6" Flex over 6" S&D

[cooterMN]

Has anybody got any tips, tricks or advice how to more easily stretch 6" flex pipe (JET brand) over 6" S&D pipe?

It seems I can always get it started, but once I get so far as 2 or 3 of the reinforcement wires in the flex, I'm stuck and can go no further.

Thanks.

[mattbell007]

I was about to post the same question. I plan to do an Internet search on that to see if I find anything useful. If I find anything, I'll post it here. I'm also hoping others will post answers here. I also have 6" S&D pipe and 6" flex, but its not Jet-branded. It's just the 6" PVC flex hose that Wynn Environmental sells.

We can't be the first two people to tackle this problem.

Matt

[imported_admin]

It's a pain, but it can be done. If you use a heat gun, propane torch or a hair dryer and heat up the plastic hose for about the last two inches, you can stretch the plastic over the pipe. The problem it that the hose is made for 6" pipe and S&D pipe is about 6 1/4" OD.

Ed

[Guest_BobS]

Check out Bill Pentz. I slit the pipe like he did, works fine.

[mattbell007]

I like Ed's suggestion. I think it would make for a tight fit. One where the hose clamp is there just for insurance, not because it is absolutely necessary.

I did run across another option in my Web searches. That option is to use a piece of metal HVAC duct. Supposedly, it slips inside the S&D pipe and can be caulked in place, and the flex hose fits around the HVAC duct and then secured with a hose clamp. Depending on how well the HVAC fits into the PVC S&D pipe, this might be an easier method than the heat-and-stretch method, but it feels kind of kludgy to me. I think I might try both and see which one is better.

I might also take a look at the pipe-slitting technique too. I don't remember seeing that on Bill Pentz's Web site, but it could be that I just missed it or I wasn't thinking 6" flex at the time, so I skimmed over it.

Matt Bell

[noah katz]

"It seems I can always get it started, but once I get so far as 2 or 3 of the reinforcement wires in the flex"

I'd try lubricating with Vaseline, and or twist the pipe or hose in the direction that would unwind the helix.

[mattbell007]

My first attempt got the flex onto the pipe with the wire around the pipe about 1-1/2 times. I was shooting for twice around. The flex certainly looks tight the way it is. I did not try rotating the hose. I'm going to give the heat and stretch technique one more try. If it isn't easier or more successful than the first time, I'll probably try one of the other two methods. I bought a cheap piece of metal 6" HVAC duct so I could try it. I'll report back.

I used a heat gun, but I'm not sure I got the flex hose hot enough.

Matt

[Burdick101]

Ok, it's only taking me a year, but the clearvue is finally getting connected up to all the tools. I'm definitely being tested with my 6" and 4" flex going over the S&D pipe. I got my flex from Grizzly. I tried one with the slits like Bill said on a leftover piece of 4", but I didn't think 6 cuts was enough. I felt like I had to make 12 or so slits before if went on, it seemed a little ridiculous. Does the heat and stretch method work for anybody?

Thanks
Nick

[R and D Nikkel]

It worked for us. We got it on far enough that we were comfortable that the hose clamp was well onto the pipe. Yes, it was frustrating, and took patience. Plan on both. I found that pulling on the heated flex hose helped as opposed to only pushing it on, but it took both. Having smaller fingers to get underneath it enough to grab and pull helped too. But now they are in place, we have had no problems with slippage at all.

[berone]

I used dish soap. I didn't see the need to have more than 2 or 3 loops on the pipe. That was enough to get the hose clamp on and it seems tight.

Anthony

[Matt]

That's a great idea! I have tried wax and wd-40 neither of which did well.

Thanks for the tip,

Matt

[Jim O'Dell]

I also used the hair dryer trick, and it worked well for me, except for the piece of Wynn Environmental hose that came on the cyclone!!:D I got so frustrated with it that I took it off and replaced it. I'm sure the hose I bought from Woodworkers Supply isn't as heavy duty as the Wynn hose is, but it works very well in both 4" and 6". I made some bridge clamps at first, but the last few 4" I haven't clamped at all, and they don't go anywhere, and the last one is on my overhead guard. I don't try to pull by grabbing inside the hose except of the very edge to get it started. I just "clamp" my finger nails on the edge of the wire, and pull it down as I go around the hose. Tough on nails, and you want them pretty short to do this, or you'll bend a nail back. Don't ask......:p Jim.

[berone]

I did another one tonight and the other tip I would add would be to use a razor knife and trim the hose close to the metal before starting. One of the tricky things is if the pvc is too long it folds under and makes it harder to slide the hose onto the pipe.

