Y splitter with dual blast gates for CT dust extractors

[Tom the Remodeler]

Greetings everybody! Well, I was wandering around Rockler the other day and found they FINALLY released some 2.5" blast gates. WAIT! let's back up a little. Ok, so I often set up a saw/milling station on jobsites where I first set up my Sawhelper/Kapex rig, then at the far end of the right hand wing I set up my tablesaw, and depending on the project I'll also set up a router table within reach of the CT. What frustrated me though was constantly having to swap hoses every time I wanted to use a different tool, and have pined here and elsewhere in the past about the lack of 2.5" blast gates on the market.... Ok, so, now I've found them! The total cost of my setup is around $50, including two blast gates, a Y connection, 6 hose clamps, 10' of clear flexible hose, and an extra hose cuff from a Ridgid vac hose. Assembly is pretty straightforward. Right now my biggest pet peeve is how long the whole assembly is. I'm concerned that somebody might step on it and either snap part of the assembly, or worse damage the CT, so I think I'm going to redesign it with approximately 1' of clear hose leading from the vac to the Y, allowing it to rest of the ground. Now all I have to do is plug my tools into a 3-way power splitter and I'm set! I imagine that these parts will interfere with the antistatic properties of the Fes hoses, so I'll also have to address that issue. Anyways, just wanted to throw this out there for those who've had the same issue as myself. Good luck!
Tom