A few months ago I saw some woodworking youtuber using magnets to connect their tools to the dust pipes of their workshop dust collection system.

My workshop is too small for such system so I decided to design & 3d print my own system:

• 39mm dust hose, classic shopvac diameter, instead of big 10cm dust system hoses
• extra feature I didn't see elsewhere: the connector is screwed on the hose following its natural spiral (which is how shopvac manufacturers usually assemble the hose). No collar to tighten or else. I thought I would glue them but in the end never did. It's flexible, you screw them until you can't, it's sealed by compression (note: hoses use reverse rotation, somehow)
• 8 10x3mm round magnets because I liked the strength of the connection, enough to stay put when I move the shopvac and of course when there's some variations in the air flow during cuts. (also that's what I had lying around, 10x3 and 6x3, too weak to my taste)

Printing and Assembly notes:

Printing:

• I printed originally in PLA with the most standard / lightweight settings and rough definition just for experiment (0.2 layers, and even 0.3 to 0.42 with a 0.6 nozzle). Yet, it worked perfectly so you can stick to this. This being said,
  • More strength for ruggedness won't hurt. A wood workshop is a rough place to be for an accessory, and dust hoses tend to be left dragging on the floor where you might step on it or pull a heavy machine cabinet on it by mistake. And since you glued the magnets, it will be a hassle to reuse them once the part is broken
  • The screwing doesn't require fine precision if that's your concern, is a flexible and big thread no the hose side.
• It was designed to be printed without support once the magnet part is up, and the hose ending on the plate. In any case the bridging will be inside the magnet slots, so no visual disturbance but a risk for the fit

Magnets assembly

• alternate magnet polarity (+, -, +, -, +, -, +, -) as you go aroung the connector. This allows the connectors to all be compatible with each other (no plus or minus connector), and not need a specific angle alignement (4 possible positions).
  • I marked the polarity on each side with red and blue marker to not get confused. Even though it's quite straightforward by feeling the push / pull, mistake happens (a magnet while in the right direction should repeal nearest magnets, attract the next ones. See? It gets confusing). Red, blue, red, blue, you'll figure it out.
    • I used a 0.1mm margin for the tightest fit, until I realised it's still not strong enough to prevent the magnet being pulled out. Adjust with your specific XY shrinkage if it's too tight, since:
  • Magnets need to be glued. There is a strong pull action when you disconnect, and over a year most of them have been undone and glued back
    • I recommend to try a dry fit or be very careful to establish the magnet order before gluing them in place. Once one is misplaced, it ruins the compatibility with other connectors. Use a pile of remaining magnets to pull them out after the dry fit

Hose assembly

• Just screw a 39mm dust hose on it, it's the classic ones for most home vacuum and shopvacs. Note that it needs to be screwed counter-clockwise to tighten, in reverse of the standard way. Don't ask me why, that's how I found every dust hose to be
• To connect to your shopvac, use the provided hose but unscrew the provided connector ending, maybe with a little forcing (sometimes there's a weak glue), and replace with your own connector. If you're afraid that it will be destructive, I leave it up to people to create an adapter to their brand. I use a cyclone between my shopvac so this wasn't required anyway

Notes when using

• I've included 2 magnets adapters if you're using 6mm or 8mm ones, but I recommend staying on the safe side and using bigger ones. There's quite some pressure in the end, and you don't want your dust flying around if you bump the connector by mistake in the middle of a cut, or if you move your shopvac around while still connected.
• you might find that metal scraps are going to go on the connectors, screws, metal bits from drilling or cutting metal sheets, etc. So wipe it if you want both parts to stay tight
• I have no idea of the performance of this connector, but it's good enough for me to use it everywhere and happily. If anyone wants to measure it, be my guest and keep me posted

Included extensions, and futures ones to come (maybe)

• To come: a magnet connector with a tapered ending to fit in the regular shopvac accessories, like the “broom”. I actually forced one of these magnet connector into my broom head, after softening it with a heat gun. It worked wonderfully for the past months, but I probably should create a proper accessory adapter. It's the real simplicity step though, when all your accessories go to the magnet ending, without unplugging hoses or else
• You'll find an experiment with some connectors having an extra lip (male) & and extra chamfer (female) to be eventually better sealed. In the end I didn't perceive any difference in performance, and it breaks the compatibility between all connectors (need to remember which is male, which is female). So, not going to improve on these, but I leave them if people are inspired to improve the current connector
• I live in Thailand, so can't recommend amazon links, but 10x3 magnet models are really easy to find