Anthony

[TomL]

I finally used a new razor blade and trimmed off the plastic just above the internal wire in the hose. Then cut the exposed wire away. Did this enough to leave about 2 i/2 to 3 inches of wireless hose.
Then used a heat gun to soften the hose which easily slipped over the S&D.
I expect that some leak problems are caused by using straight clamps which have to leave the smooth part of the hose to climb over the extruded portion where the wire is /was.
I highly recommend the offset clamps sold by Wynn people. They provide continuous pressure on the hose everywhere, but cost about 3X more.

[TomL]

I finally used a new razor blade and trimmed off the plastic just above the internal wire in the hose. Then cut the exposed wire away. Did this enough to leave about 2 i/2 to 3 inches of wireless hose.
Then used a heat gun to soften the hose which easily slipped over the S&D.
I expect that some leak problems are caused by using straight clamps which have to leave the smooth part of the hose to climb over the extruded portion where the wire is /was.
I highly recommend the offset clamps sold by Wynn people. They provide continuous pressure on the hose everywhere, but cost about 3X more.

[Jim O'Dell]

Yeah, I wanted the bridge clamps too. Couldn't get my Scottish blood (from my Mom's side :D ) to fork over the extra bucks, so I made my own. They seem to work great. But lately, I've not been using clamps at all...the tight fit of the flex seems to work just fine. Jim.

[Jim]

I haven't ordered my DC yet but have been following some of the threads and looking at installation pictures. I have also read the material on Bill Pentz's site. Based on some of Bills comments on bending S&D pipe with a heat blanket, or placing the pipe in boiling water or hot oil, I was wondering if anyone has tried to necking down the ends of the 6" pipe after heating. This might be done with an adjustable hose clamp, or maybe a couple of pieces of wood with each having half of a 6" hole The wood pieces could be clamped around thepipe immediately after heating. If it can be done like this (especially if boiling water would provide sufficient heat), slipping on the flex hose would be dramatically simpilfied. These are just thoughts, but I wonder if anyone has tried something along these lines.

[Eric]

I have had good luck getting the 6" 25mil flex hose from Wynn to fit over 6' SD. It takes coaxing, but it was easy enough I could get it to fit and then hit it with a heat gun. After it cooled it was easier to slide over the pipe. I used this technique when putting it on pipe in a awkward location.

[alberrt]

I did something similar to what a couple of others here have done; I removed the wire from the last couple of inches I want to stretch over the pipe. I cut a section of the wire with the tip of my wire cutters and pulled it out of the flex hose with some pliers. I then held the end of the flex hose without the wire over my kerosene heater and when it was very warm, it was easier to stretch without the wire in it. It then slips over the end of the pipe and I put some duct tape and a clamp on it. The duct tape covers the holes where I clipped the wire.

[cooterMN]

Since I started this post I guess I would chime back in with what worked for me. It sounds as if everyone that has replied has experienced similar problems, and has come up with some similar solutions.

I ordered my hose from Wynn, I'm not certain which thickness, but it's pretty stought.

What I did is cut the section of hose that I needed to length, then heated the last 6" or so with my heat gun. I sprayed the end of the pipe with WD-40, then wiggled it on. I had to work it around the pipe as it followed the wire coils, and it was more a pulling action from outside the pipe, and a pushing action from inside (I stuck my hand up in side to press outward on the hose as I pushed it forward with my fingers). Once I got the process down, it went rather quickly. After the hose was in position I would run my heat gun around the outside to evaporate the WD-40, then I would clamp it. I'm not certain a person would need clamps as tight as these things fit!

[BobLand]

Tried all the methods in this thread and only ended up with shredded fingers.

Took a 6" coupler and the Wynn flex slipped right in. I've got it connected to my table saw but not tested. I'm thinking that it would need to be fixed with a screw or two and either taped, caulked or both.

Took about 5 seconds to slip the flex in. There's a local store that always has couplers in stock or can order them in a few days time.

Hope this works...
Burt

[Matt]

I have used the bell ends of 6 in pipe to do exactly as you describe and has worked for me. Not all of the connections were made this way but there were a few places I where I could use them and did. Stuffed pipe in and taped and done although caulk would look better and prolly hold as well too.

Matt

[BobLand]

One other reason I like this method is it allows me to change an end.

Example:
I have a 6" flex drop to my lathe. I can easily change out the dust hood and connect some longer flex to use as a vacuum. Also lets me move my band saw around without worrying about ripping the flex out.

But the big bonus is it's so easy to get on and off. I did end up putting 4 screws into the coupler because of the usage. Want to make sure it doesn't come off.

Burt

[ScottF]

Gents, this is my first post but thought I'd share something that worked great for me when I got so frustrated trying to connect flex to PVC for my Clearvue system (it is an amazing machine, by the way).

