Thursday, November 20, 2014

Multi blast gate box for vacuum









I use my shop vacuum for some of the machines in my shop and thought it would be easier to leave hoses attached instead of switching them  back and forth so  I made this multi blast gate. The gate slides easy even with the vacuum on.
















To make a box I first  take  some measurements. I place a hose in the vacuum cleaner and use a Wixey gauge to get the angle and it is 14  degrees.....

....and the diameter of the hole is 2 1/4 ".






The box is made  of  scrap 3/4 "plywood I find in my shop. I cut four pieces to  8 1/2"x5".






A drill press is set up with guides and an angle of 14 degrees. I am now ready to drill the hole using a 2 1/4" hole saw.











The piece is tested and fits nicely into  the vacuum. Now the rest of the box can be built.







To cut the two inner pieces I first drill a hole large enough to fit  the jigsaw blade then continue to cut the pieces for the box.











The pieces are laid out and ready for gluing. I use Titebond and clamp it and let it set overnight.










For the front  I use one of the pieces of plywood and this time lay it flat and drill  two holes again using the 2 1/4' hole saw, these will be for the hoses.




The front is screwed on just in case the unit has to be taken apart.
The gate is cut to size and fits perfectly in the slide.


I drilled and cut some rings for the face of the unit. They are glued on the box and will  give more support for the hoses.
 Ready for paint...

This is the back side with the hose connecter masked up.
The gate has a hole drilled in only one side at 2 1/4". When it slides in the box the hole lines up exactly to the right side hole. A small piece of wood with a dado cut was glued onto the end of the gate for a good grip.









The hoses are attached to the vacuum and the other ends to the bandsaw and drillpress. Both work great and the gate makes it easy to switch over from one machine to another.
















See also:

Dust collector arm                              Make a clamp                                     Table saw safety stop