Dust collection remote vs auto blast gate system

[Joseph Spallina]

I'm installing a new cyclone dust collection system at my shop which came with an auto blast gate system (motor turns on when blast gate opens). I used a "long ranger" remote for my old system, which I still have and could use instead. Does anyone who has experience with both types have any preference for one over the other? I'm even toying with rigging up a parallel either/or thing, but that may be more trouble than it's worth. Thanks in advance for any insight.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Trouble with blast gate system, is you have both open and close gate after every cut / operation, which isn't for me. My system uses a sensor in panel box to operate DC. Tools turns on, DC comes on. Tool turns off, 10 seconds later
(delay on break timer) DC turns off. This allows for clearing of pipe work. Installed in 2001, and never a problem

[Curtis Myers]

I had a remote in the past and it was never near the machine I was currently using. I also tried some auto gate systems but had to tinker with they to much for my liking. I now use a heavy duty multi switch system. Plug the dust collector into the multi switch and run a very small wire from the multi switch to remote locations where the dust collector can be turned on. I mounded an inexpensive light switch to my blast gates to operate the dust collector. Very simple, inexpensive and reliable. Never have to look for the remote and zero tinkering.

[Robert Delhommer Sr]

I use a remote control I got off of Amazon and wear the little fob on my shop apron, always handy and I can turn on/off from anywhere in the shop, inexpensive too, about $15.00.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I had a remote in the past and it was never near the machine I was currently using.

Me too, for a while. Then I bought 2 more remotes from Long Ranger. Stuck H&L strips on the backs and on the machines - they stay in place unless I choose to take somewhere.

So now, I have: 1 remote on top of my TS fence; One remote on the face of some shelves that sit above and behind the jointer; one remote attached to the top wheel housing on my BS. THe BS is right beside where the planer sits when I roll it into place. I figgered that 2 extra remotes [or 3 more if I needed it] would be much cheaper and much easier to install than the auto gates.

But - I still have to open and close the gates. So - I made some long tee-handles out of wood, attached them to gates for TS and Jointer, ran them up under the outfeed tables and hold them in place with a loosely-tightened zip tie. Easy to open and close without bending over - the lazy approach.

At the bandsaw, I went full Red Green - there is a wood handle on a cord that drops down to 3' above the BS table. Up to a pulley, over to another pulley, down to the blast gate handle [floor-level, 5' away]. I took a few 4oz lead surf fishing weights and a small sledge, and beat them flat, drilled a hole, put the cord through the holes. The weights ride on top of the blast gate, and drops it shut when I release the cord from the boot-jack style lock above the BS.

[Mike Chalmers]

I use a remote control I got off of Amazon and wear the little fob on my shop apron, always handy and I can turn on/off from anywhere in the shop, inexpensive too, about $15.00.

+1. Cheap, effective, smart.

[Joseph Spallina]

Thanks for the responses guys. Sounds like there's not a lot of love for the switched blast gates. I had been happy with the Long Ranger system up until now and may just keep it. Just need to make sure the unit i have works with a higher HP motor.

Bruce, is the sensor in your panel a commercially available product or was it something you designed and implemented?

[Bruce Wrenn]

Bruce, is the sensor in your panel a commercially available product or was it something you designed and implemented?

It was an article in FWW, Aug 2000. I added delay on break timer so DC would clear pies before shut down.

[mike mcilroy]

The pies are for me, the machine can have the dust in the pipes.

[Joseph Spallina]

Thanks Bruce. Just checked out that FWW article and like the idea. Was the 10 second delayed shut off your mod? May I ask how you implemented the timer?

[Bill Adamsen]

Like Kent I use a little two channel remote ... [see article on SMC] ... I have a number of them. I like Kent's idea of attaching them near or on the tools themselves. I actually was thinking about that last week ... as in, "this little fob is really annoying hanging on my vest, what if I were to double-side tape it to the tool?"

My manual gates are all at a height between my waist and shoulders so they are pretty accessible. I seem to be challenged remembering to shut gates consistently on tools when I move on from an operation, and open them when starting.

The voltage sensor is also a good idea. Can't remember why I thought it wasn't going to work for me - probably because the cyclone runs off a vfd and is located a fair distance from the load center. I suspected that type of install would require running an additional wire back and forth between load center and "post" VFD.

Has anyone further developed this idea of an automatic gate and cyclone starting switch? It could be a wireless sending unit located inside a paired plug/outlet with a frequency matched to a gate and relay. The paired plug/outlet would have all the standard nema configs for a shop. be The relay would need to be smart enough to know if it was already on. Just thinking out loud.

While I don't use timers on the cyclone, I do have soft start and stop via the VFD.

[Matt Mattingley]

I personally believe that DC should work hand-in-hand with any equipment that demands it(i.e. TS, jointer, planer, and any sanding machines). Sometimes it is the simplest cut that is overlooked. Having auto blast gates and auto DC on large machines that create a lot of dust is a dream of mine. Making it simple is another question. I for one hate listening to DC but most DC motors capacitors only allow for 6 to 12 starts an hour (single phase). I have played with timers, remote starts/stops , wireless starts/stops , and non-evasive (load sensors) machine load starts/stops which both include autoblast gates. So far through all my testing a fob to control blast gate and DC are by far the cheapest and simplest and one should be at each machine.

And I do agree for a 10 second timer to clear the system on shutdown when load sensors are controlling the DC.