Dust extraction - Hose size

[transatlantic]

I've noticed that the extraction hoses for handheld power tools that produce small dust (circular saws, routers, sanders etc) can come in different size hoses, 27mm to 35mm.

Curious as whether the small hoses work any better? ... I was think that the smaller it is, the stronger the suction, so for very focused tools like a router, could work better?

 

[MattRoberts]

Better than what?

 

[Sideways]

Narrower should be easier to handle / more flexible if you're comparing like with like - so better suited to e.g. smaller routers and sanders.

Flexibility can make a difference. The cheap hose that Mirka sell with their hand sanding blocks is skinny cheap and super flexible. It can clog if you try it with a tracksaw though.

Bigger provides better airflow so / less resistance and is less likely to clog if you get a big chip or lots of chips suddenly e.g. tracksaw and especially a power plane

If I remember correctly Festool recommend both the 27mm ID and the next size up (32 or 35mm ID) for their tracksaw. The 27 is a little easier to handle, the 3x clears heavy cuts better.

If you start using much larger diameter hose there can be problems. Going from a narrow opening on the power tool to a much wider hose, the air speed drops, dust / shavings are not swept along so effectively so they could build up and clog the hose.

I use 50mm ID hose with a workshop vacuum and my table and mitre saws no problem and 50mm hoses are widely available so I guess you're good at least to that size.