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Is there any real reason to pay the extra 12$ for aluminum gates vs plastic ones?

They don't break, and the parts have a much tighter fit resulting in less air loss when closed. I have the same crappy plastic ones in my shop, but there's always something sexier to spend my money on!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

The plastic ones seem to get jammed with dust and stop closing all the way quite often too.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

The problem Brian describes can be minimized by cutting off the edge of the gate slide. Cover it with duct tape to re-seal. When you peel back the tape you can push the trapped dust out. The duct tape may need to be replaced occasionally. The metal ones can cost a fortune for a well equipped shop - the plastic with the above mod get the job done for us.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I've been using the metal blast gates like the ones from Lee Valley.
http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=51506&cat=1,42401,62597

I think I found a source that had a better price but can't remember where. If I can come up with it I'll post it.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I sell Spiral Manufacturing Brand dust collection systems , as far as price against anyone else I would just have to see what I could do .

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+1. They do what they're suppose to do and are reasonably priced.

Those do look nice. A small drawback though is the space required behind them. I have two intersections where I want to gate wyes, it couldn't be done wit those...

Maybe not news to most, but save yourself a little and also have cleaner air by not using the central system to collect from a jointer (maybe a planer, too?). The discharge can just go into a bucket.

How would you have cleaner air?

If you run the typical bag dust collector, it is maybe 2 microns. The fan keeps blowing the old collected dust around inside and the bag keeps emitting 2 micron dust. That is if your bag or pleated filter does not leak. Many times you can find a line of dust along the machine where the system is not properly sealed, so it is even worse than 2 microns. A jointer shaves off wood and just drops it down a chute into a bucket, without generating lots of fine particles. I do not have a planer, so I do not know how the shavings leave the machine.

That's my take on it.

There is no value in a bag collector if you really want health protecting dust collection.

We're stepping up to proper cyclones with filters good for 99.8% of all down to .02 micron, complemented with retrofit HEPA filters on our air cleaners...

Just go hit up your local HVAC wholesaler. They usually have 4 and 6 inch in stock.
Pretty reasonable.

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My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

Hey, I need 5" of course. I've decided to treat myself and spend the extra 30$ in a 2k overall system...