy duty hose in the Woodcraft picture). Good price breaks if you want a 25ft. box as well.