Replies

1. 
   oldusty | Oct 02, 2006 06:18am | #1

   Hi Bill ,

              First off how full is the collector bag ? A diminished capacity as in an almost full bag can cause sluggish suction .

     I have had clogs only when planning plywood , I don't do much face jointing on the jointer .

       A basic suggestion would be to take smaller bites on the jointer , see if that helps . The jointer shavings are just not chopped as finely as on the planer maybe .

                   good  luck        dusty

2. 
   hammer1 | Oct 02, 2006 02:36pm | #2

   More than likely, the shavings are getting hung up on some obstruction. In many cases it's the grill on the collector, just in front of the impeller. Long shavings from certain species are usually the cause. I only have problems with white pine but it's often the planer. I'd check out the pipe from the jointer. Look for bends, elbows, reducers, blast gates, etc. that may restrict the flow of the shavings.

   If you are going fairly fast over the jointer or taking a deep cut, the shavings may be produced too fast for the collector. The surface of the work will also show pronounced knife marks from too fast a feed.

   I had to remove the grill from my collector. I don't use a floor sweep and don't have any open duct where a rag could get sucked in. You don't want anything going in that can wrap up in the impeller.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

3. 
   Jfrostjr | Oct 02, 2006 03:51pm | #3

   I've had this problem a couple of times with my Jet 6" jointer. It generally involved lowered suction from the DC because the BAG (or in my case the pleated filter) had become loaded.

   Once I shook and patted the bag (or turned the crank on the pleated filter) to knock the excess dust off, suction went way up.

   Be sure to remove all the backed up chips from the jointer exit before you restart.

   Frosty

4. 
   dull tool | Oct 02, 2006 05:21pm | #4

   Billballeza,
   The problem may be a buildup of shavings in the base of your jointer. With a six in wide board going across your jointer you can get long fuzzy shavings that can wad up like a cotton ball. This mass can pile up at the exhaust hose and allow air to pass thru into the dust collector, all the while the mass of fuzzy chips backs up into the cutter area and begins to exit thru the openings around your infeed/outfeed tables as well as around the drive shaft entrance.

5. 
   dull tool | Oct 02, 2006 05:28pm | #5

   Billballeza,
   I reread your post. As the chips leave the knives of your jointer they enter a collection point in the base of the jointer where it is possible for the "ball-up" to occur. Whereas with the planer the chips are thrown directly into the pick-up hood and are then further acted upon by the vacuum of the dust collector.

1. 
   Astrain | Oct 02, 2006 09:35pm | #6

   Hi, I second that maybe the main problem its the grill on the collector just in front of the impeller. I have a Delta 1.5HP and a 8" jointer and since I removed the grill Ive planed 6" boards taking as much as 1/8 in each pass with no problems. Before that, the grill got cloged fairly easy and you inmediatly lost a lot of suction.You also have to periodically at least shake the upper bag to clean it a little, and empty the lower bag just before it gets 3/4 full. If you are using your jointer or planer a lot Ill suggest that you get some sort of 2 stage dust collection, or at least buy a canister, if you take a look inside the upper bag its probably that your are going to see it heavy covered with sawdust wich decreases a lot the suction power of your DC. Im considering trying the cyclone trash can lid wich is the cheapest solution. Hope this helps!.

1. 
   billballeza | Oct 02, 2006 11:45pm | #8

   My thanks to all who have replied to this dilemma. Here is what I've learned from you:

   My first course of action is going to be removing the grill.

   The second is to make sure I emtpy the collection bag when it reaches half full.

   My third is to return to using the short hose that came with the DC rather than the longer one I bought to replace it.

   Thanks again, to all of you who have offered me guidance. I'm a weekend WW so I'll let you know next weekend how this plan works out.

   Bill

    

1. 
   fidelfs | Oct 03, 2006 01:09am | #9

   I have the same problem until I said, wait a moment I have a Trash Can Cyclone Lid why not use it here. So I did and I created a 2 stage vacuum system. The big wood chips are in the trash can and the small ones in the bag. I am also a WWW (Weekend woodworker). This fix my problem with the jointer and planner.

6. 
   cadiddlehopper | Oct 02, 2006 11:31pm | #7

   Bill:
   You didn't tell us just enough that we can't give a really good answer.
   I suspect that your problem is partly jointer and partly the size of your dust collector. I'll wager that your jointer shavings are larger than your planer shavings because the planer cutter turns faster than the jointer cutter as well as your taking a deeper cut. My jointer clogs occasionally, too, but not often. Personally, I consider a 4-inch port too small to handle the kind of shavings produced by a jointer then concentrated in such a small area. But, one answer I can give: a larger dust collector will probably help a great deal. Mine is 3-HP which keeps the problem to a minimum.

   Cadiddlehopper