I need to get a bunch of 5" gates (i think they are called) for my dust collection and some Y, T and stuff. Where is the best/cheapest place to get them. I want decent quality gates.
[OP]
Member
I need to get a bunch of 5" gates (i think they are called) for my dust collection and some Y, T and stuff. Where is the best/cheapest place to get them. I want decent quality gates.
-=Jason=-
Member
I just looked at some 5" gates on Amazon for $5-6. I ordered 4" Jet gates for $9.00. I think they have Jet 5" also.
Moderator
Lee Valley has some nice blastgates. I picked up several 6" ones for my ductwork.
For starters, you do not want Tee fittings...stick with Wyes (Y).
Are you going PVC or metal?
Member
r u trying to start something here Chris?Originally Posted by Chris Padilla
fledgling weekend warrior
Member
5" is hard as all get out to come by pipe and fittings unless you have a truck load of money...
You might consider upsizing your inlet to your DC to 6", which is MUCH more common, easier, and cheaper to come by...
I have Lee Valley self cleaning aluminum blast gates. I went with 4" but 5" and 6" are available through them...
In quantities greater than 4 the prices for the self cleaning blast gates currently are...
4" $12.60
5" $15.25
6" $18.00
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...=1,42401,62597
I wish I could recall the name of the company I got my clamps from. They had the best price on 5" metal duct, Y fittings, etc... But that isn't saying a lot. 5" stuff is EXPENSIVE...
Trying to follow the example of the master...
Moderator
Actually, it sure looks that way. Since the OP already stated he is using 5", that automagically means metal since PVC isn't available in 5" that I'm aware of. My bad for possibly starting something!r u trying to start something here Chris?
Now if the OP were to consider 6" (which in most cases, is usually better), then my question is still valid.
Member
Another source is Ken Craft Company in Toledo, OH. Good prices, great people to work with. I've only bought a few DC fittings (which were very nice) since I use PVC, but I've bought a lot of lumber and sheet goods from them since they are local.
Member
I did some extensive searching and found Kencraft to be the cheapest. They were very quick on the delivery, too. I used their fittings and 6" PVC from Menards for my system. It worked out to be about 45% cheaper than buying from any of the other places.
Moderator
We have to be careful with the assumption that 6" is better, so I'm glad you said "...in most cases", although even "most" is not necessarily accurate. Ideally, we'd be able to vary the duct diameter in smaller increments to optimize the air flow for the specific system needs, including the blower and the tool hood size and configuration. 5" is actually a very useful size and potentially optimal in many situations. It kicks but, for example, on my slider which has a 120mm port and a well-designed blade shroud. Works well on my J/P, too.
To the OP, don't discount making your own blast gates. The problem inherent in almost all commercially available blast gates is that they usually fit inside the duct and constrict the air flow to some extent, depending on the type of material they are made from. The cast aluminum gates are the biggest offenders, in my experience. I use them, but in hindsight, I should have made my own.
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Member
Got my gates from www.blastgateco.com. Liked the price and customer service.
Contributor
I concur with Tim about BlastGate Co.'s prices and customer service. However, I found their aluminum castings to be quite rough and their 5" cast aluminum blast gates did not fit tightly into 5" spiral pipe. I had to partially line the outside ring of the blast gate with 1/16" rubber gasket material to get the pipe to fit.
Chris is also correct, the inside diameter of a 5" cast aluminum blast gate does constrict the flow considerably.
Member
Sean, I agree the 1st set of gates I got from blastgate had a lot of play in them. I picked up a tube of air duct sealant that helped fill the gap. The last set were much better. I did get some self tapping screws from them that made the connection much easier. I still used the air duct sealant to seal any leaks. Sometimes it seems the snaplock pipe I use also is slightly different diameter. Maybe its just me.
Contributor
That's a good idea to use the sealant. Strange that there would be so much variation in size. Considering they're cast, I'd expect the dimensions to be pretty much dead-on. I used one section of 7" snap-lock in my system. I did find that its diameter varied more than the spiral pipe.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
