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I'm an occasional woodworker and currently replacing all 5 of my Jet blast gates - typical reasons.they clog with dust and therefore can't be fully closed. 2 of mine have also come apart (the front panel piece came unglued).This product is a lemon.
See Customer Images. Rather than replace them, I repaired each gate using pop-rivets or 8-32 machine screws & nuts to hold the halves together. Unlike other reviewers though, none of my Woodstock blast gate has EVER filled up with dust or debris to the point that it stopped working or needed cleaning. Jet JW1007 4-Inch Blast GateThese Woodstock International blast gates are identical to the ones I began using over 20 years ago. The two halves on all of my Woodstock gates eventually came unglued. Some lasted a couple of years, and one lasted at least a decade before separating. It would have made sense to taper maybe the first 1/4" so it slides into a duct or hose, but tapering the entire male fitting end was not a great idea.I have a blast gate for the table saw, sliding compound miter saw, planer, sander, band saw, jointer, and drill press. Perhaps that's because the dust collector is a 3-hp 1800 cubic feet minute unit; and the air moves so fast, it doesn't have a chance to clog a blast gate.
This same blast gate is sold by countless vendors; Jet is just one of many.They are inexpensive and work acceptably, although they leak a little air when closed.They have three parts, the two halves (glued together) with the movable gate in the middle. Except for this issue, none of my plastic blast gates ever "broke".The gate's ABS plastic body is smooth and each male side is slightly tapered. Also, the grooves in a blast gate are more likely to clog if the gate handle faces down.I rate them at two stars, since a customer shouldn't have to repair a product to keep it working, and the tapered male ends allow hoses to slip off. Because of that taper, a clamped-on air hose tends to slip off, unless screws or other methods are used, to keep it attached.
THEY WORK FINE BUT FILL UP WITH DUST PARTICLES. WORTH THE DIFFERENCE IN PRICE YOU HAVE TO TAKE THEM OFF THE HOSES AND CLEAN THEM WITH A SMALL DRILL BIT. GET ONE THAT IS SELF CLEANING.
Problem: chips collect in the two channels where the gate slides and as you close the gate, the chips get packed into the channels and the gate won't fully close. Don't waste your money and time on these cheap plastic gates. Then what. Blastgates require periodic cleaning. The metal version blastgate has screws and disassembles for cleaning. For a few dollars more, the metal blastgates are well worth it as they are assembled with screws. These plastic gates must be broken at the welds.
I have blast gates permanently mounted on my saws, and use the Jet quick-disconnect fittings and flex hose to connect the tools to the dust collector. Can't comment on the gate plugging as I never close it. Works great.
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