I've been experimenting with dust collection alternatives for a while, and I'm pretty excited about what I've come up with.
![](/legacy_images/sharedfiles/2094/enclosure.jpg)
There's three parts to it. First, above the table is a Shark Guard, which gets everything above the blade. Second is the enclosure I made, which captures everything coming out of the bottom and the back. Third is sealing off every opening in the saw on the sides, top, and front, except for the throat plate and the tilt/elevation slot on the front.
I'm pretty satisfied with the combined effect. The only place that dust can escape is under the front of the Shark Guard. That happens only at the end of a cut; normally the piece of wood blocks the front of the guard. No fine dust escapes this way; what gets out are little chunks several times the size of a grain of salt. I cut five pieces of MDF and there were maybe a dozen chunks that escaped.
I made the whole thing from a piece of 2'x4' 1/2" MDF that I had, and some scraps. The back is 5"x11", and on the right side I cut a 4x10 hole and attached a 4x10 to 6" HVAC adapter that goes into my 6" DC piping. The bottom is 2 5/8" thick. I attached the enclosure to the saw with polyurethane glue (LePage PL). I was afraid it would be somewhat rickety, but it is actually quite solid. For now I have it on the stock BT3 stand but I intend to make a mobile base soon.
There is very little clearance between the dust port and the clamp that holds the rail when the blade is tilted 45 degrees, so the top of the back is made from 1/4" pressboard. The bottom is held on with screws so it can be removed for blade changes.
To seal off the openings in the saw base I used pieces of scrap wood and copious amounts of silicone. In the picture you can see a piece of scrap shoved into the upper front left corner of the case.
Let me know if you are interested in more details.
Nick
![](/legacy_images/sharedfiles/2094/enclosure.jpg)
There's three parts to it. First, above the table is a Shark Guard, which gets everything above the blade. Second is the enclosure I made, which captures everything coming out of the bottom and the back. Third is sealing off every opening in the saw on the sides, top, and front, except for the throat plate and the tilt/elevation slot on the front.
I'm pretty satisfied with the combined effect. The only place that dust can escape is under the front of the Shark Guard. That happens only at the end of a cut; normally the piece of wood blocks the front of the guard. No fine dust escapes this way; what gets out are little chunks several times the size of a grain of salt. I cut five pieces of MDF and there were maybe a dozen chunks that escaped.
I made the whole thing from a piece of 2'x4' 1/2" MDF that I had, and some scraps. The back is 5"x11", and on the right side I cut a 4x10 hole and attached a 4x10 to 6" HVAC adapter that goes into my 6" DC piping. The bottom is 2 5/8" thick. I attached the enclosure to the saw with polyurethane glue (LePage PL). I was afraid it would be somewhat rickety, but it is actually quite solid. For now I have it on the stock BT3 stand but I intend to make a mobile base soon.
There is very little clearance between the dust port and the clamp that holds the rail when the blade is tilted 45 degrees, so the top of the back is made from 1/4" pressboard. The bottom is held on with screws so it can be removed for blade changes.
To seal off the openings in the saw base I used pieces of scrap wood and copious amounts of silicone. In the picture you can see a piece of scrap shoved into the upper front left corner of the case.
Let me know if you are interested in more details.
Nick
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