# Best Collection System for Thickness Planer?



## RustyPlaneWW (Sep 10, 2018)

I have a lunchbox style Grizzly thickness planer that I’d like to rig something up for collecting the chips. It doesn’t have a blower like the DeWalt does, so I’d have to do something with suction. 

I’m looking at a Wen wall mounted dust collector, or something like that (don’t have a very big shop) and I don’t want to run a 4” pipe from the planer to the collector because I’m fairly certain the larger chips would block the collector’s suction/air flow. 

Any thoughts on this? What do you guys use?


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## Buckmark13 (Jul 16, 2018)

What about a dust collector with a separator between the planer and a wall mounted collector?


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

I just hook a shop vac up to my Craftsman planner.


George


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

planners create large volumes of chips - 30 gal is a good size for modest work


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## RustyPlaneWW (Sep 10, 2018)

GeorgeC said:


> I just hook a shop vac up to my Craftsman planner.
> 
> 
> George




That doesn’t clog? Are you using 2” pipe?


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## RustyPlaneWW (Sep 10, 2018)

TomCT2 said:


> planners create large volumes of chips - 30 gal is a good size for modest work




Do you have issues with chips clogging the 2” pipe?


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## RustyPlaneWW (Sep 10, 2018)

Buckmark13 said:


> What about a dust collector with a separator between the planer and a wall mounted collector?




That’s basically what I’m thinking of doing, but I didn’t want to get a huge cyclone, so...was just wondering what other folks have going on. 


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*no need for separator ......*

What are you going to separate chips from other chips? There's little "dust" from the planer to separate, so hook up the shop vac right to the planer outlet. You'll get better suction to some extent as well.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

it's actually a 2-1/2" "std" vac hose - and no there's never an issue with clogging.
note: the planner is a helix style head, so the chips are small. 

I first tried it with just the 5 gal vacuum, it filled the vac to blocked within 5 minutes.

the black lid is a 'cyclone' style separator - a 90' elbow directs the inflow around the circumference - works quite well.


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## RustyPlaneWW (Sep 10, 2018)

TomCT2 said:


> it's actually a 2-1/2" "std" vac hose - and no there's never an issue with clogging.
> note: the planner is a helix style head, so the chips are small.
> 
> I first tried it with just the 5 gal vacuum, it filled the vac to blocked within 5 minutes.
> ...




I may go this route. 


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

RustyPlaneWW said:


> That doesn’t clog? Are you using 2” pipe?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



I am using whatever the factory put on the vacuum. I believe it is larger than 2".


George


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## Mark Jones Ozark (Feb 26, 2019)

I surfaced planned about 15 rough sawn boards and it filled up my trash dumpster. it will surprise you on the amount of dust and chips. Resawing 5 4' long 12" round walnut logs into 1" boards and ripping some plywood filled my dust deputy 15 gal container up. 


My delta planer has no dust collection on it. I just take it out in the drive way and let it run then scoop up the chips. I need to get one that has dust collection on it. Had a dewalt planer and it did a great job collecting saw dust but it was limited in the depth of cut.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

if you go with the lid type . . . fwiw



as I recall - got mine from Peachtree, it has 4" ports so if you use a smaller hose (higher velocity = better 'cyclone' effect) you need adapters.
when buying the garbage can, check it upside down on a flat floor - many are not "flat" enough to get a good seal then you have to 'tie it down' (PITA)


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## DesertRatTom (Aug 14, 2012)

Saw a number of different chip collection setups for a planer. Very simple for a DeWalt 735. You need (preferably) a 4 inch hose from the planer to an input connector on top of a box or, possibly, a nice sized trash barrel. What you do need is an exit for the pressurized air. That exhaust needs a cover, either with our without a filter, and you can use a piece of window screen to cover the opening. 



I'd guess the exhaust port should be 5-6 times the area of the 4 inch input. A 4 inch port has an area of 12.5 square inches. An screened exhaust area would have to be between 50 and 60 inches. A rectangular opening should be 6 x 10 inches. Bigger would likely be better. Because the 735 blows such a strong stream of air and fluffy chips, you can put a liner in the tub to make cleanup less messy. This will not work for machines without a blower built in. For other machines, including jointers, you will need a DC unit to suck the chips into your collector. 



I don't think it's a good idea to just blow this stuff into a filter of a shop vac. so a chip collector is the best bet, and I think the dust deputy is the way to go for a 2.5 inch system, with the highest capacity you can afford. Here are three examples for a DeWalt 735.


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## RustyPlaneWW (Sep 10, 2018)

DesertRatTom said:


> Saw a number of different chip collection setups for a planer. Very simple for a DeWalt 735. You need (preferably) a 4 inch hose from the planer to an input connector on top of a box or, possibly, a nice sized trash barrel. What you do need is an exit for the pressurized air. That exhaust needs a cover, either with our without a filter, and you can use a piece of window screen to cover the opening.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Those are all great options. I don’t have the DeWalt right now. I just have a regular Grizzly 12” lunchbox style planer. So, I could do something like this, but would need something creating a vacuum on the other end. 


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## DesertRatTom (Aug 14, 2012)

RustyPlaneWW said:


> Those are all great options. I don’t have the DeWalt right now. I just have a regular Grizzly 12” lunchbox style planer. So, I could do something like this, but would need something creating a vacuum on the other end.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Your WEN unit could supply the suction, just remove the filter bag and blow it into one of the passive collectors in the pictures. That bag will fill up very fast. The other options I really encourage is to get a Harbor Freight 2hp (well, maybe 1.5 hp), which often goes on sale for anywhere between $160 to $199. If you look at the top of the line WEN unit, you're looking at a setup almost identical to the HF unit. Probably made in the same factory. 
The smaller WEN units are just a blower with a bag. It still has the 4 inch input and output ports you need to make the other blower work. I used to have a Makita lunchbox planer, which had a dust collection chute on it. Grizz makes one with a 4 inch port that's just $28. https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-Dust-Hood-For-G0505-Planer/H7516 
The WEN 5.7 amp blower also has a 4 inch port so they will work on the Grizz But you will soon discover that 4 inches isn't always 4 inches. You may need some plumbing boots to link hoses to connectors, to your DC system. Very frustrating. I have a large box filled with connectors of various brands that are completely incompatible with anything else. I now stick with Rockler Dust Rite connectors and hose. With a plumbing boot, I can make most things connect. 
I just bought the large Super Dust Deputy (SDD), which has a 6 inch exit port and 5 inch intake. Of course, nothing fits but the Dust Deputy connectors, but I found a guy at Home Depot who'd done a lot of HVAC duct work and he came up with an adjustable diameter connector I was able to use. Here's a picture. I brought the Rockler connectors and the SDD with me, the only reasonable way to make sure things fit.
As a throat cancer survivor, I am a bit of a dust collection evangalist. If you spend a little time around carpenters who are notoriously careless about breathing sawdust, you have met a lot of guys who have COPD and terrible respiratory diseases. A dust collection bag will not filter the tiny dust, which is the material that gets into your lungs, but never comes out. If you can, put the bag outside, and wear a good positive pressure mask.


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