Remotely-Operated Blast Gates -- How?

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  • LarryG
    The Full Monte
    • May 2004
    • 6693
    • Off The Back
    • Powermatic PM2000, BT3100-1

    Remotely-Operated Blast Gates -- How?

    My new shop will have its duct collection piping under the floor. For now it will be powered by my HF 2HP DC; in future, I plan to upgrade to a cyclone.

    For maximum efficiency, I want to locate the blast gates as close as possible to the main trunk, rather than at the end of each branch next to the machine it serves. This creates an accessibility problem: how do I open and close a blast gate that I can't get to?

    Two possible solutions that have already come to mind:

    1. Commercially-available motorized gates. These open and close automatically when a tool comes on and shuts off. Nice! Downside is high cost. Also, when I upgrade to a cyclone I will probably have larger ducts, and could end up stuck with some expensive motorized gates that are now too small.

    2. Cable-and-pulley system, operated by a lever or wheel located at each tool. I've given some thought to this and think it could be done reasonably easily. A little crude, maybe, but cheap and simple.

    My question is, is there another way? Would it be possible to cook up a home-brewed motorized solution, maybe using low-voltage DC motors or whatever?
    Larry
  • Uncle Cracker
    The Full Monte
    • May 2007
    • 7091
    • Sunshine State
    • BT3000

    #2
    Maybe you could use some kind of wire-inside-spring actuation (kind of like an old-style manual choke cable with a knob on one end). Advantages: cheap hardware and standard blast gates, flexible routing, low maintenance.

    I would definitely shy away from putting anything that might need fixing under the floor...

    Comment

    • thrytis
      Senior Member
      • May 2004
      • 552
      • Concord, NC, USA.
      • Delta Unisaw

      #3
      Check out this thread and this thread on a shop made pneumatic system. They may still not be cheap, but at least if you upgrade you should be able to reuse any of the expensive parts.
      Eric

      Comment

      • master53yoda
        Established Member
        • Oct 2008
        • 456
        • Spokane Washington
        • bt 3000 2 of them and a shopsmith ( but not for the tablesaw part)

        #4
        why don't you want them at the branch termination if the ducting is sealed it won't make a difference where they are located.

        just wondering.
        Art

        If you don't want to know, Don't ask

        If I could come back as anyone one in history, It would be the man I could have been and wasn't....

        Comment

        • LarryG
          The Full Monte
          • May 2004
          • 6693
          • Off The Back
          • Powermatic PM2000, BT3100-1

          #5
          Originally posted by master53yoda
          why don't you want them at the branch termination if the ducting is sealed it won't make a difference where they are located.
          ... um, because I thought the body of experts known as "they" say the gates should be as close as possible to the main trunk, so that the DC unit will be sucking on as little empty pipe as possible when a gate is closed.

          Not true?
          Larry

          Comment

          • JR
            The Full Monte
            • Feb 2004
            • 5633
            • Eugene, OR
            • BT3000

            #6
            Just thinking out loud here...

            How about using a lawn sprinkler controller? This allows a number of separate stations to activate. They now have models that have remote controls. These systems normally energize a spring-loaded electomagnet. The travel of the mechanism is insufficient for this application, but maybe something involving UC's spring mechanism could be rigged up.

            JR
            JR

            Comment

            • toolguy1000
              Veteran Member
              • Mar 2009
              • 1142
              • westchester cnty, ny

              #7
              larry...funny, the body of experts known as "they" that i've encountered seemed to advocate keeping the blast gate as near to the individual tool as possible. but i see the reason for keeping it near the trunk, so seepage through unutilized branches doesn't compromise efficiency. have you checked the bill pentz site?

