Originally Posted by
Anthony Whitesell
I'm definately not fond of the damper design. Easy enough to make and automate. I run a lot of pine. I would be very fearful of clogs from the planer and the jointer. I woulda almost gaurantee that it would clog.
Over the course of 20+ years, I have run just about every common species of wood thru my planer and jointer using the damper design. No issues. If the system clogs, there's something wrong with the duct design, or perhaps the dust collector is underpowered.
If I was to set up shop again, I would consider a neat design that was posted here about two years ago. It was a sliding blast gate that pivoted at one end and had two pull ropes at the other end: one to open, and one to close. No motors, no air cylinders, just a simple tug. It was meant to be installed in the overhead. A simple 24V relay and microswitch can be rigged to the gate to auto start the dust collector. Very simple, low cost, and very elogant.
Jeff
Thank goodness for SMC and wood dough.