Dust collection with small hood and port
I’ve got a Ryobi BT3000 table saw which has a dust collection hood (or sleeve) over the bottom of the saw blade and a 2 1/2″ port at the back of the hood. The hood fits the saw blade rather tightly and is very narrow (approx. 2” wide), barely large enough for chips to pass through. I am trying to decide whether to attach a 1 1/2 HP dust collector or a shop vac to the port. My concern about the dust collector is that I’m not sure that a high enough volume of air can be pulled through the hood & port to allow the dust collector to function effectively. I have a very small shop & I would prefer to use a shop vac if I would be able to get performance similar to the dust collector in this situation. I would be able to hook the shop vac directly to the port with little or no hose between them. A collector would require several feet of hose (4′ or less). Any thoughts about this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Pete
Replies
That is easy just hook up the shop vac. it should work ok. The bt 3000, is agreat little saw.
Afternoon Flycoop...
As Woodenhead stated... just hook up the shop-vac as that is all that is needed in your case. A 4" hose off a DC would have to be down-sized to 2 1/2" to fit the port anyway and that drops the air-flow significantly.
Your BT 3000 has got one of the best dust collection systems from the "git-go" without a lot of modifications even with just a 2 1/2" port. I know this for a fact. I had to spend several hours sealing an adding components to a new factory re-conditioned Uni-saw and add an over-head system to even come close the the on-board system on the BT-3000.
My BT sits in the back shop now ready to handle sheet goods with long rails and extension tables now. Retired from ripping after numerous thousands of linear feet shoved down her throat before the Uni-saw price I paid jumped in my path.
Retired... but not forgotten by any means. Just a new role in my shop life!
Regards...
Sarge.. jt
Thanks, I was hoping that's what you guys would say. Any recommendations on a shop vac for this purpose?
I have a genuine "Shop Vac", that works as well as any other I have seen. The tool switched ones are neat, but for around $20, Sears sells a switch box that does the same thing. The high end ones have hepa filters, but you can buy them for most brands for around $40. The bag inserts are also nice to have, the dry wall bags coupled with the hepa filter catch nearly everything, and you rarely need to clean the filter if you use them.
One thing to be aware of is that the less expensive ones run the air pulled through the vacuum across the motor for cooling. I had one die instantly when I was working on the patio in Vegas when it was about 110-degrees out. The hose clogged, and before I get get the ten feet to shut it down, it burned up the motor. I will admit that the discharge air was probably up around 150-degrees, so it was pretty stressed all ready.
The better ones, and the one I have now, have a separate air stream for motor cooling.
Morning flycoop...
Like Jigs, I run and am partial to a genuine Shop Vac. I have had the Rigids, but the Shop Vac just seems to do a better job for me. I would think that any of the 2 21/" vacuums should be fine, meaning.. what's on sale at the moment. ha.. ha...
Good luck...
Sarge.. jt
Oh yeah, the BT3000 really is a great little saw.
I have the Dewalt hybred saw which has a sleeve around the bottom of the blade and a 2.5" connection for a DC hose. I hooked up a transition to a 4" hose connected to a 1 HP portable DC from Penn State. What amazes me is the amount of dust collected by the bag and also the amount of dust left on the floor which is not picked up by the DC. I keep thinking about enclosing the bottom of the saw stand and see if I can contain the overflow.
I would guess that about 80% goes into the bag.
ASK
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