# Kreg Fence and Triton Router Dust Collection



## TheDougOut (Jan 13, 2014)

Hi Everyone,

I've recently acquired a Kreg router table and a Triton TRA001 router. I'm now debating how to best handle dust collection, as I'll be operating the table in my basement and would like to avoid dusting my entire house each time I fire it up.

Is a good approach to utilize the fence dust port in conjunction with the under-table Triton dust port via a Y connector, and then into a shop vac? Is the addition of a dust bucket / cyclone worthwhile? I'm also thinking I may have the connections secured through a back panel on the table, with the ability to close off the fence port for dado use. 

I've read some that people have had a hard time finding the appropriate hose size for the Triton port - any advice? Any suggestions for what and where to obtain the appropriate hoses & fittings would be appreciated!

Thanks much!
Doug


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Doug, adding one of the separators makes it much easier and less expensive to get rid of the dust. The Oneida Dust Deputy Deluxe, the Clear Vue Cyclones CV06 Mini and Rocklers Dust Right were all tested here recently. All of them work but my favorite is the CV06 Mini which comes with an excellent short hose. Not as flimsy as the Oneida and not as large a collection area as the Dust Right which means it is easier to empty. You will be lugging it up the stairs and outside to do this.

Your vacuum should have filter bags inside to capture the very fine dust. These are not cheap so the separator really lowers your cost over time. Many vacuums offer HEPA filters which is the ideal solution to controlling dust inside. The use of the filter bags extends the life of the HEPA filters which start out at about $50 and often cost more. We will soon be testing some of the newest vacuums and will post our thoughts on them.

The best solution I have found for the hose problem is the Bosch VAC05. This hose is 5 meters in length (about 15') and is anti static. This is very handy in a small shop since it will reach most machines and make it easy to access a different outlet for vacuum power. The soft rubber hose end stays put in the Triton dust port and the opposite end is a standard 2-1/4" to fit most vacuums.

I think you will find the Triton dust port will grab most of the dust and I have not bothered using it with a fence port.


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## TheDougOut (Jan 13, 2014)

Thanks Mike for all of the details and photos! I think my first step will be to pick up the Bosch hose and run it from the Triton port to my existing (non-hepa) shop vac. That'll at least get me running. 

That CV06 looks like a good addition, at a reasonable price. I just watched the video of a pile of sawdust being picked up with a Rigid shop vac and the cyclone. Unbelievable! It's out of stock on the company's website... I'll need to see if it's available anywhere else. 

Doug


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## Red Stick (Sep 7, 2011)

So glad you made this post. I just put together the same exact set-up and was wondering how to best handle dust collection. Realizing that you will need access to the ON/OFF switch on the router for bit changes makes boxing in the router a little impractical. Guess I hadn't noticed the dust collection right off the router itself. I already have the dust deputy on a mobile stand with a shop vac. Will put together a "Y" of some sort to hook up to both the fence and router.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Keith, I will be interested in hearing how the Y works out. Be sure it is a Y and not a T for the best performance. The way the Triton sucks down the dust from around the bit does a very good job and nothing is 100%.


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## TheDougOut (Jan 13, 2014)

Red Stick said:


> Will put together a "Y" of some sort to hook up to both the fence and router.


Hi Keith - I'd definitely like to hear how you make out with this. 

I found another thread on the subject of the Triton's dust port, and someone suggested a hose from Home Depot in the sump pump area. I believe Mike's suggestion is a 35mm hose that will fit snugly into the hole. I thought I read somewhere that the triton port actually has a reverse thread for some kind of hose, which no one seems to be able to easily find.

On amazon I've found the following...
Woodstock D4234 2-1/2-Inch Y-Fitting
Shop-Vac 9064900 2-1/2-to-1-1/2-Inch Conversion Unit (for getting down to the hose for the triton port?)
Woodstock also has a 2-1/2-Inch blast gate, which may be useful for shutting off the port to the fence for routing passes where it's away form the bit.

