Like so many others, I don’t have enough hoses to connect all my machines to dust collection at once. So I’m constantly disconnecting one machine to move its hose to another. It works, but finagling the hoses on and off machines can be a hassle.
Magport has made the process a lot easier with its magnetic dust ports. These ports are extremely easy to set up. Locking in place with hose clamps, one port connects to the hose coming from your dust collector, and another secures to a tool. Thanks to the magnets on the ends, it’s cake to move the hose from one machine to another. With other ports, you have to feed the hose straight on or fiddle to get it secure. The Magports have no such hassle. Even if you misalign them, the magnets are strong enough to self-adjust and lock in place.
Strong magnets for quick connections. Even if you misalign them, the magnets will self-adjust and lock in place. The magnets make it quick and easy to connect hoses to different machines.
Setting up these ports on all my machines and dust collector took about five minutes. I tested the 4-in.-dia. ports, but they also come in 21⁄2 in. and 5 in. diameters, and there is a 4-in. to 21⁄2-in. reducer as well.
—Anissa Kapsales is an associate editor
From Fine Woodworking #277
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
JessEm Mite-R Excel II Miter Gauge
The gauge has a quick and easy method for fitting the guide bar precisely to your tablesaw’s miter slot. This means the gauge can be recalibrated if necessary for continued accuracy. The face of the protractor head can be adjusted square to the table and also square to the guide bar. This ensures accurate cuts, and it, too, can be readjusted if the need arises. The protractor head has stainless-steel knobs and fittings and high-contrast, easy-to-read white numbers and increments.
This is the saw I want in my shop. For one, it’s easy to use. All of the controls are easy to reach and manipulate, and the glide mechanism is both robust and smooth. The handle works well for righties and lefties. Then there are added bonuses that no other saw has. For instance, its hold-down is superb, as it can move to different locations, hinges for a greater range of coverage, and actually holds down the work. In addition, the saw has two points of dust collection, letting it firmly beat the rest of the field. The one downside was the saw’s laser, which was so faint we had to turn off the shop lights to see it. Still, all these pluses in a package that fits tight to the wall? That’s a winner for me.
The thick, felted bag on this Shop Fox is a plus and a minus. On one hand, it makes the unit much less expensive than collectors with canister filters, and also lighter and easier to hang on the wall. Without a separate plastic bag to catch chips, however, they stay in the felt bag, and the shortish zipper on the bottom makes it tough to shake them out. Otherwise, the W1826 is an excellent value.
Does it do a good job of keeping the dust from leaking at the joints? I feel like you might get a little air flowing at the connection point even with strong magnets.
Interesting. Nevertheless, I have a silicone sleeve on my 4 inch hose - it cost less than one of these connectors. I can both attach and detach my hose to all my machines in a fraction of a second (once I’ve got there of course). I can’t see how these devices could possibly make it more convenient or faster. I could however see them slowing things down.
Seems to me like a solution looking for a problem.
Neat Idea. It's pretty easy to make your own similar magnetic attachments via wood or a 3d print. You can even put a seal on it so that no air leaks out, which I don't see in this product. I would put an inner notch on it as well so that it easily snaps into place instead of manually aligning it to the magnets.
My shop is now a Magport shop completely outfitted with these no-nonsense quick connects. The Magports are well made with durable material and amazingly make air tight connections. There are somethings that are just worth spending a few bucks on, and these are one of them. It's a pleasure to work from one machine to another with a simple twist and snap. It's a one time expense and I'll enjoy these for a very long time. So guys and gals don't miss out on this, you'll be pleasantly surprised. I am.
With its graceful curves, cabriole legs, and ornamental back splat, a Queen Anne side chair is a bucket list build for many woodworkers. Dan Faia had a very specific Queen…
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Comments
Does it do a good job of keeping the dust from leaking at the joints? I feel like you might get a little air flowing at the connection point even with strong magnets.
Interesting. Nevertheless, I have a silicone sleeve on my 4 inch hose - it cost less than one of these connectors. I can both attach and detach my hose to all my machines in a fraction of a second (once I’ve got there of course). I can’t see how these devices could possibly make it more convenient or faster. I could however see them slowing things down.
Seems to me like a solution looking for a problem.
Where did you get your silicon sleeve, if I may ask.
Here you go:
https://www.axminstertools.com/102mm-hose-cuff-610697
Neat Idea. It's pretty easy to make your own similar magnetic attachments via wood or a 3d print. You can even put a seal on it so that no air leaks out, which I don't see in this product. I would put an inner notch on it as well so that it easily snaps into place instead of manually aligning it to the magnets.
My shop is now a Magport shop completely outfitted with these no-nonsense quick connects. The Magports are well made with durable material and amazingly make air tight connections. There are somethings that are just worth spending a few bucks on, and these are one of them. It's a pleasure to work from one machine to another with a simple twist and snap. It's a one time expense and I'll enjoy these for a very long time. So guys and gals don't miss out on this, you'll be pleasantly surprised. I am.
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