# fine dust collection on a table saw



## mrkozmic (Mar 9, 2012)

I have a constructor saw with a DC attached.
The blade throws a good amount of fine dust at me when sawing. I guess a blade guard with a vac connected to it whould help, but some dust will probably still escape. 

I 'm trying to find a solution for collecting all the dust before the blade brings it back above the table surface. What about a nozzle with pressurized air mounted at right angle to the blade below the table blowing off any dust caught by the blade? Or is the blade spinning just to fast?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*The above table dust shroud works*

A blade shroud or guard that covers the blade catches the dust spun off by the blade is the best solution. It not only provides a guard to protect your fingers, but keeps the dust off your face and eyes. Like this:
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/TSGUARD.html

There are others:
http://images.search.yahoo.com/sear...r=ytff1-tyc7&va=excalibur+overarm+blade+cover

And you can make your own:
http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/blade_guard.pdf

I made one from 2" PVC and a separate shop vac:


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

woodnthings said:


> It not only provides a guard to protect your fingers, but keeps the dust off your face and eyes.
> 
> I made one from 2" PVC and a separate shop vac:


I was just wonderin' about all that sawdust on the table?:laughing::laughing:









 







.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

I'm intrigued by the idea of the air nozzle under the table interrupting the normal airflow


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## mrkozmic (Mar 9, 2012)

ryan50hrl said:


> I'm intrigued by the idea of the air nozzle under the table interrupting the normal airflow



You might have a ponit there, but on the other side the blade itself is stirring up the air alteady. 
The amount of air from the nozzle will be much smaller than the DC airflow. The idea is to have the nozzle very close to the blade, thus reducing its size.


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## Fred Hargis (Apr 28, 2012)

The overblade collection is the best solution. I've tried several; a shop built Badger Pond model, then migrated to a Shark Guard, and now have an Excalibur. The Shark Guard is the best of those (IMHO) and I may change back to it. The Badger Pond is the least expensive (maybe) and works well, but I couldn't come up with a support system I liked. The Excalibur I have I bought used off a WW'ing forum classifieds ad, it's nice but not as handy as the Shark. I think you'll find the blade spins so fast you would have to have a really strong jet of air to clear all the chips before it emerges above the table. BTW, that Badger Pond link should go straight to a pdf file of building it. (I hope).


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

Just about the best dust collecting blade guard on the market that I am aware of is the Shark Guard, I have had a few of them. I am on the latest model, the SG-K1 with 4" port, and it will dang near suck a cat up that thing... Yes SOME dust gets by it, but very, very little, and what does, gets sucked up into my ambient filter..


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

dbhost said:


> Just about the best dust collecting blade guard on the market that I am aware of is the Shark Guard, I have had a few of them. I am on the latest model, the SG-K1 with 4" port, and it will dang near suck a cat up that thing... Yes SOME dust gets by it, but very, very little, and what does, gets sucked up into my ambient filter..


Shark Guard is high on my wish list. Hope to get one before too long.


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## mrkozmic (Mar 9, 2012)

Guys, I appreciate your suggestion on blade guards and I think I will get one, but this thread is for alternatives to over table dust collection.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*you should make something and post it*



mrkozmic said:


> I have a constructor saw with a DC attached.
> The blade throws a good amount of fine dust at me when sawing. I guess a blade guard with a vac connected to it would help, but some dust will probably still escape.
> 
> I 'm trying to find a solution for collecting all the dust before the blade brings it back above the table surface. What about a nozzle with pressurized air mounted at right angle to the blade below the table blowing off any dust caught by the blade? Or is the blade spinning just to fast?


You may be on to something, since all the other ideas seem to have an above the table top application. The advantage to that is they also function as a blade guard. You will still need/want a blade guard, right? 

The old debate on whether a motorcycle with a solid front wheel, will get blown around by crosswinds comes to mind.
A spoked wheel at 55 MPH is pretty much a solid surface to me. I imagine a saw blade at 5,000 RPM with the sawdust still captured in the gullets would need to have a pretty high pressure airstream to remove it. The sound alone would be a deterent in my opinion and you'd need a powerful compressor for the process, another noise maker.... I donno?


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## J Thomas (Aug 14, 2012)

I agree on the noise factor... Spin the saw up & hit it with an air hose... My guess is.. it's gonna screech unbearably loud. 
I just wear eye protection & deal with the bit of crap that flies.. especially when cutting plywood.
JT


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## mrkozmic (Mar 9, 2012)

I guess it's just a try and see what happens thing 

BTW, I asked Shark Guard if they can make a guard for my Makita.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

mrkozmic said:


> You might have a ponit there, but on the other side the blade itself is stirring up the air alteady.
> The amount of air from the nozzle will be much smaller than the DC airflow. The idea is to have the nozzle very close to the blade, thus reducing its size.



Not that I intend to try it, but it would be interesting if someone did. My theory on this is that at least on my saw, the dust collection port is dead centered under the blade, thereby creating nearly the same airflow on either side of the gullet of a blade, and thereby creating a deadspot in the airflow. If you were to build in an air nozzle that changed the pressure on one side of the blade versus the other, it may move that dust out just enough to clear the blade. 

Someone just for the fun of it should test this out.....you could use really small brake line to create a very high velocity of air, and it would be stiff to stay in place....


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## Rick C. (Dec 17, 2008)

I have dust collection under the saw, dead center,4" opening adapted down to 2 1/4" for my shop vac. I just installed it today and ran about 1000 lineal feet of hickory for flooring through with a 1/4" dado blade set at 1/8" deep to make the recesses (2) on the bottom of each board. The dust was minimal outside the saw, but, it filled the inside where the blade and trunion are. I blocked the back of the saw with plywood, so the air was coming through the space for the belt, the insert and the front angle gauge slot. The vac just didn't seem to pull the saw dust out very well. I could make a tapered angle down to the vac line. So far, below the saw DC has not worked for me.


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## dgoodyear (Aug 22, 2012)

Fine dust collection at the saw requires 2 things: adequate CFM above the saw and adequate CFM below the saw. You need to move 400-500 below the saw. THis is why a vacuum will not work. You need to move 2-300 CFM above the saw. Above the saw DC can be achieved using 2 approaches. Either a large CFM with an open type guard situated above the blade or a blade cover that limits air flow in one direction or creates an orifice which the blade dust projects into. Then a shop vac can be effectively used. Look at the SawStop blade guard. It funnels air spinning off the blade to an orifice at teh front of the blade guard. A vacuum ( low air volume but high velocity) can then be used to suck it up. I use the later. The key for below the saw is volume. I run a 6" port directly to the machine off a 7" main. Draws about 900 CFM from the bottom of the cabinet. Works like a charm just as Bill Pentz said it would.


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