My thought was to have two 2.5" ports on a side or back panel of the table. One would be a port for running the hose to the fence, which would also have a blast gate for closing it off. The other port would be for attaching the vacuum. Under the table the vacuum port would be Y'd off to the Triton dust port (always open) and the blast gate for the fence.


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Wow Guys! That was a fantastic product review - I am also thinking of adding that same router and table setup in my shop for a really big uncoming project. That was some really good info Mike provided!

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

Just my three cents...I have the Bosch hose (thanks to Mikes suggestion). I use it in several ways.

I hook it between the tool and the dust deputy (slip on snug fit). Router, orbital sander, pocket hole jig, track saw. 

Sometimes I connect the hose from the tool directly into a Lowes bucket max vac. It's a perfect fit.

Note:The dust deputy works great.
Hope this helps.
Mike


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## richjh (Jan 14, 2013)

I also use the Bosch hose thanks to Mike. I built my own DC using a 12 gal mini dust collector from Harbor Freight into the Dust Right system from Rockler using a 15 gal. fiber drum and it works great. Since I took the picture, I built a roll around base for it to easily move it around the shop. The picture is with the Bosch hose attached.


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## TheDougOut (Jan 13, 2014)

Rich - thanks for sharing the photo of your DC. After reading up on the differences between a shop vac and DC, I think I may build a similar setup. 

I found 2bigfeet's method of DC on his Kreg Tables, and had a few questions if anybody can assist. Does this fully enclosed approach capture most of the under-router dust, or is there a fair amount left behind in the cabinet? The "T" connection for the fence, is this purposeful to direct more air pull from the fence? Would a similar setup with 2.5" ports & hoses still be effective?

I saw another solution that had the fence plumbed to another port on the enclosed box, relying on the air pull from the box itself. I suspect this would drastically minimize the air pull from the fence. Thoughts?

2bigfeet's beauties...


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Doug, let's adhere to the "Keep it simple" principles from Bob and Rick of the Router Workshop on this. A hose on your Tritons dust collection port is going to grab as much dust as possible. Boxing the table in contains any heat generated by the router and that never helps. This also makes it more difficult to operate the controls and settings on your router.

My Triton is mounted in the inexpensive Grizzly table. Easy access to the controls, power switch and plenty of air to cool the motor. I do not think it gets any better than this.


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## TheDougOut (Jan 13, 2014)

Mike said:


> Doug, let's adhere to the "Keep it simple" principles from Bob and Rick of the Router Workshop on this.


Glad I didn't mention the laser with mirror ball idea.

But you're right, especially considering my top priority is finding a solution that I can easily adapt to any of my existing components. Will I find a run-of-the-mill shop vac sufficient on the router table, or should I consider building an inexpensive DC approach (cyclone w/ lower-end blower & bag... maybe $250 investment)?


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Doug, a good quality shop vacuum will do a better job of extracting the dust than a dust collector will. This surprised me when I found it out but after a long conversation with Tom at Betterley Tool I am a believer. Betterley builds specialty bases for commercial applications called the Stack Vac as shown below. You can see how the wet wood is captured inside the clear plastic shield on my PC 7518. Adding a separator will help too.


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## oldrusty (Mar 31, 2011)

Hi Mike. I have the same setup (Kreg table and Triton router) and would also like to extract dust at the router dust port. I have no idea what to ask for or where to search for the Bosch hose that apparently fits the Triton dust port. Does it have a part number or a title. All the hoses I came across in the cleaning industry had left hand threads. Does the Bosch actually screw into the port or do you kind of force the cuff into the port. Hope this makes sense. Al in Canada.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Al, the hose is the Bosch VAC05. You can order this from any place that sells Bosch tools or Amazon.


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## oldrusty (Mar 31, 2011)

Hi Mike. I tried that number with a lot of suppliers up here but got no results. Is the number VACO 5 or VAC 05 ? Maybe someone in Canada can give me a source. Al


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Al, it is a VAC zero 5. You should be able to order this direct from Bosch, CA or any HD.


