Replies

1. 
   JMartinsky | Dec 23, 2006 05:06am | #1

   Dear Harold,
   Merry Christmas! A couple of questions:

   1) What type of trouble are you having?
   2) How large is the collector pipe to the planer?
   3) What type of DC do you have?

   Best,

   John

1. 
   Harold Pomeroy | Dec 23, 2006 03:58pm | #2

   John, The dust and chips are thrown around inside the planer hood, and get thrown out the infeed end. Before I modified the hood, the planer chute would actualy clog with chips. The dust collector port is 5", and the pipe to it is 6" from the ceiling, then 10" for 20', then 12" for 10', to the 12" inlet on the blower.The blower is a big old impeller powered by a 10 hp motor, blowing the chips and dust into a trailer, with no cyclone or return air. This is so that there won't be any back pressure. I also vent the shop to provide make up air. I don't like dust.This dust collection system handles the other stuff fine, including a 16" jointer. Harold

1. 
   JMartinsky | Dec 23, 2006 04:25pm | #3

   Dear Harold,
   The two things that come to mind are:1) Is there any packing material still inside the planer?2) Are you getting the air flow that you need from the DC? I have a much smaller set up (3 hp Cyclone) and if I step down the collection hose too much, it won't collect lint. I don't understand the physics behind it, but if I reduce the hose to, say 2 1/2", for a vac line, it has about half of the draw of my shop vac with the same size hose. I am wondering if , with all of those step downs that there is so much turbulence, that it is restricting the air flow. I would contact Oneida Air Systems ( http://www.oneida-air.com/ ) and see what they would design for such a set up. They designed my system, and it works great, they are pretty reasonable, in that, they will do the design work. for free and even let you take the design and purchase a competitors unit.Best,John

1. 
   Harold Pomeroy | Dec 23, 2006 11:05pm | #4

   John,
   That's a good idea to check for packing material. I wish there were a problem like that.Stepping down blower pipe is normal with central dust collection. You can't run 12" lines to all the machines, and you don't need to, unless it's a molder.I'm hoping some other Powermatic 209 user re-engineered the hood to work better, so that I can use what they learned.Harold

1. 
   tinkerer2 | Dec 25, 2006 05:22am | #5

   "I am hoping some other Powermatic 209 user  re-engineered the hood to work better."

   I am hoping so also because that is one of the planers I have been looking to purchase.  A problem with dust discharge would be a big negative in determining which one to get.

2. 
   BilljustBill | Dec 25, 2006 06:37am | #6

     Harold,

      I have the 20" Woodtek which has the same 5" dust port.  I've never had a clog problem on the planer, but I've placed the planer second in line from my inside cyclone collector.

      I'd say your clogging issue has got to be due to both the amount of air and the velocity of the air....  When you have a 6" collection duct with a 5" duct at the end, there's a drop in air velocity that carries away the chips. With all the extra room the 6" duct has and the slower air speed, the vertically climbing chips may be caught in some air/chip turbulence which lessen the actual suction.   I think that the first thing you might try is running a 5" duct from your planer port up to your larger main duct.  Pulling the chips vertically by matching ducting to the matching planer port should offer a stronger pull.

      If that doesn't completely do it, then look at the planer's dust collection hood.  See if you can open some air ports so there's more air being pulled into the collection hood that can then carry the chips into the 5" duct.  Mine is held by just a few bolts and where the top opening bends 90 degrees along each side, there are spaces where air enters.  At first I thought those to be "Leaks", but I've left them when I realized they allow extra intake air into the hood.

     One final thought is to get your machine manual and look at pictures and settings for the planer's chip breaker.  See if the chip breaker is perhaps set back, allowing larger chips than the original machine's specs would produce.

      Also I wonder if when you start up and run your empty planer, does the planer get louder when you open the blast gate and the air passes over the cutter head indicating a good air flow?

       Don't forget to post when you find an answer to your clogging problem.  I'd like to understand and hear you final solution.

      Bill