I have a 24" Ramco widebelt sander that is so old the abrasive tracking system is air operated. When I bought this sander 25 years ago I was told it was a "dinosaur". It was fitted with a 3hp dust extractor mounted directly to the top of the dust stack. I always wondered if this obvious add-on was only to compensate for an inferior dust collection setup.
I'm now preparing the sander for installation in a new location coupled to a big, effective dust collection system. My first question is whether the sander still needs an extractor between the dust hood and collector duct. Do you have an informed opinion?
Under the sheet metal on the outfeed side of the abrasive belt I notice empty bolt holes and a pattern of old dirt where once a dust hood similar to the one mounted on the operator side of the machine was installed. Did machines like this ever have two dust pickups? Is there any good reason why a single dust hood would ever have been installed behind the contact drum (in front of rather than downstream of the ejection of the dust)? Would this machiune's dust containment be improved by installing a second pickup in that now-unused location? Where would I find another pickup? I assume parts would have to come from a junker of the same era. Does anyone have an inventory of parts machines that hasn't been been consumed by the scrappers during the recent high prices?