3D To The Rescue

Arguably the biggest chip and dust producer in my new shop is the combination jointer/planer. It has also proved to be the most difficult to connect to my dust collection system. The machine uses a non-standard size dust port. Once again, 3D printing saved the day. It took me ten minutes to design the required adapter and Maya was kind enough to print it at work. The fit was perfect and I am very pleased with this solution. I also managed to solve the other big challenge with this machine. When converting from one mode to the other, the entire dust collection plenum makes a 180-degree flip. To address this, the dust collection hose is often disconnected and reattached after the switch-over. My brother developed a clever solution for his shop that employs a dedicated blast gate and hose for each mode making for a much more streamlined transition. I eventually arrived at a solution which provides just the right amount and orientation of flexible hose that allows for operation in either position without having to ever disconnect the hose.