Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 18, 2009 06:49pm | #1

   Jay, I haven't seen that article yet, but my Jet contractor saw would definitely have benefitted from a sloped chute.  I had a 4" hose from a 1.5HP Jet DC, located very close to the saw, and while collection was "good", there was still significant build-up in the corners of the interior cabinet. 

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
1. 
   jayelton | Apr 18, 2009 06:54pm | #2

   forestgirl,

   That was my thought as well, just wanted some feedback before going to the trouble of building the chute.

   Thanks, Jay

2. 
   jointerman | Apr 19, 2009 11:45pm | #3

   Jayelton,

   Just like FG says, the dust tends to collect in the corners of the contractors saw. However, I don't really find it to be a big deal, it really doesn't effect performance of dust collection from the saw. If too much buidls up in the corners, it gets sucked out by the DC.

   The dust in the corners is more of annoyance just because you know it's there. This morning, I vacuumed the dust out of the corners just to get rid of it. I only know it's there because I looked.

1. 
   jayelton | Apr 20, 2009 09:42am | #4

   Maybe the trick is not to LOOK!!

   I may try it without the chute and add that portion later if I find aeodynamics insufficient - we'll see.

   Thanks man, Jay

1. 
   dynamwebz | Apr 20, 2009 04:39pm | #5

   Building the box seems to be a lot of work for a small return. I simply covered the open space between the motor and the cabinet with cardboard since I rarely tilt the blade. I also used some expanding foam between the cabinet and the underside of the table. Connect the 4" hose and I get very little dust off the blade into my shop now. I still get a lot of dust collecting in the corners but I do not get concerned since at a certain point of buildup, it stops building up and flows into the vacuum hose.

1. 
   jayelton | Apr 20, 2009 04:53pm | #6

   Dynam

   Thanks for your response.

   How did you attach the cardboard so it is detachable for bevel cuts? And, how tightly did you atttempt to seal the cabinet with the cardboard?

   Jay

1. 
   dynamwebz | Apr 20, 2009 05:50pm | #8

   Since I cannot remember the last time I used the table saw for a bevel cut, (I tend to use my compound miter saw) I simply used duct tape to secure the well cut pieces of cardboard. The cardboard takes up the major space and the tape does the sealing. It's not perfect but once I sealed the cabinet to the table, the amount of suction through the blade slot has increased dramatically.

   Oh yeah, the motor isn't sucking up nearly as much dust as it was previously.

   Edited 4/20/2009 11:10 am ET by dynamwebz

2. 
   jonnieboy | Apr 20, 2009 06:05pm | #10

   After reading that article I had to reconsider the masking tape peeling and hanging off the openings of my saw. 

   One thing, the sticky on the tape does collect dust, but only for a while.

   --Jon 

2. 
   jointerman | Apr 21, 2009 07:31am | #11

   Jayelton,A couple of other things. Firstly, I currently only have one machine connected at a time. That's the great thing about having a DC on wheels! Second, I get virtually no dust from the saw unless I'm cutting less than the width of a kerf. The combination of the zero clearance throat plate and no blade guard means that a good amount of the dust has no place to go but up. The other day I made a couple of cuts without the DC turned on, what a mess!

1. 
   jayelton | Apr 21, 2009 06:09pm | #12

   Ya, I always remember turning on the dust collector midway thru a cut - sheesh! I think the dust in the face is the biggest reminder.

   After reading posts to this, I started paying attention to the cracks between the table and cabinet and between cabinet and legs - tons of dust escaping there. Really hadn't paid attention to where all the dust was coming from, but now I have a plan. I'm going to button up the front of the saw around the motor better and then seal all the cracks around the cabinet. I already use a ZC insert, so I should be all set for improvement. Then as time permits, I'm going to go for the box around the motor and the chute as described in the article.

   Thanks to all who responded thus far.

   Jay

1. 
   saschafer | Apr 21, 2009 06:21pm | #13

   And even then, the DC hose slips off halfway through, and you don't notice until there's dust everywhere.

   My most memorable experience in that regard was with a biscuit joiner. I had the shop vac connected (and turned on), and I was making a cut straight down into a board laying flat on the benchtop. My face was directly over the machine. Just as I pushed down to start the cut, the hose slipped off, and my eyes, nose and mouth got the full brunt of the ejected chips and dust.

   -Steve

    

2. 
   JayS | Apr 21, 2009 08:56pm | #14

   For years I have used those refrigerator sheet magnets that you get in the mail as promotions, to cover the curved slot in the front of the saw that is there to allow the carriage to tilt.  It takes two or three of them, but there is no adhesive to collect dust and they do prevent loss of a good bit of the suction through the front of the cabinet. 

