Better Dust Collection for Cabinet Saw
I have a Grizzly 1023S cabinet saw hooked up to a Woodsucker cyclone for dust collection. The Woodsucker system works very well for every machine in my shop except the 1023S. The basic problem is that the dust collection port sits several inches above the floor of the cabinet, so the debris settles to the bottom of the cabinet before it can get close enough to the port to be picked up.
What I’d like to do is build a sloped baffle inside the cabinet that would funnel the dust toward the dust collection port. Any ideas on configurations and materials for such a baffle? Since it’ll be inside the cabinet, I suppose cardboard and packing tape would work in a utilitarian kind of way, but I’d prefer something a little more permanent. What do you think?
Replies
Remove the throat plate and drop some sawdust to the bottom of the cabinet to see if it's sucking it in well. If you had a thin strip of wood get stuck in the duct(like I did), it can block the flow. I have the 1023S and while there is a layer of dust in the bottom, it stays clear above the port. I also have a magnetic sheet that I use to close off the radiused slot where the blade height crank moves. It's one of the biggest "leaks" and it definitely helps.
I sealed every opening I could find with duct tape. As another reader mentioned I sealed the tilt mechanism slot, only I used stiff canvass with a slit in it and taped in place. The mechanism can move the canvass aside but it is stiff enough to close up behind it. All this has really helped. Not an exact answer to your question but easy to try and virtually at no cost.
keith
I guess the big question is, do you have less dust floating around and is the bag filling up for you? I would also look for leaks around the plate on the saw. You're using the 4" tubing without a lot of bends or transitions, right? If you want something more permanent, maybe you know someone who works with sheet metal. A piece could be bent that raises the bottom and slopes the sides in toward the center. You could make a pattern out of cardboard or 1/4" hardboard. Are you using metal ducting or plastic? If plastic, do you have a ground wire connecting the saw to the collector? If not, there's a lot of static electricity and this can cause collection issues."I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Edited 2/1/2005 1:12 pm ET by highfigh
After you posted last night, I dug up some of that magnetic sheet material and made a cover for the tilt mechanism slot. I have a zero clearance throat plate, so there shouldn't be a problem there. I have my blades out for sharpening till Thursday, when I'll be starting a new project. I'll give the dust collection a little workout then to see if sealing the cabinet leaks helps out. Thanks for the suggestions.
I didn't seal anything other than the curved slot on the front, maybe a couple of small ones on the back. I do have the box around my motor, though. I also toss some sawdust at the slot after lowering the blade occasionally. If the dust gets sucked in, it's working. I haven't seen one get absolutely all of the dust but after cutting particle board or MDF, I don't have much flying around. Unlike the way it was before. I spend almost no time cleaning up dust in the garage now.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Dust collection is all about moving air. Be careful about closing off to many openings, as this can result in starving the DC for air. The DC can only pull the amount of air out of the cabinet as can get into the cabinet. So for a 4" port you would be looking at about 12.5" or about 28" for a 6" port. The place of those openings can also help or hurt you. Try to make sure the openings are at the blade (i.e. throat plate) or on the opposite side of the blade from the DC port. This should help promote air movement across the blade on its way to the DC port.
Your issue is likely due to either low CFM or low air velocity at the blade. Moving the port opening closer to the blade will help with the velocity. Building a shroud around the underside of the blade would be the best method of increasing the velocity of air flow near the blade. For CFM, make sure you have enough openings in the cabinet for the make-up air (same surface area as the size of your dust port as described above).
Good luck,
--Rob
I agree. It's like putting your hand over the carb or throttle body in a car. Too much closed off and it chokes the whole thing. Try removing whatever is closed off at the underside of the table on the side opposite the DC port. This will cause the air to flow past the blade more on its way to the port. Otherwise, if you're using a zero clearance plate, try it with the one that came with the saw.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Dave,
I have the same machine and the same problems. I have a 2hp Oneida cyclone with have a 6" main, 5" drop to the 4" port. I enlarged the 4" port to a 5" port and also dropped the opening closer to the bottom of the shute and the problem disappeared: no dust. Then I hooked up the 3" port for DC/saw blade guard with zero clearance throat plate and guess what: insufficient CFM to the bottom area of the cabinet. Removed the zero insert and the DC in the lower portion improved. Bottom line, its all about CFM. So, I live with a small collection of dust at the bottom and I no longer use the zero insert since, IMHO, they are overrated the majority of TS applications and severely reduce the air flow at the very point where you need the air intake. I am also considering removing the overhead DC blade guard for the same reason. Even using a short fence I have found the dust/blade guard creates more of a safety hazard than it is worth.
Doug
I recently went through this exercise on my contractors saw.
I have a Delta Contractors Saw (the model that is the last stop before going to a cabinet version) and I found that enclosing the bottom of the stand with 1/4" plywood and using magnetic sign material for fashioning a smaller apparture at the rear of the saw where the motor hangs out worked very effectively.
This in conjunction with my WoodSucker II works like a charm for me. My plumbing consists of a 30ft run of 6" with a 5" tap each for the planer and jointer and 4" taps for the bandsaw, table saw lathe and floor sweep. And, I used off the shelf HVAC piping and fittings from the big box stores, sealed with silicone caulk and fastened together with self drilling 3/8" screws to hold things together.
A friend of mine has his JET cabinet saw hooked up to a 1.5 HP bag vaccum and he doesn't get the results I get with just the 4" connection to the base of my saw.
Woodbutcher
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled