Conquering the Final Frontier of Dust Collection

My stationary belt sander was one of the few tools I had without a dust-collection port. This was a big-time problem because fine sanding dust remains suspended in the air for a long time. To tackle this challenge, I devised a dust-collection hood out of 3" PVC pipe.

I began by cutting a collection slot into the 3" pipe and glued a PVC test cap on the end. I then mounted the pipe to a slab of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) attached to the belt sander stand at the outfeed end of the belt. After a few wraps of duct tape around the free end of the PVC to increase its diameter, a 4" dust-collection hose slips over the pipe and is held in place with a band clamp.
—Roy Davis, Phoenix