   Jay S.

3. 
   boilerbay | Apr 26, 2009 03:32am | #17

   Not all FWW advise is fully considered. Be careful with covering that slot. The DC has to have air flow to work and when that slot is fully blocked, your heading toward starvation. Use metal tape aroung the deck seal or silcon caulk but leave some front vent. You'll have a better DC experience.
   No vacuum works in a vacuum :-) Personally, I think it's a bit daft to try and dust seal a contractors saw. Bags and boxes and lions and tigers and bears, Oh, my!

   If you want to have a cabinet saw, you should buy one. This rigging of contractors saws is like the Lake Washington, (Seattle) Milk Carton races.As always, IMHO
   It Saturday - WAITER, More Bacardis!BB

3. 
   boilerbay | Apr 20, 2009 05:09pm | #7

   Don't know about the contractors saw but it is the default steel bottom design on the Powermatic cabinet saws. After a lot of years on one PM66,
   can't say that it's vastly better but maybe marginally. Keeps the dust of the motor. More than likely exit port size/volume adds better dust control than flanges.

4. 
   YesMaam27577 | Apr 20, 2009 06:00pm | #9

   I haven't seen the article, and I don't know what specific model number of Delta saw was involved.

   But I have a Delta contractor's saw -- bought it probably ten years ago.

   And it has a sloped "chute" built into the original design.

   And even before I added a dust collector to my shop, that chute was quite handy. It directed most of the sawdust into a cardboard box, which I would empty now and again.

   Blessed are the meek -- if that's OK with you?

5. 
   gdblake | Apr 22, 2009 06:07am | #15

   Jahelton:

   I believe the sloped dust chute is intregal to the overall design.  He has vertical slits in the rear box which allows air in, over the motor, and then down the front of the saw to the sloped 4" chute.  It looks like he is getting a cyclone effect inside the saw with his layout.  Notice he also has drilled a couple of small holes on either side of his zero-clearance insert to allow air to enter from the top just where the blade exits the saw.  That blows the dust off of the saw blade down into the saw to be caught in the air vortex headed to the sloped chute.  Babbitt's design for enclosing a contractor's saw is the best approach I've seen and way better than what I had been doing to seal my old contractor's saw.  I bought  a new Jet Proshop hybrid tablesaw last Summer that was on too good of a sale to pass up.  I hope I can adopt Babbitt's ideas to improve the dust performance on my Jet saw.

   gdblake

1. 
   jayelton | Apr 22, 2009 04:53pm | #16

   gdblake,

   The article definely caught ny attention. In all the WW mags I've read, I haven't seen a design to comete - especially for a contractor's saw. Good luck on adapting to your new Jet, and thanks for your comments.

   Jay

6. 
   [email protected] | Apr 26, 2009 09:05pm | #18

   I'm picturing the flat plastic plate bolted to the bottom of the cabinet. It should work fine.

   You would still need to seal everything up as tight as possible. You might also consider drilling a small (1/8-inch) hole into each corner of cabinet to act as an air bleed into the corners where the dust piles always build up.

   The principle is pretty simple. The ability of air to carry particulates is governed by the velocity of the air. You are trying to develop an air flow through the system, in sufficient quantities to cool the motor, and direct that air flow in clean flow lines to the discharge port. The inside of the saw wasn't designed for aerodynamics however, so you will always have turbulent flow.

   If you don't have enough venting to provide air flow, the air stalls in the cabinet, and the dust falls out of suspension.

   If you have too much air flow into the cabinet, the velocity drops, and the dust falls out of suspension. With only the smallest of particles being carried to the suction port.

   If, when you connect the dust collector to your newly enclosed saw: the flex hose contracts; and/or the dust collector kind of stalls, you need to open things up and allow more air flow. So long as you have some air flow, cut a bit of wood, and look for places the dust is collecting, then try to drill holes into these locations to get air flow into them. This is usually the corners.

1. 
   jayelton | Apr 27, 2009 06:41pm | #19

   Ha - great idea to drill air bleed holes to aid in collecting the sawdust piles - thanks.

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Apr 28, 2009 04:00am | #20

   Keep in mind that sealing up the sawbox is counter productive. As said, efficient dust collection is primarily dependent on air flow speed. To maintain good air flow you need to have adequate inlet air. In general, the rule is to have about the same number of square inches of inlet area as you have for exhaust area.The other point is air flow direction. The sawdust coming off the blade is traveling at 100+ mph. Suction or air flow is not going to be able to change the direction of the dust. You need some means to direct the ejection flow directly to the exhaust port. That's the reason to devise some baffling to direct the sawdust to the exhaust port.Howie.........