Last night, I once again found a leaking spot around my dust collector’s plastic chip bag. The standard steel band is about as tight at it will go. I’ve readjusted the bag as best I can, which tends to be a big pain in the behind. And, I’ve toyed with a number of ways to seal the bag, but none have proven to be too permanent or overly effective. I could probably spend more time tinkering with this issue, but I’d rather be making the dust than fiddling with gaskets.
Any good ideas to fixing this problem? FYI, I have the JDS 1.5 hp Dust Force, which tends to look a lot like all of the other machines. Also, I have added a first stage chip collector (the cyclone trash can type) upstream of the collector. I did this mainly because changing the chip bag was such a pain in the behind.
Has anyone had any success making a canister that clamps in place, versus using a clear plastic bag?
Thanks in advance.
Replies
Have you tried a self-stick foam weatherstripping tape applied to the flange where the bag attaches? You'd stick that on, run the bag over it, and then clamp the band clamp onto the bag. The foam would provide enough "give" so that the clamp would press the bag into it, which should make a good seal.
I haven't tried this myself. But if my collector needed it, that's the way I'd go. Foam weatherstripping is cheap and available at hardware stores and home centers...
Zolton
If you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
I've tried that once, but the foam tape I used was only about 1" wide. It was just what I had on hand, and it didn't work too well. Then, I lost interest and got back to putzing with something else. Maybe I should just get to the store, find a wider gasket material, and give it a second try. Maybe I'll get some magnets too while I'm at it. That might help to hold that stupid bag in place while I wrestle the clamp band into submission.
If I could just get rid of the bag all together, I might be a happier man.
Thanks for the advice.
Joe
Joe,
I hear you on the floppy bag always sliding down when you're trying to tighten the band clamp in place! That's one frustrating thing to do - if it can be accomplished at all. The magnets might be a good idea to help hold the bag in place while you deal with the clamp. I used to use strips of masking tape. It only had to hold the bag in place for a few minutes...
Could you run two strips of the weatherstrip around the collector's flange? Would that make it wide enough to be effective?
I installed a small Penn State cyclone unit last year and have really been impressed with how it has cleaned up my shop. Emptying the chip barrel is kind of a pain, but nothing compared to wrestling with a bag type collector unit.
I did keep my old two-bag collector though, and hooked it up to my mitersaw station exclusively. It works great in that capacity. To upgrade its performance, I bought a Shaker Felt collection bag for it and installed that on the top of the unit. I put a plastic bag on the bottom and enclosed that in the old, original bag. That seems to work just fine, and so far - because it's only collecting stuff from the mitersaw - I haven't had to change the bottom bag out in a year...
Zolton If you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
I haven't tried this either but have thought of it in the past. Get hold of one of these thirty for fifty five gallon barrels with the top clamped on it with weather proofing. Cut a hole in the top with proper bolt holed to seal it to your unit. This may be the hard part. Then when it needs emptying, just unclamp the barrel from the top and tote it away. Probably need a dedicated cart for it and a way to raise the barrel a couple inches to its top when replacing it after emptying. I can see a problem in being able to discern when it is full. Possibly fitting some type of air tight window in the upper third of the barrel.
My Jet 1Hp dust collector has a weather-stripping-like foam adhered to the metal frame of the dust collector which the bag is clamped to. I bought the dust collector second hand, so I don't know if it's a retrofit or not. It isn't the easiest thing to hold the bag in place and clamp it, but I don't struggle with it. Try using rare-earth magnets to hold the bag up while you put the band clamp in place.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
(soon to be www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
try using the foam tape that they use to lay down on a pickup bed before they put down a camper,got mine @ the lowes in 2" width 25ft
I have a solution that I have tried. Get rid of the bags.
Poke the exhaust pipe from the blower through the wall. I did this with a 2 hp blower I use to collect dust from my rabbeting table saw, shaper, and tenoner. The planer, jointer, and rip saw go into 7 1/2 hp powered blower, which also exits through the wall into a trailer.
The loss of heat is worth the clean air, even in New England. The bags recirculate the finest dust, which is most harmful to your lungs.
Harold
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