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  1. #1
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    Default Blast gate gallery

    I though it might be useful to start a blast gate gallery that way folks about to embark on their ducting voyage can see lots of gates all in one thread.
    Please add any sort of blast gates you have made or purchased or know about.
    MDF can be used in place of Al or PVC sheet.

    These are the first all PVC 150 mm slider gates I made back in 2011.
    They use a 150 mm DWV coupler (this makes them female gates) cut in half and PVC glued to 3mm PVC main body and 2mm PVC slider.
    The 3mm PVC was rescued from a skip, the 2mm I bought and a coupler cost $7.
    I ended up making 8 of these and they are all still in use and working well.

    SlidePVC.jpg

    All PVC 100 mm slider.
    The body of this gate comes from the 150 mm cut outs of the 150 mm sliders above.
    This one has a reducer permanently glued on the inlet and that hose is used on some power tools.
    The outlet is a male end.
    SliderPVC100mm.jpg

    All PVC 150mm male rocker.
    Same 3mm PVC sheet as those above
    RockePVCr.jpg

    All PVC 100 mm male rocker.
    It's easily accessible so it didn't need to be a rocker but I had enough pieces of PVC left over from making the 150 mm rocker above so I made it as a rocker.
    RockerPVC100mm.jpg

    This is a 150mm Al rocker with male PVC connections made for the mens shed.
    Al is 3mm - we used it because we had heaps of it (old hospital campus signs).
    The PVC is epoxied to the Al and reinforced with glued and screwed Al brackets i.e. a lot of work

    RockerAl1.jpg

    Same as above but this time the Al brackets are TIGed to the gate body - still a lot of work
    RockerAl2.jpg

    Al/PVC 150 mm male Slider - slide is HDPE.
    This uses home made PVC flange connections glued to the Al body.
    Definitely much simpler to make than the connection shown for the Al/PVC rockers above.
    I will apply the flange idea to the next batch of 150 mm Al/PVC rockers for the mens shed system.
    SliderAl1.jpg
    Because this is the first time I have posted about these here are a couple more pics of this one.

    SliderAl11.jpg
    SliderAl12.jpg

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  3. #2
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    Default

    Fantastic thread.

    Where do you get PVC sheet (or similar) for the slider?

  4. #3
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    Thanks Cava.
    I got the thicker PVC (3mm) out of a skip at work but I bought the 2 mm PVC I used for the sliders.

    The 2mm PVC I got was not exactly 2mm either - it ranged from 1.8 to 2.4 mm thick sometimes over only 100 mm distances apart on the sheet.
    As well as the slider the 2mm PVC is used as the spacer between the two sides of the gate body so I had to make sure I was using thicker bits for the spacers i.e. it was a bit of a PITA.
    It is possible to buy more precisely made stuff but it costs more.

    The PVC is really nice to work with.
    I have a special composite material negative raked TS blade that cuts it like butter, but any fine tooth WW circular will do a far job on it.
    It glues together very strongly using standard PVC cement and a router can be used to cut the holes out quite accurately.
    I even used a Dremel circle cutter to cut the 160 mm diameter holes in the 2mm thick stuff.

    I reckon MDF is good enough for DIY use.
    OK it may not last for 20 years but it should last for at least 10.
    I'm currently in the middle of making a slim line MDF gate from some 3mm (one side white) MDF and the home made PVC flanges.
    Why so thin? Two reasons - one is because I already have some odds and sods pieces of the MDF, and because I just realized that the flange provides significant rigidity to the gate so the gate sides do not need to be so thick.

    Should have that one finished tomorrow.

  5. #4
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    And here it is , 3mm MDF white sheet was used for the body and the slider.
    The spacers between the two halves of the body uses the same MDF but I added an Al shim made from a beer can to make sure the slider does not get jammed.

    It uses about $2 worth of MDF and $3 worth of 150mm PVC pipe including the pipe used for the home made flanges.
    The pipe stubs are glued to the hole in the sides as well as the flanges, which are in turn glued to the MDF body.
    This glue point triangulation make the body quite stiff, and although I have added 4 screws to hold the flange onto the body I reckon for DIY use they would not be needed.
    The action was a tad too tight from for my liking but a little sanding and a wax rub on the slider has made it just right.

    The holes were cut in about 20 seconds using a Dremel circle cutter. I cut the ones in the body slightly undersize and then uses a small drum sander in a DP to get a tight fit to the outside of the pipe stubs.
    This is what takes the most time.
    It took me just under 3 hours to make this one but it should be significantly less if making say 3/4 at the same time.

    You could purchase the 150 mm flanges at $9 each which adds considerably to the cost if you have to make a lot of them.

    I will install this one at the mens shed and see how long it takes them to break it - of course the member that breaks it has to fix it.

    MDFPVC2.jpg
    MDFPVC3.jpg
    MDFPVC1.jpg

  6. #5
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    3mm MDF. Yep, fine for the home workshop. The men's shed You've obviously got a cruel streak in you.

  7. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by aldav View Post
    3mm MDF. Yep, fine for the home workshop. The men's shed You've obviously got a cruel streak in you.
    Its not as daft as it sounds.

    That 3mm MDF gate will be on one side of a 6" Y that has 2 bandsaws connected to it.
    One side of the Y is connected to a 14" BS that does most (90%+) of the BS work and there is already a 6" gate on that side.
    The other side and the MDF gate will be connected to a 16" BS that only a handful of members use (eg I used it to cut PVC pipe) and in two years I have never seen them both being used at the same.
    If previous activity os anything to go by, the gates will sit in the same position (i.e. 14" BS gate open) for many days without being switched so the MDF gate will get little use.

