Jointer Dust Flange Design

[Sean Leonard]

I have to replace the dust flange on an old SCM 16" jointer. No idea where the original one went. Anyway, I couldn't find anything off the shelf so I had Nordfab design one using the measurements I provided them. This is what they sent back. I was expecting more of a downward-sloping "funnel" design rather than a flate plate with a 4" nipple (7-inch diameter) welded to it, but didn't specify that. I guess I figured they were the ducting "pro's" and would know what a good design would be.

What are your thoughts on the effectiveness of this flange as designed? Does the funnel design that I more commonly see help with the suction or CFM? I foresee a lot of buildup of debris on the inside of the flat area on this one.

They're charging about $90 for this, so I'm afraid to see what the addition of more material and labor would add.

Jointer Flange.jpg

[Dave Sabo]

They're a bit cheeky with the price. They aren't even doing a full weld on that, and are using cheap standard caulk. Seems like they're telling you they can't be bothered.


If that's the design , no need for those guys. Grab some 1/4" ply and 4 or 5 or better yet a 6" quick connect fitting and make your own. Less than an hour fab time and under 20 bucks in material.

[Erik Loza]

You definitely want a funnel. Nordfab is a good company but they design ducting systems, not machine fittings. I can see a huge bottleneck at the shoulders of that flange. You could be better off getting some thin-gauge metal, a rivet gun, and making the "cone" yourself. Just my 2-cents. Good luck with it.

Erik

[Matt Day]

The Nordfab team monkey got that job.

As said, a piece of plywood and a fitting would work just the same. And that $90 is the “design” fee I’m guessing, not the actual fitting.

For my Oliver 399, I found (with the help of someone I found online) a Grizzly hood that fit with some minor modification. You might find something similar from another maker like Grizzly.

[Phil Gaudio]

I am wondering: is there no way to make the dust shroud used on current SCM/Minimax machines work? They look roughly something like this, and should be available through SCM spare parts.

[Erik Loza]

I am wondering: is there no way to make the dust shroud used on current SCM/Minimax machines work? They look roughly something like this, and should be available through SCM spare parts.

Phil, that's hilarious: I actually took that photograph in (probably) 2005. It's a Minimax FS35 Smart. Where did you find it, if I can ask?

To answer your question, ordering one of those is a possibility too.

Erik

[Phil Gaudio]

Ha: too lazy to run out to the shop and take a pic of my FS41E, so I did a quick web search and came up with this most excellent photo! It was on machines4u.com.au of all places.

Phil, that's hilarious: I actually took that photograph in (probably) 2005. It's a Minimax FS35 Smart. Where did you find it, if I can ask?

To answer your question, ordering one of those is a possibility too.

Erik

[Bill Dufour]

For that money i would ask a local sheetmetal or heating company to bend up something. If it was 6" a floor boot would work. Or make a pyramid out of plywood.
Hire a kid to print one for you. Probably have to make it in two parts to fit inside the printer machine. Can the 3D printed parts be glued? at least they can be heat welded for sure.
Bill D

[David Utterback]

I made a modified take off for my 8" Jet joiner that is just a piece of plywood with a something like this https://www.rockler.com/dust-right-combo-port. Dawdling away in my shop the other day and moved my joiner. I was amazed at the amount of debris that there was under it. It was probably 2" deep.

My point is that the shape of the take off is important for good performance and the Norfab drawing is not good for your needs. The cheap way is to use the 6" floor boot as suggested by Bill. A sheet metal shop would be even better since they can make it from your specs. I just don't know how expensive that might be. Good luck!

[John C Bush]

I would head to the Borg--with mask on--and see what is available in off the shelf HVAC duct fittings. I used a floor register adapter for my old Parks 12"er and with plywood got a good result. Upgraded to a used Grizz 20" planer and bought the matching/missing shroud. It cost ~$65 and had taper angles similar to the HVAC stuff. The Grizz part is well made with heavier gauge metal but a ~$10 Borg special would have worked if I wanted to futz with it. Reasonable to make if OEM is too pricey. Good luck. JCB

[Bill Dufour]

I really do not understand all this worry about airflow for a intake. It seems to me their design would funnel out to cover all the intake if there is 1-2 feet of room upstream. Why worry if sawdust builds up in the non flow areas.

I suppose you could make one like theirs and mount it. Run the machine until enough dust has packed into all the unused spaces. Then carefully remove the ductwork and spray all the sawdust with glue until it can be removed in one solid piece. Then use that sawdust funnel to make a mold of plaster. Then fiberglass into the mold. It will be exactly the shape of the airflow with no guess work and aproximations.
Bill D

[Erik Loza]

I really do not understand all this worry about airflow for a intake. It seems to me their design would funnel out to cover all the intake if there is 1-2 feet of room upstream. Why worry if sawdust builds up in the non flow areas.

Well, it's planer chips, which are totally different than table saw sawdust. Design really does matter in this case. You want to keep exhaust velocity as high as possible and no right angles. On the odd occasion when I've run the planer without a dust collector hooked up, which I guess would be like having an extreme version of this design that looks like a cornhole board, the machine spits a ton of chips back onto the workpiece and clogs the snorkel almost immediately. Just my experience.

Erik

[Mark e Kessler]

Go to a local sheet metal shop And have it fabricated like Bill suggested I had several welded up for me over the years on a jointer and a j/p, unfortunately long gone so no photos... also funnel, smooth transitions are best...

Mk

[Patrick Kane]

So i have a hack's version of their design(made with 1/2" ply and 6" HVAC fitting) on my 20" jointer, and i can tell you the lack of a funnel compromises collection. I get a considerable amount of buildup along the sides of the jointer interior before the inlet. My setup works well enough and cost me $6, but if you are spending $100, might as well do it right. Really, if i wanted to do it right, i would extend the DC point up as close to the cutterhead as possible. As it stands, shavings slide down a 2' ramp before my inlet.

[Jim Becker]

Well, it's planer chips, which are totally different than table saw sawdust. Design really does matter in this case. Y

This right here is the crux of the issue...the nature of the shavings that come off the material that's being jointed (or planed in the case of a thicknesser function) as they behave differently than the tiny chips that come off a saw blade, etc. The funnel design is critical as it transitions air flow from a narrow, rectangular port at the cutter head to an appropriately sized port to the duct work, maintaining the same area relative to air volume, etc. Even a properly designed hood can sometimes get clogged up with certain cuts in certain wood species!