I used 3034 pipe (the aqua color stuff) for my flex connections. I cut a short piece (4") of PVC on the band saw or table saw, taking care to keep the ends square with the pipe wall. Then I went to the router table and installed a 1" straight bit, and removed about a 1" high collar around one end of the 3034 pipe to a depth of about 1/8" all the way around the end of the pipe. You have to take off a little at a time using a couple of passes and sand off the sharp outside edge on the bottom of the pipe. When finished, the Wynn 6" flex hose fits right over the end (it's tight but works well).

The 3034 pipe is thicker than the 2724 pipe, which allows the exterior removal. It's thick enough after modification to still have plenty of strength to support clamps, and the opposite end of the pipe still fits the blast gates that come with the cyclone and all PVC connections (same OD as the 2724 pipe). With due respect, this method certainly was easier for me than heating, boiling, etc., and more successful than swearing.

I've had similar success connecting 4" flex to 4" black PVC for my smaller machines. Hopefully it will work for you, too. Scott

[JJohnston]

You're talking about reducing the outside diameter of the first 1", so you have a sharp shoulder where it meets the full diameter section? Can you elaborate on the routing? Did you make up a jig?

[Al T]

Hi everyone I follow the CV forum regularly and keep track of various threads. This one is interesting because it addresses an issue each of us has to deal with one way or another. I have tried several methods with vary levels of success. I initially started by trying to get the Wynn flex over the PVC pipe but this was just to much work. I then tried cutting multiple slots around the circumference at the end of the pipe which allows the end of the pipe to be compressed slightly by the thickness of the kerfs so it fits into the end of the flex. This worked OK but still was not great. In some areas I just used the bell end of the pipe as a receiver for the flex using silicon and tape as sealer. This worked OK but still was not a good solution for every connection.

After getting most of my 6" flex up using a combination of these methods I realized that I had the same problem with putting the Rocklers 4" flex on 4" PVC. I typically use two 4" connections for my general tool outlets from the 6" mains for my portable tools (Router table, planner, jointer, etc.) so I had several to do. Here is what I finally ended up doing which works great. I simple cut off to ~4" lengths of the 4" pipe. I measure the inside and outside diameters of the pipe and calculate the difference. I then go to my band saw and make two cuts along the length of one of the pieces to remove the difference in the two diameters from one of the pipe pieces. I verify that this piece fits tightly inside of the uncut piece and tweak the cut if necessary to get a reasonably tight fit. I then use thick CA glue (Cyanoacrylate glue ) to glue the cut piece back together for a smaller diameter and then glue it into the end of the other short piece to from an adapter that fits standard 4" pipe adapters on one end and allows the 4" flex to easily be attached to the other end. It works great and since I am using this for various portable tools I just put the standard 4" slip-on connectors from Rocklers onto the 4" flex hoses and they slip right over the smaller end of the adapter. I know it sounds like a lot of work to make these but the whole process is very quick and easy for several reasons. Simple cuts, easy gluing since the smaller diameter is held in shape by the larger diameter piece it goes into, the CA glue is fast drying and very forgiving. Note the fit does not have to be perfect since the CA glue easily fills any minor voids between the two pieces. I do use the CA glue accelerator to make it set even faster. I have been using these adapters for awhile and they appear to be rugged enough for the job.

Back to the specific point of this thread. I have tried this method for reducing the end of a 6" PVC pipe by inserting and gluing a small adapter piece inside the end of the 6" pipe that receives the 6" flex and it works well also. Note, however, that not all 6" PVC pipe is the same thickness so it my not work as well in some cases. The picture shows an example of the 4" adapters to the planner and the 6" pipe going down from the wye has the 6"adapter piece in it. Perhaps something like this would work for your setup.

http://www.gallery2.clearvuecyclones.com/v/Dust+Hoods+and+Pickups/Sliding+CMS+DC/CIMG5239.JPG.html


http://www.clearvuecyclones.com/Bullentin/%5BIMG%5Dfile:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Al/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image001.gif%5B/IMG%5D

[ScottF]

On the router table, I exposed the 1" straight bit about 1/16" in front of the fence at a depth of about 1/2". I clamped another piece of wood perpendicular to the fence 3" from the bit (the radius of the pipe). You can then slide the PVC pipe up to the bit and rotate the pipe against the two fences. When you're finished, expose another 1/16" and repeat. When that's done, raise the bit to full height and repeat the process. In a couple of passes, you're done.

Sorry I don't have pics, but I hope this gives a better idea of what happens on the router table.

Cheers, Scott

[armstrr]

i have done it a few ways. like a couple posts down, i used the bandsaw or table saw to remove a section of a 4" length of pipe. this then slips into the pipe and the flex slips over top of it.

i have also used coffee cans. remove bottom of can and then use snips to slit the can...it will then slip into the pipe. rivet and slip the flex over it.