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Thread: Should I make a dust hood for a Jet 13" planer ?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    857

    Should I make a dust hood for a Jet 13" planer ?

    I've got a Jet 13" planer/molder. I was sceptical that I would really like DC, so I got a really cheap chinese import 650 cfm DC. The planer is hooked up to about 6' of 4"PVC in a straight line from the DC port with about 2' of flex hose to connect to the planer's dust hood. Everything is nearly horizontal, i.e. I'm not raising it 10' to the ceiling. I'm still getting chips collecting on the planer bed and the top of my wood, which is then getting pressed into the wood by the back roller.

    My question, The planer's dust hood is pointing off to the side of the planer, wouldn't it make a lot more sense for the dust hood to be "pointing" straight at the cutterhead? Is this going to make any difference or do I need to spend the money to get a real DC?

    Here is a link to a picture of the planer in case my description wasn't clear:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ima...&n=507846&s=hi

    Second question, I'm getting stripes in my planed wood which I assume indicates small chips in the blade. It seems to me that it is way too soon for this to be happening, is it somehow related to not having better DC?

    Final question, in real life what can I expect from a great DC on this planer, will it ever get all the chips?

  2. #2
    Tom,

    I have a craftsman 12 inch planer. This thing does great on only a 2 1/2 inch outlet. I do have a 1200 CFM dust collector, but the air I am moving is probably less than you are, do to my 2 1/2 inch outlet and hose. However, my planer does have a fan to assist the chips.

    I would think that making the hood is going to help some, but I don't know that it will solve your problem.

    The nicks in your blades may or may not be normal. I get them in mine all of the time too. I just sand them out. It is a pain, but I have to sand the whole project anyway...
    Jeff Sudmeier

    "It's not the quality of the tool being used, it's the skills of the craftsman using the tool that really matter. Unfortunately, I don't have high quality in either"

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Peachtree City, GA
    Posts
    1,582
    Tom,
    You may want to look at how high off the floor your PVC pipe is. For a 1200cfm DC, it is recommended that the pipe/duct work be no more than 36" above the floor. I would think that with a 650, you need to keep that pipe as close to the elevation of the in-port of the DC as possible.

    As for dust collection, I view it like clamps: you can never have enough. Of course, I'm a cyclist, and I rely on my lungs so I can be competitive. Your mileage may vary.
    Maurice

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    NW Indiana
    Posts
    1,050
    I have the same unit. The dust hood is a MUST there's a chip defector is next to the cutter head without the dust hood the chips get pulled back down and recut them it might have chiped the knives. I would say if you handy (as most woodworkers are) take a shot at making your own dust hood. You can't you a worst job that they did the stock hood is a poor design. The outlet should be closer to the cutter head and pointed up! not to the side like they have it.I you want I could post a better pic of the stock dust hood.

    Hope it helps,Russ
    Last edited by Russ Massery; 04-22-2005 at 10:14 AM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    857
    I'm a triathlete, focusing on long distance triathlons so I definitely understand that. In fact what really sold me on the DC was the coughing I was doing in the shop, then the handkerchefs filled with sawdust for hours afterwards. The last thing I wanted was to be 70 miles into a race and coughing up wood chips.

    My PVC pipe comes straight out of the DC waist high. It runs level along the wall in a straight line to the planer. The port on the planer is only about 12" higher than the PVC and is connected by a short flex. hose.

  6. #6
    Tom,

    Hoods that have outlets straight out the back are certainly more efficient but I would venture a guess that the main trouble is lack of flow with the small DC. A larger, more powerful DC is probably the only real fix for this problem.

    Terry
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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