Planer vacuum chip collection

[Jon Snider]

Please help with some advice. I have an 18” Powermatic planer. When I designed my shop the plan was to just roll it outside and collect the chips afterwards. My ClearVu DC is below in the basement, is collected to all other tools, but I had no interest in multiple trips to empty the filled container just to surface 20 or 30 board feet.

It’s worked out ok, except the planer outflow pipe clogs frequently. Having to clear it out is not optimal but worse are the chips which blow back onto the work table and wood and messes up the surface.

I would like to hook something up with a lot of suction power to pull the chips out of the planer and then just either blow them out on my driveway or maybe into a wheelbarrow or something like that. 4” outflow outlet right now.

I think I’ve seen some ideas like that here but can’t find anything with a SMC or Google search.

thanks. Jon

[Jim Becker]

Jon, you need a true dust collector for that kind of machine. A simple single stage unit with a shot hose will work fine for chip collection. It doesn't have to be expensive or high-end. You can choose to have the material go into a bag if you wish, or just use the blower with an additional hose on the outflow side to spew the material wherever you wish. These thicknessing machines absolutely need the chips evacuated or you'll end up with all kinds of little issues; some as minor as marking from chips coating a roller or as major as completely gumming up the works.

[Jon Snider]

Thanks Jim. I’ve looked around a little but haven’t landed on anything. I don’t want to spend a ton for limited use. Do you or others have any links or brand/model advice?

[Tom M King]

I think you need something that will move enough air for a 6" pipe for that machine. My rule of thumb for when you have enough air flow for a planer is when you see a shaving get thrown out the front opening, it hovers for a split second, and gets sucked back in and away. I don't think 2hp will do it.

[sean meltvedt]

Jon-I’d go to Harbor Freight and get their cheap bagger, just don’t hook the bag up.
merry Christmas
Sean

[Jim Becker]

Thanks Jim. I’ve looked around a little but haven’t landed on anything. I don’t want to spend a ton for limited use. Do you or others have any links or brand/model advice?

Harbor Freight, used off FB Marketplace and/or Craig's List, etc.

[Thomas Wilson]

I have my planer hooked up to my dust collector in the basement. The drum is just 35 gal so I have to empty it frequently. But I think I prefer that to having a secondary DC in the shop. You have a good ClearVu DC. Good dust collection gives a better planed surface, longer lasted cutters, and cleaner air. I have a DC level alarm from which I ran the alarm light up to the shop but I also check the drum on the first pass or two to calibrate how much level per pass then I keep track of the number of passes so I know when to expect the drum to be full. It has not been too burdensome to run down the stairs to dump the drum. I think your best bet is adding the planer to the main DC system.

In my case, I chose the 35 gal drum because I don’t think I could handle dumping a 55 gal drum. It is some work to run up and down the stairs when milling stock. I remember your posts about the shop construction and DC but don’t recall the drum size. If you have a 55 gal and are bagging, that’s the way to go.

[Jon Snider]

Harbor Freight, used off FB Marketplace and/or Craig's List, etc.

Jim, are you thinking something like this from Grizzly, or Harbor Freight, would be the ticket? Hooked up to an outflow duct (into neighbors dumpster ). Or something else? Thx. Jon

[Jim Becker]

Yes, in a way. You don't need something super expensive to get the chips out of there as long as you're using a short hose to maximise air flow and don't care about fine particles. Don't buy something with a canister filter like that, for example. 1.5-2hp (which will be 120v) using just the blower to do the deed should work.

[Jon Snider]

Thanks. That’s the problem. I haven’t been able to find just a motor which would work without the canisters or bags, which I would obviously remove if that’s what I have to end up buying.

[Bill Dufour]

Have you removed the dust hood and replaced it with a simple shield to deflect the chips? That may be enough for shallow cuts. No way can then dust hood work without powered air flow.
Bill D

[Bill Dufour]

I am looking for one of those old rockwell top of barrel dust collectors.
Bill D

[Bruce Wrenn]

I built the original TOP HAT Thien baffle ( in 2006) just to do this. DC (cyclone) is in rear corner of shop, but I do my planning and jointing on concrete apron in front of shop. Got tired of vacuuming chips to back of shop, and then having to lug dust bin out to front for disposal. Thien baffle connect to planner with a short hose, and baffle connect to DC system with a length of flex, problem solved.

[Carl Beckett]

https://www.grizzly.com/products/gri...iABEgK_IfD_BwE