I wanted a blast-gate setup on my shop vacuum so I could keep it hooked up to my sander and drill press at all times. This is especially helpful if you have a dust separator attached to your vac, making it harder to move around the shop. I found a three-way water valve where pool supplies are sold, and it works perfectly. For 1-1/2-in. hoses, use a 40mm valve. Unlike traditional blast gates, which require you to open one gate and close the other, a single lever diverts the flow through the valve. It includes everything you need to attach it to the two hoses. The valve does force one of the air pathways to turn a 90° corner, which reduces the suction a little. So dedicate the straight path to the tool that needs the most flow. In my case, that’s my sander.

—Charles Mak, Calgary, Alta., Canada