# Dust collection for table saw



## mnoone (Jan 18, 2017)

I want to get a 3HP Sawstop cabinet saw. But I don't think my shop vac can keep up.

Would a Harbor Freight DC with a cannister filter on it be enough if I have maybe 10-15 feet of flex hose?

And would adding a cyclone to that be beneficial? Do cyclones extend the life of your filter or do they just reduce how often you have to clean filter?

What would be the next step up from a modified HF DC?

Thank you!


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## BigCountry79 (Jun 2, 2021)

I have a sawstop with the 2hp hf DC. I have less than 10' of hose. It works fine. I'm not overly impressed by the dust collection. The dewalt jobsite saw threw off less dust when I used my shop vac


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

mnoone said:


> *I want to get a 3HP Sawstop cabinet saw. But I don't think my shop vac can keep up.*
> (I think the cabinet saw has a full blade shroud with a shop vac size dust port, but I'm not sure?
> If so, that's great better than a 4" port at the base. Your 16 gal shop vac will "keep up" but during a 2 or 3 hr continuous ripping session, you'll need to empty it and knock the dust off the filter UNLESS you have a Dust Deputy in between. Then all the dust will go inside there. The D D keep all the dust from getting on the filter. I don't use them, and I've been using the same filters for 0 years. I knock out the dust outside, then blow them from the inside out with 80 psi air. I have several and rotate them.)
> 
> ...


My advice is entered in parenthesis.
So, we have shop vac(s), a stationary dust collector, and an overhead air filtration unit to complete the whole system.
An overhear air filtration system is "must" for a home shop in my opinion. You can buy or build one, but either way that's the only way to clean the shop air of the finest dust that inevitably gets by the filters. Wearing a dust face mask is the final step in personal protection.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Cyclones greatly reduce the amount of times you have to change filters. 
Put it this way; I have a large shop vac. In the year I owned a cheap Home Depot cyclone, I have dumped countless 5 gal. plastic buckets full od dust and chips. My shop vac bag has almost nothing in it. I am truly amazed how efficient those cyclones are at catching the dust and chips. 
I know there are much better filtration systems but I am addressing the original question "
Do cyclones extend the life of your filter or do they just reduce how often you have to clean filter?" So yes, they really do and to an incredible amount.


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## DrRobert (Apr 27, 2015)

Yes, it will work. You should be able to incorporate over the blade collection, too.

The SawStop guard/collector works quite well hooked to a shop vac.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

You shop be fine with tge HF DC ...


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## mnoone (Jan 18, 2017)

DrRobert said:


> Yes, it will work. You should be able to incorporate over the blade collection, too.
> 
> The SawStop guard/collector works quite well hooked to a shop vac.


Is it possible that a shop vac is all I need along with the over the blade collector? Surely no?


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## mnoone (Jan 18, 2017)

Tony B said:


> Cyclones greatly reduce the amount of times you have to change filters.
> Put it this way; I have a large shop vac. In the year I owned a cheap Home Depot cyclone, I have dumped countless 5 gal. plastic buckets full od dust and chips. My shop vac bag has almost nothing in it. I am truly amazed how efficient those cyclones are at catching the dust and chips.
> I know there are much better filtration systems but I am addressing the original question "
> Do cyclones extend the life of your filter or do they just reduce how often you have to clean filter?" So yes, they really do and to an incredible amount.


I have a similar setup for my shop vac. It works well for most things though I do notice a significant hit in suction when the cyclone thing is attached.

Cleaning shop vac filters is hard and dusty work. But it seems like the cannister filters are wayyy easier to clean by just blasting them from the outside in with compressed air. And that doesn't even make a mess as it's blasting back into your dust bag. But it's not clear to me if cleaning them damages them. Or perhaps large chips (that a cyclone could catch) hitting the filter might damage it.


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## mnoone (Jan 18, 2017)

woodnthings said:


> My advice is entered in parenthesis.
> So, we have shop vac(s), a stationary dust collector, and an overhead air filtration unit to complete the whole system.
> An overhear air filtration system is "must" for a home shop in my opinion. You can buy or build one, but either way that's the only way to clean the shop air of the finest dust that inevitably gets by the filters. Wearing a dust face mask is the final step in personal protection.


