Of Blast Gates and NCWW

[LeftyTom]

I find the concensus is blast gates should fully close.

So what is the thinking about this blast gate? Brand spanking new, unused. The white background highlights the "fully closed opening ". This is one of four, all looking like the pic.

You can snip away the "stop button" above the opening, and pull the gate free from the body. Then you can snip the "wings" at the bottom of the gate, so each side is above the round center section. Put it back together, the the fate fully closes.

 

[Berta]

When you have to modify something you just bought so it will work as advertised. It is a testament to poor design.
If your modifications fixes it, I suppose you could inform customer service.

 

[old and in the way]

Tom:

Perhaps the gap is meant to function as a safety device, much as a governor on an engine does; they don't know what kind of dust collection system you have or how powerful it is, and so the gap is there so that in the event that you have all of your blast gates closed and you turn on your dust collection system, all of your machinery doesn't get sucked into your dust collection system.

It's an easy fix, and they must have thought that their product was well designed and produced or it would not have hit the market. Let it go. You are not their unpaid R&D department. If need be, find a better blast gate.

FWIW.
Tone

 

[Mark Fogleman]

It's to prevent what happened to Joe Scharle:

 

[LeftyTom]

It's to prevent what happened to Joe Scharle:
View attachment 243555

I did have that happen, but it was a plastic can.

 

[Berta]

I would think that a very small hole, maybe 1/8” at most would be enough to satisfy the need. I have smaller drill bits.