It has been a year since I got started remodeling my shop. I haven’t exactly finished with what I had in mind, but then I think a guy’s shop is always under construction. I have completed the basics and have made some nice projects as well as continuing to make the improvements I set out to complete. With that said, there is one area I have completed that has been a little more than disappointing… Dust Collection.
My shop is fairly small and I really didn’t have the budget to buy some large cyclone and really go overboard with the collection. I purchased a fairly standard 2hp collector that should be plenty for my shop. I installed the collector in a small room in the corner of my shop and ran 4″ black hose through the wall to one of the trash can separator lids. Out of the lid, I ran 4″ hose about 18′ down the wall and put a Y at each machine with a plastic blast gate. Each machine is on wheels or a mobile base and is very easy to pull out for use.
This is where my disappointment comes in…These blast gates clog with wood chips in no time and render the collector almost useless. When the gates stop closing all the way due to the chips, the effectiveness of the collector is greatly reduced.
I did a little research (I wish I had done more research when I first bought all my equipment) and found these self-cleaning gates through Lee Valley.
The main problem with the plastic gates is that wood chips and sawdust get caught in the grooves which prevent the gate from sliding closed all the way. With the Lee Valley self-cleaning gates, the grooves or channels go all the way through the gate allowing chips to be cleared out as the gate closes. They also have a knob that you can tighten to lock down the gate to keep it in the open or closed position.
I have just installed these gates as of this morning, but so far I am thrilled with them. The increased performance of my system is more than noticeable, it is like I installed a new system.
The Lee Valley gates are steel and cast aluminum as well as about $7 higher than the plastic gates, but I think they will more than pay for themselves just in cleaning time and frustration.
The first photo below shows the old gates installed in the system. The second photo are the plastic gates after removal. This is as far as they could close due to the chips wedged in the gate channel. The last two photos are of the new gates installed in the system.
