# Router Table Dust Control



## William H (Jun 22, 2020)

I am interested in trying to extract the saw dust that drops underneath my router table. I have an older Craftsman "Professional" aluminum die cast table with a Bosch 1617 EVS router mounted underneath.

I am looking at two options so far: buying or building a box enclosure (like the Rockler Dust Bucket) or the rubber dust boot that fits between the router and the underside of the table (Milescraft DustRouter).

I have read that the box enclosure does not provide clean air for the router to function properly (not overheat) and that the box does not do a good job in extracting the saw dust. On the other hand, will the rubber boot interfere with the spinning router bit and cause a major problem?

Any thoughts / suggestions? Thanks for your advice.


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## shoot summ (Feb 21, 2014)

I have the Dust Bucket, I'm very pleased with it. I haven't noticed any issue with the router getting hot(there is a lot of air movement in the box). I have noticed the air intake on the router will have some saw dust in it, I knock it out when I shut it down. In addition saw dust will build up in the corners of the box, again, when I shut down I leave the collector running and clean out the box. At some point I will probably remove the screws and tack weld the box together, when you run your hand around inside cleaning out the box you have to be careful of the sharp screw points. I haven't broken any skin on them, but they are there.

There is a huge difference in the amount of dust that used to end up on the floor, and the table.


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

I have a box built into my router table cabinet with a 4" dust port on the back. I don't know how it would work if you're using only a 2-1/2" hose shop vac to extract dust. [Edit-->]I assume it would be good since it looks like that Rockler box uses a 2-1/2" port.

A 4" line pulls enough air in through the bit hole, cord hole, and around the door to keep the router from overheating.

Some dust stays in the corners of the box. You could probably avoid that by either tapering the sides of the box at angles towards the dust port, or by having the hole on the bottom, but that isn't as convenient if you have a typical cabinet. I open the door when I'm done and the remaining dust gets sucked out.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

The ideal isn't to be perfectly spotless but clean enough to be productive. As long as the router bits are clear and not shooting debris. It's a winner...

Build a box to accept this ⬇ you could also try Router Forums


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

use your imagination to build what will fit your setup (all are not created the same).


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Problem is they don't work so well. Sawdust tends to stick. Suggest pvc or metal

You can take a microfiber cloth to any dc port. If it's catching, so is the saw dust...


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## Outpost22 (Nov 8, 2020)

My router table has a "dust box" with a magnetic door. What I found is that the key to making it work properly is not to make it air tight. I drilled a 2" hole in the back of it to run the cord AND to let air enter the box. It works great. If the box is too air tight, think of sucking on a soda bottle with no air relief. After watching a video of a similar situation, before and after air relief made a huge difference in the performance of the extraction ability. I rarely have to clean this box out and it really is just a matter of routine maintenance. Also, having an upper dust port at the bit location removes 95% of the materials. YMMV


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## William H (Jun 22, 2020)

Thanks to all for your advice. Has anyone used that Milescraft boot? Any good? Dangerous? (it is about 1/3 the cost of the Dust Bucket) I think it used to be supplied by a company called Keen Products.


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