The corrugations on most vacuum hoses, including the one on my Festool Dust Extractor, tend to catch on the sharp edge of the workbench and restrict sander movement. To solve the problem I purchased “Expandable Braided Sleeving” from Amazon in the 1 1/4-in.-dia. size, which fits over the end fittings on the hose and pulls tight on the hose itself. I secured it at each end with a zip tie and Gorilla tape. For $15 total, I now have a hose that glides over table edges and makes sanding easier. For larger hoses, look for larger-diameter sleeving.

—CRAIG MORGAN, Orchard Lake, Mich.

Illustrations by Dan Thornton
From Fine Woodworking issue #282

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Rockler Dust Right 1250 CFM

You’ll need help to get this heavy unit onto its bracket, but if you’re looking for a central dust collector that won’t gobble floor space, this may be the unit for you.

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Rockler Dust Right 650 CFM

While all five of the smaller units will collect chips efficiently when deployed properly, the 3/4-hp Rockler was just a bit more powerful in our suction test.

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