  8. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    I even used a Dremel circle cutter to cut the 160 mm diameter holes in the 2mm thick stuff.
    .
    Bob

    I'm sure you have mentioned this before, but which cutter do you use in your Dremel when cutting PVC using the circle cutter?

    Cheers

    Jeremy
    Cheers

    Jeremy
    If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly

  9. #8
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    Firstly I have to make a correction to the thickness of the thicker PVC used on the sides of the gates described above .
    That PVC was not 3, but 5 or 6mm thick. 3mm would still work OK for DIY gates.
    The nominal 2mm thick stuff was used only for the sliders.

    The Dremel Cutter/Bit I used to cut the 2mm PVC and the 3mm MDF was this one https://www.bunnings.com.au/dremel-u...g-bit_p6373742

    On PVC thicker than 2mm, MDF thicker than 3mm and all Al holes, I use a router and a 1/4" upcut spiral carbide bit.
    The Dremel bit will cut 3mm PVC but it struggles on PVC thicker than that.

    Quote Originally Posted by jmk89 View Post
    Bob

    I'm sure you have mentioned this before, but which cutter do you use in your Dremel when cutting PVC using the circle cutter?

    Cheers

    Jeremy

  10. #9
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    Thanks for that, Bob

    I'm working on a couple of PVC gates in 3mm, so I will get that bit as well
    Cheers

    Jeremy
    If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly

  11. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by jmk89 View Post
    Thanks for that, Bob

    I'm working on a couple of PVC gates in 3mm, so I will get that bit as well
    The other way to do it is with a jigsaw and a half round file.
    It takes a bit longer though.

  12. #11
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    What's wrong with using a router and a template?

  13. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bohdan View Post
    What's wrong with using a router and a template?
    Nothing, and I did mention using a router in post number 8.

    One potential problem with any method is the PVC ducting is not always a consistent size and seeing as the pipe stubs should be a tight fit in the body of the gate this means whatever method is used.
    it needs to cope with this problem.

    The greatest variability is usually between pipes but some pipe even varies along the same length of pipe.
    The average OD of 150 mm stormwater is supposed to be 160.3 mm and mostly they are around that size but a limited survey showed it actually ranges from ~159.5 to ~161mm.

    This one reason why I like making female gates that use half a coupling either side of the gate. The couplings are very consistent in size and the holes can be cut precisely at the start.

    Using a router template will still requires fenagling the last mm or so if you want a tight fit and once the hole is made taking off a whisker more even all round is not that easy to do

    For 6" gates I have typically cut the holes out a tad undersize when using router/dremel/jigsaw etc and then crept up to the right size with a drum sander on a DP.
    When using a circle cutter it is possible to adjust the diameter to get closer to the actual size so there is less sanding.

    One of the best ways to cut the hole it is on a lathe with the body of the gate held onto a faceplate.
    That way whiskers of PVC can be shaved of until the pipe is a sweet fit.
    This picture was taken in 2011 when I did this on the big Nutall lathe at work.

    Housingturningtest.jpg
    This works for the holes in the body of slider but unless your lathe has a really big swing it wont be able to do this for the slider or rocker gates.

    In 2011 I cut a few slider holes out on a Bridgeport metal mill with a 360º table with attached to it
    The table slowly rotates the work past a cutter and to make a very precise hole. Like a lathe micro adjustments can be made to suit the exact size of the hole.
    Gate1.jpg

    For the all Al rocker gates for the mens shed, most of the holes were cut out by our resident 87 year old metal machining guru using a metal mill.
    It was a pleasure to hand them over to him and they came back fitting just so!.

  14. #13
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    Maybe you need to look at another source of PVC pipe Vinidex quote 160 to 160.5mm

    Product Dimensions - Vinidex

  15. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bohdan View Post
    Maybe you need to look at another source of PVC pipe Vinidex quote 160 to 160.5mm
    Good point - They are supposed to be made to an Australian standard and that tolerance is probably the standard.
    Thing is I already have heaps of off cuts that originate from all sorts of sources e.g. skip at work, side of the road, gum tree, salvage yard and purchased from a variety of sources.
    Using these odds and sods for junction joiners and blast gate ends has been a really good use for it.

    The mens shed bought stuff sold by Pipeline and I noticed that seems to be a bit more consistent. its made by Pipe makers WA and that's probably why it is relatively cheap.

  16. #15
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    Bob

    This is possibly off-topic, but here goes.

    What kind of interface should there be between the ducting pipery each side of a blast gate and the inside face of the blast gate? I am wondering whether:
    1. the duct pipe should go all the way through whatever joiner is attached to the outside faces of the BG so that the end of the pipe finishes flush with the inner face of the BG's outer plate; or
    2. the duct pipe finishes inside the joiner fitting?


    As I wrote that, it occurred to me that it may well depend on the type of joiner you are using. So really the question is what surface finish we should be aiming for on the inside face of the outer plate (ie the face that faces the sliding plate of the BG)? Should it be smooth with a crisp 90* angle between the inner face and the inside of the pipe or should it be bell mouthed from the inner face to the inside of the pipe?

    FWIW, I thought that 90* would be correct since the idea is to create as straight a flow as possible through the gate with the two pipes lining up as closely as possible with the hole in the gate's sliding plate. But I've been known to be wrong before.....
    Cheers

    Jeremy
    If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly

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