              This site is all about dust collection and protection. It shares the risks from fine dust exposure, how to measure your risks and how to effectively protect yourself and those close to you from airborne dust hazards. Fine dust is so extensively studied that researchers call it PM short for particle material. A Google search on PM Health Risks shows over 40 million references as to how unhealthy fine dust is. For most fine dust is an irritant that we do not realize is slowly causing permanent damage to build that often does not even show until our later years. However, in about one in seven the chemicals found in and on airborne dusts can cause worsening allergic reactions with a small few getting poisoned and developing cancers. You should protect yourself and this site shares how. This site shares how to modify your tool hoods, design and install ducting, pick the right sized blower, pick the right separator (trashcan separator, cyclone or drop box), and how to pick the correct shop vacuum, dust collector, air cleaner and cyclone system. This site also helps you pick the right respirator mask to get good fine dust protection. It shares how to select, size, protect and clean your dust collection filters. It shares how to design and build a good cyclone separator, blower, filter stack, filter cleanout, muffler and downdraft table. It shows how to size, design and build a small shop ducting system. It also shares detailed plans with building instructions on how to build my cyclone, blower, air cleaner, and filter system.
              there's a solution to every problem.......you just have to be willing to find it.

              Comment

              • cabinetman
                Gone but not Forgotten RIP
                • Jun 2006
                • 15218
                • So. Florida
                • Delta

                #8
                Originally posted by Uncle Cracker

                I would definitely shy away from putting anything that might need fixing under the floor...

                I agree, it should be easily accessible.
                .

                Comment

                • pelligrini
                  Veteran Member
                  • Apr 2007
                  • 4217
                  • Fort Worth, TX
                  • Craftsman 21829

                  #9
                  I wonder if some sort of vacuum device could be adapted, like the ones that operate HVAC gates, hidden headlamps and such for cars. The DC itself should be able to create enough vacuum or develop enough for a vacuum reservoir.
                  Erik

                  Comment

                  • LarryG
                    The Full Monte
                    • May 2004
                    • 6693
                    • Off The Back
                    • Powermatic PM2000, BT3100-1

                    #10
                    So far I'm liking UC's choke cable idea best (which is not to say I don't appreciate the input from Eric, Art, JR, toolguy, and the other Erik ... thanks, guys).

                    McMaster-Carr -- which is not known for being the cheapest source, many times -- has push/pull cable assemblies with a 15'-8" long cable and a 5" maximum stroke for $32 each. Not dirt cheap, but less than a third of the ~$100 cost of a motorized gate (and I'd still need some way to control one of those). The 15'-8" should be a sufficiently long cable, and I'd probably spend a significant percentage of that $32 on any kind of shop-built mechanism. Hmm.

                    toolguy, Pentz is one of those who says to put the blast gates right off the main trunk.
                    Larry

                    Comment

                    • pelligrini
                      Veteran Member
                      • Apr 2007
                      • 4217
                      • Fort Worth, TX
                      • Craftsman 21829

                      #11
                      Jeg's has a 6' choke cable for $6.99. http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/15830/10002/-1
                      Erik

                      Comment

                      • thrytis
                        Senior Member
                        • May 2004
                        • 552
                        • Concord, NC, USA.
                        • Delta Unisaw

                        #12
                        Do you need a full 5" pull? With a little mechanical contraption on the gate, you could probably convert a shorter pull to 5" or 6" as necessary. Would that make the cable any cheaper?
                        Eric

                        Comment

                        • sweensdv
                          Veteran Member
                          • Dec 2002
                          • 2862
                          • WI
                          • Baileigh TS-1040P-50

                          #13
                          Larry, have you found this company yet in your researching, http://www.nordfab.com/index.cfm/do/pages.view/id/57/p/1/page/Nordfab-Products~Automatic-Blast-Gates ? Probably not the cheapest but on the surface it looks to me like you might be able to have the tool actually open and close the gate when it's powered on and off. Watch the video.
                          _________________________
                          "Have a Great Day, unless you've made other plans"

                          Comment

                          • JR
                            The Full Monte
                            • Feb 2004
                            • 5633
                            • Eugene, OR
                            • BT3000

                            #14
                            This guy's system is interesting.

                            Comprised of five divisions — Collectibles, Home Arts, Home Building, Marine, and Writer’s Digest — Active Interest Media (AIM) produces leading consumer and trade events, websites, magazines and films/TV shows.
                            JR

                            Comment

                            • thrytis
                              Senior Member
                              • May 2004
                              • 552
                              • Concord, NC, USA.
                              • Delta Unisaw

                              #15
                              Originally posted by JR
                              If you want to see additional details on that, see the links to ncwoodworker.net in my earlier post. That is the same guy.
                              Eric

                              Comment

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