My Jet dust extractor was mounted on a castered cart that occupied a lot of floor space, and was a pain to empty. Having the machine near the floor also required two extra vacuum-robbing elbows to route the ductwork up to the ceiling.

To reclaim that floor space, I mounted the blower/motor assembly to the ceiling of my shop, and suspended the separator/filter assembly from the ceiling, too. To collect the shavings, I cut the bottom out of a stock bag and placed a 30-gallon metal trash can under it. The plastic bag stretches over the lip of the can, and no further sealing is necessary.

Inverting the legs of the separator/filter assembly disables the manual flapper system that cleans the pleated filter, so I removed the flapper handle. I now dislodge the dust from the filter before emptying the shavings from the can by banging on the sides of the filter.

Jim Richey

Dean Hedstrom, St. Paul, MN

Fine Woodworking Recommended Products

JessEm Mite-R Excel II Miter Gauge

The gauge has a quick and easy method for fitting the guide bar precisely to your tablesaw’s miter slot. This means the gauge can be recalibrated if necessary for continued accuracy. The face of the protractor head can be adjusted square to the table and also square to the guide bar. This ensures accurate cuts, and it, too, can be readjusted if the need arises. The protractor head has stainless-steel knobs and fittings and high-contrast, easy-to-read white numbers and increments.

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Rockler Dust Right 1250 CFM

You’ll need help to get this heavy unit onto its bracket, but if you’re looking for a central dust collector that won’t gobble floor space, this may be the unit for you.

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Makita LS1219L Miter Saw

This is the saw I want in my shop. For one, it’s easy to use. All of the controls are easy to reach and manipulate, and the glide mechanism is both robust and smooth. The handle works well for righties and lefties. Then there are added bonuses that no other saw has. For instance, its hold-down is superb, as it can move to different locations, hinges for a greater range of coverage, and actually holds down the work. In addition, the saw has two points of dust collection, letting it firmly beat the rest of the field. The one downside was the saw’s laser, which was so faint we had to turn off the shop lights to see it. Still, all these pluses in a package that fits tight to the wall? That’s a winner for me.

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