Customer Rating:  
Summary: Pop rivets hold the two halves together, on my blast gates...
Comment: Jet JW1007 4-Inch Blast Gate
These Woodstock International blast gates are identical to the ones I began using over 20 years ago. This same blast gate is sold by countless vendors; Jet is just one of many.
They are inexpensive and work acceptably, although they leak a little air when closed.
They have three parts, the two halves (glued together) with the movable gate in the middle. The two halves on all of my Woodstock gates eventually came unglued. Some lasted a couple of years, and one lasted at least a decade before separating. Rather than replace them, I repaired each gate using pop-rivets or 8-32 machine screws & nuts to hold the halves together. Except for this issue, none of my plastic blast gates ever "broke".
The gate's ABS plastic body is smooth and each male side is slightly tapered. Because of that taper, a clamped-on air hose tends to slip off, unless screws or other methods are used, to keep it attached. See Customer Images. It would have made sense to taper maybe the first 1/4" so it slides into a duct or hose, but tapering the entire male fitting end was not a great idea.
I have a blast gate for the table saw, sliding compound miter saw, planer, sander, band saw, jointer, and drill press. Unlike other reviewers though, none of my Woodstock blast gate has EVER filled up with dust or debris to the point that it stopped working or needed cleaning. Perhaps that's because the dust collector is a 3-hp 1800 cubic feet minute unit; and the air moves so fast, it doesn't have a chance to clog a blast gate? Also, the grooves in a blast gate are more likely to clog if the gate handle faces down.
I rate them at two stars, since a customer shouldn't have to repair a product to keep it working, and the tapered male ends allow hoses to slip off.
Customer Rating:
Summary: GET A SELF CLEANING ONE
Comment: THEY WORK FINE BUT FILL UP WITH DUST PARTICLES. YOU HAVE TO TAKE THEM OFF THE HOSES AND CLEAN THEM WITH A SMALL DRILL BIT. GET ONE THAT IS SELF CLEANING. WORTH THE DIFFERENCE IN PRICE
Customer Rating:
Summary: Plastic junk
Comment: Blastgates require periodic cleaning. Problem: chips collect in the two channels where the gate slides and as you close the gate, the chips get packed into the channels and the gate won't fully close. The metal version blastgate has screws and disassembles for cleaning. These plastic gates must be broken at the welds. Then what? Don't waste your money and time on these cheap plastic gates. For a few dollars more, the metal blastgates are well worth it as they are assembled with screws.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Works great as a connection point for tools
Comment: I have blast gates permanently mounted on my saws, and use the Jet quick-disconnect fittings and flex hose to connect the tools to the dust collector. Works great. Can't comment on the gate plugging as I never close it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fragile but good for the price
Comment: For $2 each how can you go wrong. I used these in a garage dust collection system. I installed 6 of these gates. They are a bit fragile and will come apart easily front to back. one gate is installed at an output with no solid pipe attached to it and it quickler split apart. The other gates are installed between PVC pipes which provide support and I have not had a problem with those, either from breaking or from the gates not closing.
For the fragileness I give it 3 starts otherwise not reason it shouldnt have 5. I will be replacing the gate that broke with an aluminum version.
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