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## TheDougOut (Jan 13, 2014)

Mike said:


> Al, it is a VAC zero 5. You should be able to order this direct from Bosch, CA or any HD.


At least on Home Depot and Amazon, you need to search with VAC005 (zero zero five).


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Oops! My bad! Vac 005 it is. Thanks Doug!


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## plunger (Jun 21, 2013)

I'm interested in this Triton's dust collection while installed in a router table, too. Are there any videos of TRA001's DC in progress? I searched YouTube with no success.



TheDougOut said:


>


Like Mike said above, I would be leery of enclosing the TRA001. Its design includes a high powered fan that sucks air from the top and blows over the motor toward the DC shield in order to force more dust out the dust port. Enclosing the TRA001 would cause debris to come out of the dust port and to be cycled through the intake. h34r:



oldrusty said:


> Does the Bosch [VAC005] actually screw into the port or do you kind of force the cuff into the port.


Any response to this?


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## plunger (Jun 21, 2013)

Answered my own question by reading the manual!

38mm hose is inserted inside the dust port.


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## Wi53072 (Dec 13, 2009)

Guys,

I just put together a similar set up using a 2-1/4 HP Triton router. I was wondering if the 1-1/2" O.D. Hose will fit onto my router as well. Also, has anyone came up with a "Y" connection so that the Kreg's dust port on the fence can be connected to the shop vac as well? Seems it would be beneficial to extract dust and chips at both the router and fence.

One additional separate question. When you remove the spring from the plunge, do you need to lock the router any way once the depth of cut is set with the lift? It seems the router could move around a bit now the spring tension is off the lift.

Thanks
Paul


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

Wi53072 said:


> Guys,
> 
> One additional separate question. When you remove the spring from the plunge, do you need to lock the router any way once the depth of cut is set with the lift? It seems the router could move around a bit now the spring tension is off the lift.
> 
> ...


I always lock the router so it doesn't shift during operation. That would ruin a workpiece quickly.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

My 1 1/2 cents...my Triton sits under a Bosch table...Dust Deputy in front of Ridgid 5 gal shop vac. Works FANTASTIC...dumped 2 5-gal buckets bout 3/4 full and vac filter is still clean. I use hose on the fence for any profile cut and it will gather about 98% of the dust. Adding a hose underneath captures all but the Ridgid can't suck both hoses well enough.

I close the split fence to just bigger than the bit and use the largest insert...this seems to be best config for me.

For grooves, dados and anything that covers the insert...nothing I've done catches it all when using a straight bit. Much better with spiral...

My point being there's more to it than hoses and separators to maximize collection. Suction, which a shop vac is better, and CFM, which a DC is better, are equally important. When cutting a piece that covers the insert suction is important...when using the fence port air flow is important. You will need to find your compromise.

Best, Nick


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

I always lock the router once depth is set....Very easy to do with the Oak Park table which is only 16" x 30"....


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## Knot Norm (Jul 24, 2017)

Wi53072 said:


> Guys,
> 
> has anyone came up with a "Y" connection so that the Kreg's dust port on the fence can be connected to the shop vac as well? Seems it would be beneficial to extract dust and chips at both the router and fence.
> 
> ...


This is the bit of the problem I'd like to crack with a cheap solution in the meantime. I have hoses that fit the Triton and the Fence, the fence one fitting my ShopVac, but no way of connecting the two. Some sort of Y connector would be great.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

@Mike Thanks, I had not considered using the dust collection built in to the Triton. I have the hose already, attached to a 4 inch fitting on one end so I can hook it up to my HF dust collector.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Norm, I am sure Y fittings are available in the UK, perhaps another member can provide guidance on where to get them?

Worst case build your own box with holes sized to fit your hoses. It doesn't have to be pretty... it just has to work.


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