Since I'm cheap, enjoy a challenge and kinda like working with sheet metal, I decided to make my own wye for the dust collection system I'm putting in.
The wye building went pretty well, when it was done, I got to wondering if I could put in a diverter to switch between the two branches rather than relying on blast gates.
After playing with a 3d model and materials for a while I came up with a v1.0 that's ready for testing.
It's fairly simple. A PET plastic diverter pivots at the intersection point of the two branches and is actuated by a metal rod that slides from branch to branch. There will be a wood shelf directly above the pipe, I think the hole through it can provide enough friction to hold the diverter in position. This diverter blocks maybe 98% of the area of the closed branch, I think it will effectively maximize the airflow from the intended wye branch (maybe more so than a conventional blast gate since it doesn't create a "dead end".
v1.2 might incorporate a sheet of neoprene or similar between two sheets of plastic to better seal the closed branch.
Would love to hear thoughts and any ideas for improvements.
http://youtu.be/6s28L3S-Eyc
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