Overhead dust collector is on my list but for now I wear masks a lot 

The professional sawstop cabinet saw has a 4" port for sucking dust from under the blade and a couple optional over blade dust suckers. I've never seen the latter used in a shop - only dealt with dust removal from below. Why is that? I've been in a good number of shops that had Sawstop professional and industrial saws. I think you're saying that the over blade solution is more effective even with just a shop vac? That would make my life easier if I could survive with just a shop vac for a while. Though I still need a solution for my DW735 planer but I've heard you can just attach a bag to that.

Venting outside is likely not easy for me and would require significantly longer hoses/pipes. What do people do about rain protection? I live in California bay area and we've had a very wet winter. I think I'd have to have a roof over the dust collector.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Over blade dust collection can be a problem for some depending on how much they use the saw. I have no over blade on mine..


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## mnoone (Jan 18, 2017)

Rebelwork said:


> Over blade dust collection can be a problem for some depending on how much they use the saw. I have no over blade on mine..


Yeah I could imagine it getting annoying and messing with some jigs (for example I think it would get caught on the back of a cross cut sled)


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

mnoone said:


> Overhead dust collector is on my list but for now I wear masks a lot
> 
> The professional sawstop cabinet saw has a 4" port for sucking dust from under the blade and a couple optional over blade dust suckers. I've never seen the latter used in a shop - only dealt with dust removal from below. Why is that? I've been in a good number of shops that had Sawstop professional and industrial saws. I think you're saying that the over blade solution is more effective even with just a shop vac? That would make my life easier if I could survive with just a shop vac for a while. Though I still need a solution for my DW735 planer but I've heard you can just attach a bag to that.
> 
> Venting outside is likely not easy for me and would require significantly longer hoses/pipes. What do people do about rain protection? I live in California bay area and we've had a very wet winter. I think I'd have to have a roof over the dust collector.


To vent outside you simply mount the blower unit on the inside of an outside wall and run a short pipe directly outside with a 90 degree bend to keep the rain out. A screen will keep the critters out.

An over arm, over the blade is easy to mount on a rotating vertical pipe. That way you can swing it completely out of the way when you need to. I've tried various designs for the orange pipe and they all work OK. That is my latest version:


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

mnoone said:


> I want to get a 3HP Sawstop cabinet saw. But I don't think my shop vac can keep up.
> 
> Would a Harbor Freight DC with a cannister filter on it be enough if I have maybe 10-15 feet of flex hose?
> 
> ...


The HF DC is more than fine, WITH SOME MODS. As you mentioned, a cartridge filter, it also needs some manner of separator, Bill Pentz recommends a Neutral Vane. LCHIEN over at Sawdustzone has posted a PDF of the template for making your own. Just take the file to Office Depot and get it printed, and cut the pattern from a section of snap lock piping. LCHIEN (Loring) has his float in the inlet, mine is riveted in.

Also you may want a larger impeller. I went with the impeller for a Wen 3403 A.K.A. Wen 3403-22 turbofan. 

Next step up, is the Wen 3403, modded with a cartridge filter and neutral vane.

You can use an external cyclone / separator but you WILL pay a price airflow wise, anywhere from about 30 - 50%, which is why I removed mine. Just learn to empty the bags and blow the cartridge filter down with compressed air after every use. Not empty the bags each time, but blow down the filter. You can of course let dust cake build up and leave the blow down for a periodic thing, depending on how active you are in the shop, I see 2 - 3 times a year is about the average, or after the 2nd or 3rd collection bag change out.

You won't necessarily ruin a filter, but you will clog it pretty bad if you don't use any sort of separator, and it will happen FAST, and I mean REALLY fast. Again blow down is your option here. Or if you have spun bond poly like me, blow down, then remove, and wash out with a hose / nozzle at mild pressure to wash the pleats ALWAYS from the outside IN, you do not want to drive contaminants further into the filter fabric.

IF you can avoid it, do NOT use 10' of hose.Only use hose where you MUST make irregular turns or have movement / vibration. You want the inside of the pipe / hose to be as smooth, and straight as possible.


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