# Blast Gates for dust collectors...suggestions?



## Lormax (Mar 29, 2012)

Hello all. I'm new here, though been reading a number of posts on the forums as I setup my garage for woodworking. I'm at setting up the dust collector, which I purchased at Harbor Freight (the 2hp version). What I was wondering…which blast gates are most of you using? I was getting ready to order some…found some black plastic 4" ones on Amazon, though the reviews weren't too enthusiastic about it. The issue the reviews focused on was that the gates would end up getting clogged with chips and dust, preventing the gate from closing fully. One suggested the metal gates, though there are so many products out there, I'm not sure which to go with.

So that brings me to my main question…what to order? I'd rather not have to take apart my dust collection ducting every few months to clean these things out. Lets assume price isn't a major factor…usability is. Thanks for any suggestions!


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## oskarman (Jan 28, 2012)

i got the self-cleaning blast gates from Lee Valley….they're great and easy to install. i would absolutely purchase them again.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=51506&cat=1,42401,62597


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## SugarbeatCo (Mar 10, 2012)

I use the metal blast gates from rockler, with the screw facing the upsteam side, and they work pretty good. The fitting is really small which makes the install 
a pain, but once set up theyre great. Rockler also sells little wall mounts too


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## MoPower (Feb 6, 2009)

I use both the metal and plastic blast gates with no issues with either. I watch for them on ebay and catch some good deals on them.


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## Lormax (Mar 29, 2012)

Wow, very fast responses, thanks! I'll look into both the Lee Valley and Rockler ones. Ebay gets checked first, thanks Scot


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

I got the metal ones from Woodcraft; I think they're the same as Rockler. Careful which way round you install them; I found out after the fact that it's possible to do it backward! (Knob goes on side toward the machine, not toward the collector.)


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## pmayer (Jan 3, 2010)

I buy my 4" gates from these guys: http://www.blastgateco.com/. Cheap, really good quality, and great service. I will never buy the cheap plastic ones any more.

I used to by my 6" gates from there as well, but now I use Clear Vue. If CV had 4" I would use those as well, but for now they only carry 6".


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## oldworld124 (Mar 2, 2008)

I agree with Oskarman about the Lee Valley blast gates. I have them on my system and have never had any problems with them. They are the highest quality gates on the market. The flex hoses fit very well and they operate smoothly.

They are designed to always clear any sawdust from jamming the gate.


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## AandCstyle (Mar 21, 2012)

Lormax, depending on your setup (number of attached machines, total run of tubing, bends in the tubing, etc) you may find that 4" is not sufficient to do the job. The wall of the tubing creates turbulence or drag and you may find that you are not able to get adequate CFM through a 4" tube. Go to Bill Pentz web site for everything you ever wanted to know about dust collection.
HTH,
Art

http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm


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## woodman88 (Feb 24, 2011)

Rockler has their steel ones onsale right now


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

Metal self cleaning good….plastic cheap ones…suck. I have both, I will never get the plastic ones again.


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## Boxguy (Mar 11, 2012)

Most any gates work with fine dust, the problem I have is with bigger chips that come from planers and routers. Though it lets some air leak when it is open, cutting off the bottom of the gate slide slot so the slide can stick through the bottom makes them self cleaning as you close them. The descending slide cleans out the side groove and nothing collects in the now open bottom of the gate.

You can also make a gate out of a damper valve if you are dealing only with fine dust. A damper valve is a circular metal disk that spins inside the pipe and is operated by an external lever. Turn it sideways to seal the pipe and spin it 90 degrees to open the gate.


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