Using Festool Vacs with other tools

[ChrisGlendaleDums]

Like many, along with my Festool stuff, I still have a number of other tools requiring dust extraction.  When I started out with Festool, I had heard their vacs would work with some other brands but found that, with the exception of my DeWalt mitre saw, all others were incompatible. 

I'm sure many of you have already figured this out, but there's a simple adapter solution involving scalable rubber plumbing connectors (picture attached).  This was something like $7 at Home Depot and works very well since you can adjust the aperture of either end to friction fit most tools and the Festool hose end. 

Thought this might be helpful.

Chris

 

[Packard]

I never got Festool's dust collection.  My shop has a big Grizzly dust collector and I have several hoses connected to it.  It works very well with the Festool saw (and my sander and my pocket hole jig, table saw, etc.).  It is not too effective with my radial arm saw, but it does hook up to the blade guard. 

If I am working on my driveway, which I do use to cut panels to size before carrying them down to the basement, I just let the sawdust sprinkle the lawn.  The lawn has not yet suffered for the sawdust (though I doubt that plywood dust is good for it).

 

[Jim_in_PA]

The Festool extractor isn't "incompatible"...the hose end is. There are solutions available to help with that...If I'm not mistaken, Rockler sells some adapters, for example, that permit the Festool hose to securely attach to other brand tools. In some cases, one has to make their own for something that's oddball. Part of the challenge is that there is no "standard" for size and shape relative to dust ports on small, electric tools.

 

[acer66]

The Festool extractor isn't "incompatible"...the hose end is. There are solutions available to help with that...If I'm not mistaken, Rockler sells some adapters, for example, that permit the Festool hose to securely attach to other brand tools. In some cases, one has to make their own for something that's oddball. Part of the challenge is that there is no "standard" for size and shape relative to dust ports on small, electric tools.

This.

 

[semenza]

Like many, along with my Festool stuff, I still have a number of other tools requiring dust extraction.  When I started out with Festool, I had heard their vacs would work with some other brands but found that, with the exception of my DeWalt mitre saw, all others were incompatible. 

I'm sure many of you have already figured this out, but there's a simple adapter solution involving scalable rubber plumbing connectors (picture attached).  This was something like $7 at Home Depot and works very well since you can adjust the aperture of either end to friction fit most tools and the Festool hose end. 

Thought this might be helpful.

Chris

Hi Chris,

    Welcome to the forum!

          That looks like a workable solution.  Always people looking on FOG for transitioning between hose fittings of one type or another.

Seth

 

[imdking]

Thanks for the tip, Chris. I'm sure that will come in handy to someone. Wood shops or Rockler are not common in the backwoods and most of rural America, bit Home Depot and Lowes are more readily available. Thank you.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Thanks for the tip, Chris. I'm sure that will come in handy to someone. Wood shops or Rockler are not common in the backwoods and most of rural America, bit Home Depot and Lowes are more readily available. Thank you.

They are not common here in suburbia near major cities, either...but accessible to all via online shopping. (I live just outside of Philadelphia and a trip to a Woodcraft would be a three hour round trip with travel and a reasonable time in the store. THere are no Rockler operations in this area. There are not even independent woodworking machinery retailers anymore)