Building blast gates and pipe material selection

[Bob Cooper]

I'd like to build my own blast gates. Initially manual ones but eventually some would be automatic -- similar to Alan S's. Does this have a big impact on what duct pipe material I should use -- PVC vs snap lock

[Robert Payne]

I've built many myself using 4" or 6" D-2729 PVC couplings cut in half and used for female-female versions -- used 3/4" plywood on hand and 1/4" BB plywood for the slide gates -- Alan uses laminate for slides which is better and 1/2" plywood for bodies is fine as well. You can also make female-to-male by using a short section of PVC pipe on one side if that is preferred. My ductwork is all PVC for versatility and cost.

[John Hays]

Well, I guess it depends on what your ducting is made out of. I would assume that PVC works better with PVC and metal works better with metal.

I have to agree with Robert, PVC is a little more versatile and cheaper (depending on your geographical location). Also it isn't prone to cutting up your hands every time you try to work with it.

My DC collection is all PVC and I did use Alan's blast gate method as a guide, but modified the design to my needs. They seem to work as they should, so no complaint's here.